Power Nexuses
A power nexus can be anything from a mystic tree whose fallen branches may be used to craft magic staffs to a lava flow with a trapped fire spirit living within it that can be used to forge magic weapons and armor.
The power within a nexus is finite,and if it is used too often or as a conduit for too much magic, it can be drained forever. This power is measured in spell energy points, similar to a channeler's spell energy pool. These points can be drained for two principle uses: to power spells and to allow permanent magic items to be created. Unlike spellcasters, however, a nexus does not automatically recover all of its spell energy at the end of each day. Instead, each nexus has a unique rate of recovery. Some recover quite slowly, while others recover their spell energies daily. If a power nexus ever reaches zero spell energy, it ceases to functino and any physical manifestation of the power nexus is destroyed (usually violently and dramatically).
Attuning to a Power Nexus
Before a power nexus can be used, a spellcaster must attune herself to a nexus by positioning herself within or above its center (often a feat requiring magical assistance, given the nexuses' exotic and dangerous locations) and concentrating on the nexus's power. This requires undisturbed concentration and takes 1 hour per 10 points of the nexus's maximum spell energy (round up). At the end of this period, the spellcaster makes a Concentration check with a DC equal to 10 + 1 per 10 points of the nexus's maximum spell energy (round up). If she succeeds, the spellcaster is attuned to the power nexus for one week. After the duration of the attunement runs out, the spellcaster must repeat the process.
If the spellcaster exceeds the DC of the check, she may "spend" the excess "points" in one of two ways: by increasing the duration of her attunement by one week per point spent, or by increasing the DC for others to attune to the power nexus by one per point spent.
Attuning yourself to a power nexus to which another spellcaster has laid claim is difficult, as the power nexus's mystic structure naturally shapes itself according to the mindset and leanings of the people who have tapped its power. For every other spellcaster currently attuned to a power nexus, the DC to attune yourself increases by +2. Additionally, the task can be made even harder by attuned spellcasters who attempt to block others from using the power nexus.
Using a Power Nexus
Powering Spells
When a channeling spellcaster casts a spell within the boundaries of a power nexus to which she is attuned, she may draw on the nexus's spell energy to help power the spell. To do so, she casts the spell as normal and makes a Concentration check with a DC equal to 15 + the level of the spell. If she succeeds, the power nexus provides 1 point of the required spell energy from its spell energy pool, while the channeler provides the rest from her own spell energy pool or by suffering Constitution damage. For every 5 points by which she exceeds the check DC, the power nexus provides an additional point of spell energy.
Using a power nexus in this way is not considered an action, and requires no additional time beyond that normally consumed in the casting of the spell. For instance, a channeler may use a power nexus to help power a quickened spell, even though casting a quickened spell is a free action.
The exact boundaries of a power nexus are determined by the DM, and often must be discovered by trial and error. The boundaries are often defined by the natural feature that shapes the nexus itself, but as a general rule should not extend farther than 5 feet from the center per spell energy point in the nexus's maximum spell energy pool.
Nexus's use as immobile spell batteries made them favored defensive positions and lairs for channelers of old. Spellcasters no longer have that luxury, and making on'e home at a nexus is likely to draw the legates' attention to the place of power. Likewise, attempting to hold a nexus that has been discovered by the legates, unless it is deep in the forest or surrounded by the clanholds of the dwarves, is tantamount to suicide.
Crafting Magic Items
To create magic items, the creator need not spend wealth for the raw materials or have access to a lab, but he must provide the masterwork item to be enchanted, be able to cast the prerequisite spells, and spend the time and XP as usual. On the other hand, the creator must attune himself to a power nexus with the appropriate attributes and must perform all of the crafting within that nexus's boundaries.
Each power nexus may only be used to create specific types of magic items,defined by the item creation feats that may be used at that nexus. Additionally, creating an item at a nexus drains its spell energy points. The amount of energy drained to create magic items is shown on the table at the bottom of this page.
