What arcane spellcasting focus would 5e wizard S— use?

[Mischief]

Hypothetically, I were planning to stat S— for 5e, she would need a 5e wizard's spellcasting arcane focus. Unless I am forgetting (highly possible), I am not sure one was mentioned in the Gazetteers. The default 5e choices are crystal, orb, rod, staff, and wand, but I have no problem with extra creativity. Thoughts?

[Mistmaster]

I would use a tome or a pen.

[Mischief]

I would use a tome or a pen.

In 5e, the spellbook and the focus are separate items. The focus is a combat-exposed object which the wizard must touch or have in hand to use. That's risky for a spellbook - recopying is annoying at best and painful at worst.

[Mistmaster]

I know how 5 edition works; S is an NpC and a powerfull wizard, she can efford to use her spellbook as a focus, expecially because she can safe-guard it.

[Mischief]

I know how 5 edition works; S is an NpC and a powerful wizard, she can efford to use her spellbook as a focus, expecially because she can safe-guard it.

I haven't cross referenced older threads on the topic, but my sketch notes say S— hasn't used spells higher than 4th or 5th level depending on what she uses for ranged viewing. And if you ignore that one, hold-person as a paralysis spell is second level. I still have a ways to go especially with my other projects taking priority, but she feels like she is somewhere in the 5th-10th level wizard category, plus levels in something else that smells very urban ranger/inquisitive rogue. That's strong for an NPC, but she's not Mordenkainen fishing in Lake Zarovich with chain lightning.

[Mistmaster]

In Ravenloft Tenth level is hight level.

[Lord_Pruitt]

I would suggest either a kris dagger, or a magical bracer that she wears.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

Of the base options, I would probably go with a rod. It is more easily stored than a staff, sturdier than a wand, and less mystical than a crystal or an orb. It seems like the practical choice for a businesslike wizard.

Considering alternatives, the spellcasters in the movie The Sorcerer's Apprentice mostly used rings as foci for magic. (One character had a jewel on the head of his cane instead, which was originally in the pommel of his sword during the Middle Ages.)

Since I normally deal in v3.5 rules, arcane foci are dictated based on the spell, if needed at all. In contrast, a holy symbol is needed more generally for divine spells, so I tend to get creative with personalizing those. Along a similar vein as above, I once used a cold iron ring shaped like the head of a rukarazyll as a holy symbol for an NPC villain. I made (but never played) a mad character who used a bone disk trepanned from his own skull as a holy symbol, which he lashed to the back of his hand. The only 5th edition cleric I have made to date used a similarly creepy holy symbol made out of an ancestor's severed hand, since his family had been in a cult for generations. Once again, that character never got used.

[Mischief]

... Friendly bump with a hint why your opinion matters!

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

I'd say she'd use a component pouch rather than a focus.

[Mischief]

I'd say she'd use a component pouch rather than a focus.

I definitely think it would be true to character for her to dissect all the bits and bobs. Azalin too for that matter.

[The Lesser Evil]

Following the 3.5 mechanics, I might guess "S" used the component pouch too. She might pass it off as alchemical or herbalist ingredients. Otherwise, I think she'd focus on objects that are favorable to concealment and deception. Out of those in the list, the wand seems to be easiest to hide. But she might also disguise the staff as a walking stick. If "S" could shrink an orb down somehow and make it the inset jewel of a ring, that might be doable as well.

[Mischief]

A Saturday morning necromantic surprise for you all... The first pass of the S- statblock! If you have any suggestions, misgivings, or corrections, I'm all ears. I have a collection, you see. If you would like to donate yours....

S- (Journey's Outset)

Medium human, Lawful Evil
Wizard & Ranger, Scholar & Surveyor
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Armor Class 13 (15 with mage armor)
Hit Points 60 (8d8 + 24)
Speed 30 ft.
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Str 14 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 17 (+3), Int 19 (+4), Wis 18 (+4), Cha 10 (+0) Unrealistically awesome stats, of course
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Saving Throws Dex +5, Int +7, Wis +7 (Proficiency = +3)
Skills Arcana +7, Deception +4, History +7, Insight +7, Intimidation +4, Investigation +7, Nature +7, Perception +7, Performance +4, Persuasion +4, Survival +7
Tool Proficiencies Dissection Kit, Gaming Set (Cards), Poisoner's Kit <<And Bookbinder's Tools from the temp job in Orospero, but she doesn't carry it>>
Senses passive Perception 17
Languages Common, Draconic, Elvish; Darkonese....
Challenge Rating 3 (700 XP)
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Intellectual. S- uses her Intelligence modifier for Charisma-based skills which is factored into her statblock. S- can create ciphers that can be deciphered by succeeding on a DC 22 Intelligence check.

