I am specifically thinking of levitate here, but there are other spells which could also fall into this category.
Spell range is 25 ft + 5/2 levels or 35 for my 5th level wizard.
Wizard casts levitate on an adjacent willing other party member. (No need for save. Range is fine.)
Wizard uses a move action to levitate the party member at 20' per round. Is 35' the highest he can lift him or is the range only about the initial casting?
After levitating him, the wizard walks away. If he gets further than 35' does the party member fall down? Is the wizard still able to adjust the party members altitude?
TL;DR Is range only about the distance at the time of casting or is it also about the wizard's ability to maintain or alter the spell?
A spell's range is the maximum distance from you that the spell's effect can occur.
Subjects, Effects, and Areas: If the spell affects creatures directly, the result travels with the subjects for the spell's duration.
So from these two snippets we know the range is only the initial range and once affected the result travels with the target.
You would still probably need line of effect to alter your party members altitude, but it certainly doesn't appear to be bound by the initial range.
Since many spells specifically state the turn off when out of range, I would have to agree that if it doesn't say that in the spell description, the range would only count at casting.
Spell range is for the initial casting. The spell does not end when the wizard leaves that range after casting a spell, unless it specifically says so.
You can debate about the control issue. Does the control switch from caster to subject, once the caster leaves range? Does it return to him, if he comes close enough later? Does the subject hang helpless there, while he is gone? Can the caster control the spell whenever he has line of effect once he left range?
Thank you for the replies. That matched my instinct for the spell range but sometimes it is hard to find the right verbiage. I was able to talk intelligently with my GM beforehand and the results were fun.
Our party was chasing after an ensorcelled party member who had a head start on us. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to follow his trail as fast as he was moving and would lose him. So, we got the direction of the trail, my wizard levitated the high-perception gnome, tied him to the cavalier's horse and sent the cavalier off at high speed.
With the extra vantage point, we found him in no time and my wizard was able to bring the gnome down safely even at a distance.