D&D 5E Homebrew rules for focuses

[Chaosmancer]

Technically, this idea has been bumping around my head since the Eberron UA from last year. It was pointed out that there is no difference or reason to buy and use different Foci or a component pouch.

What has been more surprising to me is that I can't even find homebrew rules for this. Sure, I can find magical focuses, but no rules for them in general. (So if anyone knows where I can find some it would be appreciated)

So, here is an attempt by me to put something together. Using some rules I've been using for a while and adding some new rules. Oh, and this is not just Arcane foci. I don't know why no one talks about druidic foci, like at all, but I'd like to.

Arcane: Staff, Wand, Rod, Crystal, Orb
Bard: Instrument
Druid: Staff, Wand, Sprig of Mistletoe, Totem
Holy: Amulet, Emblem, Reliquary

Ok, first things first. The rule that actually exists in the game.

Emblems can be put on a shield, turning the shield into a focus.

And now my most common houserule in this regard.

Staves count as quarterstaffs and can be used in melee.

Of course, this leads me to a problem. In the Eberron UA sidebar, they said using a focus with two hands increases your range by 50% and staffs are always two-handed. Well, can't give them two benefits, so I need to rethink that.

So, let us think of magic like a liquid. Focusing it to a smaller point allows more distance. So...

Wands increase the range of spells by 25%. (I think 50% might be too much, but we'll see, this might be too small)

Now, Crystals and Orbs I think I just make them the same thing. Material-wise they are essentially identical, Crystal just gives more aesthetic choices, like rings, brooches, ect. And here, I think I steal from Eberron. I'll let the crystal or orb be attuned to an energy type. When struck by that type, you can use a reaction to reduce tge damage by 1d4. (Pretty minor honestly, Eberron has this cost attunement, but I think that is too much. It will be the first thing dropped and defensively the other classes have some powerful options.)

Along those lines, I think Reliquary snd Musical Instrument should have the same rule. Not because they are similar, but because I have a similar image. As an action while you are concentrating on a spell, you can (sing/play/pray) and focus entirely on the spell. You gain advantage on concentration checks to maintain that spell, and the DC of that spell increases by 1 until the start of your next turn. (Now, this might seem like a lot, but I doubt it. It's a full action, I'll require both hands, and they could have dodged instead which is probably better for keeping the spell up. But the visual is awesome and it helps keep a successful spell succcessful which feels beneficial)

Now for the last few. Rods, Totems, sprigs of mistletoe and amulets.

I'm tempted to make amulets defensive, but that triples down for holy characters so I want something else. A buff makes sense, since they tend to be buffing classes. How about...

Amulets and Living Plants (I don't see why it has to be just Mistletoe, It'd be fun to let Druids channel through flowers and trees) allow the caster to give the target of their spell 2 temporary hitpoints. Makes their healing and beneficial spells just a little bit more.

I feel like I'm running out of good ideas, so, should the last two just be basic?

Rods and Totems give +1 damage on spells? I'm not a fan, but I'm just not sure what else I could do here.

Any other ideas, thoughts, comments?

 

[Jediking]

I really like this idea, but how granular do you want this to be?
Do you want each individual focus to have a specific role, which changes based on both the focus and the class? Or split them just into Offence/Defence/Support?

I really like the action to get adv on Con checks and +1 DC. I may just use this as a standard houserule for all casters to be able to do...

Emblem is fine as is, good for melee casters.
Staves = Quarterstaff
Rod = Club/Mace (?)

Some ideas based on what things could do, can assign to different foci or players can find a specific focus like Wand of Fire (add +1d4 fire damage to spells cast at 1st level or higher)

Offence: range increase; reroll one damage die on a spell; add 1d4 dmg type
Defence: reduce 1d4 damage type; +1 AC vs spell attacks; something for saves?
Support: THP to target of spell (love that idea); friendly target gets +1 or +1d4 on attack/save/AC, hostile gets +1 or +1d4 on same?

 

[Chaosmancer]

I don't want to get too granular, I'm thinking just dividing them based off the focus itself, not the class.

I do expect more specific items to have more specific effects. Get a magical wand of fire which has wand benefit plus more. This is just the baseline stuff.

I want to avoid giving 1d4's yet, just to keep this stuff minimally impactful. If I find the bonuses are too low, then I'll up it, but starting small for now.

 

[Charlaquin]

Very cool idea, I might steal it.

I would lump totems in with reliquaries and instruments. Hold it, pray, get the concentration buff. I’d also lump rods in with wands. They and staves are used pretty interchangeably in esoterica, so it would be reasonable to lump all three together mechanically, but people are gonna want to use their staves as quarterstaves anyway so might as well lean into that.

What about component pouches? Maybe they could come with like a supply of magical “ammunition” you can expend to apply some sort of metamagic-like bonus to a spell you cast with it?

 

[Chaosmancer]

Very cool idea, I might steal it.

I would lump totems in with reliquaries and instruments. Hold it, pray, get the concentration buff. I’d also lump rods in with wands. They and staves are used pretty interchangeably in esoterica, so it would be reasonable to lump all three together mechanically, but people are gonna want to use their staves as quarterstaves anyway so might as well lean into that.

What about component pouches? Maybe they could come with like a supply of magical “ammunition” you can expend to apply some sort of metamagic-like bonus to a spell you cast with it?

I was actually going to keep component pouches as having no ability. They are the simplest option. Just a bag of stuff you need to cast spells with.

 

[Charlaquin]

I was actually going to keep component pouches as having no ability. They are the simplest option. Just a bag of stuff you need to cast spells with.

They’re the most expensive form of spellcasting foci though. Seems kinda backwards, like if clubs cost more than Greatswords.

 

[Chaosmancer]

They’re the most expensive form of spellcasting foci though. Seems kinda backwards, like if clubs cost more than Greatswords.

Are they that expensive? I admit, I haven't checked the prices for them (and am AFB)

 

[Charlaquin]

Are they that expensive? I admit, I haven't checked the prices for them (and am AFB)

25 gp, compared to most spellcasting foci costing 5 to 10 gp. Orbs are the second most expensive at 20 gp. Also, most classes that cast spells give you an appropriate spellcasting focus for free, but not all of them give you an option of a component pouch. If on top of this it doesn’t do anything special but all arcane foci do, it will literally make component pouches less than worthless.

 

[Harzel]

Yeah, I think it is a cool idea for foci to confer different buffs, but in my game that's going to mean they are significantly less common and more expensive. The last thing we need is more buffs freely available at 1st level for next to nothing.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yeah, I think it is a cool idea for foci to confer different buffs, but in my game that's going to mean they are significantly less common and more expensive. The last thing we need is more buffs freely available at 1st level for next to nothing.

That sounds like a cool way to do it. Have all spellcasters start with a component pouch instead of a focus and make spellcasting foci with inherent buffs as a larger-ticket upgrade. While your martial friends are buying new armor, you buy yourself a fancy new focus. Although in that case you probably want to specify that a holy symbol emblazoned on a shield has to be worked in with some special material to justify the extra cost.