Casting without a Divine Focus


Advice


Ever the munchkin and paranoid wizard player, I'm concerned about one particular aspect of playing a divine caster. Is there a feat or other similar character option that allows a divine caster to forgo the Divine Focus requirement? Wizards can take Eschew Materials and Spell Mastery to cast after being captured and robbed, but I'm not familiar with any options a cleric can exercise in the same manner. Should I just invest in Craft (woodworking) to make them on the fly if robbed, or is there some other option I'm missing?


darkerthought7 wrote:
Ever the munchkin and paranoid wizard player, I'm concerned about one particular aspect of playing a divine caster. Is there a feat or other similar character option that allows a divine caster to forgo the Divine Focus requirement? Wizards can take Eschew Materials and Spell Mastery to cast after being captured and robbed, but I'm not familiar with any options a cleric can exercise in the same manner. Should I just invest in Craft (woodworking) to make them on the fly if robbed, or is there some other option I'm missing?

I believe there is a regional trait called "Holy Tattoo" that acts as a holy symbol. it doesn't avoid the requirement but makes it so you don't need to carry one around.

Holy Tattoo: When you had your deity’s holy symbol tattooed on your body by a tattooist years ago, you never imagined it would save your life.

Benefit(s): Your holy symbol tattoo functions in all ways as a holy symbol. When you use your holy symbol tattoo to keep a vampire at bay, the DC for the vampire to overcome its revulsion is 28 (rather than the normal 25).

It is from the Pathfinder Player Companion: Undead Slayer's Handbook.

Alternatively, a Cassock of the Clergy (wondrous item body slot) acts as a divine focus. Price: 4,600gp
The cut and color of this solemn vestment varies from religion to religion, but its properties are the same.

The wearer may command the cassock of the clergy to display the holy symbol of her deity or hide this symbol. At the most basic level, the garment functions as a divine focus. Additionally, the wearer gains a +3 competence bonus on Charisma-based checks to influence creatures that match her alignment or that of her patron deity. Also, the wearer may use bless and sanctuary (DC 11) each once per day, and may prepare one additional orison each day. If the wearer is a spontaneous divine caster, once per day she may spend 1 hour in prayer to gain an orison of her choice as a spell known for the next 24 hours.

...but this is from Ultimate Equipment.


Grimjackal wrote:
darkerthought7 wrote:
Ever the munchkin and paranoid wizard player, I'm concerned about one particular aspect of playing a divine caster. Is there a feat or other similar character option that allows a divine caster to forgo the Divine Focus requirement? Wizards can take Eschew Materials and Spell Mastery to cast after being captured and robbed, but I'm not familiar with any options a cleric can exercise in the same manner. Should I just invest in Craft (woodworking) to make them on the fly if robbed, or is there some other option I'm missing?

I believe there is a regional trait called "Holy Tattoo" that acts as a holy symbol. it doesn't avoid the requirement but makes it so you don't need to carry one around.

Holy Tattoo: When you had your deity’s holy symbol tattooed on your body by a tattooist years ago, you never imagined it would save your life.

Benefit(s): Your holy symbol tattoo functions in all ways as a holy symbol. When you use your holy symbol tattoo to keep a vampire at bay, the DC for the vampire to overcome its revulsion is 28 (rather than the normal 25).

I guess I should specify: This is for a Core-Mode PFS character. I know I couldn't use Craft (woodworking) to make the symbol in that format, but the skill is there for character flavor (and Day Job checks).

Grand Lodge

There is a Faith Trait called "Birthmark" that allows you to use your holy symbol shaped birth mark as a divine focus.

It also gives you a couple other benefits that might prove useful.


Hm. I'm not certain of a core way. The one thing I would suggest is to look at the spell list and see which spells actually require a divine focus. The cure spells, for instance, do not.

Perhaps surprisingly, many cleric spells do not require a divine focus.


Aaand I've just found the answer to my own question: Birthmark. This trait is legal, as it's found in the Trait Web Supplement, and it allows the mark to serve as a focus of spell casting, in addition to providing a +2 vs charm and compulsion effects.

Edit: Balkin found it, too! Thanks for the input, even though I ended up finding it myself. =D

Scarab Sages

If it's for PFS, Outside of some specific scenarios in Rahadoum, I don't know of any scenario where being without a divine focus would occur. That said, the trait is legal in core.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Also, all oracles are able to ignore the divine focus requirement for all of their spells.

Scarab Sages

Oracles are not in Core though.


Note that Divine Focus is more or less the equivalent of Arcane Focus. Neither Eschew Materials nor Spell Mastery allow a wizard to bypass the need for an Arcane Focus component. Only the Verbal, Somatic and Material components have feats allowing a wizard or other arcane caster to bypass them and those same feats also open to divine casters, at least within the CRB.


There is at least one adventure where the PCs go undercover as slaves.

There is no rule in Pathfinder that says you can't have more than one holy symbol. Wooden holy symbols are only 1 GP and weightless.


Also: Holy Symbols are a mere 1gp a piece. Bring five yourself. Have your companions each carry one too. Leave one in every place you ever visited. Sow one into your underwear.


A living grimoire can use his book as DF. An Exalted (prestige class in ISG) get a divine brand that works too.

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