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.

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

** 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.

* Scions get a new power to replace losing despoil.