These are the magician skills I'm using for my custom heroes and a few other ideas. They'd work as artefacts as well. This is the link to the combined spells and spell components:
viewtopic.php?f=203&t=2608&p=44982#p449821. Combined spells, they kick arse. I should make getting the cards done for these a higher priority than the hero and monster cards I think.
2. Spell components. Allow the wizard to buy components than when used in the right combination allow him to cast spells without discarding them. Maybe rule that he can only use components to cast the spells that he has and add an artefact that allows him to use components to cast spells that he doesn't have as well.
3. Fate points, like in AHQ but just for the wizard. They allow him to reroll a dice or force the GM to. I give him two per quest that don't carry over between quests.
4. Allow him to cast a spell but discard another. Nominate a spell that you'd like to discard in place of the spell that's being cast and roll a combat dice. On a skull the spell that is cast is discarded as normal. On a white shield the nominated spell is disarded in place of the spell that's cast. On a black shield both spells are discarded. The skulls and white shields could be switched to make it more effective.
For this one I've given all the element spells a power level (one L1, L2 and L3 in each set) and ruled that you can only discard a different spell if it's the same or greater power. You could give him 18 power points to use each quest so that it's the equivalent of one of each spell.
5. Roll two combat dice when you cast a spell, 2 white shields = keep the spell, 1 skull + 1 white shield = can discard any of your spells in place of the one cast, 2 skulls = cast as normal, 1 black shield + 1 white shield = the spell fails but is kept, 1 skull + 1 black shield = the spell fails and is discarded, 2 black shields = the spell fails drastically and all your remaining spells are discarded, but you can only ever keep a cast spell once per spell.
When you roll the combat dice for a cast spell 2 white shields = keep the spell and can cast the same spell again this turn, 1 skull + 1 white shield = keep the spell, 2 skulls = can discard any of your spells in place of the one cast, 1 black shield + 1 white shield = cast as normal, 1 skull + 1 black shield = the spell fails but is kept, 2 black shields = the spell fails and is discarded.
When you roll the combat dice for a cast spell 2 white shields = keep the spell and can cast again this turn, 1 skull + 1 white shield = keep the spell and can cast the same spell again this turn, 2 skulls = keep the spell, 1 black shield + 1 white shield = can discard any of your spells in place of the one cast, 1 skull + 1 black shield = cast as normal, 2 black shields = the spell fails but is kept.
When you roll the combat dice for a cast spell 2 white shields = cast without using an action and keep the spell, 1 skull + 1 white shield = keep the spell and can cast again this turn, 2 skulls = keep the spell and can cast the same spell again this turn, 1 black shield + 1 white shield = keep the spell, 1 skull + 1 black shield = can discard any of your spells in place of the one cast, 2 black shields = cast as normal.
Which version is used could be based on MP.
6. Allow him to cast without using an action but still only cast one spell per turn, or allow him to give up his movement instead of his other action to cast, or allow him to cast an extra spell if he doesn't move or moves at no more than half rate or one extra spell at half rate and two if he doesn't move.
7. Allow him to move, cast, and then carry on his movement.
8. Let him telepathically cast enemy spells if he's in the same room or corridor.
9. Let him summon elementals by giving up two spells of that element.
10. Give him an optional dispel attempt against an enemy spell cast in the same room or corridor that can be used once per turn, on a skull it's unaffected, a white shield dispels it and a black shield dispels it and the spell is discarded.
11. Allow him to use a shortsword and/or spear or any one handed weapon and if you're playing US rules allow him to use any artefacts.
12. Give him access to all seven spell sets (or eight including the AtOH chaos spells) or one less if the elf has one but only allow him to use nine (or however many per quest).
13. Give him an artefact that gives him two or three random chaos spells every quest, or the three from AtOH.
14. Make some cool artefacts inspired by other games. The skull wand of kaloth from warhammer springs to mind. Roll one combat dice to make a melee attack, if you roll a skull then whether it's defended or not the target dies if it fails to roll under it's MP on one dice. Sounds OP but it's a melee attack so if it's used against a powerful monster and you don't kill it you're in trouble.
15. It's a secret. I'll post it when it doesn't spoil anything in my p-b-p game.
Make Morcar the final boss and/or Mentor an npc and give them all of these.