The Four Laws

Word of warning: this article draws heavily upon the Paradox rules from the Mage: The Awakening game in the World of Darkness setting. By some wondrous happenstance, these rules fit World of Warcraft to a T. IC fragments are by myself. 
The Four Laws themselves are mentioned in the Glyphic Letter quest Human Mages receive as their very first quest.
An Archmage instructs his student on the dangers of using and abusing magic...
Ah, greetings. 'Tis good you came, apprentice. Sit down and make yourself at home. Would you like a drink? Water? Tea? Perhaps wine? Help yourself to the fine Elverquiss I purchased long ago in happier times. The lab? Yes, your, eh... accident will be one of the subjects we shall speak of, although perhaps not in the sense you may expect. Hm...
As you might remember, the spell you have so unfortunately miscast caused reality to crack open just enough to allow a demonic manifestation to enter Azeroth for a brief time. With some luck and the proper incantation the Felguard has been banished from whence it came, but not before it could destroy some equipment and tomes. No, no, no need to apologise! This was bound to happen sooner or later even if the most effective known wards were used. 
Now, let me get to the point. Your unfortunate adventure with the demon revealed to me that it is time... and I may have loitered too long with this... to move on with your study and show you the dangers of using arcane magic and how to avoid them. More tea? Yes, you heard well. Magic is dangerous to the caster if, and I stress that, if the arcanist in question is clumsy or reckless. And even the most meticulous and cautious mage will sometimes feel magic slipping from his grasp. This usually happens before they become cautious and meticulous, heh heh... The only race of arcanists in history who managed to completely erase the probability of failure in some cases were the High Elves. Sadly, the recent war erased most masters who achieved such degree of skill and finesse and those who survived don't like to share their secrets. But I digress...
Would you like a biscuit? One of my colleagues treated me to a variation of a conjure food spell that produces biscuits with bits of chocolate inside. Hamana kavula naderkah! Tasty, don't you think? Filling, too. And gives lots of energy, more than a thick slice of Mrs. Elen's bread with butter, venison, cheese, cucumber and egg. But I digress.
Well then, dangers. You have learned, my apprentice, that casting a spell is completely unlike, say, pushing a button or saying a few remembered words. It's a complex and involved process, you need to reach out for energy, draw it from the Nether through your medium, balance, shape, weave and direct it so that the spell fulfils the desired effect. And, my apprentice, at any stage of this process you can botch it in unimaginable ways! Believe me, apprentice, there is hardly a more dangerous thing than a spell which was miscast and thus escaped the caster's control. Sometimes magic can free itself up and evaporate safely, but it's more common that its strands become so knotted that the casters suffers backlash. In time, my apprentice, you will learn how to recognise when a mystical backlash is possible. You will learn how to lessen the chance of your spell going haywire. You will learn how to mitigate the effects of the backlash, should it occur. 
Why would you need such knowledge? Don't make me chuckle, apprentice. If you ever wish to go beyond simple cantrips and dancing lights without receiving harsh punishment for every error, you will listen to what I have to say. Now, fill your cup with that most tasteful tea and listen closely... 
== Magic is Powerful ==
The simplest, the most common and probably the most lethal kind of mystical backlash is called the Havoc. The Havoc usually occurs when an apprentice – that's you – weaves a spell in the wrong way, the resulting interference resulting in loss of control and chaotic emission of power. What can a Havoc spell do? My apprentice, anything. Magic is a wild force by definition and once you think you've seen it all... Hm, I better show you. Grisly, eh? I earned these when as a young adept I tried to cast a cooling spell on a burned friend. Of course I failed and scorched most of my upper body. I also remember how an enemy spell... Ah, I think that was Grayson Sanford... well, he tried to curse me with a Mosquito's Strength. I still can defeat bears in wrestling... 
A Havoc spell is no longer under the caster's control and behaves completely randomly (i.e. at the player's discretion) and can affect any random target or targets within its range (again, player's choice). Finally, the spell may reverse its intended effect: a healing spell makes flesh wither and decay, a curse becomes a blessing, a spell of magical perception makes the target blind. Once again, it all depends on the player whose character is affected.
== Magic is Corrupting ==
Magic... changes those whom it touches. In both body and soul. These changes are slow and subtle at first, then increasing in magnitude. A wizard's intellect soars, a sorcerer develops a magnetic charm. Some become hyperactive and aggressive, some patient and contemplative, some noble and altruistic, some aloof and withdrawn. Each to his own. Egos inflate as well, which hints to a very interesting conclusion that our little and big failures and miscasts are magic showing us where our place is! Ha ha, don't you think it's funny when you think of it? Tea?
