Wailing Zombie: Wizardry in Weird Anglia

When a magician casts his first spell, it's a moment of joy and relief -- all those years of study and hardship have finally led to a tangible effect. However, there's a side effect to channelling the power of the Outer Darkness: a symbol shows up on the forehead of the magic-user. It looks like he has been branded with extraordinary precision.

This symbol manifests a glow whenever magic is cast by the magician, and varies according to the power of the individual bearing the symbol. It's illegal for the magician to cover his symbol; normal God-fearing citizens are entirely within their rights to ask the spellcaster for papers that show that he is registered as a a spellcaster. Those papers also prove that he does not show sympathy for the infernal powers and will use fire to fight fire, as determined after a lengthy inquisition by the local (arch)bishop. Wizards incapable of showing those papers are to be burned at the stake by the inquisition.

There are nine levels of power that match the spell casting level of the magic-user. Each symbol overrides the previous one; i.e. the old one disappears and a new one appears after the ritual that elevates the magic-user to a new level has been completed.