Clarification on Focus Specializations & the "700-shift wizard"

[Taer]

So, I need for someone to answer two questions for me.

1. How do focus specializations work?

The way I understand this, let's say I take a +5 Spirit Offensive Control Item. This normally takes 5 Focus Item Slots and is as big as a basketball or a staff. Now, with a Focus Specialization of +1, the same item takes 4 Focus Item slots and is thus fist/rod sized, correct?

Similarly, let's say I have a Focus Specialization of +3. I have two items for +4 Spirit Offensive Control and +5 Spirit Defensive Control. Thus, the first item takes 1 Focus Item Slot while the second item takes 2 Focus Item Slots, is that correct?

But, let's just say I want the biggest stick of them all. I craft a +3 Offensive and Defensive, Power and Control to Spirit(let's say I'm a demigod of vast power and I have a shockingly overpowered Lore to pull this off). This normally takes 12 Focus Item Slots(one element times 12). Now, with a Focus Specialization of +2, does this item take 10 Focus Item Slots(reducing the total) or 4 Focus Item Slots(reducing by each category)? I'm almost confident of the former, but I'd rather confirm this.

And last but not least, applying the above reasoning to elements. Let's say +2 Offensive Power to Earth and Spirit. That's 4 Focus Item Slots. With a +1 Focus Specialization, do I get 3 Focus Item Slots or 2? Likewise, I'm leaning towards the former.

2. I've heard a few people say something about a "700-shift Wizard" and I must admit I'm morbidly curious as to how it works. Could someone explain that to me?

[crusher_bob]

'Specializations' are another option when you take refinement.  So, if you have a +1 fire control specialization and a +4 offensive fire control focus, you have a base control of your discipline +5.

So, for example, a submerged wizard build might look like:

Superb: Discipline, Lore
Great: Conviction, etc

Base magical control 5, base magical power 4.

Then:
Evocation (Air, Earth, Spirit) (+1 Spirit Power)

You get 1 specialization point 'for free' with full Evocation.  That makes our base spirit evocations (without foci) look like: Control 5, Power 5.

Then, we take a point of refinement, and choose specializations (we get 2 points of specialization per point of refinement).  We put one of them in 'Spirit Control' and the other one in 'Spirit Power'.  So now our evocation looks like:

Evocation (Air, Earth, Spirit) (+2 Spirit Power, +1 Spirit Control)

Note that our specializations must follow 'a pyramid', just like skills.  So we couldn't, for example, go for +3 Spirit power without a +2 and a +1 to prop it up.

Next, we can't have a total specialization bonus higher than our lore, which isn't much of a hindrance for wizards, since they tend to have a high lore skill anyway.'

Our spirit evocations now look like: Control 6, Power 6.

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The 'tree' cost (in refresh) for specializations is as follows:
1 point: +2, +1 (remember, you get 1 point of specialization for free)
3 Points: +3, +2, +1
5 points: +4, +3, +2, +1
7 points: +5, +4, +3, +2, +1

So, for example, if we have a wizard with 7 points of refresh sunk into evocation specializations, their evocation might look like:

Evocation (Air, Earth, Spirit) (+5 Spirit Power, +4 Spirit Control, +3 Air Power, +2 Air Control, +1 Earth Power)

So their base evocations now look like:
(assuming the same skill spread as the earlier example)
Spirit: Control 9, power 9
Air: Control 7, Power 7
Earth: Control 5, Power 5

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The first point of refinement spent on specializations (which gets you a +2) is effectively worth 4 points of foci, since.  After that, if costs 2 points of refresh to get you to the next higher plus, so specializations are roughly equivalent in power, but can't be taken away.  In general, the only reason you want to take foci over specializations are if you want to focus your power toward offense or defense more, and that's only after you have the first point of refinement in specialization already.

