it doesn't matter if you're defiling or preserving, YOU ARE draining life force from beings all around you and the diference stands as this:
Defiling is the act of draining life force from a plant (or being) and killing it.
Preserving is the act of draining life force from a plant (or being) and not killing it, just looking for the rest of it in another plant or being.
Defiling is not stronger! Preserving and Defiling takes the *SAME* ammount of life force to cast the *SAME* spell, but defiling takes all the life force he can get from individuals all around him, Preserving, on the other hand, limit how much life force is sucked from each creature and plant that it can be repaired/healed in time, but the ammount he gets to cast the spell is the same.
Defiling *CAN* become stronger, like taking juice from an apple with a blender instead of taking it with your bare hands.
The defiling rules, IMO, are golden because you have the option of making it stronger, just invest feats, PP and Epic Destiny on it. There! You have the ultimate blender for your apple juice!
I just started reading the Prism Pentad and by doing so i've come to understand completely how magic IN GENERAL works.
it doesn't matter if you're defiling or preserving, YOU ARE draining life force from beings all around you and the diference stands as this:
Defiling is the act of draining life force from a plant (or being) and killing it.
Preserving is the act of draining life force from a plant (or being) and not killing it, just looking for the rest of it in another plant or being.
Defiling is not stronger! Preserving and Defiling takes the *SAME* ammount of life force to cast the *SAME* spell, but defiling takes all the life force he can get from individuals all around him, Preserving, on the other hand, limit how much life force is sucked from each creature and plant that it can be repaired/healed in time, but the ammount he gets to cast the spell is the same.
Defiling *CAN* become stronger, like taking juice from an apple with a blender instead of taking it with your bare hands.
The defiling rules, IMO, are golden because you have the option of making it stronger, just invest feats, PP and Epic Destiny on it. There! You have the ultimate blender for your apple juice!
That explination is not the same as that given in the original box set.
"Wizards draw their magical energies from the living things and life-giving elements around them.Preservers cast spells in harmoney with nature, using their magic so as to return to the land what they take from it. Defilers care nothing for such harmony and damage the land with every spell they cast."
So it's not exactly like you said, it's more like they both pull the power from the land, yet at the end of the spell a preserver replaces that power he took, where a defiler does not.
4th edition made it to where all arcane casters are preservers, and must choose to defile.
Through feats, defiling can become even more powerful. It really has nothing to do with the amount of energy needed to fuel spells. That's just flavor. It's always been about the mechanical benefits. But yes, defiling has always and still is more powerful than preserving.
Novel vs. setting.
I know who wins in my heart
.Yes, preservers draw the same power as defilers, but they: A. spread it around so it doesn't actually kill anything; and B. return any excess power from their casting back to the source they drew it from to minimize the damage.
The idea is defiling is like using the dark side of the force in Star Wars. Sure it's quick and easy and gives you some immediate gratification, but it has long term consequences (ie destroying the natural world and harming your allies). It's also impossible to hide defiling if you have to use it in an emergency, where with a little fast talking you can convince someone you aren't using arcane magic if your preserving. Of course that doesn't always apply in 4th since technically you don't always defile. Preserving takes longer to master since you learn not to draw enough life force to kill things and learn to return the excess, much like learning to school your emotions and using the force for knowledge and defense and all that.
If 4th edition used seperate experience charts for different classes like 2nd did, I imagine defilers would still level faster. Since they can't do that, they had to add some kind of incentive to entice players to defile, hence the Arcane Defiling stuff. Honestly if I had a player that wanted to play a defiler, I would have him leave defiled ground around him when he cast, even if he wasn't using arcane defiling since he wouldn't be actively preserving. I actually wish they would've added something in to make preserving a concerted effort rather then being the default. If I do have a player join that wants to play an arcane caster I'll probably have to house rule something. Maybe have preserving take a minor action or something. Or maybe make a feat you have to take to preserve. Hmm...
I think the default setting -- that arcane casters are naturally preservers unless actively defiling, unless otherwise mentioned or agreed upon -- is more for the newbie players who might not want to feel gimped just because he chose to be a Wizard or Artificer; as well, it would likely be that arcane casters who have studied the arts would have (by default) been told to be careful of how they draw their energies, since I believe it was mentioned that Raajit taught preserving to the public, and defiling to his elite (who eventually became his champions, who eventually became the sorcerer-kings)... so by default everybody preserves unless they accidentally or willingly defile.
I make it a bit more annoying for my players -- a Swordmage and Sorcerer in particular -- by constantly reminding them of the benefits of defiling (changing of terrain to create effects harmful to creatures, and with dailies a free reroll on an attack/damage roll), especially the Swordmage, who has a Book Imp whose main function really is to be his tempter*. The Sorcerer's story is that he doesn't even know he's using arcane magic -- he thinks it's primal/elemental magic, since he got his powers shortly after being raised from the dead, for reasons unknown to him -- so he never gets to actually pull off any "defiling" unless in extreme conditions (uncontrolled rage in particular, but he normally wouldn't go there being the megalomaniac that he is [we had fun with this character in particular]).
* [being absolute newbies I created characters for them (sort of pregen characters) based partly on their personalities -- giving them the option to alter or completely replace as desired -- but as they didn't make significant alterations (mainly being fluff and name), I got to grant them particular quirks, like the Swordmage having a tempter for a familiar (and if he refuses the temptation, an invisible "angel" would grant him the inspiration to help his allies even further [mechanical benefit, the familiar feat in Dark Sun that would grant +5/tier tempHP whenever a caster uses a daily when not defiling])]
If you are using the novels to guide your knowledge of DS magic, which I do too, then you will find out later that a character increases the potency of a spell by defiling in order to destroy a powerful opponent.
It was used on a Daily that missed. Everyone took between 3 to 4 damage (level 1), 13 damage total to the group. Fair trade, because they had to kill a monster holding a hostage in 1 round before he kills the hostage.
Defiled, still missed.
Next player is a SK-pact warlock, he uses the wilder theme ability, hits for 11, then crits on his daily for a total of 50+ damage. One-shots the monster.