Tiers

All spells and wands as well as some other items in wizardry have a tier. Tiers are a measure of power: the higher a spell or wand's tier, the more powerful it is. Conversely, higher-tier spells and wands are much rarer than those of lower tiers. There are four tiers: novice, apprentice, advanced and master, each being more powerful than the last.

Novice

Novice wands are the ones that can be crafted. They hold up to 700 mana, and can only cast novice spells. Novice spells are simple enough to be cast by anyone and they do not usually cost much mana. This does not necessarily mean that they are useless at higher tiers however; their low cost makes some novice spells useful even when you have access to master spells.

~ The Wizard's Handbook

A wizard's journey to mastering the arcane begins with novice spells. Novice spells are ubiquitous: they can be found almost everywhere and most wizards know nearly all of them, even if they don't usually use them. It is fairly easy for a non-wizard, given a wand, to learn novice spells, and this makes them the place to start for aspiring wizards. There are relatively few novice spells, mainly because they are rather simple - an apprentice level of magic is required to cast spells that are any more complex.

Apprentice

Apprentice wands are the next tier up from novice wands. They hold up to 1500 mana and can cast novice and apprentice spells. Apprentice spells are a little more impressive than novice spells but usually cost more.

~ The Wizard's Handbook

Apprentice spells are a step up from novice spells, both in power and complexity. Most of an adept wizard's staple spells will be apprentice level, as they provide a good balance between effectiveness, fairly low mana cost and short cooldown times. Apprentice spells are much more numerous than novice spells, and encompass a wide variety of utility, attacking and defensive abilities. A certain level of practice is required in order to use apprentice spells effectively, though they are fairly readily available if you know where to look.

Advanced

Advanced wands are quite rare and are much more powerful. They can cast all spells except master spells, and hold 2000 mana. Advanced spells can grant superhuman powers such as invisibility and wreak havoc on enemies.

~ The Wizard's Handbook

Advanced spells are where the really impressive magic begins. A wizard who knows advanced spells is not a challenge to be taken lightly, and will have spent years training their magical skills in order to cast them. Advanced spells are, in fact, the most numerous of all the spells, mainly due to their diversity. However, they are also considerably rarer than novice and apprentice spells, so expect to do a fair amount of exploration to find them.

Master

Master wands are the most powerful wands in existence. They hold up to 2500 mana, and can cast any spell. Master spell books are very rare and the spells can cause complete devastation not only to enemies but even the world itself. Use with caution.

~ The Wizard's Handbook

Only the most powerful wands are capable of channelling the power required to cast master spells. Master spells often require a significant fraction of a wand's mana in order to cast them, and can have cooldowns of 30 seconds or more. In return, however, a master wizard is able to cast the most powerful spells in existence. The combination of their immense power and incredible rarity makes many master spells the stuff of legend - master spell books are often priceless relics from the ancient past... or at least, almost priceless. It is said that some wizards are prepared to offer their most powerful spells to those they trust, for a price befitting of their rarity.