Gunner. Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on S-' ranged attack rolls. S- ignores the loading property of firearms, with the exception of her Arcane Pistol.

City Slicker. In non-wilderness, non-dungeon areas, S-'s has advantage on checks made to chase, hide, or escape.

Spy. S- can choose a creature that she sees. For the next hour the target is mystically marked, and she has advantage on checks to find it. She can only mark one target at a time. <<Replaces Hunter's Mark and associated benefits>>

Supernatural Polyglot. When S- observes humanoid speakers fluently conversing, S- gains fluency in that language. The language must be one humanoids can normally learn. S- does not gain the ability to read and write when she learns a language in this way. <<Replaces Primal Awareness, and the animal fluency Ranger skills/spells>>

Spellcasting. S- is an 8th-level multiclassed spellcaster. <<Wizard 5, spell level 3; Ranger 3, spell lvl 1>> Her spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). S- may replace one of her ranger spells with another after a long rest, and one of her wizard cantrips with another that she has studied after a long rest. <<For narrative flexibility and plothole avoidance>> S- has the following (9) Wizard and (3) Ranger spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): <1>, <2>, <3>, <4>
1st level (5 slots): absorb elements*, cure wounds*, detect magic†*, mage armor†*
2nd level (4 slots): detect thoughts, invisibility, hold person, rope trick
3rd level (3 slots): fireball, fly, hypnotic pattern

* Ranger Spell. The Ranger ritual spells scribed in S-'s spellbook can only be copied by other rangers, even if the spell is on another class's spell list. <<Ranger Spells include the standard assortment and Entangle, Searing smite, Aid, Gust of wind, Magic weapon, Enhance ability, and Warding bond.>>
† Rote spells that do not count against S-'s number of prepared spells. Mage Armor is not a standard ranger spell, but being chatty with animals is not S-'s schtick. She also has a weird number of spell slots because it's easier just to give her one extra to approximate for the primal awareness rule that if the spell is a rote ranger spell, S- can cast it once per day without using a spell slot.

Special Equipment
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Gauntlet of Soul Binding. At the moment when S- dies, the onyx-studded leather bracer on S-'s left arm captures her soul and forwards it to a soul-trapping container in Castle Avernus. Effects that would imprison, remove, or call S-'s soul fail (including revival spells) unless Azalin Rex disables the gauntlet and soul-trapping container. If S-'s living body becomes mutilated so that the gauntlet becomes separated from her, the gauntlet regenerates her body, dissolves, and reforms on her regenerated arm. Azalin has designed this regenerative effect to be deliberately agonizing so that S- is discouraged from abusing it. <<Orospero Gazetteer>>

Book of the Black Sun. A cursed artifact tome S- unwittingly used as her spellbook, and now she can’t be rid of it. It returns to her if stolen and reforms if destroyed. <<Orospero Gazetteer.>>

Truth Serum. S- may prepare a concentrated truth serum that can be delivered through injury. <<Same as Alexandre's because she invented the formula and then taught him.>>

Silver Bullets. S- may prepare and load silvered bullets in her standard Kargat pistol. <<Verbrek Gazetteer, Kargat pistol is/was Alexandre's.>>

Arcane Pistol and Bullets. S- carries a single shot pocket pistol seven inches in length. She may prepare and load a bullet that contains a cantrip cast at base level. <<I figure there was some inconvenient loading rules in the older editions that explained why she carried two pistols. 5e shrugs the issue, so I made one a cool gun. I assume Azalin made it and the bullet mold, maybe offering it as part of the retainer, thus explaining why he can keep making more of them when S- dies.>>

Actions
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Multiattack. S- makes two weapon attacks in any combination.

Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage.

Silvered Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage + 3 (1d6) poison damage. <<Assumes she poisons it, because why not. Makes the damage about right. Effectively the other half of hunter's mark. S- was originally intended to carry a longsword according to the notes, but a dueling rapier seemed more her style. I am open to changing it though. Thoughts?>>

Arcane Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage. The cantrip loaded in the bullet takes effect at the targeted location, doing additional damage and effects to a hit creature as specified by the spell. S- must use her Action to reload this pistol before she can fire it again.

Bonus Actions
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Search. S- makes a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check.

