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Wand Focus Primal

Beginners would soon become frustrated with the little amount of uses they get from their wands. Using them for crafting and building is all very well and good. But, where are all the wands that can zap? For that, you will need to get hold of some Nether materials in order to craft your very first wand foci. There are many different types of wand foci, each with its own purposes, all powered by vis from your wand.

== Research notes

==

Entry[]

"Some careful experimentation has shown you a way to expand the abilities of even the most basic wand.

By combining crystalline vis shards with quartz crystals and infusing them with magic, you are able to align the crystals into a mystical matrix.

If the proper types and amounts of vis is focused through the matrix, it will reshape the raw magical energies into something useful, controlled, and geared to a specific task.

Add a focus to your wand is a simple task - simply hold F while holding the wand, and select the appropriate foci. Shift+F removes the foci from the wand. This will not destroy the Foci

Your initial experiments involved the shaping of fire, and the resulting focus proved to be a simple, but useful tool.

It is capable of sending forth a cone of elemental fire, burning all in its wake."

Crafting[]

Wand Focus- Fire Recipe

The recipe for the fire wand focus is shown. The other foci follow the pattern of shards and quartz (with occasional other items) around a significant core item, even for those created on the Infusion Altar.

Usage[]

When holding any wand or staff (scepters cannot use foci), the player can press and hold the F key (configurable) for a pop-up display of all foci in their inventory, and use the cursor to choose among them. Pressing shift-F will remove the current focus from their wand without placing another one.

Given that a developing thaumaturge will develop a considerable number of foci, they are advised to craft a Focus Pouch to contain them in a single inventory slot. This pouch can be kept anywhere in the inventory, or even placed in the belt slot to remove the foci entirely from main inventory. The pop-up display will automatically locate all foci, whether in main inventory, the hotbar, or in a focus pouch.


Focus Types[]

Focus Base Cost
Equal Trade Ordo, Perditio, Terra 0.05 each/block
Excavation Terra 0.15/tick
Fire Ignis 0.1/tick
Frost Aqua 0.05, Ignis 0.02, Perditio 0.02/cast
Nine Hells Aer 1, Ignis 2, Perditio 1/cast
Pech's Curse Aqua, Perditio, Terra 0.1 each/cast
Portable Hole Aer 0.1, Perditio 0.1/block depth
Primal randomly 0.5 to 2.0 each aspect/cast
Shock Aer 0.25/cast
Warding Aqua 0.1 Ordo 0.25 Terra 0.25/block

Each focus type requires a separate research topic before it can be crafted, and some of the topics require particular scans to become visible. While many of them can be made on the Arcane Workbench, some require the Infusion Altar.

  • Equal Trade: Needs to be "primed" with a result block before use, by shift-right-clicking. Clicking on a target block will trade that block for the result block, taken from your inventory (right click to do a bunch of similar blocks at once). Caveats:
    • You must have a supply of the correct block in your inventory. (In particular, dirt is not grass.) However, you can place some non-obvious "blocks", such as saplings.
    • Blocks which don't drop themselves (such as smooth stone or grass) will be returned as their drops. Unminable blocks such as glass will be destroyed. Note that possible upgrades include Treasure (equivalent to the Fortune enchantment), or Silk Touch.
    • The focus places slabs as bottom slabs, and logs vertically. As a warning, when you prime it on a top slab or log, the block will immediately be converted to "result" position.
    • The right-click "area" mode will not work on fences or similarly shapechanging blocks.
    • Vis cost is per block replaced.
  • Excavation: Digs away any minable block, yielding blocks or other drops as appropriate. Like the Equal Trade focus, it can be upgraded with Treasure or Silk Touch. Vis cost is per tick, and harder blocks are slower.
  • Fire: Shoots flame and sets mobs afire. Note that by default, it does not set blocks afire. (In particular, it can't be used to light a Nether Portal.) However, the Alchemist's Fire upgrade can allow it to do so.
  • Frost: Shoots balls of ice, which do considerable damage but are prone to bouncing around (frequently straight back at you). Does not affect water or lava, but may bounce off them.
  • Nine Hells: Summons firebats to harass and eventually blast your target. Scan a firebat in the Nether to get the research.
  • Pech's Curse: Glowing energy inflicts damage (1 heart) and status effects (random choice of poison, slowness or weakness) on targets. This rare focus is not craftable, and can only be purchased from a Pech Thaumaturge (or they may drop it if slain). A 5th-level upgrade makes it apply all the status effects at once.
  • Portable Hole: Produces a short-lived tunnel reaching into the surface you zap it at. Despite appearances, you can walk on the starry edges of the hole... but be warned, if you are inside when the effect expires, you will be buried and suffocated! Vis cost appears to be per block of depth penetrated.
  • Primal: Fires a glowing projectile with an erratic path, which explodes when hit to damage creatures and their surroundings. May have other effects: It is known to rarely create fibrous taint or small nodes. Scan a primal charm to get the research. (As of 4.2, you also need to have gained the Eldritch Epiphany by accumulating warp.)
  • Shock: "Target-seeking" lightning attack with considerable damage. As of at least 4.2.3.5, it no longer transforms mobs as lightning does, such as charging creepers.
  • Warding: Makes blocks (solid, opaque, blocks only) unbreakable and indestructable to anyone but the player who warded them. Scan warded glass or other Warded Arcana to get the research, but note that crafting this focus uses a Nether Star! Vis cost is presumably per block.

Upgrades[]

As of version 4.2.2,0, wand foci can be upgraded in various ways using a Focal Manipulator. This device requires an Energized Node to supply power, and each upgrade also costs experience levels (paid at the beginning of the process).  Any one focus can receive up to 5 such upgrades, at a cost of 8 experience levels per upgrade level. (That is, the first upgrade costs 8 levels, the next 16, and so on up to 40 levels for the fifth and last.) The particular upgrades available will depend on the particular focus being worked on, including any prior upgrades. The upgrades used will also affect the vis costs. Some of the common options include Potency (more damage or effect, at greater cost), Frugal (cheaper), Expand (bigger area), and Extend (duration).  Each focus also has at least one unique upgrade.

History[]

  • In older versions of Thaumcraft, foci were enchanted much like other tools, on the vanilla enchanting table or anvil, or the Infusion Altar. The enchantments included Treasure, Frugal and Potency. The enchanting table was also prone to give them Unbreaking, which was useless since they have no durability.
  • The Equal Trade focus could formerly affect water blocks, with peculiar results.
  • The Shock focus could formerly transform mobs similarly to lightning: Pigs into zombie pigmen, creepers into charged creepers, and villagers into witches.

Trivia


  • All wand foci are very slightly transparent. This can be most easily observed when the top part of the wand is aligned with a leaf block during the day. The wand focus: Primal however is the only one which has a completely transparent area that being it's sides.
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