Definition
Ley lines are a worldbuilding concept borrowed from real-world pseudoarchaeology, where ancient sites supposedly align along straight lines of mystical energy. In fiction, ley lines are literal conduits of magical power running beneath the earth's surface (or across it), creating a geographic layer to your magic system. Where ley lines cross, magic surges; where they thin, magic weakens. This concept lets you tie magic to place, giving your world's geography direct narrative significance.
Why It Matters
Ley lines solve a practical worldbuilding problem: why is magic stronger here than there? They give your world geographic logic, explaining why cities, temples, and battlefields are located where they are. They also create natural story hooks, because controlling a ley line intersection means controlling magical power, and that's worth fighting over.
Types of Ley Lines
Famous Examples
Ley lines are a core part of the magic system; Chicago sits on a nexus of magical energy, which is why so much supernatural activity concentrates there.
Lines of power connect ancient sites across England, tying the fantasy narrative to real geography and real history.
While not called ley lines, the geographic distribution of metal deposits and the Pits of Hathsin serve a similar function, tying magical resources to place.
Common Mistakes
If ley lines exist, they should matter. Cities should be built on them. Battles should be fought over them. Characters should need them for something specific.
Apply the same costs and limits to ley line magic that you apply to all magic. Tapping a ley line might be powerful, but it could also be dangerous, draining, or attract unwanted attention.
Define the mechanism. Can everyone sense them? Only trained mages? Do they require special tools or rituals to tap into? The access rules create story opportunities.
Try It Yourself
Draw a simple map (even stick-figure level is fine) with three ley lines crossing in two places. Mark where a major city sits on one intersection and where a dangerous ruin sits on the other. Write a paragraph explaining why the city thrives there and what went wrong at the ruin. Then add one detail about what happens to a traveler who walks along a ley line without realizing it.
Map Your World's Magical Geography
Use the Worldbuilding tools to track ley line locations, their properties, and which characters, factions, and conflicts are tied to them.