Moving Leylines

[Mathew_Freeman]

Irregular Webcomic! #2086

Take a look at the notes below the comic. This is the idea that jumped out at me, first of all:

Imagine, if you will, an archaeological expedition to some remote place. The scientists collect various relics, then carry them halfway around the world, dragging part of the ley line with them, as though they had snagged it with a grappling hook. The Earth would resemble a net, with threads and strings being pulled loose here and there and swept across the globe, to be anchored at new locations, places where many threads from different places eventually congregate to form new knots in the skein.

Isn't that just a fantastic idea? It neatly explains WHY powerful magical items end up influencing events, for example. It just sparks off all sorts of thoughts for me.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Isn't that just a fantastic idea? It neatly explains WHY powerful magical items end up influencing events, for example. It just sparks off all sorts of thoughts for me.

Indeed it is pretty cool. The Tale has leylines and have been shaped by mysterious events, divine interferance and mass loss of life or sudeen spike in population growth. A world is a living breathing thing. Events shape it, people and items can have a profound affect on the whys and hows of mythical lore and history is a vital role in telling the story of what happened and is a springboard for what is to come.

 

[Switchblade]

Yipes. Think of the power stored in museums.

I sense a cthulu plot coming on.

 

[grodog]

Definitely reminds me of a few ideas I was tossing around in my Greyhawk journal for ley lines across the Maure lands....

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Oh Ley-Lines they are one of my personal musts of fantasy RPGs. Essentially every campaign I have run has them in some form.

This thread be a good one to show off how we have used Ley-Lines in our settings.

-Ley Lines are essentially the "power cables" of the Artificial World, they send energy throughout the world to keep life and the world itself going (this energy is used to power many of the advance technology in the world).

It is also here where the essence of reality seeps out but in recent centuries it has grown warped and now bends reality around it. Most supernatural beings or items are made by being warped by the reality fluxes near Ley Lines.

-They are the first language, the language of the world. As they crisscross throughout the world and meet and separate they form "notes" that the world sings out. Storms, extinctions, plagues, etc. all come to pass thanks to the notes being sang. It is said if someone could learn to write their own notes with the Ley Lines they would have mastery over the world.

-Supernatural abilities can only be tapped into inside Nexuses where Ley Lines meet. This has caused a industry to be formed around those who can bend and move Ley Lines. Most uses are mundane, such as using supernatural abilities to construct cities, but they are also used to wage war.

-Ley Lines simply exist. They are a common aspect of the natural landscape; rivers, trees, roads and buildings turn and bend at the will of them to form lines that crisscross the world. They are mainly a headache for city-planners as their plans shift and warp in their hands as the Ley Lines force them to accomadate them.

There are lots of others where they have minor influences, but those stand out as the most unique from my settings.

One fun item I have used in a couple of my settings, especially the second and third listed are Ley Line Globes. These Globes are like any normal world globe, except they have quicksilver running through them that shift and move to match the lines of the shifting Ley Lines. This is used in the second setting as a means of prediction, to try and predict things such as storms or plagues. In the third it is used like a construction map to see where Ley Lines are being used and how best to efficently combine them.

 

[Zaukrie]

This explains several things, and opens up some ideas. This is my current favorite, and it applies to others as well:

why do dragons hoard treasure?

They understand that the more magic items and history they have, the more powerful their personal leyline nexus is. This opens up some really cool ideas for me.

 

[El Mahdi]

This explains several things, and opens up some ideas. This is my current favorite, and it applies to others as well:

why do dragons hoard treasure?

They understand that the more magic items and history they have, the more powerful their personal leyline nexus is. This opens up some really cool ideas for me.

I like this. I'm definitely stealing it.

That's way better than "I'm going to roast you in fire and then eat . . . oooh, shiny stuff".

 

[Aeolius]

"Locations of power can be used for various purposes within a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Some, such as the earth nodes described in the FORGOTTEN REALMS product Underdark, might serve as sites for the working of especially powerful magic. Others, such as the planar touchstones described in Planar Handbook, might unlock potential advancement opportunities or special abilities in characters. Still others, such as the rune circles described in Races of Stone, could allow PCs to create permanent magical effects bound to tightly confined areas. But as compelling as those ideas are, at least one interesting concept for magical locations remains unexplored - that of a location imbued with magical power that is available for the taking." - DMG II, pg. 235

I have been mulling over the possibilities of ley lines myself, of late. There are three undersea locations, each a place of mystery and power, that I intend to link together with the inclusion of circular ruins and a sacrificial altar.

Also, the prospect of a Witch class and alternate Bard class, that draw their powers from such "Mysterious Places" and the lines of power which connect them, appeals to me. Anyone else remember Loom?

For that matter, perhaps hags and their kin draw eldritch energies from their connection to and manipulation of ley lines.

 

[Voadam]

Here are some free d20 ley line rules.

http://www.badaxegames.com/mm/pdf/hohf_elves_ley_lines.pdf

 

[Aeolius]

Here are some free d20 ley line rules.

Apparently that link has moved to: http://www.badaxegames.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/hohf_elves_ley_lines.pdf