What's the difference between a Wizard, Sorcerer, and Witch?

The way I've always kept it separate is

>Wizard
Learned magic at a school. Magic comes from arcane formulas and is somewhat scientific; i.e. these hand gestures combined with these words of power with this reagent will result in this effect.

>Sorcerer
Some innate connection to magic is ultimately what allows the person to cast. Additional training may or may not be required, but if the person wasn't born with the talent and/or into the right bloodline they can never learn to be a sorcerer.

>Witch
Magic is cast through some other being. Occult rituals are used to either appease or otherwise gain the attention of some powerful being (usually, but not always demonic) so that the being can either cast the spell for the witch or grant the witch the ability to work the magic herself.

It is important to note that as others have said all of these can vary by setting and with magic most authors don't worry about explaining shit. As such, these are the distinctions that I see most often and not immutable rules.

A Witch is a woman

A Sorcerer is a man

A Wizard is never late

Spelling

depends on the setting

...

Sorcerers are mages who utilise enslaved spirits to wield magic.

Witches are female mages who play host to a number of demonic spirits to use more powerful magic.

Wizards are mages who have magical bloodlines that let them better control their abilities.

Wizards get powers from knowledge
Sorcerers get power from innate spellcasting ability
Witches get power from making pacts with powerful beings (traditionally satan)

>witch
>always a female
Next you will say Warlocks are honorable.

I like to think that witch's are women that can use magic, but who other magic users such as wizards and sorcerer's won't teach, cause muh patriarchy. Therefore, they are self taught and use many different types of magic from many different sources. For example, a warlock will make a deal with the devil to get magic and a druid will protect nature for his power, but a witch may do both because she wasn't taught to do it one specific way.

>A Witch is a woman
>A Sorcerer is a man
>A Wizard is never late
/thread

Most traditional wizardry relies upon invoking angels for help.

wizards learn their spells
sorcerers are born with their spells
witches (and warlocks) are given their spells by a divine being

A witch is a creepy magic person who lives in a hut and rubs dogcock on dry leaves and then drops it into a big pot. If they're old they're gross, if they're young they're sexy. Usually ladies but boywitches are always welcome

A wizard is a magic person with a pointy or floppy hat. Capricious and will claim they act beyond the understanding of mortal men, but more likely is actually just senile. Smart, laughs really weird.

Sorcerers are French

From whom they learned their rituals, mostly.

sorcerors are always more baddas
>urr i am nerdy i learnt speels in schol XD
i prefer being the chosen motherfucker

Traditionally/thematically? Pic related, witch=female warlock.

Stat-wise I have no GODDAMN clue. Depends on setting, I guess.

>Mage
Catch-call term for arcane spellcasters, includes wizards, witches, sorcerers, warlocks, bards, and the like.

>Wizard
Mage who uses ritual and scientific-esque understanding of the nature of magic and reality to cast spells. Spells are cast using what are effectively If/Then statements, as in "IF I make these precise gestures using my arcane focus along with this exact incantation, THEN a fireball will shoot out." Can experiment with magical forces to create new spells if given time. Can be male or female.

>Witch
Mage similar to the wizard, but draws upon tradition and superstition to accomplish magic. More heavy on the ritual component, does not experiment. Does not understand the exact principles behind magic, but are privy to ancient secrets and wisdom that give them command over weird forces. Usually female, can be male.

>Sorcerers
Mage who draws upon his own vital energies to channel magic. The forces of the arcane flow through their bodies with more power than most mortals. While other mages are trained, sorcerers are born. Less versatile than other mages because of this, but can be extremely powerful in their own area of power. Source of power varies from individual to individual, but is most often a magical ancestor or exposure to wild magics at a young age, even before birth. Can be male or female.

>Warlocks
More ritualistic than even witches, warlocks derive their power from an immortal and extremely powerful patron. Something like a powerful demon, fey, or other magical entity. A bargain is struck between the warlock and the patron, with the patron granting the warlock great magical power in exchange for service. A patron can take the power away at a moment's notice, so warlocks are limited in their actions but still technically free. Can be male or female.