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[currently editing to show crazy pants power wizard example]

Submerged wizard:

Superb: Discipline, Lore
Great: Conviction, etc

[-1] The Sight
[-4] Evocation (Air, Earth, Spirit) (+2 spirit Control, +1 Spirit Power) (note point of refinement spent here)
[-3] Thaumaturgy (+1 Crafting Strength)
[-1] refinement (2 more focus item slots)

Items:
Enchanter's Loupe (+2 crafting strength)
Focus item: +1 Offensive Spirit Control

Defensive item power 8, 3 uses (2 slots)
2nd Defensive item, power 6, 3 uses (1 slot)
Mook swatter offensive item: power 5, 4 uses (1 slot)
2 Potion Slots (base power

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So, our wizard makes control 8, power 5 evocation attacks
Or can swat mooks with a targeting 5 (discipline) weapon 5 enchanted item
and defends with a power 8 defensive item, plus a power 6 item to provide armor:3 if the power 8 block is broken.
And has 2 power 8 potions on tap

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A wizard who doesn't go in for the enchanted items as defense can get base evocations of control 7, power 6 and has 6 focus items to beef it up.

Assuming they are happy with a +1 defensive power item so that them can throw up shift 7 blocks as a rote for 1 stress, then can then get a +4 offensive control, +1 offensive power focus (would have gone for +5 offensive control, but only have great lore).  So on the offense, you are looking at control 11, power 7 evocations (and you have the control to easily squeeze out more powerful evocations as your stress bar fills up).

This isn't a great idea though, as both your offense and your defense come out the the same (very limited) pool of mental stress.  People who present arguments for[b/ this build point out that if you can't solve a problem with 1 or two control 11, power 7+ evocations, it's probably time to consider negotiation instead.

[Llayne]

"Alternatively, a crafting specialization may be applied to increase the limit on how many bonuses may be placed on a single focus item (a focus specdialization).

-That's from the book, I didn't see anything saying that it reduced the number of slots to buy the item, just that you can put more slots on a smaller item. What were you looking at?

EDIT:

So your example of a +5 Offensive Spirit Control item would still take 5 slots, it'd just be able to fit into a fist/rod sized object.

[UmbraLux]

So, I need for someone to answer two questions for me.

1. How do focus specializations work?

It sounds like you're talking about Crafting Specializations.  If so, those are covered on YS:280.

Essentially, they a) only affect enchanted items and b) affect either strength or frequency (depending on your specialization).  So a crafting specialization isn't going to affect your focus items at all*.  It will make potions stronger, allow for extra uses on your armored jacket, give you several rings of force, etc.

*At all may be a bit strong.  It does allow you to fit an extra bonus on a smaller item...but it's not going to give you a free bonus.

[Taer]

Thank you for the lengthy explanation crusher_bob, but I believe I'm at fault here for not making my post clearer. I'm sorry for that, I should've made it more obvious that I was speaking of the Crafting Specialization in Focuses, rather than just focuses/specializations in general. I thought that Crafting(Focus) decreased the Focus Item Slots taken by them, which I now realize made my post sound all kinds of confusing. Thanks for your help anyway. :-)

Llayne thanks for clarification that the focus specialization only decreases the size of the focus items. This is somewhat disappointing.

[Ala Alba]

IMO, focus specializations also allow you to surpass the limit of "maximum bonuses in a single item equal to your Lore". For example, if you had a Lore score of 4 and a Focus specialization of +2, you could make a staff or something that gave you +6 to offensive/defensive power/control, whereas normally you'd only be able to one with +4.

Edit:

The one restriction on the bonuses provided is that they may not total to a number greater than your Lore.  So if your Lore is Good (+3), you can have an evocation focus item that provides +3 to offensive control, offensive power, defensive power, or defensive control, or a focus item that provides +1 to three of those, or +2 to one and +1 to another, but you can’t construct one that provides bonuses totaling 4 or more.

and

Alternatively, a crafting specialization may be applied to increase the limit on how many bonuses may be placed on a single focus item (a focus specialization)

So I guess it's not just my opinion. 

[sinker]

Actually the 700 shift wizard is a misnomer. He's not a wizard, he's a ritualist. Usually it's just thaumaturgy (or ritual:crafting) and a lot of refinements (for crafting specializations and/or foci). Then you craft a number of 10 shift items/potions that can be used over and over again and you have a ridiculously powerful spellcaster.

I think the idea was originally brought up in this thread: http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,21783.0.html
And bear coined the term, though I can't remember where.

Edit: Ah, I was wrong. I think we coined the term here (ish).
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,23817.msg1010976.html#msg1010976

Anyway, the whole concept is someone with a +5 focus to both crafting strength and frequency having 12 items that can cast 10 shift effects 6 times per session (without using mental stress for extra castings). 12x6x10 = the 720-shift-wizard!