Whether a spell is arcane or divine in origin, a spell effect is probably going to be "instant", "spread", or "persistent". A small number are "permanent", they are a rare special case and addressed in the sidebar.
The distinction between these categories is irrelevant most of the time unless the characters fighting an opponent that can cast Dispel Magic or has Purification, lumped together as "counter casters".
It does not matter if the spell in question is creating something beneficial or creating something baneful. A curse can be a instant, spread, persistent or permanent. A blessing can be instant, spread, sticky, or permanent.
Instant Spells
An instant spell is resolved in a few seconds at most. Once cast, it cannot be uncast. If a healer heals a wound, casting dispel magic at the person healed won't cause the wound to reopen. If a conjurer summons 10 gallons of water, casting dispel magic at the pool of water won't make the water go away because it is now non-magical water.
An opponent cannot dispel or purify an instant spell unless they cast their dispel at almost exactly the same time (with a second or two). In which case the counter caster's successes cancel out the caster's successes on a one-for-one basis.
If the dispeller equals or exceeds the caster's successes, nothing happens beyond cosmetic effects. There might be a puff of smoke or an awkward noise or a bad smell but the spell intended doesn't happen.
If the caster gets more successes but the dispellers gets more than zero successes, the caster's spells goes off but is weaker than it would have otherwise been.
Note that any spell can be treated as an instant spell if an enemy tries to dispel at the exact moment it is being cast.
Spread Spells
Spread Spells are fairly easy to dispel. They are normally spread over a wide area and/or several targets making them easy for a counter speller to wipe away, at least on a case-by-case basis. Spread spells are usually "buffs" or "hexes". Spells that bestow a blessing that boost multiple people at once or curses that afflict multiple people at once.
A counter speller only need to roll one success to remove all the effects, at least in the area in the radius of the dispel effect.
Counter magic on spread spells is target specific. If a spread spell is affecting ten targets and five of the targets are hit by a dispel magic effect, than only those five targets lose the magic and the other five are unaffected.
Persistent Spells
Persistent spells are fairly hard to dispel. These are usually spells that bestow a very powerful blessing or a very debilitating curse on a single person or object.
It's all or nothing. Either the spell is removed entirely or the spells normal duration continues.
To dispel or purify a persistent spell, the counter speller must meet or exceed the caster's successes or the caster's spell remains completely intact. If a sticky spell affects a wide area or affects several people, successfully dispelling a persistent spell will negate the magic on every target in the entire area of effect.
Spells cast from potions, scrolls, or charged magic items that use "persistent" base spells are always treated as three-success effects.
Counter magic is indiscriminate
Purification and Dispel Magic hit a radius or cone of effect and affect ALL magic in the area of effect.
Let's say a counter speller is trying to dispel an invocation rolled with five successes (instant) and the invoker has a three-success Protection Circle on him (spread), a three-success Stone Skin spell (persistent), and a four success True Form protection (persistent), and is afflicted by a four-success Waves of Pain hex (spread).
If the counter speller rolls three success this will turn the mighty five success invocation into a mere two success invocation. It will completely negate the Protection Circle and the Waves of Pain spell. It will negate the Stone Skin spell but leave the True Form protection intact.
The counter speller would probably prefer his enemy still be wracked by pain but in this case he can't remove his enemy's buff spells without also removing the hexes. If you flip the situation, and cast dispel magic on ally who is affected by both buff and hex spells, the dispel effort is still going to be indiscriminate.
Permanent Magic
Permanent magic is normally limited to magical items. Unlike normal dispels that will target ALL magic indiscriminately in an area, negating permanent magic requires very specfiic casting and even then it's not especially effective.
To negate the magic on an enchanted sword, the counter speller must target the sword and only the sword. The successes the crafter of the magic rolled are irrelevant, only the counter speller's roll matters.
The magic is negated for two minutes per success that the counterspell, than reasserts itself. Note that a standard combat round is 30 seconds, so that's four rounds per success.
A magic sword that is temporarily negated still functions perfectly as a sword. A temporarily negated potion is just a vial of non-poisonous but unpleasant tasting liquid.
Often adventurers wear a brace of potions on their belt or clipped to their armor. A counter speller cannot target a brace of potions or a sack of potions. They can only temporarily negate
one potion at a time.
Targeting a wands, staff or other charged magical item does nothing, but if someone uses a wand or similar item, it can be dispelled as if it's an instantaneous spell. Charged spells are always three-successes.
"Permanent" is a bit of a misnomer. Some spells last for years or even decades but not forever. In game terms, these are "Permanent" for the purpose of how it reacts to counter-spelling.
Potions, Scrolls, and other stored spells
Magic cast from a potion or scroll is going to be instant, spread, or persistent. Stored magic is always three-successes.
"Instant" is a relative term
Some "Instant" spells take ten minutes to cast. They still function the same way, it just that counter spellers have a larger window to disrupt the spell but once the spell is finished casting, it can't be dispelled.
So once an elemental is summoned or an undead minion is created, it cannot be affected by a dispel magic spell.
Spells with extended casting times are cast far away from enemies, so a counter spelling is rarely an issue and even if enemies are nearby, they are more likely to attack the caster physically than try to disrupt the spell.
"Solidifying" a Spell
Experienced spell-casters can selectively "solidify" a Spread Spell casting it as a Persistent Spell.
With a few caveats.
A solidified spell can only be cast on one person or object even if the spell normally affects a wide area.
A Solidified Spell cannot be cast still or silently.
Potions, scrolls, wands, and other magical items can never store or cast solidified spells
A spell-caster can only soldify spells below their maximum potential. A mage with Transmuation ●●●● and Illusion ●● can soldify First, Second, and Third circle Transmutation spells and only soldify First Circle Illusion spells.
A theurgist cannot soldify Protection ●●● effects until he or she has learned Protection ●●●●.
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