>magic from higher power
that's priest, warlock takes it from the power below

>Bards
Bends latent magic in themselves and the world around them into spells using the power of song. Wizards claim this to be a kind of intuitive version of what they accomplish with incantation and ritual, simply manipulating magic with precise sound waves. Bards claim it to be a kind of magic apart from that, something inherent to song itself in it's purest form. They are universally accomplished performers, and accomplish their magic through both intuitive improvisation and the careful study of musical theory. Can be male or female.
___________

>Priest
Catch-all term for divine spellcasters, though they are loathe to call their "miracles" spells. Includes clerics, paladins, druids, and rangers.

>Cleric
Most likely to actually be a priest in the regular sense of the word. A person who has devoted their life to the service of a god or pantheon of gods as a member of the clergy. They usually claim their power is only given to them by the gods, but some whisper that the power is actually within all mortals, ready to be accessed by only the strongest faith. Their spells usually take the form of prayers or declarations of divine supremacy. Can be male or female

>Paladin
A person of great faith who has sworn themselves to a lifetime of service for the gods as a warrior. Also claim to have been granted their power by the gods like clerics, but spend as much time in martial training as in prayer or meditation. Usually male, can be female.

>Druid
Worshipers of nature itself or nature spirits/forest gods. An ancient religion as old as the mortal races themselves. Claim to only be the living hands of nature, they seek harmony with it and will defend the sanctity of it to their last breath. They do not bend nature to their will, they bend their will until it matches the will of nature. Can be male or female.

>Ranger
Those who live among nature and are touched by it. They learned how to survive in wild places by fitting themselves into the natural order of those places. They learn to use natural forces and live in harmony with it. Herbalism, survival tricks, and an understanding of nature account for some of this, but their magic is found when they begin to manipulate some small parts of nature through their understanding of and connection with it.

dnd sucks

>wizard

Schools, memory, books.
Versatile in places of power (yes, I like that DW idea)
Generally socially accepted if feared

>socerer

Pact with whatever power.
Not really accepted, unless in some particuar cultures

>witch
Runs in the blood.
Most secretive of the bunch, can be feared or loved in equal part.

Suffer not the Witch to live.

>Court Wizard
>Burn the Witch
>Kill the evil Sorcerer

Wizards have a manly penis, witches have no penis, and sorcerers have feminine penises.

kys

You can build a bridge out of a witch!

witches specialize on cursing people

wizards specialize on the study of magic

sorcerers are either absurdly old and strong wizards or people who have a natural connection with magic and natural magic potential

A Witch is always female, relies on Witchcraft/Demonology and typically deals in rituals. A Warlock is the male counter-part.

A Sorcerer/Sorceress is more combat-focus, casting spells at a moments notice, and in general very skilled in casting magic overall. It's more of a compliment/status, than a role like Witch/Warlock/Wizard/Mage.

Wizard is always male (depends on setting, though if your setting is not retarded, it's always male). Wizards are more traditional, and sort of encompass all, in that they often attained their knowledge studying at some college of magic. In older tales/stories they also typically live in towers and are very hermit-like.

A Mage is more or less just any person that has learned any kind of magic.

Try me

Though she doesn't, in the end of the end ;_;

A witch is one who has gained power through making a deal or pact with a powerful entity (I.e. The classic one would be selling your soul to the devil)

The historical definition between a sorcerer and a wizard is vague at best, and the two words are practically interchangeable, though with the existence of DnD it would be safe to assume that a wizard is one who has gained power through study and practice and a sorcerer is one who is born with their power. Alternatively, you could claim that there is no practical difference, and sorcerer is just used to describe magic users that are presumed to be evil or are distrusted while a wizard is one who is presumed to be wise and beneficient (a Gandalf type).

Specifically in the LotR universe:

A wizard is a member of the 5 Istari, five Maiar (minor gods) who were given frail bodies and had their powers limited before being sent to assist Middle Earth in defeating Sauron. A sorcerer and a witch are used interchangeable ("The witch-King of Angmar, a powerful Sorcerer") along with other magical titles like Necromancer and Magi. There is probably some nuance in the LotR world to denote when to use the difference terms, like Magi referring to the Easterlings, but it's never defined.

