“Magical energy exists throughout the multiverse and flows within and without all aspects of reality. In places where this magical energy flows particularly strongly, it takes the form of ley lines: potent conduits of magic that flow throughout the cosmos. Magical energy travels through ley lines much like blood flows through the veins of living creatures. Ley lines transcend physical form and can be found throughout the universe, through entire worlds, and even across planes.”¹

I do believe magic pervades all and, if Pathfinder lore is to be believed, our world was once filled by it until technology dominated our development. The power of ley lines, criss-crossing and shifting through the world is a potent one to tap. Secrets of Magic introduced those rules and as one of my players in our Kingmaker game began investigating, I thought it important to draw up some pertinent ones as well as possible nexuses for future use. So today I thought I’d share them with you to use in your own Kingmaker game or adapt for your own game.

Of note, the Ley Lines were introduced under Pathfinder2E but not remaster rules, so they did rely on schools of magic and older traits not available. Mine are mostly elemental now, especially considering the Stolen Lands natural landscapes. You could easily adapt or build ones with other traits, especially Mental as large groups of people could influence the ley lines perhaps if there’s a larger arcane institution at a location. I’ll call out, and noted below, that our PCs decided to turn the Stag Lord’s Fort into their capital. You should likely adapt/grow areas centralized to your PCs capital as well but the ley lines and nexus ideas below give you opportunity to use as you see fit!

Ley Lines

For more information see Ley Lines.

Each ley line lists: 

Name & Path – Level & Traits

• Flavor Roleplay is key so I’ve got a bit of flavorful impact/sign of the ley line.
• Benefit
• Backlash 

As for DCs, follow the hard DC for the line’s level when Identifying/using it.

• Thornflow Artery (Old Sycamore → Stag Lord’s Fort) – Ley Line 2; Air, Arcane, Primal
  1. A constant whispering breeze threads the river.
  2. Benefit/Backlash: As Basic Ley Line.
• Tuskwater Emberline (Candlemere → South Narlmarches) – Ley Line 4; Fire, Primal
  1. Reedbeds glow like banked coals at dusk.
  2. Benefit: +1d8 persistent fire damage to your fire effects.
  3. Backlash: 2d8 persistent fire to you. (Candlemere’s eerie aura makes this one feel dangerous.)
• Old Dead Road (Temple of the Elk → Ancient Sycamore Roots) – Ley Line 12; Divine, Occult
  1. Cold motes drift against the wind; distant bells.
  2. Benefit: blink for the duration; you can Sustain and choose direction on reappear.
  3. Backlash: For 1 minute you randomly vanish/reappear each turn (no other blink perks).
• Sotfen Sparkline (Skunk River Marsh → Lizardfolk barrows) – Ley Line 4; Electricity, Primal
  1. Hair rises; cattails pop with static.
  2. Benefit: +1d8 persistent electricity damage to your electricity spells
  3. Backlash: 2d8 persistent electricity.
• Bald Hill Pulse (Bald Hilltop → your PCs’ Capital) – Ley Line 10; Any Tradition
  1. A heartbeat thrum felt through bedrock.
  2. Benefit: Gain 1 temporary Focus Point (separate pool).
  3. Backlash: stupefied 3 for 1 minute; can’t Refocus for 1 hour.
• Greenbelt Loom (Narlmarches Henge → Old Sycamore) – Ley Line 2; Arcane, Primal
  1. Spider-silk fog strands before dawn.
  2. Benefit/Backlash: As Basic Ley Line.
• Tors Crown Filament (Tors of Levenies rim → Varnhold uplands) – Ley Line 14; Arcane, Earth
  1. Stones creep and “settle” when unobserved. 
  2. Benefit: Your Earth spells auto-heighten +1 (to your max level).
  3. Backlash: For 1 minute, Earth spells cost +1 action.
• Whisperwill Vein (Kamelands barrows → Candlemere) – Ley Line 4; Cold, Occult
  1. Willow leaves frost-rim even in fall.
  2. Benefit: +1d8 persistent cold damage to your cold spells
  3. Backlash: 2d8 persistent cold.
• Stagroad Current (Thorn Ford → Stag Lord’s Fort) – Ley Line 2; Any Tradition
  1. Arrow-straight gusts track the river bend.
  2. Benefit/Backlash: As Basic Ley Line. Helpful for early level play there at the fort. You may wish to consider growing that area as I have since my players made their capital here.
• Candlemere Undertow (Candlemere Tower → Lakebed faults) – Ley Line 12; Divine, Occult
  1. Will-o’-wisps are weirdly common; tower stones bear faded sigils.
  2. Benefit/Backlash: As Haunted Ley Line.
• Sellen Sky-Road (Sellen Ford → Oleg’s/Trading Road) – Ley Line 2; Any Tradition
  1. Road dust lifts and swirls like migrating birds.
  2. Benefit/Backlash: As Basic Ley Line.
• Cyclops Scholar’s Thread (Vordakai’s tomb → Tors Passes) – Ley Line 14; Arcane, Occult, Prediction, Scrying
  1. Echo-whispers repeat questions thrice.
  2. Benefit: Prediction and Scrying spells auto-heighten +1 (to your max level).
  3. Backlash: For 1 minute, your Prediction and Scrying spells cost +1 action. 

Ley Line Nexuses

I’ve provided possible nexus locations, especially where I could see certain ley lines intersecting. Because I want to incentivize such activities, I’ve made the Node Effects a little more powerful. I’ve noted a Hook as well to help drive activity at that location though some, like your kingdom’s capital, may be obvious spots.

