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View Full Version : Holding/Stowing/"Drawing" Foci



Razor
Jul 15th, '08, 06:39 AM
How do you determine whether a focus needs to be held to be used?
For instance, one of the PCs in my game now has an OAF Sword for his HKA, but has OAF Medallion for his flash, but he says he imagines that he pulls it out from his jacket and holds it forth to issue the magical flash.

That would, to me, indicate that like the sword, he has to use a half-phase to "draw" it.

Couldn't he have an OAF Medallion hanging around his neck that does the same thing for the same points since it could still be grabbed?

Where are the points cost/savings for having to "draw" or hold a focus to use it? Activation roll, perhaps?

He has also said that since it's in his jacket it's really not obvious until he pulls it out, then they know it's there and can reach in there and grab it. So it's OAF, because its obvious his powers come from it, but he's got it concealed until first use.

Any clarification on this would be of great help.

Steve Long
Jul 16th, '08, 06:19 AM
Well, some genres (e.g. Fantasy) have rules about drawing weapons that you could apply in this situation. In other genres (e.g., Superheroes) those rules generally don't apply, absent a Limitation -- if a character has a sword he uses it like any other HKA. That's sort of the "default" rule, that there's no need to "draw" a Foci -- rules about drawing weapons and whatnot are instituted for specific genres to get the right "feel."