All spells with damage can also hurt characters, including the caster. This means that special caution has to be taken with splashing spells in close range, and with spells that might travel towards the caster (Elemental, Nova, etc.). Spells can sometimes do critical damage to monsters, resulting in far more damage as normally. Chances to hit are determined by MAG, so not all characters will be able to use all spells effectively.
SPELL AVAILABILITY LEGEND
Books
Staves 
Scrolls
Charged Items 
Charged uniques
Fire damage spells will have no effect against Fire immune monsters (such as most Demons).
Firebolt A very fast missile with low mana cost. Damage is moderate so its best use is against non-fire resistant monsters. With no splash, it is an easy to use support spell, good for testing your aiming skills from early on. Do not underestimate it.
Fireball A high damage spell used best against tightly packed opponents due to its splash effect. In a support role you will have to avoid splashing your team members. Shooting at a wall or one tile off in dense crowds is best for this. Melee fighters who want to enjoy the benefits of support fire should assume positions accordingly (like close to walls and one tile from corners or doors). This spell is efficient at high spell levels.
Inferno Close range concentrated fire damage. Devastating against slow walking non-fire resistant enemies. This spell does not rely on MAG to hit enemies, so it can be very useful to all characters.
Guardian Think of Guardian as a trap. It is a triple Inferno fountain. While retreating, set up a Guardian in the path of monsters. They will arrive to you at least medium rare. Always cast it behind you after all team members have safely retreated. A remote spell, can also be cast ahead of the party. Only one Guardian may be active at any given time. This spell does not rely on MAG to hit enemies, so it can be very useful to all characters. Common Hotkey "G"
Elemental An auto-targeting spell with the ability to knock-back foes. It can attack a target multiple times. Very good for maintaining distance from oncoming crowds, but use carefully to avoid stray elementals running into you or your team members. This spell is efficient at high spell levels only. Common Hotkey "F"
Immolation A concentric expanding ring of Fireballs. With its high damage and splash it can be devastating in close quarters. Non-fire resistant monsters have little chance of surviving. This spell can be cast at any remote location, as long as it is in the view of the caster. Fair warning should be given to team members before casting so they can assume covered positions. Not very mana effective and with the potential to lure great numbers of foes, try casting in known territory or in closed rooms through a door. Be careful with casting before having established a safe zone on a new level, as this spell may easily alert too many foes.
Lightning damage spells will have no effect against Lighting immune monsters (such as all Undead).
Charged Bolt Charged Bolt can be cast at a remote location, as long as it is in view of the caster. Aiming your cursor on a non-moving target will cause all sparks to hit that target, but against moving opponents this spell is less effective. Its carpet of electrical bolts that can alert many monsters so use with caution. Avoid casting in wide areas and always cast ahead of the team to avoid hurting your friends.
Lightning A straight streak of lightning travelling on the ground. It can hurt a target many times. Higher slvls result in longer streaks. Its moderate mana cost allows for successive casts. Aim it correctly and try to cover one specific direction at a time or you will lure more enemies. Best used along a wall like all missiles are. Try to line up monsters to get most damage output per mana spent.
Lightning Blast [LB] A high damage missile that can also knock-back enemies. Effective against one target at a time. A critical hit with LB is nothing to laugh at so try to cast it the correct direction. When used through a door it can hold back great numbers, as long as they are not undead. This spell is efficient at high spell levels only.
Nova [NO] A concentric expanding ring of lightning. Enemies close to its center will suffer greatly. Non-lightning resistant monsters will hardly survive it. This spell can be cast at any remote location, as long as it is in the view of the caster. Fair warning should be given to team members before casting so they can assume covered positions. Not very mana effective and with the potential to lure great numbers of foes, try casting in known territory or in closed rooms through a door. Be careful with casting before having established a safe zone on a new level, as this spell may easily alert too many foes.
Magic damage spells will have no effect against Magic immune monsters (such as all Animals).
Arcane Star [AS] A moderate damage missile. It can knock-back enemies and benefits from additional splash damage. Use carefully in support role to avoid splashing your friends, as with Fireball.