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S- (Journey's Closure)

Medium human, Lawful Evil
Wizard & Ranger, Scholar & Surveyor
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Armor Class 13 (15 with mage armor)
Hit Points 90 (12d8 + 36)
Speed 30 ft.
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Str 14 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 17 (+3), Int 19 (+4), Wis 18 (+4), Cha 10 (+0) Same as the old numbers because I am lazy.
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Saving Throws Dex +6, Int +8, Wis +8 (Proficiency = +4)
Skills Arcana +8, Deception +4, History +8, Insight +12, Intimidation +4, Investigation +12, Nature +8, Perception +8, Performance +4, Persuasion +4, Survival +8
Tool Proficiencies Dissection Kit, Gaming Set (Cards), Poisoner's Kit <<And Bookbinder's Tools from the temp job in Orospero, but she doesn't carry it>>
Senses passive Perception 18
Languages Common, Draconic, Elvish; Darkonese....
Challenge Rating 5 (1800 XP)
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Intellectual. S- uses her Intelligence modifier for Charisma-based skills which is factored into her statblock. S- can create ciphers that can be deciphered by succeeding on a DC 23 Intelligence check.

Gunner. Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on S-' ranged attack rolls. S- ignores the loading property of firearms, with the exception of her Arcane Pistol.

City Slicker. In non-wilderness, non-dungeon areas, S-'s has advantage on checks made to chase, hide, or escape.

Spy. S- can choose a creature that she sees. For the next hour the target is mystically marked, and she has advantage on checks to find it. She can only mark one target at a time. <<Replaces Hunter's Mark and associated benefits>>

Supernatural Polyglot. When S- observes humanoid speakers fluently conversing, S- gains fluency in that language. The language must be one humanoids can normally learn. S- does not gain the ability to read and write when she learns a language in this way. <<Replaces Primal Awareness, and the animal fluency Ranger skills/spells>>

Spellcasting. S- is a 12th-level multiclassed spellcaster. <<Wizard 7, spell level 4; Ranger 5, spell lvl 2>> Her spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). S- may replace one of her ranger spells with another after a long rest, and one of her wizard cantrips with another that she has studied after a long rest. <<For narrative flexibility and plothole avoidance>> S- has the following (11) Wizard and (4) Ranger spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): <1>, <2>, <3>, <4>
1st level (5 slots): absorb elements*, cure wounds*, detect magic†*, mage armor†*
2nd level (4 slots): detect thoughts, invisibility, hold person, locate animals or plants†*, pass without trace*, rope trick, silence*, <<A rote ranger spell goes here>>†*
3rd level (3 slots): fireball, fly, hypnotic pattern, nondetection
4th level (3 slots): arcane eye
5th level (1 slots): —

* Ranger Spell. The Ranger ritual spells scribed in S-'s spellbook can only be copied by other rangers, even if the spell is on another class's spell list. <<Ranger Spells include the standard assortment and Entangle, Searing smite, Aid, Gust of wind, Magic weapon, Enhance ability, and Warding bond.>>
† Rote spells that do not count against S-'s number of prepared spells. Mage Armor is not a standard ranger spell, but being chatty with animals is not S-'s schtick. She also has a weird number of spell slots because it's easier just to give her one extra to approximate for the primal awareness rule that if the spell is a rote ranger spell, S- can cast it once per day without using a spell slot.

Special Equipment
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Gauntlet of Soul Binding. At the moment when S- dies, the onyx-studded leather bracer on S-'s left arm captures her soul and forwards it to a soul-trapping container in Castle Avernus. Effects that would imprison, remove, or call S-'s soul fail (including revival spells) unless Azalin Rex disables the gauntlet and soul-trapping container. If S-'s living body becomes mutilated so that the gauntlet becomes separated from her, the gauntlet regenerates her body, dissolves, and reforms on her regenerated arm. Azalin has designed this regenerative effect to be deliberately agonizing so that S- is discouraged from abusing it. <<Orospero Gazetteer>>

Book of the Black Sun. A cursed artifact tome S- unwittingly used as her spellbook, and now she can’t be rid of it. It returns to her if stolen and reforms if destroyed. <<Orospero Gazetteer>>

Truth Serum. S- may prepare a concentrated truth serum that can be delivered through injury. <<Same as Alexandre's because she invented the formula and then taught him.>>

Silver Bullets. S- may prepare and load silvered bullets in her standard Kargat pistol. <<Verbrek Gazetteer, Kargat pistol is/was Alexandre's.>>

Arcane Pistol and Bullets. S- carries a single shot pocket pistol seven inches in length. She may prepare and load a bullet that contains a cantrip cast at base level. <<I figure there was some inconvenient loading rules in the older editions that explained why she carried two pistols. 5e shrugs the issue, so I made one a cool gun. I assume Azalin made it and the bullet mold, maybe offering it as part of the retainer, thus explaining why he can keep making more of them when S- dies.>>

Actions
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Multiattack. S- makes three weapon attacks in any combination.

Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage.

Silvered Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage + 3 (1d6) poison damage. <<Assumes she poisons it, because why not. Makes the damage about right. Effectively the other half of hunter's mark. S- was originally intended to carry a longsword according to the notes, but a dueling rapier seemed more her style. I am open to changing it though. Thoughts?>>

Arcane Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage. The cantrip loaded in the bullet takes effect at the targeted location, doing additional damage and effects to a hit creature as specified by the spell. S- must use her Action to reload this pistol before she can fire it again.

Bonus Actions
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Search. S- makes a Wisdom (Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check.

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Origin. S- (true name never revealed) is a female clone of Azalin Rex, Darkon's lich Darklord and wizard king. Azalin created her and several others for a failed project to circumvent his Darklord's curse that prevents him from learning new magic. Azalin magically implanted embryonic clones in unwitting living surrogates, had the cloned children study, and then harvested his clones’ brains to attempt to steal their magical knowledge.
  S- is one of two survivors. Her surrogate family was the most important Reeve of Nevuchar Springs and his wife, a noble who possessed a heritable supernatural talent with languages, descendant of a scholar who earned Azalin's favor by distilling a spell from her own brainwaves to harvest language fluency and implant it in the mind of another. S-'s mother withered away as her pregnancy progressed, as if her own child were draining away her life. She died in childbirth, and S-'s father blamed the infant. Not only was S- unloved by her cuckolded “father” who rightfully suspected she was not his own, she was also ignored by Azalin who patronizingly doubted a female clone would contain enough of himself in her to be valuable.
  Forbidden from most of her own manor house and from consorting with common children, S- grew up outdoors. Nearly as soon as she could run, she started getting in trouble for evading the elf watch and climbing Nevuchar Shrine's mystic tree. Whenever the elves dragged her down from its branches, they forced her to meditate with them and catalog plants in the herbarium, since there was little else they could do to punish a noble. (Herbarium visitors may spot specimens labeled by S- as young as four years old.)
  S-'s father sent her away to boarding school in Nartok on the opposite side of the country as soon as possible. Her grades were scattershot, mostly due to stubbornness than lack of natural talent. S- learned to shark cards for pocket money at a local tavern who used her a curiosity to drum up business. She soon exchanged the card hobby for hanging out at the Kargat’s Public Affairs Division Nartok office. She bribed the detectives with the prestige of her family name and innate talent in languages to teach her marksmanship, swordmanship, anatomy, poisons, criminal investigation, and torture. After being enrolled in a Dementlieuse boarding school, S- became interested in traditional arcane topics and her grades and magical talent improved prodigiously. She entered University several years early, and advanced in magical, medical, and social studies, with a focus on anatomy and local lore. She was soon wed in an arranged marriage to a meek noble husband who stayed well out of the way of her occult studies. Post-graduation, she researched Azalin’s mishaps and discovered his true name and identity as a lich.
  While getting degrees, S- had a daughter. As she got older, S- brought her along on several research expeditions, including her study of the Dead City of Necropolis, post Requiem. While interrogating an undead ex-Kargat agent, the monster broke free of S-'s magic hold and attacked her daughter, killing her. Unwilling to deal the blow of mercy her daughter pleaded for, S- allowed her to rise as a ghoul and exiled her into Necropolis to preserve her mind and personality from the bestial degradation that befalls most undead. S- promised her daughter that she will return for her, but as the words were spoken, both knew the promise to be an empty one.
  S- soon after returned to Azalin’s radar. He anonymously offered her a generous retainer to survey Ravenloft. Eager to put her daughter’s death and a lifetime of scholarly rejection behind her, S- accepted the wealthy, not-so-mysterious patron’s request. After she proved her competence by surveying Barovia and the southern lands, Azalin gifted S- a cursed, soul-trapping gauntlet. When S dies, the gauntlet forwards her soul to a waiting copy of her body stored in his lair, Castle Avernus. Once revived, Azalin has her read over his comments on her latest Gazetteers while he spies on her thoughts to ensure she has not been withholding information. If no further interrogation is needed, Azalin wipes her memory of their meeting and ships her out unconscious to the next destination. S- accepted the employment contract without realizing Azalin bound her to an inhuman task that she can’t even escape with death: investigate every domain in the mistlands until he satisfied.

