It is fair to say that there is a disparity between casters and non-casters. Now, I don't actually think balance in the traditional sense is actually desirable. I beleive Magic should just be plain better than any other option. I don't think it is the role of system to make a fighter as 'good' as a wizard, but i do think he should have as much to offer.
I think Turning Soft balance (purely roleplay or setting based balance) into hard balance (setting or roleplay based balance which is backed by a mechanic) would be a way to start dealing with the true disparity.
As it stands, the wizard gets his power for free. Now this is at odds with most representations of magic in literature and folklore. We have the opportunity to change that here and now. So i propose that a number of changes be made to the system. Any one of these would go a long way towards ending the rule of the wizard as premier class of the game without making him truely less potentially powerful.
A skill related check casting check which must be made before every attempt to cast, with lower level spells being easier to cast and higher level harder
The introduction of backlash system; Potenially related to above casting check(so failiers result in misfiring spells or being cooked from the inside out by arcane energys) or destinct and tied to wisdom or charisma.
Increasing greatly the costs both economic, time and effort related, of magic; The requirement of Crafted foci, acolytes, long (measured in hours) casting times and a requirement of fixed locations such as labs or ritual spaces for the casting of some high level spells.
Social, politicial and mysticial hoops to jump through if one wishs to advance in wizard levels.
Social consiquences of magic use; perhapes you live in a community which fears and hates magic, well your social interactions are going to be harder. Magic is popular? Sure you get an easy time of it in some ways, but the five or six young men and woman laying outside your Inn door each morning hoping you'll make them your apprentice kinda get a little wearing after a while, and when one killed another out of jealousy, well...
Not only would any one of these start to redress the true balance of the game, it would also add huge potential for roleplaying and add flavour to magic.
While I am focusing this comment on the wizard, the basic principle could be said to apply to other caster also.
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You can't do it with setting balance for a game that's supposed to be used in arbitrary settings, I would say. That's a matter of setting design, not the game design.
Scenario design obviously alleviates the problems, but it's not inconsistent to have magic as powerful and yet fighters useful, particularly in a system where magic users don't get limitless good spells per day. It seems to me that weakening some of the too-strong spells (like SoD stuff, to pick an example) and giving the fighter better options -- more damage, better armour, move + fight capability that's better than it now is -- can go some of the way to levelling things off.
Oh, and I'd also drop SR against some of the direct-damage evocations, as was discussed elsewhere, to give the wizards a chance to do some of the same sort of things that fighters do. But that's beside the point.
You can't do it with setting balance for a game that's supposed to be used in arbitrary settings, I would say. That's a matter of setting design, not the game design.
Scenario design obviously alleviates the problems, but it's not inconsistent to have magic as powerful and yet fighters useful, particularly in a system where magic users don't get limitless good spells per day. It seems to me that weakening some of the too-strong spells (like SoD stuff, to pick an example) and giving the fighter better options -- more damage, better armour, move + fight capability that's better than it now is -- can go some of the way to levelling things off.
Oh, and I'd also drop SR against some of the direct-damage evocations, as was discussed elsewhere, to give the wizards a chance to do some of the same sort of things that fighters do. But that's beside the point.
DnD isn't a universal system. In theory at least, all games take place within the same cosmology, so certain funtimentals counld be considered universal, making them meta-setting specific. That said i do understand your point.
Surely the improvement of the fighter can be achieve through one, increadibly simple things. Better feats. The fighter has an over abundance of feats in Pathfinder. No truely fundimental change needs to be made. You want a 'tank' fighter, introduce a feat that lets him 'taunt'. Just please god, can we avoid him becoming a super hero. if i wanted crazy wuxia action, i'd play exalted(i actually do) and feng shui or and if i wanted superheros, i'd play scion, mutants and masterminds or aberant. ;)