I always thought Witch's and Warlocks were the same thing and the only diffrence was gender.

>Virgin
>Faggot
>Waifu

Simple as that.

Nah, Witch and Warlock are distinct. In our modern, Western society we've come to associate a very specific image with witches. Traditionally, across many cultures, a "witch" was generally just a social pariah who was believed to be the supernatural source of malady or unfortunate event(s). Depending on culture, it could be intentional and through ritual or it could be a subconsciously-willed power such as the "evil eye." In many ways, they were often functionally the same as a shaman, seer, or healer, just with ill-intent.

That said, I'm rather fond of settings wherein a "witch" is a bit of a pagan/nature-based occultist of old gods and the natural world, but more solitary than a shaman (which is more of a social role).

I also like the portrayal that they may be spread across the spectrum of good and evil. As though they are focused on various aspects of the physical and supernatural world, which may not necessarily align with typical human metrics. For example: perhaps a particular witch would have a specialty in death-magic, not because of nefarious intent, but because things naturally die and transform into other life.

wizards are sanctioned magic users, sorcerers are senior wizards who may or may not be sanctioned but are powerful enough to where no one bothers them unless they make a nuisance of themselves. Witchs are female unsanctioned wizards who tend to cavort with demons and forgotten pagan gods and are burned when they are discovered.

Rita Repulsa's daughter and her friends are real cuties.

>Good Mage
>Bad Mage
>Vagina Mage

In my setting, a wizard would be an old and wise person who has studied and mastered things like herbal lore and the craft of fire. A Sorcerer or Warlock would be someone who uses that same skill set for dark purposes, and the term Sorcery would also apply to any form of ancient magic or pretty much anything outside the speaker's understanding.

What are some things or even character archetypes you'd consider a wizard's natural enemy, Veeky Forums?

Warlocks get their powers from breaking taboos, oaths in particular.

Stairs

Curandero literally means "healer".
Not "(good) wizard".
>t. South American

Depends on the spelling.

>oral tradition
Now that's my kind of magic.

I heard your mother has an oral tradition user

In my time:

>Wizard
Gets magic by studying, channeling because it uses magic artifacts and formulas

"Is like a scientist, only that instead of science is magic"

> Sorcerer
Has magic naturally and can channel through sheer willpower,

"is basically a magical creature"

> Witch
Uses magic because it has some pact with a demon or other magical entity

"a employee that something with an agenda, usually something bad"

>Wizard

Literally means "wise man". In medieval times, this was a scholar, alchemist, or healer. By the Renaissance, the term would come specifically to refer to a theurgist, a man trying to discover secrets of magic from study of the occult, the Bible, Kabbalah, etc. In modern times, anthropologists use the term "wizard" (as distinct from shaman or witch) to refer to a position in certain tribal cultures exclusive to elderly men knowledgeable in making magic powders that induce curses.

>Witch

From Old English wicce, similar in meaning then as now—wise woman, magic-user—except that the word was originally either masculine (wicca) or feminine (wicce). The notion that witches were some kind of marginalized caste of pagan priestesses held over from an ancient Goddess religion is total bullshit made up in the 80s, which makes it even newer than other, similar bullshit like neo-paganism and neo-druidry. A witch, originally, was again just a learned herbalist and healer who probably mumbled prayers or spells while doing apothecary shit. Christianity portrayed them as devil-worshipers, leading to the popular images of black masses, brides of Satan, witches' familiars (demon-imps or small animals sucking blood from a witch's wart like a babe from a tit), and of course mass hysteria and burnings-at-stakes. Modern anthropologists use the word "witch" to refer to tribal wise women who make potions, especially love potions. Modern everyone else thinks of Margaret Hamilton and Sabrina and the Charmed Sisters.