Failed Powers Check. S- failed a Dark Powers Check when she exhumed and stole the skull of a former Speroese Darklord to interrogate his dead-yet-dreaming soul. An icy, electrical-current-like feeling crawls inside S-' left forearm under her gauntlet in metaphysically significant locations, including sinkholes of evil. At its most severe, the chilling shock can be painful and interfere with her ability to hold items and cast spells with her left arm. Does the guilt of Sithicus count as a failed check? Because then she is up to two.

Book of the Black Sun. A cursed artifact tome tied to Orospero’s central myth of treachery and ambition. S- unwittingly used it as her spellbook, and now she can’t be rid of it. It sneaks anomalous passages into her Gazetteers to fulfill its dark end. It later begins transcribing spells for her whether she wants it to or not, sometimes tampering with their formulae. Azalin has variously attempted to open the book (he can't), read it over her shoulder (appears as indecipherable nonsense to him), destroy it (it reforms), and seize it for himself (it returns to S-).
This book solves three problems:
1. It circumvents the plotholes related to S-’s spellbook being lost and replaced up to date when she dies.
2. The book knows and adds secrets that S- or Azalin wouldn’t or couldn’t find out on their own. Begone excessive DM-only greybox bulk; in-character commentary is better!
3. Metaplotwise, we deserve a more charismatic endgame than Azalin playing wingman to a sex demon trying to slip magic roofies to Madame Eva. Core War I seems promising, but wouldn’t it also be nice is S- had an opportunity to try her hand at the Zal’honan family tradition of shaking up the order of things?

Mixed Caster. S- is based on the 2019 Unearthed Arcana Class Feature Variants Ranger, which is a more generalist Ranger class, less tied to animals and the natural world. S uses a components pouch rather than a focus for both wizard and ranger spells and enjoys collecting all the bits and bobs as much as Azalin mislikes replacing them all when she dies. This becomes a point of friction later. As soon as she realizes Azalin is replacing her body with cloned copies, he starts replacing all her things according to his preferences, standards, and assumptions about what she needs. A small crisis ensues when the Rex fails to appreciate the specifications of her ranger spells which he cannot understand.

Timeline.
713 BC [0]: S born to the Reeve of Nevuchar Springs. Her mother dies in childbirth.
717 BC [4]: S begins getting in trouble for climbing Nevuchar Shrine's mystic tree and is forced to meditate with elves and catalog plants in the local herbarium as punishment. S- can read and write complex words at this age and begins experimenting with her nascent magical powers.
7XX BC [X]: S- is sent to boarding school in Nartok, the same one that Rudolph van Richten attended, but the girl's school.
722 BC [9]: S- helps Kargat Deputy Inspector L. Alexandre with the Nartok serial murder. The body of the decadent is found entombed in the walls of the girl's elementary wing. Fourth Dead Man's war interrupts the school year.
723 Late Spring/Early Summer [10]: S- meets Azalin with a petition about Alexandre.
725? BC [12?]: S- is sent to boarding school in Dementlieu in Port-a-Lucine. <<Not sure about timeline here>>
731 BC [18]: S- is wed to the husband arranged for her. <<Not sure about timeline here>>
735 BC [22]: S- gives birth to her daughter. <<Will be 19 at age of death>>
7?? BC [??]: S studies at University of Dementlieu in Port-a-Lucine. She later gets a degree from Il Aluk University, and the Brautslava Institute (Gaz2 p4). She specializes in magical studies, with a focus on anatomy, social sciences, and local lore. <<Not sure about timeline here>>
749 BC [36]: Near the end of the year, a prototype of the Doomsday Device was used to transform a Kargat officer named Lowellyn Dachine into Death
750 BC December [37]: On the winter solstice, the city of Il Aluk is devastated by an explosion of negative energy. (The Requiem)
751 BC [38]: S begins studying the dead city. She does so for 5 years (751-755). (Gaz1 p4).
754 BC [41]: S's daughter is slain by an undead former Kargat agent and rises as a ghoul because S- was unwilling to grant her mercy. S- sends her daughter into the Necropolis .
755 BC Summer [42]: Azalin returns.
755 BC Winter [42]: S was commissioned by Azalin to map (43 years old According to art note on S- and plans for her) [Technically winter 755]
756 BC Spring [43]: S- surveys Barovia
757 BC Spring [44]: S- writes the Second Gazetteer.
762 BC [49]: S- chooses doom and finds a way to escape Azalin's servitude...
775 BC [62]: Time of Ultimate Darkness. (Whatever that would have meant.)

