There are three ways to cast spells: by reading a scroll that has the spell writ upon it; by using a staff that has the spell embodied within it; or by casting the spell from memory. Scrolls and Staves cast the spell at a particular spell level, which is independent of the character's proficiency with the spell.
Spell Levels (as given in the spell book, hotkey 'b') can be increased by reading another book about that spell, finding a shrine which increases spell levels, or by wielding an Angel's or Arch-Angel's staff (which will increase all spell levels by one or two, respectively). Fifteen is the highest level of proficiency that you can achieve with any spell, and no additional book or shrine can increase the spell level above that point. "Temporary" magic increases in spell levels (including the Angel's or Arch-Angel's staff, Dreamflange, and Aquinara's Hatchet) can raise a spell level up to level 21 or higher, and the advance is removed as soon as you stop wielding the staff. (These staves do not raise the levels of unknown spells--only known spells are benefited).
Reading spell books takes more magic for higher levels of the spell, and reading the book to gain level 15 in the spell often requires 250 magic. It makes no difference if you are wielding an Angel's Staff while reading; the game knows what your "base" level in the spell is, and determines the magic required to read the book from that base level. Some shrines (notably the Enchanted Shrine, or its Goat or Cauldron equivalents) will decrease spell levels. If the decrease takes the spell level down to zero, then the spell is not actually forgotten, although the level is zero and the spell can't be cast. You can raise the spell level again by finding another Enchanted Shrine, or by reading a book or wielding an Angel's Staff.
Book prices are what Adria asks for the book. Selling price is one-quarter the purchase price.
 Apocalypse |
This spell is the most destructive spell, when cast, a huge ball of fire surrounds the enemies in the screen and kills them. |
 Blood Boil | Boils the blood of the target creature, causing it to explode. This spell works on blood bones too, though not ordinary skeletons. Note creatures must be near for this to work. |
 Bloodstar | When cast a red crystalline ball shoots out. |
 Bone Spirit | An effective spell that casts out a red ghost that takes away one third of the enemies hit points. |
 Chain Lightning | This spell inflicts mass destruction on up to five monsters at once. Lightning becomes more important as characters descend deeper into the dungeon and encounter creatures immune to fire. Chain Lightning should be used with caution in multiplayer games, to avoid killing other players with friendly fire. |
 Charged Bolt | While difficult to control, this spell at a high level is very useful in clearing out a demon-infested room. If you cast three or four Charged Bolts in succession, you can follow the bolts through the dungeon as they damage monsters in the line of fire. The spell is less effective in multiplayer mode, because of the risk of injuring other characters. |
 Doom Serpents | This spell shoots a serpent at the target creature. If a sucessful strike is achieved, the creature is bitten by the snake until it dies or the spell expires. If the creature dies during the spells duration, the serpent attempts to jump to a nearby creature and repeat the actions above. |
 Elemental | When cast it creates a flaming man which runs to the closest ememy (moves around angles to.) and blows up like a fireball. |
 Ethereal | This spell causes the target to become ethereal for a short period of time, thus making the caster harder to hit. |
 FireBall | Shoots a ball of fire at the targeted creature. The ball explodes on impact with target, wall or door. When it explodes, this spell does damage to all creatures within a few squares of the impact area. |
 FireBolt | All three characters learn this spell early in the game, and because of its low mana usage, it is a good universal spell for low-level characters. The spell's level is easily increased; as experience and knowledge of the spell grow, both the intensity and speed of the bolt become more powerful. Once you get a higher-level Firebolt spell, use that instead. When cast, it explodes into fragments, damaging multiple characters. |
 FireWall | Early in the game, there is no better way to clear out a room full of bad guys. With this spell, even the weakest of heroes can take out the Butcher. Cast four of these in a crowded room and enjoy the show. In multiplayer games, as long as you're careful not to burn your friends, this is a useful spell to use as the Sorcerer. Cast it from behind warriors and watch the enemy fall. Keep in mind that although later on in the game many monsters are fire-resistant, the Fire Wall spell will still hurt them a bit. |
