To be fair... Most PC Wizards are adventurers by trade, so it makes sense that they would focus more on combat spells. But I get your point. One thing I really don't like in the vancian system (well... besides the fire-and-forget mechanic) is that casters can't actually improvise. They have very rigid spells that do exactly what's written. No more. No less. Even when it doesn't make sense... It feels like they can write words, but can't combine letters.

I'm currently trying to create a simpler, more versatile magic system for a homebrew class I have in mind... A mage that is more similar to how magic works in... Well... Everywhere other than D&D and D&D-inspired media. The caster can use spells at will, but can only sustain a few of them at a time and has to spend mana to get the really powerful effects. It uses Int (for aiming and concentrating) and Cha (for powering up their spells), so it should be reasonably MAD, which stops them from having higher Dex and Con than most warriors around, like D&D mages do.