Places of Magical Power

The more I design my world, the more I want to put in places of power. Here, I’m talking about places of magical power. Ley lines crisscross the world enhancing magic where they pass, and really turning up the magic where they cross. Places of wonder like Stonehenge that somehow attract or harness other powers. Here I think mainly about druidic tree circles or the druidic circles of the tiny folk (mushroom circles). I also think about placing statues in certain alignments to match the star constellations and harness the astrological powers. (Some of the more fringe folks believe this is what the Egyptians were doing.) In Legend Quest - getting more powerful spells is pretty tough. Every +1 to power means (typically with combat spells) more damage and therefore they are pretty hard to come by. (Standard powerful mage typically only has four power levels and probably a +1 talisman.) That makes these things a big deal. So should I put them in or not? I think yes, and here’s why: Attacking should always be more difficult than defending, and giving the defenders a bonus to their magic should be fine. After all, they got to choose the spot they were defending. Also, if I make the magic of the spot specific enough or make the spot uninviting enough, the players will not be able to make use of it. I’m always looking for ways to beef up the bad guys without risking giving the player character more power (like when you just give out magic items). Now I just need to keep coming up with cool reasons that certain spots are magical and determining how magical. Most will just be a +1, but that really does make a difference. See Magic Strategy for Legend Quest. By the way, the reverse is true too! There are spots where magic does not work that well, and those creatures, cultures or races that don’t use magic will flock to these spots to give their enemies a problem. I love these for dwarves, orcs and kobolds. Not that these guys never use magic, but it helps keep them safe from those rotten mages!