Focus

Use: If your character is attempting to do something requiring great mental concentration while in the midst of battle, for instance spellcasting or using a special power, or perhaps using another skill, it’s time for a focus check. Focus represents your arduous mental discipline to ignore spells, attacks, rough environs, and the like to get things done. Difficulty: If the player is performing some complicated task, and is trying to ignore damage or spell effects to continue performing said task, the DL is either equal to the DL of impending saves, or if damage is dealt, use 15 + 1/HP lost. If the character is being Held, the DL is equal to the opponent’s Hold check (Keep in mind that spells requiring gestures are usually impossible while being Held. Below are some set DLs for environmental turbulence:

Example DL Light rain or wind, a ship’s normal rocking, horseback riding 10 Heavy rain, a ship’s rocking in a storm, riding at full gallop, minor earthquake 20 On deck during an ocean storm, major earthquake 30 Being pulled into a nearby tornado, on the edge of an erupting volcano 40

If a Focus is failed, you fail the task at hand. If the task is spellcasting or using a special power that requires magic points or spirit points, the points are wasted. Opposed Rolls: If the Focus is in response to a spell, special power, or Hold check, you must make two checks – one as per usual in response to the attack, and the Focus at the same DL to see if you ruin what you’re doing. Retry: Focus checks cannot be re-rolled without the expenditure of a fate point.