Board Thread:Dark Souls II/@comment-25153660-20140709082811/@comment-5264386-20140709102058

Sorcerers (aka "mages") have access to a spell class which has a diverse range of effects, from damaging opponents (such as Soul Arrow) to lighting up a dark area (Cast Light). As a result, sorceries are a much more all-rounder magic class, and are great for getting used to casting spells.

In contrast to this, Clerics are much more support-orientated, in that most miracles are used to buff or heal the player or other friendly players. There are also only eight miracles in Dark Souls II that cause direct damage to an opponent (I excluded Force, since that only knocks enemies back). These miracles do tend to be quite strong, though.

Now, onto the casting implements. All Sorceries are cast with a staff, as you already know, but Miracles are cast using Sacred Chimes. There's not really a great difference in the amount of cast speed between the two casting tool varieties in the early game; the main difference comes from your Attunement level. In the late game, chimes tend to be slightly faster than staves.

Anyway, hope this helps you in some way! :)