Ki Focus

Those who are able to initiate or manifest powers (via a spirit pool or ki- or spirit-like abilities) are able to gain Ki Focus (having a ki pool also allows a character to gain Ki Focus). Being Ki Focused is to exist “in the moment”, a moment of focused clarity and intense concentration, yet also a moment of widespread awareness and detachment. Many mystic class abilities, powers, stances and feats work either by maintaining or expending Ki Focus.

Gaining Ki Focus

Merely having the ability to hold a reservoir of Spirit Energy or ki gives you a special acuity, and you can put that energy to work without actually paying a Spirit Energy cost—you can become Ki Focused. If you have a spirit pool, ki pool, or possess ki- or spirit-like abilities, you can meditate to become Ki Focused. Gaining Ki Focus is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. You may still gain Ki Focus even if you have depleted all of your Spirit Energy and/or ki points.

Maintaining Ki Focus

Once gained, you are considered to be maintaining Ki Focus until it is expended or lost. You must be Ki Focused to initiate powers and stances. All stances and some powers also require you to be maintaining Ki Focus to benefit from them, as do some spirit feats. Spirit Subtype: You gain the spirit subtype while maintaining Ki Focus and are treated as a spirit creature for the purpose of what effects can affect you.

Expending Ki Focus

Expending Ki Focus on a power, stance, feat, class feature, or any other ability only powers a single effect. You cannot gain the benefit of multiple abilities that require expending Ki Focus by expending your Ki Focus once. You do not also benefit from maintaining Ki Focus while you are expending it (unless otherwise specified in an individual feat, stance, or ability’s description). Some powers require you to expend your Ki Focus as part of initiating them; whereas others may allow you to expend it to gain an increased or additional benefit. Some spirit feats require expending Ki Focus to gain their benefit (this includes metaspirit feats). You can also expend your Ki Focus on any single concentration check to treat your concentration check as if you rolled a 15. This is similar to taking 10, except that the number you add to your concentration modifier is 15.

Losing Ki Focus

Once you are Ki Focused, you remain focused until you expend your focus, become unconscious, asleep, confused, dazed, panicked, or stunned. You may also simply choose to stop focusing (a free action this does not count as expending it.

Ki Focus and Displays

Whenever a character gains Ki Focus, it is accompanied with one or more displays which last until the beginning of her next turn. The more powerful the character is, the more displays accompany her meditative action to gain Ki Focus. Displays originate in a creature’s space and extend in a 5-foot radius for each additional display after the first. The side effects of displays may be heard, seen, and/or smelled beyond the display area, as normal for such senses (sounds of wind buffeting, crackles of energy, loose gravel rising, spectral images, scents carried further by wind, etc.). Upon first learning to gain Ki Focus, a character must choose one of the five displays to accompany her whenever it is gained, and once chosen this cannot be changed. At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, she gains an additional display to add when gaining Ki Focus, chosen from one of the remaining displays. The basis of these displays cannot be changed, though their effects may increase, or even be altered, when the character gains a new display. A creature uses their class level or their aura level whichever is highest, for the purpose of gaining displays.

For example: at 1st level, a jeunsa chooses a Material display of wind enveloping her space, buffeting her clothes and playing through her hair (although not Auditory, this display can be heard). Upon reaching 5th level, she gains a new display, adding a rising thrumming sound (Auditory) and choosing to increase the intensity of the wind; in addition, the display area increases to a 5-foot radius. Upon reaching 10th level, her eyes burn with a spectral-green glow (Visual), and the display radius increases to 10 feet. At 15th level, she includes the smell of sunflowers and rain (Olfactory). Finally, at 20th level, for the Mental display, she chooses to add a feeling of dread to all those within her 20-ft. radius display area, and altering the Visual to include pulsing arcs of green electricity shooting from her eyes.