Understanding Your Focus

The foci descriptions in this book are purposely stripped down to basics so they have the widest possible application across multiple genres. A single descriptive sentence or two summarizes each one.

Each focus offers one or more genre theme suggestions. These are "quick hits" to help conceptualize how that focus might fit your character in a particular genre. For instance, the Builds Allies focus might mean that, in a science fiction genre, the allies you build are robots. But in a fantasy genre, you might be crafting golems and similar magically animated entities.

Each focus also offers one or more GM intrusion suggestions for possible ways the GM might complicate the situation, or as a consequence of a bad roll on your part.

Sometimes, a focus grants you additional equipment: one or two starting items you gain, in addition to whatever you already have from other sources, that might be required for you to use your ability or that might pair well with the focus. For instance, a character that can build things needs a set of tools. That said, many foci don't require additional equipment.

Focus Abilities

At tier 1, choose two tier 1 special abilities from your chosen focus. It's not in your best interest to choose an ability identical - or effectively identical - to one you already have, such as one granted by your type. Doing so doesn't provide any benefit unless it's an ability that specifically indicates it can be taken more than once or an ability that improves something you already have.

When you advance a tier, you can always go back and take a lower or equal tier ability, as long as you've taken the preceding ability in the flowchart. And you can always take another tier 1 ability (if any remain) for your focus.

If an ability specifically indicates it can be taken more than once, you can choose it again instead of advancing elsewhere along the flowchart.

Foci List