>Warlock

From an Old English phrase meaning "oath breaker", hence an infidel—one who has sided with the devil rather than God. No relation at all to witches; definitely not a male witch. More appropriately means "devil worshiper" than "spell-caster", but came to mean "spell-caster" after the witch hysterias of the High Middle ages. From then forward it was conflated with both devil-worshiping witches (not a real thing) and wizards who studied diabolism (probably a real thing, seing as how books on diabolism survive from the Middle Ages).

>Sorcerer

Latin origin, means "lot-caster", i.e. a fortune-teller. Witchcraft wasn't lawful even in pre-Christian Rome, it's worth pointing out, because it undermined the state religion (never mind superstitious fear and persecution of overt fraud, same reason you don't see Miss Cleo commercials anymore). By the Middle Ages, the word "sorcerer" (French 'sorcier') had come to mean specifically a conjurer or summoner of spirits, so in the folkloric sense, that's what a sorcerer is: a summoner. Depending on your setting, either demons trapped in pentagrams on the floor, or lens flare animations of chocobos. Incidentally, "conjurer" doesn't specifically refer to the act of summoning a spirit; it refers to the act of commanding the spirit to do one's bidding: to "conjure" isn't to call or to make appear, it's to implore or demand.

Underrated post

one is a virgin, the others are not

best explanation in whole thread

In my language - absolutely none, they all translate to a single word.

This is part of the reason why I find classes in RPG such a bad idea - the moment you start translating the game, shit goes bonkers.

no
this is an underrated post

This is the true division of mages:

>Finger Wigglers
>Hand Wavers
>Blood Letters
>Cunning Linguists
>Devil Charmers
>Demon Wranglers
>Moon Dancers
>Tome Smoochers
>Wand Strokers
>Broom Riders
>Staff Bonkers
>Skeleton Whisperers
>Crystal Ball Fondlers
>Clerics

Best answers

Depends on setting.

Wizard learns it.
Sorcerer has it.
Witches get it.

>passive aggressive cunts

No difference, any distinctions are largely pointless.

One is a bitch, one is a arcane hermit, and one is a company that makes disappointing card games.

>literally most accurate answer
>frees up the imagination instead of becoming shackled down by pointless definitions and distinctions
>They must be passive aggressive!

Holy shit I never thought about this.

Now that I think about it, this is a logical consequence of becoming semantical about slang. Other languages could easily not have that many autists who care about that kind of bullshit.

Different user, but in my language there is absolutely ZERO difference between mage, sorcerer, wizard, warlock and whatever else there is, since they all translate to "(male) magic user". It goes similar for all sort of witches, sorceress and rest, BUT there is "(female) magic user" and "old (female) magic user", so at least hag is covered.
Then again, the same term is also used for old cat ladies, so go figure.

Oh, and if you need to call them good or bad, then there is no separate term for that, you just all "good" or "bad" before the word and that's all.

I'd say depend on the setting but that's how I would to it

>Wizard
Caster who memorised a shit load of spell all their life, their spells have various application and it can be very fast to cast by saying the right words and hand movement, a wand, a tome, a staff can allow them to ehance their spells. They are not necessarly weak concerning their physical ability, a wizard using big enchanted weapons or their own ehanced muscle is not unheard of

>Sorcerer
Very similar to those in Sword and Sorcery story, their magic is dangerous and require long ritual and preparation their magic allow them to summon outworldly creature, they better be prepared though, these monster are often treacherous and you better have counter measure against them if they plan on killing you later. Their studies are very long but these sorcery allow them to extend their life, they are often out of shape as they deemed that their sorceries compensate any physical issues

>Witch
Their magic is absolutly horrible and heretical to the eyes of the outsider, their magic is of human sacrifice, strange dancing in the middle of the wood and incomprehensible ritual. Baby often disappear when Witches are near. They are in touch with different side of Nature, decay, the hunt of weak prey (anyone who is not a witch) Their magic corrupt them, body and soul and they are hiding it pretty well,either by taking the appearance of animals (they even tend to replace some pets, as rumors spread people tends to kill dog and cat in fear of them being Witches) Other transform themselves into plain looking woman to fit in or beautiful women to lure men and experiment on them (and not in a lewd way, you don't want to be caught by a witch, they are not going to suck the lifeforce out of you by your penis)

>warlock
Tell me about it. In Polish it doesn't translate at all. You can have an equivalent for mage, sorceror, wizard maybe... but warlock literally doesn't translate.

