Sanctifying and Awakening a Grove

Druids may wish to consecrate a sacred grove, perhaps awaken it to its magical properties. To this end, they must find a suitable natural site with the features described earlier.

After preparing a site, the druid performs a ritual to sanctify it. This ceremony, a blessing and invocation of Nature--takes a day of uninterrupted prayer. Once sanctified, a site becomes a sacred grove--a living shrine to Nature, where druids can perform their rites.

As druids worship there over the years, a sacred grove tends to absorb power from the rituals, becoming a holier place. If druids consistently venerate a grove, it may awaken to the magical powers described earlier. Venerating a grove means that druids (not necessarily just the one who sanctified it) pray and meditate there on a regular basis. Furthermore, the druid appointed the grove's steward must faithfully tend it.

A sanctified sacred grove actively visited and tended for seven years has a chance to gain magical powers. This time need not be contiguous--that is, a sacred grove can be active for five years, then abandoned, then active for another two years. After the seven years have passed, the DM begins rolling 1d10 each spring. On a roll of 10, the grove "awakens." Awakened groves gain the basic powers of a lesser sacred grove and a special ability (Table 3).

Sacred groves with a long history of druidic use become the most potent, their power slowly increasing over the ages as a result of continued exposure to druidic magic. For every seven years an awakened grove remains active, it has a further 10% chance of gaining additional powers, to a maximum of six powers. Roll on Table 3 at each success, rerolling duplicated powers.

A lesser magical sacred grove becomes a greater grove only through millennia of use by druids or direct divine intervention. DMs may assume a 10% chance of gaining greater grove status (and 1d4 such powers) per thousand years of veneration by druids.

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