As I said, an arcanist's psyche usually changes slowly and subtly, slowly magnifying certain traits of personality in a way that seems almost natural to bystanders. This is not always the case though. A miscast spell can, besides going Havoc, induce temporary or permanent insanity. Doesn't seem like something dangerous, but after two days of believing everyone is after you – which happened to me – you will pray it won't happen to you again.
Depression (mild): Sends the mage into a bout of depression for the duration.
Melancholia (severe): Severe depression.
Phobia (mild): The mage is scared of a particular type of person, place or thing, perhaps the target of her failed spell or some other nearby subject who she might conceivably blame for the backlash or her troubles in general. She moves away from the object of her phobia. If she must be near it, she cannot tolerate being to it. If it approaches her, she moves away immediately. She cannot easily target the object of her phobia with spells, close combat or ranged attacks. If space or circumstances don’t allow her to maintain her distance, she freezes like a deer in headlights until she finds an opening by which to escape.
Hysteria (severe): This condition operates as a phobia, but the mage cannot be in the same room with the object of her fear. She must run away from it immediately, and cannot tolerate being within sensory range (sight, sound, smell) of it. If the trigger comes within sensory range, she runs away at full running speed as soon as she can. She cannot target it for an attack under any circumstance. If it touches her, she’ll freak out and run as far away as she can, thinking of nothing else until she’s left the subject far behind. If she is unable to escape, she faints and loses consciousness
Narcissism (mild): The mage is overcome with a sense of his own greatness — even if the spell that invoked the madness fails. For the duration of the derangement, he does not work and play well with others. When called upon to aid in a task, he does so only half-heartedly, unless it’s a task focused on him or his own needs or wants.
Megalomania (severe): The effects of Narcissism apply, except that the effects intensify. The mage is also highly competitive. He cannot allow himself to fail a contest. If he does, he obsesses about it and works to arrange a rematch when it’s most beneficial for him. If, for example, he fails to get his mount over the finish line in time while an ally succeeds, he doesn’t let it go. He constantly insists that he did the job just fine and that his successor took the glory, and demands that similar efforts be tried again, even under inappropriate circumstances such as at an arcane workshop or inn.
If the character ever loses a contest to someone he feels is socially inferior, he is overcome with shame and self-loathing (which is at the heart of his megalomania; he secretly fears that he’s a fraud).
Fixation (mild): The mage fixates on his a recent loss or victory. This could be the failure or success of the spell that invoked the madness, or an event that preceded the casting.
The mage’s player decides how long the character is focused on the offending or inspiring event or task, to the possible exclusion of more important goals.
The mage fixates on what he believes caused him to lose or win his goal, whether it’s an opponent, a broken shoelace or the model of wand used. In the case of a defeat, he cannot help but simmer in anger, cursing a circumstance or trying to devise a method of circumventing it in the future. In the case of a victory, he becomes a fanatic, spending much of his time researching, observing or acclaiming an activity or factor that allowed him to succeed.
The player rules on how this derangement affects the mage’s behaviour. It might cause him a difficulty on performing any task not related to his fixation, or he might refuse to engage in an activity if it doesn’t somehow tie into his obsession.
Obsessive Compulsion (severe): The trauma, guilt or inner conflict that causes this derangement forces the character to focus nearly all of his attention and energy on a single repetitive behaviour or action. Obsession relates to an individual’s desire to control his environment — keeping clean, keeping an area quiet and peaceful, or keeping undesirable individuals out. A compulsion is an action or set of actions that an individual is driven to perform to soothe his anxieties — placing objects in an exact order, constantly checking to make sure a weapon is loaded, praying every few
hours to give thanks for surviving that long.
Determine a set of specific actions or behaviours that the mage follows to the exclusion of all else (even if doing so interferes with his current agenda or endangers his life or others’). If your character is forcibly prevented from adhering to his derangement, he may lose control among enemies or allies and attack either (or both) indiscriminately.
Suspicion (mild): The mage is extremely suspicious of everyone’s motives toward him — everyone is a suspect plotting to do him wrong. The mage questions everyone’s sincerity and doubts that anyone tries to help him, even if someone saves his life.
Paranoia (severe): The mage believes that her misery and insecurity stem from external persecution and hostility. Paranoids obsess over their persecution complexes, often creating vast and intricate conspiracy theories to explain who torments them and why. Anyone or anything perceived
to be “one of them” might be subjected to violence.
She is distrustful and wary of everyone, even close friends and family. The slightest hint of suspicious behaviour is enough to provoke the mage to flee or attack an offender. 
Inferiority Complex (mild): The mage is overcome with self-doubt. The weight of momentous choice is too much for her and she is flustered, doubting her ability to choose correctly or to perform adequately.