Blood Star A high damage missile. Effective against one opponent at a time. Try not to hit friends with it, it hurts. Best used against ranged attackers as all missiles are. This spell is efficient at high spell levels only.
Flash Short range radial spell. Use it mainly to defend against adjacent enemies. Casting when adjacent to a team member is not recommended. This spell is efficient at high spell levels only.
Arcane Destruction A concentric expanding ring of Arcane Stars. With its splash damage and knock-back potential it can be very effective in close quarters, disorganising groups of monsters. Non-magic resistant enemies will be considerably damaged. This spell can be cast at any remote location, as long as it is in the view of the caster. Fair warning should be given to team members before casting so they can assume covered positions. Not very mana effective and with the potential to lure great numbers of foes, try casting in known territory or in closed rooms through a door. Be careful with casting before having established a safe zone on a new level, as this spell may easily alert too many foes.
Non – elemental damage spells ignore elemental resistances and immunities. Hearsay indicates that there is one powerfull foe that can resist non-elemental damage spells.
Holy Bolt [HB] Only effective against undead foes. It is a fast missile that can knock-back its target. HB will not harm team members or the caster since they are not undead. With its low mana cost it can be used for sustained fights but it affects only one opponent at a time. Common Hotkey "H"
Bone Spirit [SP] This spell drains the life force of its victims, and as such has no effect on Undead. It is auto-targeting and very effective against sturdy opponents. SP can harm adventurers so use with caution. Common Hotkey "J"
Magic Missile [MM] This low-damage and not very mana cost-effective spell can be very useful against multiple all-resistant or all-immune enemies. Additional and auto-targetting missiles will be shot at enenies within a certain range. This range increases with spell level. MM will not target humans, but if a team member is along MMs path he will be hurt.
Doom Serpents [DS] A powerful auto-targeting spell that will attack and may knock-back single opponents. Very useful against sturdy and all-resistant opponents. It will cost half of current mana to cast and may dispel MS. In order to maintain a high-rate of fire and survive, use it conjunction with DH. When facing multiple enemies DS will not carry the day more often than not. Target it wisely because it can hurt badly or kill fellow team members in case of stray shots. This spell is efficient at high spell levels only. Common Hotkey "K"
Apocalypse [AP] Best used in dire situations, it is very powerful yet costly. Each cast will reduce MAG by one point and costs half of current mana. For consecutive casts, combined use with DH is advised. AP will attack all enemies in its range with high damage. Since damage is relevant to your current mana supply, cast it with a full mana globe. 99.9% of the monsters cannot resist it. AP will not target humans unless they occupy the same tile with a monster. This spell is efficient at high spell levels only. Common Hotkey "L"
Fire Wall [FW] Effective against most non-fire immune enemies. Illusionary walls do no actual damage or impede humans. Susceptible monsters will hesitate to cross such a wall. Cast quickly lest fast monsters cross before it goes into effect. Remember that most demons will ignore fire. Only one FW may be active per player. Common Hotkey "W"
Lightning Wall [LW] Effective against most non-lightning immune enemies. Illusionary walls do no actual damage and they can be crossed by adventurers. Susceptible monsters will hesitate to cross a such a wall. Cast quickly lest fast monsters cross before it goes into effect. Remember that undead monsters will completely disregard lightning walls. Only one LW may be active per player. Common Hotkey "E"
Golem Each team member can have its own golem active. Golems will not attack humans or charmed allies. Golems are resistant to all except physical damage and themselves deal physical damage. Best practice is to use Golem for what it really is: a decoy. Only one Golem may be active per player. When its job is finished destroy it. Wandering Golems will bring more enemies, so try to cast in known territory. Common Hotkey "Y"
