I did not work on the Magician class since so far there hasn’t been enough focused discussion on ways to tweek it.
Lets try to take that on then :).
I’ve spent a bit of time reviewing the class as it appears in the original campaign, in the BoM and in the 3E conversion. What concerns me is the shift in the difference between lesser magic and true magic between the two versions. I’m sure that you can elaborate on this for me but it appears as if the BRCS magician’s spell list is derived in a large part from the D20 bard’s spell list. This creates a situation where lesser magic, instead of being a subset of arcane magic entirely contained within the scope of True Magic, is a subset of arcane magic that overlaps in some places with True Magic.
This runs counter to the spirit of the original distinction, which was that any wizard could cast any spell a magician could cast, but not vice versa. Magicians were limited by birth in power, and the fact that they had to work so hard to make even the smallest magical tasks function is in large part something that gives True casters an aura of mystique and power. Thus, I feel that magicians should have their original spellcasting restrictions returned (Only Illusion and Divination spells beyond second level).
Similarly, the bard should lose spells, but only to a lesser extent. Although he original BR prohibited all bards (even blooded ones) from using True Magic, it seemed to draw a distinction between Wizardly magic and Bardic magic (hence they were also granted the use of enchantment spells). Thus while bards should lose spells from their list above second level, they should be allowed to keep “bardic spells”, such as charms, bard specific spells (Sculpt Sound for instance), and perhaps even spells that appear on bard spell lists but not on Wizard/Sorcerors spell lists.
Now, the counter-argument of balance is sure to be brought up, and I’m pretty sure that a reply of “they got shafted in the original verion, so they should get shafted now” isn’t going to fly real well.
For bards the argument could be made that they already gain a sort of tradeoff. Even though they lose abilities, they are pretty much untouchable in many cultural regions, and that alone can help make up for the loss (as long as they don’t abuse it). If that doesn’t work out in Vosgaard or Khinasi, well, that’s why bards are so rare in those regions: it just doesn’t pay to be one. If you wanted to quantify that benefit, you could say that bards gain a hefty bonus to Diplomacy, Bluff, and Gather Information Skills in friendly regions.
For Magicians, a lot of the important work has been done. They gain more skill points than Wizards, which reflects the expanded proficiency categories from the original very well, and the Spontaneous casting ability is a really good way of representing the original cantrip talents of magicians.
Its the special abilities that need work. Right now they are kind of “blah”. Of course, being myself, I have a suggestion of one possible way to improve it.
One of the things that I’ve noticed in the new Magician class is a loss of the focus on their being specialists in Illusion and Divination, because they have to put extra effort there for lack of other spells. I propose that the special abilities reflect this. Borrowing a little from the “Noble Focus” of the noble class, we could divide the special abilities into a “Path of Knowing” and a “Path of Seeming” (The terms being borrowed from BoM p.48).
Unlike the Noble Focus, each path is a linear progression that the magician can follow, but the Magician is not bound to either path. Thus you can have “generalists” who follow both paths to some extent, “seers” who follow the path of knowing exclusively, and “magicians” who follow the path of seeming exclusively (the distinction between seers and magicians also appears in the BoM p.48). A magician would get a new special ability from either path at 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level.
Here is an idea for how the paths might look:
Path of Knowing
Specialty (First Step): Add +1 to the difficulty scores of saving throws against divination spells cast by the magician. Furthermore, the magician receives a +1 bonus to all saving throws versus divination spells, and gains a +2 bonus to Spellcraft checks to add a divination spell to her spellbook. The effects of this ability do not stack with Spell Focus(Divination), but this ability can be considered as a virtual Spell Focus (Divination) feat.
Advisor (Second Step): Seers have a tendency to just “know” things that will be helpful to their companions. A Seer with this ability automatically succeeds on any attempt to aid another character in the use of a skill. If the seer is untrained in a skill that requires training, and still wants to aid her companion, she may make an untrained skill check anyway against a DC of 15 (She knows what needs to be done, but doesn’t neccessarily have the vocabulary to express it). To use this ability the seer does not neccessarily have to be physically in the same location as the companion. The only requirement is that she be able to communicate with him (either verbally or telepathically). The seer can only aide one companion at any given moment.
Prescient (Third Step): The seer is so attuned to fortune and augury that she can anticipate attacks before they are even launched. She can add her wisdom bonus to her armor class. She can can also keep her Dexterity and Wisdom bonuses when caught flat-footed.
Master Advisor (Fourth Step): By this point in her career, a seer is able to provide assistance on a grand scale and influence the fate of nations. She may grant a +2 circumstance bonus to any domain action roll by a regent. Using this ability requires a character action on the part of the seer, meaning that it can only be used once in a given domain round.
Oracular (Fifth Step): Once per month the seer can learn the answer to one question. The question can be about anything past or present (although questions about future events will be much vaguer). This ability is similar to Contact Other Plane although the entity contacted will always know the answer, will never lie, and using this ability poses no risk of reducing the seers ability score. Furthermore, the answer is not limited to a one word answer, but instead can be a short sentence.
Path of Seeming
Specialty (First Step): Add +1 to the difficulty scores of saving throws against illusion spells cast by the magician. Furthermore, the magician receives a +1 bonus to all saving throws versus illusion spells, and gains a +2 bonus to Spellcraft checks to add an illusion spell to her spellbook. The effects of this ability do not stack with Spell Focus(Illusion), but this ability can be considered as a virtual Spell Focus(Illusion) feat.
Trickster (Second Step): By using his talent for cantrips and minor glamers and figments a magician can distract, unbalance, or otherwise interfere with an enemy. Using this ability is a move equivalent action and imposes a -1 penalty to the victim’s next roll. It can be used as often as the magician likes, and at a range of five feet per magician level. Activating the ability provokes an attack of opportunity.
Dissembler (Third Step): As the magician’s talents at manipulating image and sound grow he develops the ability to generate a small displacement field. Using this ability requires a full round action, but grants the magician the benefits of 20% cover for the next ten rounds. Activating this ability provokes an attack of opportunity.
Master of Illusion (Fourth Step): The magician has become so adept at manipulating his creations that concentration is considered to be a free action while he has a line of sight to his spell effect. This applies only to spells of the illusion school.
True Illusion (Fifth Step): One of the sources of illusionary magic is the Shadow World and the Seeming. By the time that a magician has reached a certain level of expertise he can draw significant amounts of the Seeming into the waking world itself. Using this ability requires a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. The magician can use it to accomplish any of the following (or any similar task at the DM’s discretion): make a melee attack against any creature within 50 feet, transport any movable object or creature 30 feet in any direction (the object cannot be transported into another solid object), replicate the effects of any spell up to third level (with a maximum duration of 5 rounds for non-instantaneous spells), halve the hardness of any inanimate object for 5 rounds, or double the hardness of any inanimate object for 5 rounds. The magician must make a will saving throw at DC 10 or be drawn into the Shadow World without having a means of returning. Each successive use of this ability during a twenty-four hour period increases the save DC by two.
I know this thing has gone through tons of revisions, but since I’m unemployed for atleast a month (maybe the whole summer!) I have plenty of time to think and write/type stuff up now! 
and rhuobhe, chimaera, binman revisions… lalala