Anxiety (severe): As Inferiority Complex, but the mage’s general anxiety plagues things so badly that she cannot even begin to work on anything because of the extreme self-doubt.
Vocalization (mild): Whenever the mage must make a decision about a course of action or is under extreme stress, he talks to himself without realizing it. He vocalizes his internal monologue, but realizes it only if it’s pointed out by others, at which point he can stop for a few moments. After that, he forgets himself and starts doing it all over again. This behaviour persists for the remainder
of the derangement’s duration. He vocalizes even if opponents or rivals can hear. It’s hard to keep his thoughts and feelings secret when he speaks them aloud. For example, a rival might demand that he reveal the location of a hidden artefact. He smirks and thinks to himself (and unwittingly speaks aloud), “You’ll never find it in my hidden wall safe.”
Schizophrenia (severe; extreme): The mage develops schizophrenia for the duration of the Paradox, which manifests as a withdrawal from reality, violent changes in behaviour and hallucinations. This derangement is the classic sort, causing the victim to talk to walls, imagine himself to be the King of Stormwind, or to receive murderous instructions from pets.
Roleplaying this derangement requires careful thought. The player must determine a general set of behaviours relevant to the trauma that causes the condition. Hallucinations, bizarre behaviour and disembodied voices stem from a terrible inner conflict that the individual cannot resolve.
Establish a firm idea of what that conflict is and then rationalize what kind of behaviour it causes.
The mage is unpredictable and dangerous. He may be aggressive or violent toward people who confront him with trauma such as accusations, disturbing truths or heated arguments. 
Irrationality (mild): The mage feels threatened and reacts without logic or reason. Her only way to comfortably deal with confrontation is to act crazy or over the top, in wild hopes that she will scare away her oppressor or at least mitigate her own fears. This behaviour persists for the remainder
of the derangement’s duration. Ironically, she takes dangerous risks that might harm her worse than the actual threat posed.
If a bouncer demands to know what she is doing in an off-limits part of a club, she might overreact and get in his face. The truly ironic part about this behaviour is that during such a bout, the mage cannot initiate violence, only respond to it if it occurs. She can threaten or cajole challengers, but can’t take the first swing. (That, in fact, is what her crazed behaviour tries to avoid.)
Multiple Personality (severe; extreme): The mage’s personality is fractured into one or more additional personas, allowing her to deny her trauma or any actions the trauma causes by placing the blame on “someone else.” Each personality is created to respond to certain emotional stimuli. An abused person might develop a tough-as-nails survivor personality, create a “protector” or even become a murderer to deny the abuse she suffers. In most cases, none of these personalities is aware of the others, and they come and go through the mage’s mind in response to specific situations or
conditions.
Avoidance (mild): The mage cannot face something about the current situation (it might be his enemy, his friends or an innocent bystander) and will do everything he can to avoid it, short of harming himself or others. He might escape the scene or disguise himself as a bystander to sidle away. If he must confront (or can’t escape) the situation, he is overcome with a sense of terrible anxiety. He cannot target the situation, object or person he tries to avoid with magic.
Fugue (severe; extreme): The stress of the current situation is too great for the mage and he experiences a “blackout” and loss of memory. He performs a specific, rigid set of behaviours to remove the stressful symptoms. This syndrome differs from multiple personalities in that an individual in the grip of a fugue has no separate personality. Instead, he is on a form of “autopilot” similar to sleepwalking.
The player should roleplay the mage’s trance-like state by emoting a sequence of behaviours that he performs almost robotically. He might repetitively untie and tie his shoes, walk to the corner of the room and refuse to come out, or curl into the fetal position. The fugue lasts for the remainder
of the madness’ duration. At the end of the fugue, the character “regains consciousness” with no memory of his actions. If outsiders (including friends and enemies) interfere with or try to prevent his mechanical activities, he may attack them in order to carry on. 
Magic also changes the body, my apprentice. Look at me closely. Do you see my dry skin, my thin, grey hair? Do you see the perpetual expression I wear and which someone dubbed “waiting for the bomb?” This is our wizardly plight. Sorcerers, the buggers, only become more handsome as time chisels them. Elves never age physically and I heard most powerful of their arcanists glow with inner light. The skin colour of Night Elves and Orcs changes. Such are the effects of being touched by arcane magic.
But I'm speaking of natural effects. What happens if a spell is miscast or magic randomly decides to teach you a lesson can be far more severe than that. Aye, your body can too be afflicted by misuse or errors at using magic and you will wear the spell's warped skein on your skin. Tea? Now, where was I... Such branding marks can too vary in severity and visibility, ranging from a nimbus visible only to those with magical senses to altered eye colour to altered skin colour. A word of warning, apprentice – never deal with fel, that is demonic magic. Its users receive even more vicious brands: forked tongues, spines growing from their skin, wings, claws and fangs!
