[Shostak]

Interesting. I assume that disadvantages due to Insanity have to be mental, yes? And that they can be bought off for with CPs earned? The one drag I can foresee is that these characters might wind up not advancing much because they will be trying to get rid of all the disadvantages instead of improving skills, while their mundane counterparts will be steadily getting better(possibly).

As for how I'd play it, I guess it would depend on the character. I hope that I can play characters differently depending on the personalities/drives I assign them during character generation and in response to what happens in play. If the PC is impetuous or just curious, they might be more inclined to risk the consequences. If playing a character more like Lovecraft's Prof. Armitage, I'd be willing to use magic as a last resort. I suspect a lot of the NPC magicians will be stark raving mad because of the lure of power and knowledge.