The following is a continual survey that I am conducting of all magical effects that I have seen implemented in pen and paper rpg’s. The point here is to condense them into their barest forms and thus be able to categorize specific spells into individual categories – and to use the list as a sort of checklist when designing other magic systems.
affect metal – magnetism, rust
affect plants – growth, decay/rot, bless crops, alter the properties of fruit
affect stone – make hills/tunnels, sculpture, shift between mud/sand/clay/etc
affect water – sanctify, poison, alter temperature
affect wind – controlled bursts of wind, affect sailing/flight, stop wind
alter weight – make items heavier or lighter (with or without altering effectiveness)
animate objects – stones, cutlery, corpses, golems, plants
blindness – often caused by a flash of light or an illusion
breathe without air – breather under water or in other inhospitable environments
buff – generic statistic increasing
communication – send a message to someone, omens, dreams, telepathy, couriers
comprehend languages – foreign languages, magic, codes, written and spoken
concealment – cause target to blend in with surroundings – different than invisibility, also obfuscation by mists/smoke/etc
conjure minerals – create stone, water, metal, wood
control weather – cause/calm storms, alter temperature
damage – earth, fire, ice, lightning, stench, plasma, poison, sound, vacuum, wind, mental, spiritual, physical (blades and bludgeons)
darkness – cause an area to become dark – intercept light passing through it
debuff – generic decrease in ability levels
detect aura – detect magic, alignments, prowess, truth, life
detect invisible – see invisible or concealed things
detect minerals – hunt down gold, water, etc…
fear – cause a target to wig out – usually running away or becoming somehow paralyzed
flight – move while in the air – usually quite rapidly
heal – undo injury of one sort or another
identify – determine magical properties, history, composition, uses of an item
illusion, auditory – spooky noises, ventrilloquism, improving a visual illusion
illusion, visible – ranging from imaginary castles to pretty light shows to fireballs that can really kill the target
invisibility – different from concealment in that the target is actually impossible to see by mundane means
levitation – different from flight in that levitation is just the act of floating – usually no actual travel is allowed, or it is at least slowed significantly
light – cause something to glow so people can see – often conjure floaty balls of light, also flashes and colours bordering on illusion effects
mend – repair damaged equipment
mez – mesmerise, cause a target to become mentally befuddled/charmed to the point of nonaction or to changing sides
raise dead – either resurrect, reincarnate, or make zombies
repell – cause targets of a certain type to be kept at a distance either by fear, confusion, or sheer metaphysical effort
resist damage – protection from one or more types of damage
silence – target or area becomes silent, either stealth or preventing spellcasting/communication
sleep – victim falls into involuntary sleep, also healative uses
summon elemental – usually expendable force of nature becomes personified to help in combat, rarely summoned for nonviolent reasons
suspended animation – hibernation, feign death
telekinesis – move items around
teleportation – move between two locations without passing through the interposing physical space
track – follow the trail of a target object/creature
transfer soul – mind jar, soul gems, possession
transmutation – flesh to stone, shift between states of matter and fundamental elements
walking – surface tension is no problem, similar effects allow climbing up sheer surfaces and running across sand/water/uneven terrain
wall – physical or immaterial barriers of mineral, elemental, and biological matter
damage redirection; traps; alter alignment; instant death; summon other sorts of things; gates; permenance; counterspells, dispelling, and other meta-magic; polymorph; forgetfulness; generic ultimate spell of doom