Ley Line Storms

[Arjan]

I just optained a copy of Rifts World 02 Atlantis and found some very interesting ideas in it.
I was interested in how they handled the whole atlantis myth.
I read alot of info about atlantis lately and i really think a sort of spinoff atlantis continent would really fit in BR. will write more details on that later.

The first thing i read was about ley lines. they are very similar to the onces BR already use. chanel magic, tap into them etc etc.

the folowing text is from the Rifts book, and slightly adjusted to suit BR.

Ley Line Storm

Ley line storms are similar to a modern day electrical storm except these travel up and down leylines.
A typical storm will last 1d20x10 minutes, while the worst storms occur at the nexus points and last twice as long.

Although the storms are likened to conventional rainstorms, there is seldom rain during these storms. However, the skies turn a dark green-grey color, dark grey to black clouds roll in, the wind gusts at arround 35mph (56km) and a chill fills the air. Bluish white bolts of electrical energy shoot down from the sky and everything in the area of the storm crackles with a halo of energy.

Mystic scolars speculate that the storms recycle ley line energy and help to maintain an even flow of potential mebhaighl energy up and down the line.
Whene there is an overload or surge of energy the storm occurs shedding/burning up the excess, they point out that ley line storms often proceed the opening of a dimensional rift (? shadow world), particulare random rifts.

These maelstorm of mystic energy have dangerous effects on magic items and creatures of magic. Sidhelien and Halflings flee at the first hints of these storms. The storms always have a strange and often terrible affect on practitioners of magic, creatures of magic and spellcasting.

note: A ley line storm may occur at any time along any ley line or sea. they are NOT limited to occurrences on the present day ley lines but can affect ancient leylines as well.

the folowing things occur during a ley line storm.

- the nexuses (source holdings) cannot be tapped during a storm. (its being burned up by the storm)

- The effect of magic cast within the storm area is distorted.
Roll a D20 each time magic is used or a spel is cast. (this includes magical items. even bloodsilver)

1-4) Magic powers are increased! Double range and damage (duration is not increased) The spellcaster cannot regulate damage or range. the magic is more powerfull but less controllable.

5-8) Magic powers are decreased! Reduce range and dammage by half (duration is not decreased)

9-12) Magic powers are completely negated. The magic is completely absorbed by the storm. NOTHING magical works (a temporary predicament)

13-16) Magic powers are completely wrong! The DM can switch spells at will (anything goes). It is wise not to use magic under these circumstances. Otherwise the range, damage, effects and duration of that spell are normal.

17-20)Magic discharge. Every time a spell is cast or a magic weapon is used there is a sound of thunder and the magic user is knocked of his feet from a sudden explotion in his face! (becomes flatfooted) and suffers 2d6 damage.

- Bolts of mehbaighl energy are attracted to anything magic in the area, including practitioners of magic, creatures of magic, all magical items, even to those who carry vos spelltattoos. The mebhaighl bolts look like a blue-white bolt of lightning.
non magical creatures struck by a bolt suffer 1d10 points of damage and is teleported 2d6 x 10 yards down the ley line (instant and disorienting).
Creature of magic (this includes blooded scions) suffer 1d20 points of damage and temporarely drains them of all magical energy. (ie bloodlines are reduced to 0. Magical beasts loose all theire power etc.)

- Creatures who are hidden by magic suddenly appear to grow or shrink and their features become distorted. Getting hit by a mebhaighl bolt (1-44%) transform them into their true shape.

- All psionic characters and similar creatures suffer from major headaches (-3 on initiative and -1 on attack, parry and dodge)

- magic illusions disappear

- Existing Shadow World portals close at onces

- All forms of ley line communication during a storm is impossible

- Ley line transportation is possible, but risky. The cost is twice as much and there is a 50% change that the transportation is destined at the desired location. 25% change the transportation ended halfway and 25% the transportation ended 1d10 miles off course and away from the ley line.

Random events that can happen during a leyline storm. (1d20 every 30min of storm)

1-4) Air lift. Everybody crackles with energy and rises 10 feet above the ground. They are pushed by the wind along the leyling for 2d6 minutes.

5-8) Rolling thunder! A huge black cloud races low to the ground along the entire width of a ley line. speed is about 60mph (96.5km). Everybody hit by the thundercloud is drenched with water, temporarily deafened by the sound of rumbling thunder, loses all attacks for one full round and is swept of his feet.

9-12) Euphoria. Everybody feels great. happy and cheerfull. many will start to laugh, sing or act silly as if intoxicated. those who are wounded will have 2d6 hit points restored. and minor illnesses will disappear.On the downside, the characters feel no fear or hostility toward anything, including known enemies. They will not attack unless attacked first. Euphoria typically lasts 2d4 minutes.

