Auratic focus
An Auratic focus is an implement used by a spellcaster to focus or amplify their Auratic output.
Types of foci
Wands, rods, and staves
The archetypical magician uses an implement made out of wood, with a core and a tip made out of Aura-conductive metal, such as silver, platinum, or mithril. These implements can be made out of various kinds of wood, of which each has its special characteristics. Examples of wood used in wands and staves are as follows:
| Material | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Ash | Robust, high durability, pairs well with Fire amplifiers |
| Ebony | Pairs well with Darkness amplifiers |
| Mahogany | Resistant to wood rot, pairs well with Grass amplifiers |
| Maple | Pairs well with Blood amplifiers |
| Oak | Pairs well with Air and Thunder amplifiers |
| Rowan | Pairs well with Light and Ice amplifier |
| Teak | Pairs well with Earth and Metal amplifiers |
| Willow | Pairs well with Water amplifiers |
| Yew | Amplifies the effects of toxin related spells |
Wands are considered foci for novice to apprentice level magicians and are generally simple in construction and lack adornment due to their disposable nature, in comparison to more advanced implements.
Pendants
A pendant focus is typically a conductive metal object or a holy symbol on a chain, most often used by divine invokers or kineticist magicians.
Orb
An orb focus is a sphere made out of glass, or in rare cases, clear quartz or obsidian. They are most most commonly used for the Vision Discipline, but orbs used by other caster classes often feature an amplifier encased within.
Amplifiers
Some focus implements, especially rods, staves, and pendants, feature an amplifier adornment on the end that emits the spell. The most common types are objects on top of scepter- or walking stick-style rods or alternatives to the metal object on the chain of a pendant focus, but the following amplifiers are in common use:
Bone is a common medium for Blood Aura amplification. The most prized bone-amplified foci use skulls (of small animals on rods or pendants, but larger ones on staves), or carved ivory.
Crystals, gems, and other minerals, of which there are many grades and varieties, are considered iconic amplifiers for the typical magician, to the point that even some wands, which are typically unadorned, incorporate small mineral samples inside the metal tip as a rudimentary amplifier. Some examples of mineral amplifiers are:
Common: Quartz, obsidian, opal, topaz, limestone, onyx, marble
Expensive: Garnet, sapphire, emerald, ruby, amethyst, diamond
Obscure: Hematite, magnetite, pyrite, labradorite, celestine
Pearls and coral make excellent Water aligned amplifiers.