If it's not adding anything to the character - basically, from what you say it's just letting him cast spells normally - I'd say it costs nothing.
I'd allow him to take sponsored debt if he wants to get some extra bang for his buck. This costs nothing because in return, he'll have to take compels, so it's a +/- 0
Wow, good points. I figured the minimum would be -1. But yeah, just a change/addition of an aspect for compels makes that work out pretty well.
Any actions that break his tie with the Ley Line(and prevent him from spell-casting) would be a compel on his High Concept based on the fact that magic is grounded out.
Attuning himself should be some kind of challenge where partial success creates lots of complications(maybe he's limited to how much power he can call up - or maybe faces some kind of threshold against his spell), failure prevents him from casting, and full success allows him to cast normally until someone/thing does something to break his connection.
Yup, I figured both of those. Thanks for the reminder.
Page 292: Places of Power
At least that's what it sounds, like to me. Rather than having to be at a specific place it might be another condition that has to be met, but it costs -3 refresh rather than the -4 refresh of other sponsored magic, and if you have evocation and thaumaturgy it only costs -1. You could take it as a temporary power for 1 fate point per scene or pick it up for refresh as long as it is needed.
Ah, I was thinking Sponsored would be -2, thanks for fact-checking the lower cost for locations.
I considered the temp power system, but I expect it to last a couple sessions (climactic ending of the current arc), so that would be prohibitively expensive.
Though, that could be amusing… each encounter that he can't put up a Fate Point, he takes a compel from the ley line to make up for it...