13-16) Dinensional Flux. The one minute they are on cerilia, the next moment they are in the shadowworld. It is if they have gone into a giant cloud. After what seems to be only 1d4 minutes they appear back in the same spot where they had been when the flux occured. However, the storm is over and 2d6 hours have passed.

17-20) A dimensional rift opens! i leave it to the DM as to whether anything bad or troublesome comings slithering out of the rift from the Shadow world. Dont bee to rough on the characters, This can be played for humor as well as drama

[irdeggman]

I like it but would not include bloodsilver or scions (by their nature) in the effect.

Bloodsilver is not magical, in 3.5 terminology it is a special material. Would mithral likewise be affected? Now any magical properties imbued would be affected like any other magic item, but not the properties associated with the material itself. Mithral items don't suddenly lose their ability to reduce the effects of arcane spellcasting failure nor would admantine lose its ability to penetrate DR for certain creatures, etc.

I also wouldn't include scions, by their nature - since this is more of a divine presence and not a plain magical creature. Would a lesser divinity be likewise affected? That is would say Cuircean suddenly become mortal when in such a storm?

There is no connection between mebhaighl and bloodlines. One is the magic of the very planet itself and the other is from a divine essence.

Other than that it is very interesting and would make for something special, new and dangerous in Cerillia - I like it.

[ConjurerDragon]

irdeggman schrieb:



>This post was generated by the Birthright.net message forum.

> You can view the entire thread at:

> http://www.birthright.net/forums/ind...=ST&f=2&t=2903

>

> irdeggman wrote:

> I like it but would not include bloodsilver or scions (by their nature) in the effect.Bloodsilver is not magical, in 3.5 terminology it is a special material. Would mithral likewise be affected? Now any magical properties imbued would be affected like any other magic item, but not the properties associated with the material itself. Mithral items don`t suddenly lose their ability to reduce the effects of arcane spellcasting failure nor would admantine lose its ability to penetrate DR for certain creatures, etc.I also wouldn`t include scions, by their nature - since this is more of a divine presence and not a plain magical creature. Would a lesser divinity be likewise affected? That is would say Cuircean suddenly become mortal when in such a storm?There is no connection between mebhaighl and bloodlines. One is the magic of the very planet itself and the other is from a divine essence.Other than that it is very interesting and would make for something special, new and dange

> rous in Cerillia - I like it.

>

I see a problem with ley storms. Aren´t ley lines something that only

the regent who controls the ley line knows about?

To learn about other regents ley lines one has to take considerable

effort - casting of realm spells "DETECT LEY LINE", "TRACE LEY LINE".

On the other side some wizards hide their lines with "Mask Ley Line" to

make them undetecable.

Wouldn´t such special ley storms give leylines away to any observer with

some knowledge - and would even reveal hidden ley lines and foil a realm

spell by it?

bye

Michael

[Arjan]

Originally posted by ConjurerDragon@Jan 1 2005, 05:00 PM
I see a problem with ley storms. Aren´t ley lines something that only the regent who controls the ley line knows about

To learn about other regents ley lines one has to take considerable effort - casting of realm spells "DETECT LEY LINE", "TRACE LEY LINE". On the other side some wizards hide their lines with "Mask Ley Line" to make them undetecable
Wouldn´t such special ley storms give leylines away to any observer with some knowledge - and would even reveal hidden ley lines and foil a realm spell by it?

bye

Michael

well that is when you want to know if a ley line indeed exsists. that has nothing to do wether you know a leyline exists or not.

the storm can occur on every ley line also the ancient leylines. Its a sort of hot wire between nexusses.
so you never really know when and where such a storm can occur.

i am still in a doubt about this phenomena. i am still considdering this for either something that "could" happen.. like a normal storm.
or transform it to a domain spell, just like deplete mebhaighl. or perhaps both

Arjan

[Arjan]

Originally posted by irdeggman@Jan 1 2005, 02:10 PM
I like it but would not include bloodsilver or scions (by their nature) in the effect.

Bloodsilver is not magical, in 3.5 terminology it is a special material. Would mithral likewise be affected? Now any magical properties imbued would be affected like any other magic item, but not the properties associated with the material itself. Mithral items don't suddenly lose their ability to reduce the effects of arcane spellcasting failure nor would admantine lose its ability to penetrate DR for certain creatures, etc.

I also wouldn't include scions, by their nature - since this is more of a divine presence and not a plain magical creature. Would a lesser divinity be likewise affected? That is would say Cuircean suddenly become mortal when in such a storm?

There is no connection between mebhaighl and bloodlines. One is the magic of the very planet itself and the other is from a divine essence.

Other than that it is very interesting and would make for something special, new and dangerous in Cerillia - I like it.

yeah you are right, i messed up the difference between arcane and divine magic.
this should indeed apply to arcane magic related. Scions and Bloodsilver should be left out.

