While wizards are the most common participants in spell battles and more-or-less friendly games of spellcraft, other casters and manifesters have been known to engage in similar practices.

Such duels are, at their most basic, an agreement to use only spellcasting (no magic items or item-sourced effects) to defeat or kill an opponent. Sometimes proxies may be used, particularly if neither side actually wants to kill the opponent.

Some cultures have elaborate rules for spell duels (Tula, Viridistan, Valon, and the southern metropolises of the Kingdom of Karak). Other locales tend not to have enough of a concentration of spellcasters to enforce such rules, but most cultures recognize a spell duel as a legitimate form of dueling.

Where formal duels are sanctioned, each party may be placed under a geas or similar compulsion to adhere to the rules of the duel.

• Destruction: this most basic kind of duel is simply a battle to the death, or to the destruction of the agreed-upon targets. Some duels by proxy allow the caster to repair/ heal/ buff the opponent’s target.
• Summoners’ battle: each party summons a champion to battle in their name, and fight to the death. Augmentation and healing spells are often allowed, but additional summoning is not. This is a favorite form of entertainment among spellcasters in many parts of the world, since many different kinds of spellcasters can participate.
• Spell/ dispell: in this type of duel, two casters attempt to counter one another’s spells (which may be targeted at one another, or aimed at proxies). The duel is often won when a certain number of spells go uncountered (often three). It is most common where wizards have a large common collection of spells, such as Tula and Valon.
• Spellchase: sometimes called Hera’s Hunt, this duel typically has a distant or difficult objective: capture a flag, depose a tyrant, or win a specific treasure. The terms of the hunt specify what outside help each party may use, and what actions they can take to sabotage the other competitors. These games almost always involve geasa to discourage cheating.
• Spellgames: specific spells exist to allow casters to pit their raw magical prowess against one another. Often cantrips or first-level spells, most of these spells require skill checks, touch attack rolls, etc. to win. The duel only works if both casters know the exact same version of the spell, and most such spells do not allow for arcane embellishments and similar trickery.
  • In Karak, Ganesha’s Gambit is a common spellgame. Each party picks one skill to act as an attack, another to deal damage, a third to act as a shield, and a fourth to act as a body. They wager an amount of spell points, and then use the spell to craft their proxies. The combat lasts until one party’s proxy “kills” the other, or until one party breaks concentration. The winner gets the wagered spell points. Ganesha’s Gambit is a first-level spell for sorcerers, wizards, bards, and most other arcane casters of the Karakhan tradition. Many genies know how to craft magic devices to allow other parties to play the game, even non-spellcasters (though they cannot wager or gain spell points in this way). It is said that some genies play a version of this game that wagers not spell energy, but life force…