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Occult Rules / Running an Occult Game / Occult Locations / Ley Lines

Using Ley Lines

Source Occult Adventures pg. 233
While a ley line can range from hundreds to thousands of miles long or more, most portions of a ley line are only faintly visible to powerful magic, and their power is inaccessible. However, spellcasters can tap into rare sites where the power of ley lines is concentrated, or where ley lines cross, to increase their power. These sites can be of any size, ranging from a tiny cave under a great mountain to an entire mountain range.

Most of the effects generated by a ley line’s accessible portions are passive and easy to miss. Planar energy, psychic impressions, and other collected powers bleed out into the land and influence the development of local life. A creature capable of casting spells or using spell-like abilities can attempt to tap into an accessible segment of a ley line within 100 feet. Doing so takes 1 hour per 2 caster levels of the ley line and requires a Spellcraft check with a DC equal to 20 + the ley line’s caster level. Success indicates the creature is attuned to the ley line and gains a +1 bonus to its effective caster level for all spells and spell-like abilities. This bonus increases by 1 for every 5 caster levels of the ley line, to a maximum of +5. Depending on the nature of the ley line convergence, this bonus may apply only to certain spells and spell-like abilities. For instance, a ley line convergence atop a great volcano might apply its bonus only to spells and spell-like abilities with the fire descriptor. Hags or other creatures with the coven ability benefit from the bonus of ley line attunement so long as at least one member of the coven is attuned to the ley line and all coven members are within 10 feet of an attuned creature. Some ley lines also grant creatures attuned to them special abilities such as bonus spells, spell-like abilities, or other supernatural effects. Once a creature is attuned to a ley line, the bond is permanent unless dispelled. Dispel magic and similar effects can break a creature’s attunement to a ley line; the caster attempting to break the attunement must succeed at a caster level check with a DC equal to 11 + the caster level of the ley line. When an attuned creature is more than 100 feet from the ley line, it gains no benefit from the attunement, but the benefits return when it is once again in proximity.

Ley lines can become damaged over the course of time, whether by extreme magical forces or other monumental events. Damage in this manner can cause a supernatural bruise that bleeds out into the location surrounding a ley line. Harming or destroying ley lines is difficult, given their monumental size and power. Even the weakest of ley lines are impervious to most physical and magical attacks, though great forces can exert influence over them. Mage’s disjunction can potentially destroy a ley line, though this task requires the caster to succeed at a caster level check with a DC equal to 20 + the ley line’s caster level. Doing so immediately deals 2d6 points of damage per caster level of the ley line (no saving throw) to the caster. Additionally, all creatures attuned to the ley line and able to benefit from attunement take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage per caster level of the ley line when it is destroyed. There is a 1% chance per caster level of the ley line that its destruction creates a permanent antimagic field with a radius of 100 feet per caster level of the destroyed ley line. Furthermore, the caster of mage’s disjunction who creates an antimagic field in this way must succeed at a DC 25 Will save or permanently lose all spellcasting abilities. These abilities cannot be recovered by mortal magic, not even via miracle or wish.