 Flame Wave | This spell sends a moving wave of fire in a direction specified by the caster. The wall causes fire damage to all non-immune creatures it hits and continues on until it strikes a wall. |
 Flash | Creates a burst of energy around the caster, sufficient to kill all low level creatures standing within one squares of the caster. Great to get out of being surrounded. |
 Golem | This spell creates a golem which will fight beside the caster. The spell lasts for about two minutes, after which time the golem sinks back into the floor. |
 Guardian | The fire-spitting, three-headed guardian this spell summons can help destroy even the deadliest group of monsters. Cast two of them in a row in a doorway and let them do the work. Guardians also make great scouts. Cast them as far away as possible to see if there are any monsters nearby. This also works at intersections if monsters are lurking around the corner. Unlike other fire spells, the Guardian accurately targets creatures, so in multiplayer games, liberal use of this spell can clear rooms without risk to other characters. |
 Healing | Heals you when cast. |
 Heal Other | This spell is only in multiplayer and is just like healing except it is cast on other players. |
Holy Bolt | Holy Bolt is especially useful on the early levels where skeletons and zombies often thrive. For a low-level Sorcerer in a multiplayer game, Holy Bolt is a necessity since it is one of the few offensive spells that won't injure player characters. Another benefit of Holy Bolt is that you can hurt Diablo with it as well. |
 Identify | This spell enables the caster to feel the magical properties of an item. The magic on items may not always be beneficial, so it is wise to identify everything first. |
 Inferno | This spell creates a dragon breath blast in front of the caster. The blast lasts for a few seconds and kills most non-immune creatures. |
 Infravision | Endows the caster with infra-red vision for about two minutes. This spell is useful for looking into rooms without opening the doors first. |
 Invisibility | This spell renders the caster invisible, and lasts for a few minutes. This spell is broken if the caster attacks a creature or other player. |
 Lightning | Shoots a bolt of lightning in a given direction. The bolt will travel until it strikes a wall or door. The bolt does multiple hits of damage to any creatures in it's path. |
 Mana Shield | Mana Shield is especially useful for the Sorcerer. When cast, damage points come from your mana instead of your life. A Sorcerer has low hit points but high mana, so the ability to transfer damage from life to mana is crucial to a Sorcerer's health. It's also a useful spell for the Rogue and the Warrior, who can use it as a hit-point buffer of sorts. |
 Nova | Sends a ring of lightning out from you and does considerable damage. Doesn't stop till it hits a solid object. |
 Phasing | This spell teleports the caster a short distance, in a random direction. Good for a quick escape if the caster is surrounded. |
 Resurrect | This is a spell only in multiplayer and is found only in staffs or scrolls. It brings back any player that you cast it on. |
 Sentinel | Creates a stationary sentinel that shoots firebolts equal to that of the casters current firebolt level. |
 Stone Curse | When you cast Stone Curse, a creature freezes for several seconds, allowing characters to inflict damage without risk of being injured. The spell is effective in killing monsters with fire and lightning immunities. In multiplayer games, a Sorcerer and Warrior can clear a room if the Sorcerer casts the curse and then the Warrior attacks frozen creatures. Stone Curse does not affect player characters or Diablo. |
 Telekinesis | Will pick up an item or switch a lever etc from a distance. |
 Teleport | This high-level spell allows characters who are outnumbered or surrounded to escape from a heated battle. Teleport can also be used in multiplayer games to temporarily move a Sorcerer near an injured Warrior in need of healing. While similar to the Phase spell, Teleport is superior because it transports you to the area you click on, even if it's an unexplored area. |
 Town Portal | This is your get-out-of-jail-free card. Every character should either learn Town Portal or keep at least one scroll on a hot key in their inventory. The ability to use a portal to get to town instead of using the dungeon stairs eliminates the need for returning to cleared levels--and reduces your chance of dying. Casting Town Portal before entering a potentially dangerous room provides an excellent escape route. |
 Repair | Warrior - Repairs an item in your inventory. Be careful about using this. It will lower the maximum durability of the item. |
 Staff Recharge | Sorceror - Recharges a staff. Lowers that maximum charges of the staff, so use with caution. |
 Trap Disarm | Rogue - Disarms the trap on a treasure chest or a door...very handy. |