Other. Like her biological father, S- is insatiably curious, callous, and reckless, and repeated many of his mistakes. When traveling S- usually uses an alias, such as Marie DuChance or Chantal Leroix, and pretends to be an author of Dementlieuse upbringing. S- was never properly taught to swim and has acquired thalassophobia after the Saragoss disaster. Since surveying, she has taken to indulging in alcohol.

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Bookbinder's Tools.
Cost: 5 GP
Weight: 5 lbs
The wisdom of the ages is more often than not committed to tome, and knowledge is power. Your knowledge encompasses lore concerning paper, fine leather, authors, collectors, libraries, and archives. You preserve and liberate facts and lore from the pages galore using your proficiency with bookbinder's tools.
  Components. Bookbinder's tools include a ruler, brushes, glue, awls, threads, needles, small hammer, press, knife, parchment, fine leather, and gold leaf.
  Arcana. You are familiar with enchantments and curses placed on books, and can spot and potentially disarm dangerous book-bound traps. You can reliably spot magical tomes and identify their properties. You have heard stories about many legendary grimoires, occult tomes, and bestiaries and are familiar with their reputations.
  Deception. You can determine a book's authenticity, if it has been altered, and spot traces of invisible ink.
  History. Researching genealogy is an easy task for you if records are available. You can identify the providence of books and texts, and how long ago they were written.
  Investigation. You quickly find helpful information when searching libraries and archives, and locate the most interesting and valuable books in a collection. With your investigative knowledge investigate handwriting and scripts, and search for signs of erased text or invisible writing.
  Religion. You are familiar with the symbols, proverbs, prayers, iconography, and ciphers found in religious texts and recognize them in other contexts.
  Craft a book. Can craft fine spellbooks and religious tomes. Proficiency in other tools such as leatherworking, jewelers, calligraphy tools may allow to create especially valuable works of art.

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Bookbinder's Tools.
Activity                                                          DC
Repair a badly damaged book............................ 10
Add or remove a minor, nonlethal curse to a book....... 15
Discover and read a palimpsest......................... 20

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Dissection Kit.
Cost: 15 GP
Weight: 2 lbs
Insiders know all the best secrets, but the trick is getting inside. You are familiar with valuable monster parts, and how to extract and preserve them for recipes or spellcasting. Proficiency with the dissection kit confers anatomical knowledge and lore.
  Components. A dissection kit includes a variety of scalpels, a small bone saw, shears, forceps, pins, probe, syringe?, dropper, needles, gloves, cloth mask, cloth, thread.
  Investigation. When you autopsy a body, you can forensically glean vital clues about its life and manner of death. You can ascertain race and gender of humanoids even after decay. When use the kit on a creature, you can better identify its strengths, weaknesses, traits, and abilities.
  Medicine. The dissection kit is helpful in conjunction with other kits. With a healer's or herbalism kit perform more complex invasive surgery.
  Cook's Utensils or Leatherworking tools. You dress small corpses and animals for consumption or preservation, even ones that might have self-damaging properties like acid sacks or poisonous viscera.
  Intimidation. Threats are much more convincing when flourishing a dissection kit.
  Rummage body. The dissection kit can be used to carve a body for saleable components. The DC to rummage a body is the creature's CR, and if successful, yields the creature's EXP value/100 in gp (So a CR 2 creature yields 4 gp and 5 sp in salvageable components).

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Dissection Kit.
Activity                                                                                        DC 
Amputate a limb properly ........................................................ 5
Remove a bullet or arrowhead from compliant individual without additional harm . 10
Collect enough scales from a dragon hide for dragonscale armor ................. 10
Conduct an autopsy (Medical knowledge required to interpret results)............ 15

[Rock of the Fraternity]

In PF 1E, S could designate her sword, or a ring, or an amulet she wears safely under her clothes as focus item and call it a day...

I swear, you guys are going to get me to buy the 5e PHB at some point... ^^;

[Mischief]

In PF 1E, S could designate her sword, or a ring, or an amulet she wears safely under her clothes as focus item and call it a day...

I swear, you guys are going to get me to buy the 5e PHB at some point... ^^;

Ultimately I took the advice of people upthread and went with components pouch, because bits and pieces seemed most her style.
I was going to make her more roguish, but honestly, she's not very roguelike, just savvy about ferreting out secrets. So Power Ranger Wizard Ranger she is.