Each nexus lists: 

• Site – Lines Intersecting
  Node Effect combines intersecting line benefits and adds a distinctive local twist (per Ley Line Nodes and the Establish Nexus ritual)
  Hook You can let PCs perform Establish Nexus at these spots after appropriate quests/ritual assistance.

 

• The Henge of Moss-Circles (deep Narlmarches) – Intersects: Greenbelt Loom + Thornflow Artery
  1. Node Effect: Users get Reach and Widen, or treat a spell as one step longer duration (up to 10 minutes → 1 hour once/day) while tapped.
  2. Hook: Local Druids (or an important group visits) demand offerings to keep the stones from “walking” at solstice.
• Thorn Hollow Keep (or capital Keep) – Intersects: Thornflow Artery + Stagroad Current + Sellen Sky-Road
  1. In this case, my PCs made the Stag Lord’s Fort into their capital
  2. Node Effect: While defending the walls, any caster who tapped the node can switch Reach/Widen once each round without increasing actions (metamagic-like flexibility).
  3. Hook: Establishing the nexus inscribes silver inlays into the gate arches; keeping them polished becomes a downtime task.
• Stag Lord’s Fort Palisade-Node – Intersects: Stagroad Current + Old Dead Road
  1. Node Effect: Choose Basic Ley Line benefit; additionally, once per minute you can Step 10 feet as if briefly phasing (haunted “tug”).
  2. Hook: Bandit shamans tether the node with antlers and fetishes – cut the cords to break their advantage.
• Candlemere Tower Heart – Intersects: Candlemere Undertow + Tuskwater Emberline + Whisperwill Vein
  1. Node Effect: While tapped, you gain Blink. Also, your fire/cold effects each add +1d6 persistent damage of their type (choose one per spell). On backlash, you suffer both 2d8 persistent fire and 2d8 persistent cold and gain only the random teleport blinking of Blink for 1 minute.
  2. Hook: Activating the nexus lights ghostly lanterns around the lake.
• Temple of the Elk Font – Intersects: Old Dead Road + Greenbelt Loom
  1. Node Effect: Basic benefits and the first healing or positive spell you cast while tapped is treated as if heightened +1 (to your max).
  2. Hook: A stag spirit appears at dawn to test supplicants with a Wisdom riddle.
• Bald Hill Resonance – Intersects: Bald Hill Pulse + Sellen Sky-Road
  1. Node Effect: Gain the Focused Ley Line benefit; you are only immune for 10 minutes. Once per hour you can transfer the point to an ally within 30 ft as a reaction when they cast a Focus Spell.
  2. Hook: The hill “beats” louder before kingdom events (fun omen).
• Old Sycamore Root-Gate – Intersects: Thornflow Artery + Greenbelt Loom + Old Dead Road
  1. Node Effect: You can Burrow 5 ft as part of a Step once/round (roots part), and you get Basic or Haunted benefit each turn (choose when you Sustain).
  2. Hook: Mites worship the root-gate; kobolds want to mine its amber.
• Skunk Marsh Lightning Shelf – Intersects: Sootfen Sparkline + Whisperwill Vein
  1. Node Effect: When you cast a spell with the cold or electricity trait while tapped, add +1 status bonus to the spell’s attack roll/DC. Backlash deals both types’ persistent to you (1d8 each).
  2. Hook: Storm megaliths crackle; rare eel-pearls form here after storms.
• Tors Crown Standing-Ring – Intersects: Tors Crown Filament + Cyclops Scholar’s Thread
  1. Node Effect: While tapped, you can choose to give your spells the Subtle trait. You also gain the relevant Specialized benefit.
  2. Hook: Etched cyclopean runes “predict” who can step inside safely.
• Varnhold Uplands Menhir-Field – Intersects: Tors Crown Filament + Sellen Sky-Road
  1. Node Effect: Basic benefit; additionally, your Strides ignore difficult terrain from rubble/rock for the duration.
  2. Hook: Centaur omens declare the stones off-limits – earn the right to gain access.
• Tuskwater Mist-Bridge – Intersects: Tuskwater Emberline + Sellen Sky-Road
  1. Node Effect: While tapped, you can walk 10 ft over water per round as part of a Stride (solid steam), and fire spells cast here shed harmless light that reveals invisible creatures you damage until your next turn.
  2. Hook: Fisherfolk beg you to “tame” the nightly fire-sprites.
• Barrow-Hush Dell (Kamelands barrows) – Intersects: Whisperwill Vein + Old Dead Road
  1. Node Effect: Haunted benefits w once per hour your Sustain of the blink-effect also grants resistance 5 negative or cold (choose) for 1 round.
  2. Hook: Restless ancestors demand burial goods be returned.

Hope you’ve enjoyed these examples and you invest in some ley lines for your own game! If you want to bring an air of wonder to your exploration, it can help greatly. Certain occult or primal casters like divinatory witches or druids might really enjoy a powerful nexus being established at a henge, ritual site, or area of powerful psychic resonance. As always, remember to support one another and much love to all!

Investing In:

I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!

I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!

Sources

Banner – Establish Nexus art modified, Secrets of Magic, Paizo, art by Mirco Paganessi

1. Ley Lines excerpt, Secrets of Magic, Paizo
2. Ley line nodes banner, Secrets of Magic, Paizo
3. Ley lines, Noah Bradley, Creative Commons Attribution (noncommercial, not for profit)
4. Ley lines, Rndmhype, Creative Commons Attribution (noncommercial, not for profit)