Pathi

OK, I've come up with the following:

Gift: ITM-AF - Arcanis Focus
Cost: 5
Powerbits: bonus-token token-3
Prerequisites: GP-ARCANIS/5 PICK+2:ARC-BA.ARC-EM.ARC-SM

An Arcanis adept is able to use a magical focus, crafted through a combination of Alchemy and Arcanis. The focus may take many forms, though all must be obviously carried, and when utilized, are obviously tied to the spell-casting (e.g., glowing, emitting a sound, etc.) in a mundane way. The adept becomes somewhat dependent on the focus, his powers increasing with it, but decreasing without it.

• If separated from the focus, an Adept will know the general direction and distance to it.

• A focus is a considerable item of power, and is resistant to breakage by mundane means. Great force or arcane means must be brought to bear to accomplish this.

• A focus, if made of a controllable element (earth, air, fire, or water), may be granted some minor color effects. For example, an stone staff may balance itself in an upright position, one made of water may be collapsed to a sphere, etc.

• "Normal" spells take less effort to cast. The difference is mostly a color effect, and only becoming relevant after extreme extended use. If a mage loses his focus, or tries to cast without it, however, the effort is much greater (which is also just a color effect)

• At the cost of extra effort, an adept may achieve an enhanced effect — maybe twice the normal for just color effects. In combat, "squad-level" area effects may be negotiated, but this is still just color — it cannot be used to attack more than one "significant" characters simultaneously, nor does it afford a bonus. However, it may be used against a grouping of "unranked" NPCs (and a single "significant" individual).

• At the cost of extreme effort, or prior preparation, an adept may concentrate an extended effect into one, concentrated spell. This is represented by a 3-focus token that may be consumed for a bonus. The target must be primarily a single individual, though effects on minor characters and/or color in the immediate vicinity may be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

• With Arcanis Ritual, an adept may prepare a ritual and store it within the focus. This allows the adept to cast the ritual in battlefield situations (though it is not instant), and thus may negotiate its applicability in RP or on the flagpole. However, such usage is dependent on prior preparation, or at least sufficient undisturbed time (no combat, no travel) in order to store the ritual. Therefore, the use of such an ARC-RT token should be inspected to ensure that its creation meets this requirement.

OK, some rationales:

• A number of characters have Arcanis, but no focus. Therefore, I rationalized it by saying that this is an advanced skill, for adepts (where that means two out of Battlemaster, Elementalist, or Spellmaster).
• It's mainly color. Perhaps fancy color in the ability to attack more than one mook at a time, but that is probably something that's already possible.
• I'd try to keep it at a 5-point level. The extension of the ARC-RT to war magic status is certainly an enhancement, but not overly so, particularly with the caveat that the token must be "prepared". So, the major in-game benefit is probably the bonus token. Given how expensive Arcanis is to get to an adept level, I'd really like to keep the point cost down.