Channeling comes with two free Focus Item Slots (page 278). You can design the items that fit into these slots now, or later on during play. A single Focus Item Slot may be traded in for two Enchanted Item Slots (page 279). You may gain more Item Slots as one of the options on the Refinement
ability (page 182)—but you may only buy Refinement for that purpose. All items created for those slots must be in keeping with the elemental theme you’ve chosen for your power.
Ritual comes with two free Focus Item Slots (page 278). You can design the items that fit into these slots now, or later on during play. A single Focus Item Slot may be traded in for two Enchanted Item Slots (page 279). You may gain more Item Slots as one of the options on the Refinement ability (page 182)—but you may only buy Refinement for that purpose. All items
created for those slots must be in keeping with the single application you’ve chosen for your power.
Now, I understand that by sacrificing 1 point of power when crafting an enchanted item a crafter can make it usable by anyone. Does this override the "must be in keeping with" rule, so that a Wizard-level crafter can make an armor trench coat(using Spirit) for the Fire channeler, and the Fire channeler can use it? And is the only way for a focused practitioner to have enchanted items outside of their specialty for them to have a Wizard friend?Sacrificing 1 shift of power makes the Item usable by anyone, even people without their own slots. Yet the crafter still pays the slots.
I'm not a big fan of "Rituals (Crafting)" myself, it feels kind of broken for the cost, especially with potions and whatnot. The RAW quoted by the OP discourages it, and I like that.
Personally, I allow enchanted items that fit the character's outlook and element. Someone with channeling could trade one of their focus items for two enchanted items and while technically the PC wouldn't know how to make them the items could be explained as a long term focus of his power.
[...]
As a Rule: No Thaumaturgy or Ritual -> No Enchanted items or potions. (adopting is the exception)
But that's just me. :)
Channeling and Evocation allow you to create FOCUS items, for your casting ability. A Fire Channeler can not create a Water Focus item. And Why would he want to, he has no use for it.I didn't on the first read, Because I totally forgot that Ritual can be specified to go along with a flavor of magic, not just one of the trappings of Thaum.
Ritual(Crafting) allows you to create basically any kind of Enchanted item, any Kind of Potion, and Focus items to aid you in crafting. But you have no casting ability at all.
Ritual(Prefixmancy) allows you to create Potions and Enchanted items that follow the prefixmancy. And Focus items that help with your preficmancy.
So no Flight Potion for the Pyromancer, or Fire-shooting gloves for the Aquamancer. and so on...
I think you catch my meaning.
Sacrificing 1 shift of power makes the Item usable by anyone, even people without their own slots. Yet the crafter still pays the slots.Yeah, the Crafter NPC character is lame if overused. But at least Craft Adoption means that a PC crafter can make things outside of the Focused Practitioner's "field", that are still usable by the FP.
What you are proposing is what is called adopting items. which is absolutely legal and does not even require the sacrifice of slots. Wardens swords are the prime example, made by Luccio, carried by wardens, and each one only usable by it's "adoptive-parent".
For that purpose, the crafter creates the item with his own slots, and then gives it away to someone who has his own slots. The new owner then pays for it with his slots, at which point the creators slots are freed again.
Just be careful, because it can easily lead to the "My friend the Crafter NPC" who makes all the items... and that's somewhat lame imho.