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In Pathfinder 2e, some classes have access to a focus pool. Each pool has a certain number of focus points, which can be used to cast spells.

I'm playing a champion and intending on making extensive use of focus spells. My focus pool has a maximum value of 3. What is the lowest level that I can have a focus pool of 3?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Notable - doesn't change the question or the answer, but is useful to know: unless you have other abilities which let you regain multiple focus points at once, you can only regain 1 focus point per combat (you can only regain if you've spent a focus point since you last regained) \$\endgroup\$
    – Delioth
    Oct 21, 2019 at 14:09
  • \$\begingroup\$ Where does the "regain 1 focus point per combat" thing come from? Refocusing takes 10 minutes; I can't imagine doing that in combat! \$\endgroup\$
    – indigochild
    Oct 21, 2019 at 15:30
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    \$\begingroup\$ It's not that you do it in combat, it's that the refocus activity has a prerequisite that you have spent 1 focus point since you last regained focus points. So if you have 3 points, and you spend all 3 in one fight, you'd refocus to gain 1 back and then wouldn't be able to refocus until you spend that 1. With 3 points in your pool you have a bigger buffer, but you can only consistently use one per fight with 10 minutes of refocusing between fights. \$\endgroup\$
    – Delioth
    Oct 21, 2019 at 15:39

3 Answers 3

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As a champion, you can get a focus pool of 3 at level 6 by taking multiclass archetype feats. One possible path:

  • Level 1: Devotion Spells champion class feature, getting one focus point.
  • Level 2: Monk Dedication feat.
  • Level 4: Basic Kata feat, granting the Ki Rush or Ki Strike feats, which grant a second focus point.
  • Level 6: Litany Against Wrath feat, granting a third focus point.

The text of Ki Rush and Ki Strike says they grant a focus pool with one point, but the Focus Points from Multiple Sources sidebar makes it clear that this will increase the size of an existing focus pool.

You can swap out the monk dedication for any other multiclass archetype to a class which has a level 1 or 2 feat which grants a focus point.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Why Monk? It is much easier to qualify for Sorcerer or Bard, and both can give you an FP on level 4 \$\endgroup\$
    – András
    Jun 23 at 13:33
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This is now possible at Level 4

The Advanced Player's Guide made this possible at level 4 through several methods - this one works best for champions with the Tenets of Evil:

  • Level 1: Devotion Spells grants you a Focus Point regardless of your Cause - we'll take any evil one to get Touch of Corruption.
  • Level 2: Take the Blessed One archetype - this gives us Lay on Hands and another Focus Point.
  • Level 4: Take either Blessed Sacrifice from the Blessed One archetype, or Sun Blade or Light of Revelation as Champion class feats.

More Questionable Methods

Note that the Hallowed Necromancer dedication also grants a focus point at level 2, but Champions don't innately cast spells from spell slots so they wouldn't qualify, nor do they have an easy way to get expert in Religion by level 2. If you meet those criteria through ancestry feats/heritages (it's debatable if ancestry feats that grant spells count as casting from spell slots, and even if they do I'm not sure of a combination to get those while getting expert in Religion and all by level 2), that one would work very well thematically for a Good Champion (Lay on Hands is a Necromancy Spell, and the anti-undead vibes work great). You can also do the Shadowcaster archetype - the dedication grants you a focus point. However, to get a focus point at level 4 you'd have to take a basically useless feat (since both Light of Revelation and Sun Blade have the Light trait, so Shadowcaster would prevent you from ever using the spell, although it seems to still allow you to take the feat and therefore maybe the focus point). There's also Student of Perfection from the World Guide, but this is dependent on the GM ruling that the "powerful blows" requirement can be replaced by similar features (e.g. the Orc's ancestry feat - this seems like a pretty reasonable ruling overall, especially if you are a Paladin of Irori, who's favored weapon is Fist).

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  • \$\begingroup\$ +1 for finding a faster route. Would you consider removing the "questionable methods"? It's not that they are questionable, it's that they rely on GM fiat. If I could rely on that, I could have this licked at level 1. \$\endgroup\$
    – indigochild
    6 hours ago
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As a champion, you can get a focus pool of 3 at level 4.

  • Level 1: Devotion Spells, gaining one Focus point from Lay on Hands.
  • Level 1: Deity's Domain, gaining a second focus point.
  • Level 2: Monk Dedication feat
  • Level 4: Basic Kata feat, gaining Ki Rush or Ki Strike, which gives a third focus point.
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    \$\begingroup\$ You do not get a second FP from Deity's Domain \$\endgroup\$
    – András
    Jun 23 at 7:09
  • \$\begingroup\$ I literally just asked that question and was told overwhelmingly that you do. rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/199282/… \$\endgroup\$
    – Strill
    Jun 23 at 16:36
  • \$\begingroup\$ The book says you raise your focus pool capacity by one any time you would gain a focus pool but already have one. It also says that you gain a focus pool any time you gain a focus spell. Deity's Domain gives you a focus spell, therefore it gives you a focus pool, therefore it raise your pool capacity by one if you already have a pool. "Let’s say you then took the champion multiclass archetype and the Healing Touch feat. Normally, this feat would give you a focus pool. Since you already have one, it instead increases your existing pool’s capacity by 1." \$\endgroup\$
    – Strill
    Jun 23 at 16:56
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    \$\begingroup\$ The book says you get a focus pool when you get a focus spell, if you do not already have one. It is different getting Deity's Domain as a champion, and as something else with multiclass. \$\endgroup\$
    – András
    Jun 23 at 19:33

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