Focus Pool

[Amatiel]

So, just reading up on the Focus Pool & abilities.
Apparently, your max Pool now is 3 points, regardless of how many abilities you collect.

Also, there is a new ability (see below) ... Anyone have any insights / clarification on how this works and how often it could be used?
REFOCUS
CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION
Requirements You have a focus pool, and you have spent at least 1 Focus Point since you last regained any Focus Points.
You spend 10 minutes performing deeds to restore your magical connection. This restores 1 Focus Point to your focus pool. The deeds you need to perform are specified in the class or ability that gives you your focus spells. These deeds can usually overlap with other tasks that relate to the source of your focus spells. For instance, a cleric with focus spells from a good deity can usually Refocus while tending the wounds of their allies, and a wizard of the illusionist school might be able to Refocus while attempting to Identify Magic of the illusion school.

 

[CapnZapp]

You simply spend ten minutes. Exactly what you do is up to you.

Another way of saying "once every ten minutes..." which really means "after each encounter"*

Note the requirement to have spent a point. This simply means you can't refocus twice in a row, you need to have an encounter in between.

*) If you clear out a room of goblins, and then on the other side of the door have to fight again, you likely did not have ten minutes, and didn't get to refocus in between encounters.

But if the adventure is not quite that hectic, you're absolutely meant to be able to squeeze in an Refocus.

Do check out the various activities you might perform during exploration. If you're the look-out, you might not have time for refocusing.

 

[Campbell]

So one of the interesting things is that Focus Spells sit somewhere between a daily resource and an encounter resource. Some classes can regenerate 2 focus at higher levels, but some can't so you only regain the rest when do your daily preparations. Generally you can nova a bit with them, saving a couple for a harder encounter. This can be big for the focus only types like Monks and Champions who generally have more powerful focus spells. Also worth noting is that they are spells and explicitly supernatural.

 

[Amatiel]

Cool. thanks for making that a bit easier to follow. So basically even if you have 3 FP, refocus lets you "meditate" between encounters to regain 1 RP. So you always have 1 RP for an encounter. that's pretty cool.

 

[CapnZapp]

Not always always, but yeah. As you level up you get pretty close. (There might even be high-level feats that guarantee a focus point each encounter, dunno)

 

[RSIxidor]

Not always always, but yeah. As you level up you get pretty close. (There might even be high-level feats that guarantee a focus point each encounter, dunno)

There's nothing that automatically regains focus points as far as I can tell.

Bards, Champions, Clerics, Druids, Monks, Wizards can take a feat to recover 2 as long as they spent two. Clerics, Druids, Monks, Sorcerers get an upgraded version of it later. Master Familiar's can have an ability to recover 2 points once a day. There's a couple of items that can give you a bonus focus point once a day with restrictions and requirement to use it in the same turn it is generated.

I was kind of expecting to see something like the 5E Bard or Fighter (Warmaster) abilities where they recover 1 of their Inspiration/Maneuver dice when rolling initiative if they have none available. I suppose 10 minutes should be easier to carve out in an adventure than an hour, though.

EDIT: Few more I missed. Gnomes can take an ancestry to get a 1/day action to recover a point. 8th level spell Divine Inspiration refills the focus pool.

 

[FowlJ]

Additionally, Sorcerers have a small benefit in that they refocus automatically - most characters need to do something in particular to regain focus, which means they need to actually sit down for ten minutes and do it, and can't do anything else during that time. Sorcerers have no such requirement, and so even if the party keeps exploring they will have a point back after 10 minutes (subject to the same 'must have used a focus point' restriction as normal refocusing, but they could get 2 or 3 focus back at a time with later feats).

 

[CapnZapp]

Additionally, Sorcerers have a small benefit in that they refocus automatically - most characters need to do something in particular to regain focus, which means they need to actually sit down for ten minutes and do it, and can't do anything else during that time. Sorcerers have no such requirement, and so even if the party keeps exploring they will have a point back after 10 minutes (subject to the same 'must have used a focus point' restriction as normal refocusing, but they could get 2 or 3 focus back at a time with later feats).

I think it's best to phrase this as Sorcerers can choose *any* activity as their refocus activity.

(Other characters don't refocus less automatically than Sorcerers; they all refocus equally automatically, just as long as they do their refocus activity )

 

[FowlJ]

Any activity, including not stopping at all. If the party is sitting down for 10 minutes every time they use a focus point then the difference is relatively minor (which is why I said it's a small benefit, because I suspect that will happen fairly often), but if there is ever not an opportunity to do so then they still get to refocus even if nobody else does.

It also means (and again, this is a pretty minor thing) that they can use some of their focus powers continuously, as long as they don't spend any additional points - a dragon sorcerer can eventually grow wings for 10 minutes as a focus spell, and because they don't need to sit down for 10 minutes to refocus, they can just refresh the power as soon as it ends and keep flying.

 

[CapnZapp]

Maybe it's easiest to quote the rulebook:

...and you can regain 1 Focus Point by spending 10 minutes using the Refocus activity. Unlike other characters, you don’t need to do anything specific to Refocus, as the power of the blood flowing through your veins naturally replenishes your focus pool.