Spell Points, Health Redux, and Ley Lines [Archive] - Wizards Community

Spell Points, Health Redux, and Ley Lines [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
s4uc3m4n
02-28-06, 09:32 PM Okay, so my group switched to Spell Points. Best change I have made, or at least in my opinion.

In addition I have been working on several Ley Line concepts. It's been troublesome however coming up with benefits for standing on a ley nexus. I like my current system of avoiding Con loss, but Benefits keep coming up poorly. I need universal benefit ideas, stuff that would work on most any spell.
Phoenix Knight
02-28-06, 10:48 PM I had ley lines as really powerful in my setting. A spell cast while the caster is on a line is Empowered, Extended, and Widened.

You could experiment with other metamagic effects, higher caster level, or other benefits that improve the effects of a spell.
Geoste
03-03-06, 09:51 AM Okay, so my group switched to Spell Points. Best change I have made, or at least in my opinion.

In addition I have been working on several Ley Line concepts. It's been troublesome however coming up with benefits for standing on a ley nexus. I like my current system of avoiding Con loss, but Benefits keep coming up poorly. I need universal benefit ideas, stuff that would work on most any spell.

Cool! I was wanting to do a similar concept as well in my campaign, but alas - my players won't switch over to the SP system... :rolleyes:

Nevermind that they's be gaining much more spells cast/day, and try explaining that to them... ARG...

So how do you handle spell points and ley lines?
BladeMage_1
03-03-06, 07:11 PM sorry for not knowing, but what are ley lines?
Mist of Shadows
03-03-06, 07:39 PM Ley lines are powerful rivers of magic that flow across the world. Or something like that seen in Rifts games and a number of fantasy books.
Millennium
03-03-06, 09:04 PM sorry for not knowing, but what are ley lines?
They're essentially rivers of magical energy that run across the world. When two or more ley lines cross, the intersection is called a nexus, and the energy available there is greater than just the sum of the lines making up the intersection. If you have three nexus points close enough together, they get even stronger, and Weird Things start to happen in the triangular space between them: among other things, the barrier between dimensions/planes becomes much easier to cross. In addition to drawing on the energies of ley lines, some spellcasters use them as a form of transportation, essentially opening up their bodies to the magical currents and drifting from one place to another.

At least, that's how the system from RIFTS defines them. In that game, the Bermuda Triangle is a case of three nexus points interacting, and Stonehenge is built around a nexus point which is part of five different triangles. It sounds as though this is where the OP is drawing his ideas from, given the use of the term nexus and the love of video-game magic.
s4uc3m4n
03-11-06, 09:30 PM Indeed, indeed that's actually exactly how we run it.

The Nexi are actually common in my world, a world originally built by a group of powerful devils to encase a powerful group of mages who attempted to control the hells. The Lines are the physical seal that keeps the people tied to the world itself and give them no method of escape.

This is part of where I need to come up with cost and damage grids which seem to make using them more balanced. Presently the benefits I give either are far too powerful or far too weak. What I am trying to do is make there be two different levels of control.

Random Magic Increase :

If you have never studied Ley Magic and cannot control it the Nexus will produce great benefits but cause you great harm. A caster with ranks in Spellcraft can feel a Ley Line if it exists under foot. If he is uncertain what it is he can make a spell craft check. Success means that he can invoke the ley line. A concentration check is required to pull power from the ley line and on a 10 x the number of ley lines crossed, the player can keep himself from having a number of temporary constitution points drained and gain a random benefit from the ley line.

All I have at present are Metamagic Stuff for benefits and it gets kind of boring and predictable.

Focused Magic Increase :

A well knowledged Spell Caster can pull Magic from a ley line and use it to effectively increase a spell by the abilities he has.

Effectively this is the equivalent of having the Metamagic power in your arsenal and being able to add it to the spell while you are casting the spell.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
s4uc3m4n 02-28-06, 09:32 PM	Okay, so my group switched to Spell Points. Best change I have made, or at least in my opinion. In addition I have been working on several Ley Line concepts. It's been troublesome however coming up with benefits for standing on a ley nexus. I like my current system of avoiding Con loss, but Benefits keep coming up poorly. I need universal benefit ideas, stuff that would work on most any spell.
Phoenix Knight 02-28-06, 10:48 PM	I had ley lines as really powerful in my setting. A spell cast while the caster is on a line is Empowered, Extended, and Widened. You could experiment with other metamagic effects, higher caster level, or other benefits that improve the effects of a spell.
Geoste 03-03-06, 09:51 AM	Okay, so my group switched to Spell Points. Best change I have made, or at least in my opinion. In addition I have been working on several Ley Line concepts. It's been troublesome however coming up with benefits for standing on a ley nexus. I like my current system of avoiding Con loss, but Benefits keep coming up poorly. I need universal benefit ideas, stuff that would work on most any spell. Cool! I was wanting to do a similar concept as well in my campaign, but alas - my players won't switch over to the SP system... :rolleyes: Nevermind that they's be gaining much more spells cast/day, and try explaining that to them... ARG... So how do you handle spell points and ley lines?
BladeMage_1 03-03-06, 07:11 PM	sorry for not knowing, but what are ley lines?
Mist of Shadows 03-03-06, 07:39 PM	Ley lines are powerful rivers of magic that flow across the world. Or something like that seen in Rifts games and a number of fantasy books.
Millennium 03-03-06, 09:04 PM	sorry for not knowing, but what are ley lines? They're essentially rivers of magical energy that run across the world. When two or more ley lines cross, the intersection is called a nexus, and the energy available there is greater than just the sum of the lines making up the intersection. If you have three nexus points close enough together, they get even stronger, and Weird Things start to happen in the triangular space between them: among other things, the barrier between dimensions/planes becomes much easier to cross. In addition to drawing on the energies of ley lines, some spellcasters use them as a form of transportation, essentially opening up their bodies to the magical currents and drifting from one place to another. At least, that's how the system from RIFTS defines them. In that game, the Bermuda Triangle is a case of three nexus points interacting, and Stonehenge is built around a nexus point which is part of five different triangles. It sounds as though this is where the OP is drawing his ideas from, given the use of the term nexus and the love of video-game magic.
s4uc3m4n 03-11-06, 09:30 PM	Indeed, indeed that's actually exactly how we run it. The Nexi are actually common in my world, a world originally built by a group of powerful devils to encase a powerful group of mages who attempted to control the hells. The Lines are the physical seal that keeps the people tied to the world itself and give them no method of escape. This is part of where I need to come up with cost and damage grids which seem to make using them more balanced. Presently the benefits I give either are far too powerful or far too weak. What I am trying to do is make there be two different levels of control. Random Magic Increase : If you have never studied Ley Magic and cannot control it the Nexus will produce great benefits but cause you great harm. A caster with ranks in Spellcraft can feel a Ley Line if it exists under foot. If he is uncertain what it is he can make a spell craft check. Success means that he can invoke the ley line. A concentration check is required to pull power from the ley line and on a 10 x the number of ley lines crossed, the player can keep himself from having a number of temporary constitution points drained and gain a random benefit from the ley line. All I have at present are Metamagic Stuff for benefits and it gets kind of boring and predictable. Focused Magic Increase : A well knowledged Spell Caster can pull Magic from a ley line and use it to effectively increase a spell by the abilities he has. Effectively this is the equivalent of having the Metamagic power in your arsenal and being able to add it to the spell while you are casting the spell.