At all.

Mostly because said territory is already covered by/with sorcerer. And like one of you already pointed out, this makes translating classes pain in the ass.

These posts are by far the most "accurate" (or at least best-informed) ones in the entire thread. I felt kinda sad seeing them not being even acknowledged as they really actually tell almost everything you should ever need to know if you are interested in how these words have been used and where do they come from.

I'd just add one more thing that they did not stress out, which is the fact that A) they are merely conventions with certain history, which makes them not RULES, just more of historical anecdotes, and B) they are not mutually exclusive.

A lot of threads like this often come with a hidden, implied assumption that these categories must be somehow exclusive to each other, which is why the differences matter to people so much. This is actually just a left-over from game-system conventions, which need clarity.
In reality, of course, their meanings largely overlap, meaning that one can be considered member of several of these categories at the same time. They are also not enforced by any kind of authority.

Cheers to who ever took the time to type it out, have a slavic magical amulet.

the wood you burn them on.

>A lot of threads like this often come with a hidden, implied assumption that these categories must be somehow exclusive to each other
Maybe, just maybe that's because it's how a class-based TTRPG works? You know, where Class A and Class B are two separate things?

Giving a non-answer is passive aggressive.

Stop being a passive aggressive cunt. If you don't know the answer then don't answer.

This got me thinking how many words does my language have for this kind of thing. I'm Czech by the way.
As far as I can tell, the closest idea to Warlock we have is
>Černokněžník
Which literally translates to "black priest-like". Interesting that the word kněz from which the kněžník comes is used for priests, but it was borrowed from old german "kuningaz", which meant "the ruler of a family", and it's related to "king".

Anyway, "Černokněžník" is the only Czech word for magic user that is by definition tied to purely negative connotations, and the "priest" aspect of it makes it very close to the notion of someone who breaks an oath, who does the opposite of what he is supposed to do.

The association with black is probably related to the fact that old classic slavic folk magic is strictly divided into black and white magic, where black is always causing harm of some sort.

The other words we have (mág/magus, kouzelník, čaroděj) are not differenciated by connotations or particular etymological history. The only other word I can think off is "zaklínač", which means "somebody who uses curses or magical words", but it really changed meaning once it was used as a Czech translation of the word "Wiedzmin" from Sapkowsky's novels. It has a different version, "zaříkávač" (same meaning, more or less), though more associated with people who can command animals (zaříkávač koní is Czech translation for Horse whisperer, for an example).

Can a male be a witch?

Of course xe can. I mean, gender is just in your mind anyway!

That was a joke, PLEASE don't turn this into actual political shitstorm.
As far as I know, the word has been used for both males and females historically.
But in modern uses most people will automatically associate it with female magic users. So if you want to use it as gender-neutral concept, you'll probably have to first explain that to your audience (players) and maybe remind them a few times, otherwise they will just be confused.
In the end it just boils down to simple communication and agreements or deals you do with your audience. Nothing else really matters.

I think there is one fantasy author that does this, by the way. In his stories, based on older english language conventions, the word witch is used for both females and males. I forgot his name though.

>Wizard
Magic through study. May be bolstered by natural talent.
>Sorcerer
Innate magic. Mainly improved through practice, and to a degree by study. The principles of magic studied by a wizard are not the same as those that will improve a sorcerer's performance.
>Witch
A bastardized mix of the above two, as well as any other magic that they can uncover. Exact techniques are highly variable and depend on what coven the witch's teaching is derived from, but often puts a heavy emphasis on working with spirits and herbalism.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giles_Corey

If you're so worried about provoking a reaction, why even make that painfully unfunny joke at all? Your spoiler should have just been your post

Witch
>vyt ch
>vav yod tav chet
>stop deed seal separation
witches keep us seperated from what's holy
>Seduction

Wizard
>vyzrd
>vav yod zayin resh dalet
>stop deed cut head path
wizards deceive us away from the truth
>Illusion

