Spells can be categorized in a variety of ways: Spell Levels, Spell Circles, and Spell Tradition.
Additionally, spells can be categorized as a “Spell” or a “Ritual”.
Spells can first be categorized by Spell Level. Spell Levels indicate roughly how powerful a spell is, but also indicate how difficult it is to learn, prepare, and how much holding the spell taxes your mind.
The highest spell level you can cast is equal to your Casting Level. Casting Level will be on each classes Spell Slot Table, and is separate from character level.
For example, a 3rd Level Wizard has a Casting Level of 2. This means that the highest level of spell that she can prepare is 2.
Spell Levels are grouped into 3 groups of Spell Circles. Spell circles break spells up in various points where the mental strain of a spell increases by a dramatic amount. Spell Circles can be broken down into 1st Circle, 2nd Circle, and 3rd Circle spells.
Spell types are the variety of ways that a spell caster interacts with spells. Spell types tell you where the power comes from, how you learn, prepare, and cast spells, as well as how you interact with spell components in order to cast them. Spell casting types are: Clerical Spells, Druidic Spells, and Magical Spells. Spell casting types will be gone over in more detail in their own section.
Although everything is a “Spell”, any spell that has a Cast Time measured in time units, rather than combat units, is a ritual. Rituals have slightly different rules than spells. Some spells can be cast as a spell or a ritual.
All spells have the following items listed as part of the spell.
You character must spend the appropriate type of Action (Action, Master Action, or Reaction) to cast a spell. The cast time section will also specify the first phase of a round that the spell can be cast in.