Amanita
Maester
What do you think about the idea that the onset of magic causes the person who has it to become ill?
Marion Zimmer-Bradley uses it in her Darkover novels and I quite like the idea because it fits well with my magical system. On the other hand I'm not really sure how readers would react to a main character who first falls ill at the beginning of the story. It's not a very "heroic" start to say at least and it might come off as a cheap way of gaining sympathy for the character and gives her more pity than respect among the readers.
Marion Zimmer-Bradley uses it in her Darkover novels and I quite like the idea because it fits well with my magical system. On the other hand I'm not really sure how readers would react to a main character who first falls ill at the beginning of the story. It's not a very "heroic" start to say at least and it might come off as a cheap way of gaining sympathy for the character and gives her more pity than respect among the readers.