School

The first line beneath the spell's name provides the school (and perhaps also a subschool) that the spell belongs to. Schools provide a way of grouping together spells that have certain characteristics in common.

Abjuration: Spells of this school are protective spells. They create physical or magical barriers or negate magical or physical abilities.

Conjuration (Creation): This type of spell manipulates matter to create an object or creature in a place the spellcaster designates. If the spell has a duration other than instantaneous, magic holds the creation together, and when the spell ends or is dispelled, the conjured creature or object vanishes without a trace. If the spell has an instantaneous duration, the created object or creature is merely assembled through magic. It lasts indefinitely and does not depend on magic for its existence.

Conjuration (Healing): Certain divine conjuration spells can heal creatures or even bring them back to life.

Conjuration (Summoning): A summoning spell instantly brings a creature or an object to a place the caster designates. When the spell ends or is dispelled, the summoned creature is instantly sent back to where it came from, but a summoned object is not sent back unless the spell description specifically indicates this. A summoned creature also goes away if it is killed or dropped to 0 hit points.

Conjuration (Teleporting): A spell of this type transports one or more creatures or objects a great distance.

Divination: These spells enable you to learn information, to find hidden things (true seeing), or to foil deceptive spells.

Enchantment: An enchantment spell affects the minds of others, influencing or controlling their behavior. All enchantment spells have the mind-affecting descriptor (see below for more on spell descriptors).

Evocation: These spells manipulate energy or tap an unseen source of power to produce a desired end. In effect, they create something out of nothing. Many of these spells produce spectacular effects, and evocation spells can deal large amounts of damage.

Illusion: Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others.

Saving Throws and Illusions (Disbelief): Creatures encountering an illusion effect usually do not receive saving throws to recognize it as illusory until they study it carefully or interact with it in some fashion. This allows them to disbelieve the illusion. If any viewer successfully disbelieves an illusion and communicates this fact to other viewers, each such viewer gains a saving throw with a +4 bonus.

Necromancy: Necromancy spells manipulate the power of death, unlife, and the life force. Spells involving undead creatures belong to this school, as do spells that utilize negative energy to deal damage.

Transmutation: Transmutation spells change the properties of some creature, thing, or condition.

Universal: A small number of spells belong to no school and are designated as universal. The type of magic they involve does not fall into one of the above categories.

Descriptors

Descriptors are a way of classifying spells (often from different schools) that have some common characteristic.

A spell's descriptors (if any) appear in brackets on the line identifying the school. Descriptors used for spells include cold, electricity, fear, fire, force, language-dependent, light, mind-affecting, and sonic.

Level

The relative power of a spell is indicated by its level. A spell's level also indicates whether a particular spellcaster is capable of preparing and casting the spell.

Spell Slots: Every spellcaster can prepare as many spells every day as he or she has spell slots. (See the advance class description for details.)

Spell slots have levels just as spells do; a spell slot of a certain level is designed to hold a spell of that level. It's possible, however, to place a lower-level spell in a higher-level spell slot if you desire. A character doesn't have to fill all spell slots with prepared spells every day (although it usually makes sense to do so).