Focus cards tell us how your character gets things done in a story. A character like Han Solo has "Charm" as a focus, while Princess Leia has "Courage" and Luke Skywalker has "Instinct".
The flip side of a focus is how its use can go wrong for a character. Courage can become recklessness. Technology can fail. Magic can exact a price. And so on.
"It doesn't matter if I win. It matters if I don't try." -- Emory
Courage is strength in the face of grief, pain, and fear.
Courage lets you fight when afraid, speak when being shouted down, stand up when you're injured, or rebuke someone you respect.
"Emory! Fall back! This isn't our fight!" -- Tana
Courage can twist into cowardice or recklessness. Not everyone knows the right time to run from a battle, or when a battle really needs to be fought. And not everyone is prepared to fight every battle they face.
"I only came here to see you!" -- Basler
Charm is about creating a bond with someone at will. You can get through situations with style, panache, or force of personality.
"Listen, city boy. Stop talking or I'll cut your tongue out." -- Woody
Some people can become enraptured by their own ability to impress and influence. They buy into the story they're selling, until reality intrudes.
Others see charm as deceit, and will trust you less.
"My eye watches the target. My hand lets go the bowstring. I do nothing." -- Woody
Your heart, your conscience, a divine command, or something else outweighs reason when you act.
Instinct lets you act when everything says to hesitate, when uncertainty overwhelms you, or when speed counts more than reason.
"So, he was a king's guard in disguise. He looked like a bad guy!" -- Woody
Only fools rush in, and this time, you were the fool.
"I don't know, I just felt ... something ... flow through me!" -- Tana
The mystical, the eldritch, the arcane. The Power has many names. What do you call it?
You can achieve a variety of supernatural outcomes with magic, such as healing, curses, enchantments, and more.
"The Power is much like the ocean. You can sail in it, or drown in it." -- Tana
When called, the Power always comes. That doesn't mean you can always command it. Even familiar workings can have surprising consequences.
"Basler, where did you get that knife from?" -- Tana
You deal in concealment, stealth, and subterfuge. Your tools are things people don't want known, or weren't expecting. You could use hidden weapons, court gossip, cloak-and-dagger skulduggery, or the secrets of the heart.
"You don't wanna know" -- Basler
The problem with secrets is keeping track of who knows what. The value of a secret is lost once it's revealed. And some secrets weigh on the conscience.
"This gizmo can pick any lock in the kingdom!" -- Basler
You focus on science, technology, or artifice to get things done. This includes science like handguns or balloons, magitek such as crystal fire-rods, or alchemy such as healing potions.
"The gizmo broke and I gotta fix it. Well, at least I have my tools." -- Basler
Nothing works perfectly, especially new inventions that have seen more use than testing.
"The mind directs the body's power. I get it now." -- Basler
Through exercise, mindfulness, and practice, you've learned to use your own mind and body as a tool.
Training lets you act with grace, power, and precision, or overcome mundane limits.
"Well, I can't pick locks with my fingernails, can I?" -- Basler
Your discipline is demanding, and while your body is versatile and powerful, it can't compete with everything.
"The world is full of opportunities!" -- Basler
Wits lets you make the most of everything around you. You turn difficulty into opportunity, find solutions within the problem you face, and look at situations in new ways.
"When I said people were gullible, I didn't mean me too!" -- Basler
No battle plan survives contact with the enemy, but not all planners are humble enough to realize that. Getting by on the world can sometimes mean exploiting people, or seeming like you're doing so.