Magic-wise, I have a few ideas. Assuming that we're making substantial changes to that system (As opposed to individual spell fixes, which IMO is not sufficient) to bring it down to closer to 3rd-tier, I'd very much like to be a part of that brainstorming process.

I'm in favor of check-based magic, along the lines found in GURPS. As was brought up in another recent thread, per-day features have some problems, especially when DMs don't make an effort to have 4 appropriately leveled encounters per day. Magic ought to convey the sense of mystery, uncertainty and risk that are trademarks of the genre in fiction. I am also in favor of having many spells have longer casting times and be more interruptable.