I’ve always been fascinated by this entry in the 2e Wanderer’s Journal:
“Preservers reinvigorate the soil after they drain it to power their spells. As Preservers learn their craft, they also learn to rekindle the spark of life. When they cast a spell, they replace what they have taken through a combination of natural and mystical processes (such as by working compost into the soil or by performing the Rite of Blood in the field they have drained).”
Beyond that reference, there’s no other mention of this approach to preserver spellcasting, but I’ve always thought it would make a cool bit of flavour or mechanics if it could be represented in-game. What do folks think about how this could best be done? Simply say that it’s pure fluff, and is something that preservers do as part of their spellcasting? Make it a feat that gives the preserver some benefit? Maybe a preserver with the Rite of Blood feat can defile (gaining a caster level boost but not becoming tainted), but takes hit point damage (non-lethal or lethal) equal to the level of the spell cast as he reinvigorates the soil with his own blood? Something else? Any thoughts?

Nice, gaining the benefits of plain defiling in exchange for hp loss, or some Con drain or whatever. I like.
I came up on a similar quote from another source, which inspired this item from the Athasian Emporium:
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Thorn Crown
This item is a crown made out of a thorn-bush from a hallowed region of a druid’s guarded land. A spellcasting preserver can choose to gift the land with part of his life energy to have temporary vitality flow back to him in return. Whenever a preserver wearing a thorn crown casts a spell, he may choose to sacrifice 1 hit point to the‖land―the‖hit point cannot be magically or psionically healed‖and‖only‖returns‖through‖natural‖healing―to‖gain‖1‖temporary hit point per caster level in return. The preserver can only make such a sacrifice when he gathers energy to cast a spell, and can do so a number of times per day equal to 1 plus his Charisma modifier. The temporary hit points last for a maximum of 1 hour or until lost. Moderate evocation; CL 6th; Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be a druid; Price 15,120 Cp.

The Rite of Blood could also be something that he has to come back and do later. So the hit point damage is not immediate, but unless he wants the defiler taint, he has to sacrifice hp afterwards in some ritual.
Of course the description could just be a layman (i.e. someone who is not a preserver) trying to understand the difference between preservers and defilers and getting it wrong.

Since this is the god-like voice of the setting’s narrator, I would go with not a layman getting it wrong.

I like the idea of Blood Sacrifice as a preserver feat, we are heavy on defiling effects, and low on perserving special features if my math adds up right, besides we want preservers to be the PC standard still dont we?
The idea of the Thorn Crown can be done, but I would keep that more in the range of plot device as its not only a fairly powerful magic item but also rare in use, and hard to find the prerequisites for creation.
Rite of Blood could also be a ritual, that costs a healing surge to use, along with a particular ceramic cost in ‘nature’ type magical components that removes the ‘defiled’ nature of the land and the ‘tainted’ nature of the ritualist if used on an area the ritualist defiled themselves.

Er, I believe what Kam was suggesting was getting the benefits of defiling in exchange for the blood sacrifice, not actually defiling. If a preserver does defile then he’s on a course towards becoming a defiler. So a big no no on repairing defiled squares.

Yeah, the way I see it, the Rite would prevent the defiling from ever happening, counteracting it with the preserver’s blood. The preserver would still need to extend the casting time of his spell to one round, as a defiler does, in order to draw the extra energy, but he is also spilling his blood at the same time (taking damage) and so preventing the land from being defiled by replacing the lost life energy from the land with his own.
The preserver wouldn’t have a defiling radius, nor would he be able to access any of the other defiler feats, of course, but it seemed like an interesting way of matching that bit of fluff with a simple mechanic.
Or it could just be a bit of wayward fluff, and leave it at that, lol… :-)

You could even add a little bit of fun color:

Rotham eyed the youngster, looking as though he was about to impart some life lesson, hard won and now a secret shared only in close camaraderie, “If you would know when wizards are near, look upon the arms and chest of those you meet, for the wizard bears many scars. They bleed for their magic, bleed like the world bled when they drained it dry of life.”

At the bar nearby, Droth snorted and put down his rude clay mug, “Don’t be a fool, Rotham! If that were true, I’d be a damn wizard for seeing too many fights in the Sunset districts.” He rolled up his sleeve and showed the white lattice-work that had come with being a ten-year survivor of the night watch in the poorest districts of the city, and thus his eventual promotion to district captain, then gave Rotham the eye.

