@ Thrakkesh :The only time I suggested completely taking away a wizards magic(if it could be done) - which WOULD involve changing their High Concept would be in the event of a Take-Out. The alternative is they could be dead. So maybe alive with no magic might be better.
It leads to a couple scenario's. If it's a PC, it would suck, but they could quest to get it back, or perhaps move their character in a new direction. It would involve a pretty in-depth conversation with the GM.
If it was an NPC, they'd be out for revenge, and use everything at their disposal to do it, despite not having magic. So it might lead to interesting encounters in the future.
@ Levecki: You know what might be a neat description. When calling up power, a mage channels all these emotions: hate, rage, anger, saddness lonliness, fatigue etc...
It would be neat to describe it as channeling it all, and instead of sending it out as kinetic energy, or a fireball, the character channels it straight into the target.
Suddenly, the target gets bombarded with all this raw emotion that they have to try to cope with. So maybe they make their skill check and it just goes in through the "right and out the left " (as harry describes it), or maybe they see that emotion and say, "that guy is messed up, but I've seen worse" represented by taking stress; or maybe they say, "holy crap! I can't handle it!" and they take a hit to their psyche as they are bombarded with emotions they can't reconcile.
Here's the neat thing: In the instance where you succeed on an attack, they get a glimps of who you are....the consequence they suffer could even have an aspect relating to your own character. This might not mean anything - especially if you take them out...but it could come back to haunt you later.
Whether or not that is Lawbreaker territory is another discussion. But, in essence, that's kind of how I see backlash anyways.