Stone Curse [SC] Essential spell for temporary neutralising tough opponents. Monsters cannot be damaged when in statue state. How one uses SC depends on the situation at hand, but the most important aspect is reaction time. Try to maintain your alert levels high and when you see significant numbers of melee attackers approaching start using SC on selected individuals effectively thinning out the advancing mob. This tactic is very useful with minions. Use SC on the front line of the approaching horde in order to better stall them as the rear ranks will have to circumnavigate the statues in front of them. It pays to be able to retreat in an orderly fashion to a better, more defendable area and clever use of SC can help you towards this effort. There is nothing more effective than managing to SC a minion exactly at a door. SC may also be used in a support role in the benefit of melee fighters. Use SC on adjacent monsters, creating artificial blocked tiles, giving your fellow melee team member some breathing space and allowing either to escape or gain the upper hand. Dont hesitate to SC ranged attackers that shoot into a melee, you can deal with them later in an orderly fashion. Try to SC monsters that are yet at high HP. This will lead to the rapid decrease of enemy ranks in a melee situation. While it is not wise to allow monsters to gang up on you, some dungeon layouts or fast walking enemies may put you into this unfavourable position so be prepared. Remember that there are monsters that are immune to SC, for those you will have to rely on MG. Common Hotkey "F4"
Medusa Gaze [MG] Very powerful spell that will stone all monsters in its line of sight, even those immune to SC. Each casting costs 1 MAG so use with prudence. Some monsters will hide behind others to avoid the gaze. Some monsters are so powerful that they are immune to the gaze. Common Hotkey "O"
Blood Wave [BW] A surge of blood that can knockback all enemies. Use it to create distance from your pursuers, effectively avoiding encirclement. It will stop only at walls, so it is advised that it is used with caution lest it activates hordes of enemies. Best use would be in known territory or in relatively narrow corridors. It will not displace team members so it can be cast as a support spell from rear ranks to give breathing space to encircled friends. Common Hotkey "T"
Sanctuary A ring that will push back or keep inside enemies that try to cross it. Higher spell levels allow for more hits before ending and high character levels give a better damage reduction. Sanctuary will affect all Demons and Undead monsters. Animals will ignore it. It is a good practice to cast Sanctuary upon descending to unexplored territory. Only one Sanctuary may be active on a level. Common Hotkey "R"
Seeing Knowing what lurks behind a corner is a distinct advantage. Such knowledge will improve co-operation levels between team members. Remember to recharge. Carry some scrolls around for using in item recovery. Rumours abound about a legendary item that will give you permanent seeing ability.
Charm Only effective on animals, charming one can give you valuable time to organise a defence. Since animals are magic immune one can think of clever ways of employing such allies. Some animals are so clever that will not succumb to your charms and they will distance themselves from your alluring efforts. Charmed animals will not attack humans or golems. No experience is awarded when a charmed animal dies. Common Hotkey "U"
Telekinesis Inherent Rogue Skill. A very useful spell, vital in item recovery and in avoiding missile traps. Will let you manipulate doors from afar which can help avoiding over activation and better sorting of ranged attackers. Hotkey "F3" for Rogues
Town Portal [TP] Invaluable spell for creating alternative entrances to a level. Upon descending to a new level, always cast one as far away from stairs as possible, especially on dead-end levels. It can be useful having one team member Warp to far stairs, cast a TP and then return. In any given time all team members should have their TP cast on a level, preferably on a safe spot. This can help a lot with timeout drops. Common Hotkey "M"
Warp Very useful not just for skipping levels, but also for Warping to far stairs when level entrance is crowded. In dead-end levels ( 15 with Lazarus still alive, 16, Nest 4, Abyss 4) Warp will always teleport you to the level entrance. Common Hotkey "N"
Teleport A very useful spell for ranged attackers. Allows quick placement in the correct spot which can help sort out ranged from melee attackers. Melee fighters can use it for tele-killing against lone opponents. Common Hotkey "F2"
Escape Inherent Monk Skill. Its main use is for escaping encirclement. Will save your life many times if you are a Monk. Other melee classes are slow to cast it so it is not so effective. Ranged classes should avoid encirclement in the beginning. Since where you land is random, high AC and blocking is needed for it to be effective. Common Hotkey "A"
Healing [HL] Inherent Barbarian Skill. The standard all-purpose life restorer. Mana cost goes down, and the restored amount of life goes up, as slvl increases. Not very useful to MS users. Pepin will Heal for free, claiming his fee after each death. Hotkey "F1" for Barbarians, Warriors and Rogues
Heal All [HA] A very helpful spell that all classes should strive to raise in high slvls to reduce its Mana cost and increase the amount of life it restores.. Healing all team members (caster included), and without the need for targeting, everyone would want to use it as a direct replacement for HL as soon as its Mana cost is manageable.
