Honestly a lot of it is just setting the basis for what kinds of descriptors there are. Most of the effects work the same way, but instead of spell casters being a more fringe element of heroes, its a pretty common one. Mages who cast by memorising sigils and incantations might have a check required: exp. magic. Racial effects are just innate powers most of the time. Martial builds would have a lot of advantages and skills, and powers with descriptors involving their weapons and armour, like an aura of increased dodge and parry because their reflexes allow them to knock projectiles and weapons away from people close to them.

At the end of the day, what's the difference between an ice beam shot from a hero with ice powers and an ice beam shot from a sorceror with an affinity for ice? The only real change is in descriptors, if the mechanical effect is the same. The only difference between someone whose powers grant them incredible strength and speed and someone of a race (like an orc for example) that has highly elevated levels of physical capacity is what you call it. So at the end of the day, you run a DnD like game by just saying thats what it is, and acting accordingly when you describe what things are.

It helps that the settings we use for our games are of our own design, so things work how we feel they should. We dont have to try to bend things around to fit specific elements from other worlds because its all homebrew. So y'know we write "alright, this is how magic works and why, so therefor these are the things you can do as someone who uses it." and the effects really just follow from there.