Greetings all,
I'm getting ready to start a new campaign, and am considering
trying to play up the "different nature" of magic in Aebrynnis. Does
anyone use the alternative magic systems outlined in the Player's
Option: Spells & Magic book? I was considering the use of a few of the
systems that are outlined there. I'd be interested in hearing thoughts on
the compatibility of these systems and how others have incorporated them
into BR. For those who don't have the Spells & Magic book, there's a very
brief outline of the different systems below [Preservers/Defilers,
Channellers, and Witches/Warlocks].
Basically, my idea was to have true wizards be Preservers and mages
to be Channellers. Witches/Warlocks might be able to have the powers of
true wizards without the requirement of possessing a bloodline. However,
they would take terrible risks in order to gain these powers. Here are a
few thoughts I had.

PRESERVERS/DEFILERS [Preservers delicately pull magical power from living
things, Defilers rip it out and cause harm to the organisms they drew the
magic from (primarily vegetation)]:
Given the way mebhaighl is described as emanating from all living things,
Preservers and Defilers seem a natural fit for the BR campaign. Sidhelien
wizards, in particular, would seem to be the epitome of
Preservers. Defilers would likely be hunted down by both wizards and
commoners alike, making them very rare. Perhaps Khinasi wizards used to
practice Defiling magic, causing the somewhat barren areas of the Khinasi
lands.

CHANNELLERS [Channellers draw magical power from within themselves, causing
fatigue when low levels of magic are used and potentially doing permanent
harm if they overextend themselves]:
Mages seem to logically be Channellers. The thought they draw power from
within themselves rather than the mebhaighl around them helps explain why
their abilities are limited when compared to true wizards.

WITCHES/WARLOCKS [These spellcasters gain their magical powers from
supernatural beings. They make pacts with demons/devils/Shadow World
beings. As they cast spells, they have the possibility of falling under
the sway of the forces of Darkness and eventually joining them.]:
Witches/Warlocks might make sense for Rjurik/Vos wizards, but that may just
be because the people of those lands have inaccurate stereotypes of
spellcasters. A more intriguing possibility is that non-blooded people who
wish to have the power of true wizards (normal spells, not realm magic)
could make pacts with other-planar creatures. These witches could cast the
same spells true wizards do, but with the danger of falling under the sway
of the powers of darkness in time. Perhaps they could use the Channelling
concept for spells normally available to mages, but magic generally
reserved for true wizards would require the intervention of a dark patron.

I would appreciate comments regarding how people feel these concepts fit
with BR and what kind of experiences others have had with the alternative
magic systems.

Regards
Craig Greeson