Divine Help [DH] DH is a very powerful spell able to provide assistance towards surviving some of the hardest situations that can arise in the dangerous world of TheDark. For a short period, it will restore life and mana for all present characters. The duration depends on both spell and character level. It should be used when it is really needed since each casting will reduce VIT by 1. The nicest thing that makes DH worth its cost is that it can be equally beneficiary to both melee fighters and spell casters. Obviously, if you are a melee fighter engaged in a tough fight, there is nothing better than seeing the lights, indicating that your fellow spell caster has cast DH. Having your Life globe filled continuously is something every fighter wants. If you are under the influence of Rage, DH is even more effective since your Life capacity is already increased. For fighters that use MS, DH also helps by filling up your Mana making sure that your MS will last longer. Constant Mana refill is also what every spell caster wants but apart from that, DH can help when maximum firepower is needed since it can give the ability to cast DS and AP in quick succession without emptying your belt. Just remember to cast MS after you are done with the heavy artillery. Common Hotkey "D"
Barrier If you are a melee fighter you want this in effect all of the time since it reduces damage taken. The more hits you get the faster it will end. High slvls allow for more hits before ending and better damage reduction. Hotkey "F3" for Barbarians, Warriors, Bards and Monks
Mana Shield [MS] A vital spell for spell casters and also for melee fighters that use MS. It redirects damage to Mana instead of Life. Higher slvls allow for less mana cost towards absorbing received damage. It has an inherent mana drain that increases in-line with your total Mana capacity. Mana regeneration will cancel out the drain eventually so expect your Mana to balance out at about ¾ of your total capacity. It will expire when your mana reaches 0. Since you also use Mana for casting other spells as well as absorbing damage and taking into account the reduced maximum capacity until the drain is balanced by regeneration, you will want to keep a close eye on the blue globe. If not in danger consider delaying the recasting of MS allowing regeneration to work faster until your mana regenerates to approximately 50%. Hotkey "F1" for Sorcerers, Bards and Monks
Invincibility This spell makes you invulnerable to melee attacks, for a short period. Being not a learnable spell, every melee fighter would want it on a charged item. Each casting costs 1 DEX so it is better used for serious engagements. Remember to cast in time since if you get stunned it can be interrupted, depriving you of the expected immunity to physical attacks. If short on charged items or scrolls you can get it from the 3 books outside TDGs room. Use lever to open door afterwards. Common Hotkey "Q"
Rage It can be found on charged items and scrolls. It will boost your VIT, STR and DEX for its duration. Amount of attributes boost and duration depend on clvl. When Rage expires it will leave you in a vulnerable state (1 HP) for a fraction of a second. Try to either kill all your foes by then or retreat in advance. Or you can rely on your luck which wont hold out if you are under constant missile fire at the time. Separating ranged from melee foes will help against that. Standing on acid pools, Inferno breaths or Lightning bolts when Rage ends is not recommended. Rage will also give triple shot ability to bow wielders while it lasts. Common Hotkey "X"
Resurrect Pepin has an unlimited supply of Resurrect scrolls. Try to cast in a safe area or your resurrected friend may be killed again. Being resurrected instead of restarting in town will exempt you from Pepins fees.
Mana Found only on charged items. Casting will restore an amount of Mana depending on character level. Small in size, a Mana jewel can be stashed in your inventory for use when needed and it might also get recharged by a shrine during that period.
Item RepairInherent Warrior Skill. Decreases maximum durability by one upon repairing. Anvils are more effective in repairing. Best repair will come from a Shrine. Durability can be raised by Oils up to 200. Shrines can go beyond that to 255. Some Shrines may also decrease maximum durability, but Griswold may have some Blacksmith Oils in stock.
Spell RechargeInherent Sorcerer Skill. Will decrease durability upon recharging. Shrines and runes will offer free recharge. Will not work on items with 0 durability. Adria can fully recharge all items, regardless of durability but at a cost. Hotkey "F3" for Sorcerers
Identify [ID] Inherent Bard Skill. Cain will ID at a small fee. The Tome of Lore can hold a large amount of ID scrolls.