Arjan

[ConjurerDragon]

Arjan schrieb:



>This post was generated by the Birthright.net message forum.

> You can view the entire thread at:

> http://www.birthright.net/forums/ind...=ST&f=2&t=2903

>

> Arjan wrote:

> QUOTE (irdeggman @ Jan 1 2005, 02:10 PM) I like it but would not include bloodsilver or scions (by their nature) in the effect.Bloodsilver is not magical, in 3.5 terminology it is a special material. Would mithral likewise be affected? Now any magical properties imbued would be affected like any other magic item, but not the properties associated with the material itself. Mithral items don`t suddenly lose their ability to reduce the effects of arcane spellcasting failure nor would admantine lose its ability to penetrate DR for certain creatures, etc.I also wouldn`t include scions, by their nature - since this is more of a divine presence and not a plain magical creature. Would a lesser divinity be likewise affected? That is would say Cuircean suddenly become mortal when in such a storm?There is no connection between mebhaighl and bloodlines. One is the magic of the very planet itself and the other is from a divine essence.Other than that it is very interesting and would m

> ake for something special, new and dangerous in Cerillia - I like it.

>-----------------------------

>

> yeah you are right, i messed up the difference between arcane and divine magic.this should indeed apply to arcane magic related. Scions and Bloodsilver should be left out.Arjan

>

Left out, but perhaps except Scions of Vorynn with the Mebhaigl sense

ability...

bye

Michael

[Arjan]

Originally posted by ConjurerDragon@Jan 1 2005, 09:30 PM
Left out, but perhaps except Scions of Vorynn with the Mebhaigl sense

ability...

bye

Michael

Funny you say that.. i just wrote up a piece for a new continent east of the Sea of Dragons. I weaved in the origin of the Vos people.. and it explaines why they can sense it.

will post it right away in a new message.

Arjan

[RaspK_FOG]

For one thing, isn't such a thing kind of a character-killer? Sure, I believe that some natural phenomena should be able to kill PCs as well, but people have survived from avalanches all the time (which would lead to a very interesting discussion about how core rules have effectively made avalanches a deadly pit trap, but we would digress); likewise, I support that a Ley Line Storm should be dangerous yet easy to go through from one level foreward.

[geeman]

At 09:50 PM 12/31/2004 +0100, Arjan wrote:



>I just optained a copy of Rifts World 02 Atlantis and found some very

>interesting ideas in it.I was interested in how they handled the whole

>atlantis myth.I read alot of info about atlantis lately and i really think

>a sort of spinoff atlantis continent would really fit in BR.



I`m intrigued already, particularly with the Atlantis angle. Here`s a

scary thought: How about a campaign hook in which the PCs have to stop some

mad plot by one of the more insane awnsheghlien (the Serpent, Magian or

maybe the Raven may be candidates) to actually SINK Cerilia a la the Isle

of Atlantis? It`s not like the campaign world has never experienced large

scale disasters before.... In that context, ley storms might actually be

employed by the master villain in order to cover up gaining control or

temporary influence over the ley lines and sources of other regents. This

kind of thing could be used to portray a long term campaign kind of like

The Dead Gods--BR style.



When it comes to the effects of ley storms, I`m wondering if there should

be additional effects at the domain level. That is, source holdings

connected to ley lines (or maybe whether they are connected to ley lines or

not) should potentially be changed directly. Storms might actually kill

off the population level of a province due to various weather effects,

shifting the fundamental population/source potential of the land a level or

three. Compare to real world hurricanes--then add vast, province spanning

magic to the mix.



Ley line storms might also be seen as being ultimately under the control of

one of my favorite fanwanked BR core themes--the Cerilian Gaia

Hypothesis. If the entire planet is, in fact, a living being with its own

agenda and powers perhaps one of the things it controls is the appearance

and rampage of ley line storms. Aside from the effects at the domain level

there are implications for such a thing like ley line storms accompanying

various dramatic adventure level events such as the appearance of new

bloodlines (the Land`s Choice) or the like.



At the very least, ley line storms could be seen as portentous by many

Cerilians. As such they could be used as campaign based flavour to the

setting, introducing adventures or providing a DM with a plot point at some

point in a campaign.



Gary

[irdeggman]

After reflection it might be better to redo these to make them mehbaighl storms instead. By removing their tie into Ley lines they become more potentially devastating and truely random. Increase the likilihood in areas of high mehbaighl, except potentially the elven woods. They could be a result of Aebrynnis rebelling against the mistreatment of the world by the residents (note the exception for elven woods which have been kept as close as possible to their original configuaration).

I see this as a BR correlation to the Dark Sun Tyrian Storms. Very deadly and random.

Again, just a thought.