You're bringing up some long-standing crafting arguments here. I'm not going to jump back on those arguments. I'm going to point out that you have nothing to refine.
I'm not using the Refinement power to represent refinement. I'm using it to represent pure crafting/potionbrewing ability.
I can take Claws without them actually, literally being claws. I can take Wings without having any literal wings. Breath Weapon has been canonically used to represent thrown handfuls of burning faeces.
I don't think this particular counts-as is a massive stretch.
As always, everything is up to the GM. Anyone trying to slip that past me as a GM though would get asked "Are you going for munchkin of the year or do I really look that freaking stupid? No."
...But if I took Refinement instead, for one refresh more, which gives me all those benefits
and the ability to use Thaumaturgy, this would be totally balanced? I think it's obvious that someone doing this wouldn't be doing it for the power.
I'm not sure what you meant here, given that a character cannot have both Evocation and Channeling. If you meant either Thaumaturgy or Ritual instead of Channeling, could you point the way to a reference to support this position? The only way to make potions is by having one of the following: Thaumaturgy, Ritual: Crafting, or Ritual: [Thematic Subtype].
Uh, no. I can get potions with enchanted item slots. I can get enchanted item slots with Evocation or Channeling just as well as I can with Thaumaturgy or Ritual.
Did you mean that a character with Thaumaturgy doesn't need Evocation or Channeling to make potions with an elemental theme? This is true, but it certainly doesn't support the rest of your argument.
No, I mean that a character with just Thaumaturgy doesn't need any kind of Evocation ability (be it Evocation or Channeling) to store Evocation effects in an enchanted item. Similarly, a character with just Evocation doesn't need any kind of Thaumaturgic ability (be it Thaumaturgy or Ritual) to store Thaumaturgic effects in an enchanted item. So I don't need Evo to make Evo potions, and I don't need Thaum to make Thaum potions... What's stopping me from being a pure potions-brewer?
I'm pretty sure that by the RAW Crafting is an application of Thaumaturgy.
You don't need Thaumaturgy to get slots for enchanted items. You can get them just by purchasing Evocation, or even Channelling. Therefore, Thaumaturgy nor any variant of it is a necessary prerequisite for crafting enchanted items.
I'm absolutely certain that giving Focused Practitioner Crafters a 2 refresh discount on their powers is a bad idea from a balance perspective.
It's not a discount. They're only receiving enchanted items and/or potions. No Thaumaturgy, no Evocation. Given that Ritual is only one point of refresh more, and gives you just as many item slots as well as limited thaumaturgy, I don't think this idea can be called overpowered.