Best seen if looking at Elves, Orcs and Draenei, magic, especially fel magic, can twist and warp living beings until they can be hardly recognised as members of their original race. Sample types of such brands are:
Nimbus: The arcanist gains a strange aura. Anyone with supernatural perception can see it, although not necessarily understand what it means.
Mark: The arcanist bears a weird but non-prominent blemish that is visible to others. He might have altered eye colour, glowing eyes or his body may radiate heat or cold. In addition, he has a nimbus, as above. (Blood Elves are at this level)
Disfigurement: The arcanist bears a prominent blemish that is visible to anyone, such as altered skin colour, the pupils of an animal, increased musculature or a bizarre tenor to his voice. In addition, he has an nimbus, as above. (Orcs and some Blood Elves are at this level)
Bestial Feature: Usually restricted to warlocks, the arcanist gains an animal trait, such as claws, fangs, horns, a tail, fur or scales. None of these features can be concealed easily.
Inhuman Feature: Again, this is mostly restricted to warlocks. The arcanist gains an inhuman trait, a feature that is clearly demonic or supernatural. Maybe his tail is forked or his eyes have animal pupils. Or he might be surrounded by a cloud of flies, a miasma that causes plants to wither, a herd of crawling vermin, or a pall of smoke.
== Magic is an Addiction ==
It's pleasant, isn't it? Casting a spell is a blissful experience. For one brief moment one can feel the infinity of the Nether, power right at your fingertips, coursing through your veins like liquid flame. And then you have to release it which leaves you with but a shade of a memory of the experience. And then you wish to do it again and again... Beware, apprentice. Magic is bliss, and as every bliss it addicts. Beware, for indulging in magic leads directly to many other disasters, some of which you already know of.
Pray tell, apprentice. Maybe it would be a good idea to build a Well for ourselves? To be forever basked in the bliss of magic, closer than ever before? Though I guess people would immediately line up to throw necromancer bones into it...
== Magic attracts Demons ==
If demons are shadows, then arcane magic is light. A light which banishes shadows, but also creates and draws them to the source. Every time you use a greater amount of magic, you light up like a lantern to them Nether creatures and demons and they soon approach to see what goes on.
Know that Azeroth's standing magic field created by the original Well of Eternity, sustained by the turning tides, the flow of seasons, the pulsing of nature's heart, generated by eternal circles it makes around its axle and around its sun... this magic is both the lock and the key to the Nether. If you use much magic, if you use it clumsily and recklessly, not only you draw demons near – you also weaken the barrier between worlds, allowing things to pass through – like that felguard before...''
The lowest form of a manifestation is a gremlin or imp, a minor spirit with a dark sense of humour that troubles the mage for a short time. This entity is ethereal and cannot cause direct harm, but it can cause any number of minor problems. It has some influence over the material
world, like a poltergeist. It can open and close doors, tip things over, and send small objects flying across a room. 
More powerful and menacing entities which manifest in the material realm are malicious and rarely humorous. They possess a keen sense of timing, cause various hassles and have powers like those of gremlins, above. 
Middle-ranked entities are more complex and capable, driven less by pure instinct and emotion and more by thought and planning. They are also powerful enough to manifest a physical form and interact with the material world. They are cunning enough to pretend to have the mage’s interests at heart, while leading him astray. The promises of such creatures are not to be trusted.
Sometimes the entity’s power is equal to that of the mage in every respect. Such entities range from murderous monsters that stalk and kill the mage’s loved ones (or enemies, pinning the blame on the mage) to seductive manifestations of the mage’s darkest desires. Some entities this powerful, called doppelgänger, appear exactly like the mage who spawned them. Doppelgänger never appear in the same place as their double. They are always elsewhere, causing mischief. The only means of banishing a doppelgänger is for the mage to confront it directly (whereupon is vanishes).
Rarely, the mage draws the attention of a truly powerful entity. The entity may try to destroy the mage or possess his body. Alternately, it may attempt to seduce the mage with promises
of power, knowledge and the fulfillment of his desires. The entity remains in the world until either banished by the mage who summoned it or until the mage’s death. In the past, the orders have sanctioned the execution of mages responsible for calling such entities into reality.
That would be all for today, my apprentice. You have learned much and this knowledge will arm and shield you in the future. And the workshop? It wasn't a good workshop at all. It's better devastated – I finally have an excuse to embezzle money from the Kirin Tor to furnish it with some deluxe equipment, heh heh...
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