Rotham’s cheeks flamed red as coals. “You can tell when it’s good scars from a fight and when its cuttin’ yourself up in some evil ritual,” he yelled, waving his finger like a slavemaster’s whip.

While the two men argued and shouted – Droth shaking his head earnestly while Rotham flamboyantly pounded on the bar – the youngster went back to work polishing the same and slipped a handful of ceramics left there by another patron under his cleaning rag, then into his ragged belt: a “tip” earned for listening to his boss’ drunken nonsense.

I would strongly advise against implementing something like that block of flavor text, if the blood sacrifice option exists it is used by such a small set of extremely secretive wizards that it is almost impossible to believe that it is part of the common knowledge set, even if there is some viable scaring from the use of it.

greyorm, can you explain why there is no “a” present in the place I inserted it in the following bit of text? I find such omissions everywhere in english litterature, and can only figure it’s some kind of obscure modern twist of the language, too many talented writers do that every few pages…
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“he yelled, waving his finger like a slavemaster’s whip.”

Because I’m going to skin you alive, Penn. That’s why!

Actually, how about because I wrote that in five minutes and didn’t proofread?
I don’t know why you see them elsewhere, because that would seem odd to me as well. At any rate, fixed now! At least in my post—I can take no responsibility for all of english literature!

I will note there are valid uses of that construction (ex: ”...her skin was like corduroy without the velvet…” or ”...like pure blue water in the desert…”). As you can see, “a” doesn’t always have to follow “like”, though if referencing a specific object or singular noun, then it seems it should. I’m sure there’s some specific rule of grammar regarding its use, but I just use my ear: ”...like waves on the sea…” sounds just fine without an ‘a’, while ”...like boat on the ocean…” sounds terrible.

Hendell, I think your advice lacks the substance to assert itself. The idea that it is only used by a small and secretive sect MAY be true, or it may not be true. Either way, there’s no solid, game-or-mechanics related reason not to implement such an idea or pretend this isn’t what preservers don’t do already and we’ve just never covered it. Clearly it’s common enough that the Wanderer references it in regards to the art of preserving magic. Riffing on Color like the presented flavor text for use in games or to expand details about the game world is what makes things fun.

I did not say you should not use flavor text, nor did I wish to suggest such a thing. However one of the major components of Arcane magic in the Dark Sun setting is that the ‘safe’ use of it through the preserving style is both uncommon to rare and Illegal penalized by a most honorable fate leading to death, and heavily enforced by exceptionally competent leadership. So I would argue that it is in fact true that preservers are both a small subset of the population and exceptionally secretive.
I like the game mechanic aspect of the blood sacrifice, and I said as much suggesting that preservers needed additional options available to them in order to make it an equally viable PC choice as the defiler if different. What I suggest is that you do not make your flavor text suggestions make the effect sound common, or even telling to the use of arcane magic. Instead focus the flavor text on a more direct reaction or appearance of the event, describing and adding detail without forcing the setting to change its basic nature just to get a cute quip into your flavor text.

Mmm, if I ever stumble on specific examples from books you and I would both own, then I’ll shoot you an email greyorm :)

Hendell, dude…

“cute quip” (nice) “forcing the basic nature of the setting to change” Oy.

Yes, on Athas magic and wizards aren’t “common”, but they are “well-known”.

Like “satanists” in the American Midwest: everyone “knows” about them and there are rumors and stories both true and false passed on from generation to generation about them, and what they do and how to spot them and etc. but most people have never met one. Still they and their (supposed) practices are a well-known topic of folklore.

Wizards on Athas are uncommon but well-known because they destroyed the freaking world. You can’t look out your window without going “wizards did that”. So mommy tells junior to go to bed at night or the wizards will come for him and suck out his soul! And when junior is out with his friends causing trouble, they talk about wizards, and one of the older kids – whose dad is a templar who arrests wizards—tells him what wizards look like, and how they’re all ugly and covered with scars and have eyes made out of fire! (And how they blight the crops and curse the land and gather in secret and know evil words, and how the old lady down the street is one, etc.)

Penn, now I’m all curious to see this in action. Definitely e-mail me when you come across one.

The quote does say “by performing the Rite of Blood in the field they have drained).”
Implying the rite is done after defiling has taken place, not before or as it occurs.
Of course that could go back to what I mentioned before and that the person speaking does not really understand the technique he is describing. Afterall, the Wanderer has made mistakes/ omissions in other parts of his journal.
So, it could be that it takes place during the spell casting, but you would have to assume the wanderer misspoke when describing it.