Nexus Affinities
While the raw magical energy found in a power nexus can be used to
cast any types of spells or help enchant a magic item with any power,
some nexuses work more efficiently with spells with certain
descriptors. This is known as an affinity. Affinities work similarly
to spell talismans, except that in addition to specific spells or
spell schools, affiinities may provide discounts to spells with
specific descriptors. An affinity can also be specific, such as a
broad-leafed tree whose leaves, when filled with summer rainwater, act
as a power nexus for the creation of a staff of the woodlands. In
general, the more specific the nexus's affinity, the greater the
discount it provides on the creation of such items.
The DM may feel free to create new descriptors or use other aspects of a spell when creating power nexus affinities. For instance, while there is no "water" descriptor, any spell that affects or creates water whould benefit from such an affinity; likewise, though there is no "gas" descriptor, and spell that creates a fog or cloud might benefit from such an affinity.
Whenever a power nexus is used to help create a magic item, the DM determines whether or not the item being imbued matches (usually by nature of its spell prerequisites) the nexus's affinity. If it does, the drain on the power nexus's spell energy is lessened by an amount equal to the discount.
Affinities also work when a power nexus is used to help power a spell. Affinities only lessen the spell energy drained from the nexus's pool, not the channeler's. Additionally, an affinity is not applied to a spell that the nexus is helping to power until after the spellcaster makes her Concentration check. For instance, a channeler that casts a wall of ice spell within the boundaries of a power nexus with affinity 2 for all cold effects might meet the exact DC of the Concentration check, which would only allow her to use 1 point of the power nexus's spell energy to help power the spell. Even though the power nexus has an affinity of 2 for the effect, so that zero spell energy points will be drained from its pool, only 1 point is discounted from the spell energy cost to the channeler. If she had exceeded the DC by 10, on the other hand, allowing her to pay 3 fewer spell points to cast the spell, the full discount of 2 would be applied and the power nexus would only lose 1 spell energy point.
Power Nexus Spell Energy Costs
| Item Ability | Spell Energy Cost |
|---|---|
| +1 enhancement bonus | 2 (weapon) or 1 (armor) |
| +2 enhancement bonus* | 8 (weapon) or 4 (armor) |
| +3 enhancement bonus* | 18 (weapon) or 9 (armor) |
| +4 enhancement bonus* | 32 (weapon) or 16 (armor) |
| +5 enhancement bonus* | 50 (weapon) or 25 (armor) |
| +6 enhancement bonus* | 72 (weapon) or 361 (armor) |
| +7 enhancement bonus* | 98 (weapon) or 49 (armor) |
| +8 enhancement bonus* | 128 (weapon) or 64 (armor) |
| +9 enhancement bonus* | 162 (weapon) or 81 (armor) |
| +10 enhancement bonus* | 200 (weapon) or 100 (armor) |
| Ability enhancement bonus | Bonus squared |
| Deflection bonus | Bonus squared x2 |
| Luck bonus | Bonus squared x2 |
| Natural armor bonus | Bonus squared x2 |
| Save bonus (limited) | Bonus squared |
| Skill bonus | Bonus squared/4 |
| Spell resistance | Bonus squared x2 |
| Spell-like ability 1/day** | Spell level squared x 2 |
| 2 additional uses per day | +4 |
| At will | x2 |
| Increased caster level | +1 per caster level |
| Wand (50 charges) | Spell level squared |
| Spell Level: A 0-level spell counts as half a spell level for purposes of determining the spell energy used. | |
| XP Cost: If a spell has an XP cost, the character must still pay it. Continuous or unlimited (at will) abilities demand 100x the XP cost of casting the spell. Charged items and items with a daily limit of uses demand 50x the XP cost of casting the spell. | |
| * Includes market price modifiers for armor or weapon special abilities | |
| ** This cost is for a spell cast at its minimum caster level | |