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What's your idea of a magic-user? What form of skills should they know?

I want to read everyone's basic opinion on what a witch / magic-user / mage is. 8D Because I'm interested to know. [And I'm involving them in my story]

Note: I classified a magic-user as a witch as well as a mage because they mean the same to me. Do they mean the same to you? Why not?

To me, the term 'witch' implies evil. 'Mage' isn't so connotative about alignment.

I'm not sure I understand your main question, though. Obviously, a magic-user is someone who uses magic.
If you want ideas for skills a mage might possess, we might need to know a bit more about the magic system in your story. If you don't have a magic system, stop right now and get one. How does magic work? You can't expect readers to be content when you say 'The mage said 'Abracadabra' and POOF! The rabbit was gone.'

Is magic based on nature and the elements? Well, your magic-users will be adept at creating fire or changing the wind.
Is magic based on the powers of the mind? You might have telekinesis, levitation etc.

The possibilities are basically endless. Animal totemism, illusory magic, maybe all of the above. But the magic system you set up should be central to the role of your magicians. As far as I know, the only time when a system isn't necessary is when magic is a mysterious force practised only by a very few. An example of this is Arthurian legend - Merlin never explained (or at least, never in the stories that I read) the way magic worked. He just knew how to cast enchantments and spells, and they always worked.

Hm... Okay, magic-user....

Well, the term witch, applies, to me, to a magic user who is more about subtle magics, like divination, making potions. Her spells are rhyming verses, and she doesn't usually require complicated rituals to do her work. She has spells to heal, and spells to give people boils, and a powerful witch might even have the power to make someone think they're a frog, if not make them a frog.

A mage is more showy, she might be able to shoot fireballs or lightning from her hand. Or, she might be a magic-user who uses complicated ceremonial magics, maybe calling on demons or angels to accomplish her goals.

That's what I think when I see the terms, I don't think of either as inherently evil.

If you feel like reading up abit on D&D I recomend the players handbbok, complete arcane, complete book of necromantic spells, complete divine, complete psiconic, dragon magic, psiconics handbook, masters of the wild - a druids grove, secret college of necromancy, spell compendium, sword and sorcery - relics and rituals. (yes it's a long list but belive me you do not want to read through every single D&D handbook out there), just make sure you read and get inspierd, try to not copy to much. razz

Anyway I tend to see a few different magic types.

Witch - Not so much a magic user as someone who has knowledge about herbs and nature and can make brews with various effects.

Mage - I see mage and wizard as the same thing more or less. Spellbooks, complicated incantations, scrolls and spellcomponents that they work with, (wand optional xP)

Druid - Can shapeshift some, in tune with nature and can use nature to his/her advantage with the help of minor spells and enchantments.

Elementalist (or whatever you want to call it..) - Works with the elements (I'll leave you to decide which ones.. I prefer the classic 4). They can't work outside their element and usually aren't as strong as wizards but on the other hand dosn't need spell components and usually not spells or incantations either.

Anyway thats just from the top of my head, pretty generic high fantasy stuff more or less, but yhea I hope it helps.

PS: Just make sure you don't overpower your magic users, make sure you put some limits on them, either physically on the magic user (there is only so much the body can take before the magic user collapses) or on the world and magic system itself. But they need limits, a magic user without limits is basiclly a god (if he/she can do anything) and thats no fun.

Just anybody who makes use of magic, however you define magic in your particular set-up. Witch and mage might as well be interchangeable, but they do bring to mind different ideas. (A witch suggests an old woman who knows folk lore and herbalism, operating in her cottage. A mage suggests an academic studying magic, or someone capable of working hugely powerful spells.)

In my set-up, magic is an everyday part of life, and most people use little spells to get by. (Though anything above the most basic of tricks is heavily regulated by the government and you have to fill out a thicket of forms to do anything serious.)
But that's just how it is for my writing. Every world where there's magic operates it according to different laws, and different fictional cultures address it in different ways.