I wouldn't say spend too much time going out of your way to look. But if you pass through a place that screams magic it would be a good idea to kill all the magey mobs and look for hidden containers. Things like desks, tables, bookshelves, and the like. In my time playing I find that most of these places usually has a wand hidden away in some manner. They are very very common from where I sit. To give you an idea, I've personally found 24 places to find shield, 23 places to find aura, and 24 places to find barrier over the course of my playing... and I find new ones with every mage character I make. The wands are definetly out there to be found. Also keep in mind that there are some places where everybody can find wands - and those are usually taken, and others where only you will always find one... so if you find a place that looks suspicious but you come up empty, it would be a good idea to check back later... possibly with the same character and definetly with your next mage character to see if anything shows up. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't have to find all of these yourself, if you're caballed... especially if you're in the fort, it makes a lot of sense to ask other people to help you out.

That's about all I'm willing to say about my own discoveries, if i said too much I hope the imms are quick to block this post :) . But if not, take heart. If I succeeded, then you can too.

Raz