Alternate Focus Items

[MijRai]

I wouldn't do contacts, but glasses would be a great foci. Maybe a Divination focus, or one for Veils. Glasses, preventing vision. Almost an oxymoron.

[Hoyled]

Another good incognito focus could be a wristwatch with the runes marked on the underside of the watch.

[trubrujah]

I caution you on the tattoos.  I'll tell you the same thing I told a buddy of mine who wanted tattoo focus items.  Reread the dresden files and you may notice a few instances where Harry overloads his foci and they explode.  Now imagine that instead of a wand, its your arm.  You could do it, but it's a bad idea.  Someone else mentioned the idea for refinement, and I think you could even do it as an enchanted item without it becoming a problem.

[sinker]

Of note canes are pretty inconspicuous. Also no one's going to think poorly of you if you carry a bookbag full of books. You just have to think of things you might be carrying on you anyway. One of my friends played a blind caster with a folding cane for a focus. No one was willing to take it away.

[Tsunami]

I caution you on the tattoos.  I'll tell you the same thing I told a buddy of mine who wanted tattoo focus items.  Reread the dresden files and you may notice a few instances where Harry overloads his foci and they explode.  Now imagine that instead of a wand, its your arm.  You could do it, but it's a bad idea.  Someone else mentioned the idea for refinement, and I think you could even do it as an enchanted item without it becoming a problem.

The Focus item Exploding is simply a case of transferring backlash that would have created a a consequence into destroying the focus.
Instead of taking a consequence, you loose your focus item.

So if you have your arm as a focus item it would be described as an injury, but not impose a compellable aspect. That would be the equivalent of loosing a focus item.

Though I'd see it as one of the drawbacks of Tattoos as Foci that you cannot shift backlash into the destruction of the item and always have to take a consequence. I't would balance the tattoos a bit against removable foci.

[Lanodantheon]

Exploding Foci....I never thought of that...

Well I just thought of other Focus items for the incognito sorcerer/wizard going off the "Wrist watch" idea.

Electronics. I'm not talking about magitech or some crap...I mean a focus or enchanted item in the shape, size, and appearance of a common piece of electronics. Because an electronic at its core is just a bunch of metal, wires and circuitboards inside of a bunch of metal and/or plastic. Ti blend, these items don't need to be working electronics, they just need to look the part.

Let's take a Cellphone. you could get like 2 slots out of that easy, 3-4 if you made it out of a cheap, bigger knockoff phone. The 80's "Portable Phone" could make for a lasting rod easy, though it would stand out unless you passed it off as "Retro" by using a Hot Topic Sticker. It doesn't need to be able to make calls, it just needs to look like a phone. Take a dead phone, rip the guts out of it with a screwdriver, make with the magic, reseal, voila!

Laptops could be made into Foci too, since they can get big and cumbersome. Rip the guts out of an older one or one of the "Semi-rugged" computers the Army and Police use that can survive after getting run over by a car...multiple times. You'd have a focus that no one would look at twice and if you were familiar with technology before you got your power back, it would be related.

Hell...make something out of a portable gaming system. A Summoner with her trusty Gameboy to someone Fairies like they're Pokemon...yarg!

You want other incoginto foci, look around your area right this minute. Book, chair, shoes, beer mug, cooking supplies.

[Kaldra]

ok looking around me atm yields:

metal drinking bottle: i think you could carve runes on the inside without to much work and fill it with a potion or booze... speaking of which
hip flask
many many college text books: replace the pages, they are bigenough to justify a bit focus or enchanted item
V for Vendetta mask: not inconspicuous but i dont think i could resist using it if i had powers
acoustic guitar: have the runes scribed on the inside or up and down the neck for a wicked awesome look. great for a bard theme.

and last but not least

Back Pack no one looks at them and you can have you hands free while using.

[ralexs1991]

You want other incoginto foci, look around your area right this minute. Book, chair, shoes, beer mug, cooking supplies.

love the idea

um i spy with my little eye (haha just kidding)

skateboard: you could carve runes onto that and easily pass it off as art or something like that  haha  

umbrelle: would make a great wand or staff if big enough just carve runes on the metal rod part

baseball bat: just like the umbrelle it would make a great incognito foci just carve runes on the handle and cover it up with grip tape or don't and call artistic liscene

[Kaldra]

an odd thought just struck me, do you need to "hold" or can you just be in contact to your focus item? i ask because my friend reminded me of my fiberglass armor inserts i make to go in jacket linings for people who want to paint ball while looking stylish, or not get jabbed in the side in the lunch lines.

[MWKilduff]

As far as I have read you just need to be in possession of the item.  So, anything you wear, hold, possess, or even just have touching you would work just fine as an enchantment or focus.  I mean the people in the previous posts are quite correct.  Just look around and use what you have.  I mean in arms reach of me I have a nail kit, bottle opener, lighter, inhaler, every gaming prop you could think of, and a butterfly knife.  Then think about what you wear on a regular basis such as hoodies, beanies, belts, boots, and jewelry.  And, let us not forget the silly things we own and use such as supersoakers, paintballs guns, and all the gear for such games.

[Kaldra]

yaha! some one else who has a butterfly knife, with what would you enchant it?

[Becq]

I tend to think that focus items need to be 'brandished' in some way.  Consider how Dresden always shakes out his shield bracelet before use, for example, despite the fact that it is 'worn', and how the hand with the bracelet provides the focal point for the defense spells.  This is even more clear with the staff and blasting rod, which actually act as a conduit for the spell; having them slung over your shoulder just "wouldn't work".

[Kaldra]

what about a backpack?

[MWKilduff]

yaha! some one else who has a butterfly knife, with what would you enchant it?

Hadn't really thought about it.  But, I think I would go with a couple of basic ideas.  Either use it as an enchanted item and have it send out a blade of force as an attack like Dresden's rings except have it focused like a blade edge.  You could use the attack as either a standard attack or to do things like a trip maneuver with the blade of force the item creates.  Or, you could use it as a air focus.  But I would like to figure out a way to give you a temporary access to inhuman speed as part of the air aspect.

[Ranma1558]

To take a page from the TV show ( I know, I'm a heretic) drumstick for a wand a hockey stick for a staff. The drumstick is one of my favorite foci idea, imagine seeing a pair of drumsticks on some guy's backpack, would you ever think about it?