Sorcerer
>shrs"rvr
>shin resh samekh ayin resh vav resh
>destroy head protect understanding head stop head
sorcerers manipulate to ones own destruction by keeping us from the truth
>Deception

Sage
>s'g
>samekh aleph gimel
>protect bull(adoni) walk/movement
sages protect the path to the first (God)
>Guidance towards Truth
>Right Hand

Mage
>m'g
>mem aleph gimel
>chaos/water/spirit bull(adoni) walk/movement
mages follow the path of chaos
>Followers of Chaos
>Left Hand
Warlock
war lock
>vrlk
>vav resh lamed kaph
>stop head guide power
warlocks keep us (away) from our spiritual guide, leading us to bad decisions/conflict.
>Lies

>but user, where do you get these words/definitions from, surely you're not full of shit, are you user?
no my friend, i am not a lying to you, for you see, the Juden, they have a predesposition to follow the schollarly fields, and since their exile from their homelands, they've traveled throughout the world, making their way up the social ladder in whatever nations the inhabit and influenced the language.

Using their own alphabet and history of their people, they've influenced the words that would be developed.

for further research, google Ancient Hebrew and the meaning of the letters.

here's a pic outlining a small amount of the letters meanings.

there's more than this, but this is just to give all of you anons a taste.

>aleph=air
>shin=fire
>mem=water
>nun=...earth?

It's worth noting that the association between sorcerers and innate magic comes purely from D&D 3e. It's not even an old-fashioned D&D thing. It exists only because the designers of 3.5e wanted to experiment with alternate magic systems (people had been complaining about Vancian magic since forever) and they needed a name to shove on their alt-wizard. "Sorcerer" wasn't being used for anything else so here we are.

One can be good or evil. The other two are always evil.

This is really amusing.
That said.
>aleph=air
It also means "origin", "begining", "the oneness of God" and "absolution". Also "life". It's the letter used on the shem that revived the Golem, and it's the first letter of the words "truth" and sentence "I am who I am". In fact there is an entire folklore tradition that the only reason why Tanakh does not start with Aleph was that because in absolution, humility has place, and that is why Aleph had allowed Bet to come in first. In Math it represents the number of elements in an infinite set (sounds confusing?) and Borges uses it to describe a point from which you can see all other points in the universe.

So your interpretation might be a little shallow there.

A wizard is a man of wisdom who knows things the common man does not, and is not meant to know.

A sorcerer is a man of reckless disposition who knows things the common man does not, and is not meant to know.

A witch is someone who has sold their soul to something terrible for power.

>non-answer
>literally answers the question

Or do you believe that asking a question forces someone to say only a few, specific answers?

This makes a lot of sense. Even in English the different words were used pretty interchangeably back in the day. Only through the massive popularity of fantasy shit do you get neckbeards being to fiddly with the names and wanting specific definitions for each one.

I imagine english speaking countries have an innate desire to exterminate synonyms.

If you are going to be a faggot, why post at all?

Wizards get magic from years of study, Sorcerers get magic innately (though can refine it through study and/or practice)

Witches vary from setting to setting, and are sometimes warlocks

Warlock is also non-gendered, as anyone can be a betrayer. Since it was usually a case of a clergyman betraying his oaths to god, it is associated with males, but a coven-breaking witch who is female would also be counted as a warlock.

TBF in most traditional cultures that distinction is a fuzzy one. If you don't have clear boundaries between your science / magic / medicine / religion, then by extension your Old Wise People are also going to see some overlap. The words that usually get translated to english as "medicine man" or "shaman" also typically implied the person in question was a healer. "Curandero" might have no metaphysical connotation today, but if you rewind to a time when people though ANY disease was caused by a evil spellcaster or spirit, it's a different story.

>Maybe, just maybe that's because it's how a class-based TTRPG works? You know, where Class A and Class B are two separate things?
Yes, we get it. Class-based RPG's are stupid. We know. You've reduced this proverbial dead horse to a ragged proverbial skeleton at this point, barely held together by its proverbial ligaments and sinew. Is it really necessary to keep beating it?