Quotation from Odysseus:
He stated specifically that being able to bend elements would take tremendous amounts of strength or longevity, akin to that of Maiar and above, or individuals possessing objects that are imbued by the power of Maiar or the inheritance and origin of their folk, like the elves.
Yes, this is the main point
Completely relatable also, in my opinion, to the Light Bringers of Imladris.
That was a really nice narration, Odysseus. Of course, I always like reading walls of text, especially when they are so much creative; fortunately, they are not a crime in this amazing forum
Regarding your suggestion, I don't want to enter deeply numbers and balance-related matters, but I think it could really be a solid beginning to start from. It seems to me a legitimate and accurate way of giving sorcerers more gameplay and lore consistency, and coming up with smarter mechanics.
Addressing
Lord of Mordor: Thank you very much for having explained the basic themes you used and focused on in the shaping of the faction; the general portrait is now much clearer. I nonetheless still think that this kind of
sacrifice motive is not really so closed to the main
common lore that you can holistically determine in the Silmarillion and in the most lore-based passages of LOTR (even though Tolkien seems to change idea a bit, sometimes). If that quotation, though, gave you the basic inspiration for the current rendition, I am totally fine then; they are words coming directly from Tolkien, and they are completely legitimate too
By the way, now that I think about it, the iconic and common theme of the mightiest evil leader that sustains its realm and minions with its own energies is somehow already present in Angmar. The Witch King's
Might of the Witch King exactly enhances heroes' abilities (Gulzar's included, of course).