In broad terms things like foci and M components exist so that spellcasters can be "disarmed" without having to resort to overt antimagic macguffins: if you take away a Wizard's staff/wand/crystal/component pouch then they have a much smaller selection of spells they can cast. They also mean casters generally have to keep one hand occupied with them in combat, which somewhat limits their gear arrangements.
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Can anyone explain how a focus works? The Equipment section refers you to the spellcasting section but there is no mention of focuses in the section.
The rules for using a Spellcasting Focus are covered in the Material Component rules in Chapter 10 of the PHB/Basic Rules. - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/spellcasting#MaterialM
In broad terms things like foci and M components exist so that spellcasters can be "disarmed" without having to resort to overt antimagic macguffins: if you take away a Wizard's staff/wand/crystal/component pouch then they have a much smaller selection of spells they can cast. They also mean casters generally have to keep one hand occupied with them in combat, which somewhat limits their gear arrangements.