How Many Focus Do Your Characters Use?

[Cassandra]

And how often do your heroes have to go without them?

[Christopher]

My best answer to both: It depends on the GM.

The GM decides how often any Limitation is invoked. Focus is no exception. If I feel he is over-invoking it, I will buy it off.

 

Personally I try to avoid limitations nowadays. I am convinced that any limitation is a request to the GM to put it into play. That and I tend to stock up on too many limitations, because I can cram "a bit more power" into the sheet that way. That is really an issue with me and point buy Systems.

[Scott Ruggels]

My old powered atmored suit? Just one, the suit. How many time without it? Occasionally, but he was a talented normal with a speed point or two and a lot of skills and tens of tens of experience points, so out of his suit, he was an experienced character, who could improvise well. 

 

Felix 9 from Allies was another one of my player characters. He used s lot of cheap Foci, and had no particular attatchment to them, as he could always get more. Without foci, hell, naked he was fearsome, and as one of his early versions, was he had a focus pool limited to “what was at hand”, and/or what he could reasonably requisition from the government for the completion of his mission. He could request, but it was ultimately under GM control. Later rewrites just handwavef his foci. 

 

 

[IndianaJoe3]

It depends on the character. They didn't lose them much, but they were at least moderately competent without them.

[Tech]

I can say it's very rare for any character in the campaign to have more than one foci. As for how often do they have to go without them? It depends on the foci and the episode. If someone has an OAF - beef jerky, someone may try to get it but I'm not going to force the attack roll to automatically grab the focus away.

[Tasha]

Usually only one, but certain character types do merit multiple foci. ie Batman types, & Weapons Masters

[Cassandra]

19 hours ago, Scott Ruggels said:

My old powered atmored suit? Just one, the suit. How many time without it? Occasionally, but he was a talented normal with a speed point or two and a lot of skills and tens of tens of experience points, so out of his suit, he was an experienced character, who could improvise well. 

 

Felix 9 from Allies was another one of my player characters. He used s lot of cheap Foci, and had no particular attatchment to them, as he could always get more. Without foci, hell, naked he was fearsome, and as one of his early versions, was he had a focus pool limited to “what was at hand”, and/or what he could reasonably requisition from the government for the completion of his mission. He could request, but it was ultimately under GM control. Later rewrites just handwavef his foci. 

 

 

 

I remember Felix 9.  Was he the Wolverine of the Champions Universe.

[Cassandra]

1 hour ago, Tasha said:

Usually only one, but certain character types do merit multiple foci. ie Batman types, & Weapons Masters

 

Bruce Wayne has Multiform and different forms for his Batman/Batplane/Batboat/Batmobile.

[Scott Ruggels]

4 minutes ago, Cassandra said:

 

I remember Felix 9.  Was he the Wolverine of the Champions Universe.

Well the difference was Wolverine had a sense of humor. Felix 9’wasnstrictly businesses. 

[Cassandra]

6 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

Well the difference was Wolverine had a sense of humor. Felix 9’wasnstrictly businesses. 

 

Maybe he left his sense of humor in his bag of tricks.

[Scott Ruggels]

Just now, Cassandra said:

 

Maybe he left his sense of humor in his bag of tricks.

 

it would be dangerous to reach in past all the explosives, firearms and climbing spikes, so, yeah it’s rarely used and in the bottom of the bag, next to a half eaten roll of Tums, and the tiny sunglasses repair kit. 

[steriaca]

Me...? I never played a character with a focus. Robert Trueheart needs his tennis bracelet with his godgem on it to change into Lady Heart, but that is not bought as a focus (as it is only disable to magic users).

[Tech]

45 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

 

it would be dangerous to reach in past all the explosives, firearms and climbing spikes, so, yeah it’s rarely used and in the bottom of the bag, next to a half eaten roll of Tums, and the tiny sunglasses repair kit. 

 

Oh is that what you said. I misread it the first time. I thought you said:

 

"next to half eaten roll of Tuna, and the tiny sunglasses repair kit."    

[steriaca]

Well, I built many characters with focus, but I haven't played them. Like...

 

Jet Justice (a limited VVP on a focus "Justice Blaster", with a second one bought as a 5 point equipment rule). Paradox Timely (she has a few minor focus).

[Scott Ruggels]

2 hours ago, Tech said:

 

Oh is that what you said. I misread it the first time. I thought you said:

 

"next to half eaten roll of Tuna, and the tiny sunglasses repair kit."    

Oh, he likes tuna. He’s part cat. 

[Dr. MID-Nite]

I tend to make characters without focuses these days, but if they do have them, I try to make sure they can still do something if the focus goes missing.

[Duke Bushido]

Just the ones they take off the bad guys.

[bluesguy]

My one and only Champions Character ? was called Apache Archer.  He was a mutant (justification for very high DEX & SPD).  His OAF was his bow and arrows, a-la Hawkeye (nice and scientific).  He also had some limited martial arts.  Sometimes he would have his equipment taken during a fight.  I made sure he stayed far away from the melee combat which helped a lot.

 

The GM ran each character thru a 'Day in the Life' adventure.  Mine took place back in Arizona on his reservation where he was attacked by his nemesis, Kachina. The GM purposefully built Kachina to counter everything Apache Archer could do with his bow, which was taken away quite a bit in that fight.  It was very frustrating.  It was all a big test because after winning the fight, Apache Archer gained a while new power - a spirit bow and arrows.  The focus became an OIF (always appears in his hand - as long as he could see it).

[Cassandra]

I've come to believe that all powers are pretty much the same and the only difference between the characters is archetype, skills, and psychological limits.

[bubba smith]

that sounds true enough BTW the plural of focus is foci

[Cassandra]

1 hour ago, bubba smith said:

that sounds true enough BTW the plural of focus is foci

 

A Ha!  This was all a trap to expose you're secret identity as Captain Vocabulary!

[archer]

I probably average 2 or 3 (if you don't count in my gadgeteers who are festooned with foci).

 

I usually use them for minor powers like enhanced vision, radio, minor gadgets on a utility belt, etc. basically things which are useful and would make sense for an experienced hero to get to make his life easier but not cross over into the realm of "hey this makes me a superhero!" if some kid got his hands on them.

 

I rarely have any major powers bought through an OAF.

[steriaca]

I'm trying to find my writeup of Jet Justice I written so long ago...

[pinecone]

I average less than one. Sometimes a char will have one focus, rarely they will be festuned, but that is usually a OIF "Utility belt" and one or two extras.

[Ninja-Bear]

On 12/1/2018 at 5:27 PM, Cassandra said:

 

A Ha!  This was all a trap to expose you're secret identity as Captain Vocabulary!

Except the proper term is Grammer Nazis.