Spells cover a range of disciplines, including Sorcery, Pyromancy, and Miracles, providing a mix of offense, defense, and utility.
Finding and learning new spells can be an adventure, but you can usually locate basic offensive and defensive magics fairly early in the game.
Playing a spellcaster requires a hefty attribute investment if you plan on using them as your primary offense and defense, but many utility spells have no particularly strict requirements for their usage, so even if you’re playing a largely melee focused character, look into acquiring a few helpful utility spells to aid your adventure.