This might be more work than it's worth, but I think it's a different direction for ideas anyway.

Step 1: Keep the wand system as is in terms of exploration. (That's the easy part.) :-) Maybe go ahead with the detect artifact/edge changes anyway.

Step 2: Add a 'challenge' system to the game for mages.

At various levels, say 35 for Shield, 40 for aura and 50 for Barrier, mages can go to a specific zone (Tower of High Sorcery or other mage specific area) and accept a 'challenge' or 'test' if you will.

This 'test' would in it's simplest form be a direct 1v1 fight versus a very difficult mob for the entry level. Probably a member of the same class as the caster, geared for the level of the test. (So, in short, this would require creating 3 mobs for each mage class, at levels 35, 40 and 50) It would require multiple preps, sound tactics and perhaps a good amount of luck to win. Make the fight a fixed 1 person only affair, maybe the old Knights Force Duel code is still laying about, but expand the battlefield to a 3x3 'zone' or something to allow some form of fleeing/reprepping. Make it hard, we're talking Nep level of hard here. Let him go nuts with it. ;-)

Dying is normal costing you 1/3 a con and xp as usual, to avoid people just continually beating their head against them until they get a lucky set of saving throws.

If you like make it a moderately steep cost of entry. Say 100 gold to take the test. There's lots of ways to tweak this.

The prize for winning said contest, the guardian would then just flat out tells you where your wand for that test is.

The possible benefits I see from this:

1) It gives you the 'mage killing choke point' you guys seem to like. Battleragers know mages of various levels will go to this zone for tests, and what better time to jump them. Let the villagers kill the quest giver or something too if they want, or say the tests can't be taken if the veil is very thick.

2) It rewards players who know the game without having to reexamine every nook and cranny for the 100th time. If at level 35 you're capable of scrounging up enough preps/gear/healing to take on a very tough fight 1v1, then congrats you get your shield location handed to you. If balanced right, this could be minority of people who pull this off at the initial level.

3) It allows newbies to get a taste. Maybe I can't beat my level 35 shield guardian until I'm level 50, but at least I'll get a shield location and hopefully learn a bit more about how to play my class in a tough fight. And besides telling me 'Your aura wand is being held by XYZ in zone ABC' means I still have to find it and that mob, and kill it.

4) Hopefully it encourages mages to talk to each other about being mages. "Wow, that guardian is kicking my ass, any tips how to beat them?" These, I feel are better conversations to be had then "Wow, any ideas what rocks I can look under for magic sticks?" Although, those conversations can happen also since people can still randomly explore to get theirs.

Potential downsides:

1) Not sure how you handle twinking. Do maran mages get it easier since they can likely find someone willing to sanc them before going in? Perhaps dispel everyone before they zone into the test, not sure.

2) As I said, it might be a pain to create 15 new mobs for these tests. Balancing them going forward might be difficult too, not sure. Could a dark-elf AP and a Fire Giant AP be expected to fight the same mob? Can all shapeshifter focii be epxected to fight the same mobs? Are water/water focii screwed? (Maybe you can make the shapeshifter test mobs so they mirror the forms of the testee, not sure on that.)

Anyway, even if no one likes the idea, maybe it'll give different directions to ponder in.

My feedback on the edges, by the way.

I don't like the idea of +1 location edges because it widens the gap between people who gets lists OOC and people who explore on their own two feet. Now, not only does having an OOC list get you your wands faster, but it now also potentially saves you a lot of edge points.

The people who need to use those edges, are really the last people who can afford to put themselves in a hole like that. Just my two cents.