>Take away all things barrier. Every mage and anti-paladin
>instead gets a despoil/transform type skill that works a lot
>like the Scion power despoil. You must have a magical item and
>you transform those properties into hp**. No more farming
>barrier or worrying about spots. Now you simply have to
>transform a magical item to get the effect. Sure, you're
>farming magical items, but there are tons of those and the
>effect can have a varying range. The hp that'll be added is
>dynamic - it varies based on the veil, skill %, hours (older
>characters know how to maximize the effect), and even some
>randomness.

Meh, I'm really not feeling it. It just turns barrier into the equivalent of a common spell, and even though it requires a magical item, you can't walk into an area without tripping over half a dozen of those.

>But the point is, wands are no longer l33t knowledge and/or a
>pain to find and keep hold of.

Rewarding exploration is one piece specifically designed into the ABS system. Though I get the feeling more and more, people don't want to explore, nor get rewarded for it, and places like our area explores don't really fit in the game.

>Aura and shield can work the
>same as it is now, for all I care, or they could be scrapped
>in favor of increasing the possible payload of a transformed
>item in hp or damage reduction. There might even be a few
>barrier locations around the dragon lairs, HToS, Yzekon,
>Octagonal, and so forth.
>
>Detect magic could also sense the likely tier of a transformed
>item upon identifying it.

No, it'd probably be trial and error, just like it is now.

>** Alternatively, instead of increasing hp, simply increase
>the reduction of the transformed item anywhere from 15% - 60%.
> Echoes could indicate the tiered resistance upon transforming
>the magical item in lieu of detect magic.

I assume you mean give damage reduction instead of hp. Again...Meh.

>* Scions get a new power to replace losing despoil.

And that would be?