Overview
Talent Foci
AX.GHW.04.01
Overview
Talent Foci are specializations within a Talent, the difference between a character who has Lore (general supernatural knowledge) and a character who has Lore with a Focus in Vampires (who has spent years specifically studying vampire behavior, taxonomy, and destruction methods). A Focus adds 1D to rolls that fall squarely within its scope.
Focus Rules (from AX.C.04):
- A Focus is tied to a specific Talent; it cannot be used without the parent Talent
- A Focus adds +1D when the roll falls within the Focus's scope; the GM adjudicates scope
- A character may have multiple Foci within the same Talent
- Foci are purchased separately from Talent ratings during character creation and advancement
- A Focus costs the same as 1D of Talent advancement
Scope Guidance: When in doubt, a Focus applies when the action is specifically about its subject. Lore (Vampires) applies when examining a bite wound for vampire characteristics, researching vampire bloodlines, or recalling whether a specific vampire's known weakness applies here. It does not apply to a general Lore roll about the hidden world, or to identifying a ghost.
Focus Quick Reference
| Talent | Focus | Primary Benefit | 2D Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precision | Handguns | +1D to handgun attacks; Free Action draw | Two attacks per Primary Action |
| Precision | Shotguns | +1D; extend buckshot targeting | Eliminate pump delay |
| Precision | Rifles | +1D; stack with aimed fire bonus | Range extends one band |
| Precision | Heavy Weapons | +1D; solo operation of crew weapons | Area damage extends one band |
| Precision | Thrown Weapons | +1D; throw as Free Action | Range extends Close→Near |
| Lore | Vampires/Undead | +1D; auto-know category weaknesses | ID vampire tier by behavior |
| Lore | Infernal | +1D; auto-know exorcism methods | Read contracts from behavior |
| Lore | Shapeshifters | +1D; auto-know silver applications | Distinguish lineage from infected |
| Lore | Fae | +1D; auto-know cold iron/rowan | True name research +1D; detect false names |
| Lore | Cryptids | +1D; auto-know deterrence approaches | Read territorial markers |
| Lore | Aberrations | +1D; auto-know behavioral limits | Assess Breach scale without Mediumship |
| Lore | Cursed/Possessed | +1D; auto-know exorcism methods | Auto-detect possession; assess host viability |
| Medicine | Emergency Response | +1D; faster stabilization | Restore 5 HP per scene field treatment |
| Medicine | Forensics | +1D; cause/time of death without lab | Detect staged vs. real supernatural evidence |
| Medicine | Supernatural Physiology | +1D on non-human patients | Full effectiveness on lineage characters; assess Veil Fracture |
| Technical | Computer Systems | +1D; auto-bypass unsecured systems | Digital evidence scrub for Veil management |
| Technical | Security Systems | +1D; assess coverage without roll | Bypass without evidence of gap |
| Technical | Surveillance | +1D; harder-to-detect placement | Auto-detect passive surveillance |
| Technical | Forensic Analysis | +1D; field material analysis | ID supernatural artifact origin type |
| Tactics | Ambush | +1D; team gets +1D on first action | Enemy must beat Threshold 3 to avoid flat-foot |
| Tactics | Monster Hunting | +1D; ID optimal approach; team +1D opening | Read behavioral state from indirect signs |
| Tactics | Exorcism Coordination | +1D; practitioner gains +1D under direction | Reduce combat-condition penalties to exorcism |
| Tactics | Trap Setting | +1D; traps at +1 Threshold | Improvised standard configs without roll |
| Tactics | Leadership | +1D; once/scene grant ally +1D | Clear morale conditions as Free Action |