Mages: Wizards, Sorcerers, Warlocks or other?

Well, since their abilities are innate, that’s one point in the Sorceror column. However, sorcerers in D&D have draconic heritage, which mages in Dragon Age don’t have (unless they’re Qunari … maybe). Plus, they have to study how to use their gifts, so I would say they lean more towards being Wizards.

The only mage that would truly count as a witch/warlock is a blood mage, and that’s only if they got their magic via a deal with a demon or some other higher power (cough cough Flemeth cough cough).

Of course, given how all magic comes from the Fade, which is a psychic dimension, you could also make the argument that DA mages are actually psionics flavoured with a dash of wizard.

The mages do not really approximate to any of the magical classes in D&D. This is because they have never really clarified what exactly is the difference between one source of magic and another in terms of where they derive their power but all seem to have natural ability to a greater or lesser degree and you do not need a spell book to do magic. Instruction seems merely useful in helping defend the mind against demon possession and making the individual aware of the possibilities open to them. So they are really Sorcerers, at least if they are deriving their power from the Fade.*

There are different ways in which mages draw their power. This was mentioned in discussions between Solas and Vivienne in DAI. She remarked how Corypheus was drawing from 3 sources of magic: his own; the Blight and the orb (elven). The Last Flight also seemed to suggest that there are 3 different places from which magical beings can draw their power: the Fade, blood magic and (presumably) the Void or the Blight itself, seeing as the Archdemon appeared to draw its power from somewhere other than the Fade. There is some sort of cross-over as well seeing as we now know that lyrium is actually organic and derives from the blood of titans, whilst red lyrium is tainted with the blight. So in some ways, if you are using lyrium, normal or red, to augment your natural mana, it is really all just blood magic.

So I will be happy if they can finally explain how these alternative power sources to the Fade work, particularly blood magic. Does it require a deal with a demon or not? Does the sacrificial element just refer to the fact that you are giving up one source of energy, the life force of blood, in order to acquire another? If so, how does that work? If not, and the demon pact is essential, is the blood some sort of sacrificial offering to them? Surely the spirit/demon is in the Fade though, so why is it apparent to another mage that you are not drawing your power from there? Why does blood magic thin the Veil and make it easier for demons or morals to pass through it, yet Solas says it interferes with his connection to the Fade? Why is the Veil thinner in places where there have been prolonged levels of magical activity or a very large concentration of it (such as a magical explosion)? Why did Solas suggest that the explosion at the Temple of Sacred Ashes may have been what caused the red lyrium to be present there?

*EDIT: Of course in addition to everything else there are the Spirit Healers who are definitely said to be aided by benign spirits of the Fade but how exactly is that power channeled?  Not to mention Seekers who are not even mages and yet have powers granted by a spirit that seem magical in nature.   Some Seekers have the ability to ignite the lyrium in the blood of a mage in much the same way that a blood mage can boil the blood of their victims, which suggests both are using a similar source of power.

The other difference in D&D is of course that gods can grant power to their faithful.   The only similar thing in Thedas is the beliefs of the Avvar (and possibly also Rivain) but that is only because they recognise the fact that their "gods" are simply spirits of the Fade, so really obtaining power in much the same way as a spirit healer I presume.   The Old Gods taught humans magical theory but I don't think they granted power in any way different to that of the Avvar.

What about Spirit Warriors? Or Seekers? Or whatever Valta became at the end of the Decent DLC? I guess those guys would be closer to Warlocks/Clerics since they typically derive their power from what they perceive as a 'god'.

And what about Templar abilities? They can call it whatever they want due to religious dogma, but at the end of the day I'd argue they use a form of magic derived from lyrium (or the Maker, if the Chantry is to be believed). It's just that, much like Blight magic, their magic doesn't originate from the fade.