Dark Souls II: The Thread, AND the Game!

[Tome]

>SNIP<

The lack of pause is part of the multiplayer aspect. You can, however, save and quit pretty much whenever you like and then resume playing exactly where you were when you left off. It's what I do if I need to pause.

There is someone you can sell things to. You meet him after the bells are rung.

Magic use doesn't really tie in to your armour choice (beyond certain pieces of headgear). However mages are ranged combatants and thus generally prefer lighter armour for the mobility. Robes also tend to have good status and magic resistances, which will be the main hazards to you in certain areas.

Not terribly important. It's a good idea to buy it eventually, but the blacksmiths can repair your stuff easily enough and durability tends to be a non-issue for casters.

As you've surmised, Intelligence followed by enough Attunement to give you a comfortable number of slots. Then you want Vitality and Endurance. Beyond that? You might want to meet the minimums for whatever melee weapon you favour. Dexterity has a (slight) effect on your casting speed.

To learn most spells you must find NPCs to teach you them.

Spoiler: Where to look for them

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The first sorcery trainer is locked in a house in the lower Undead Berg. You'll need the Residence Key to free him, it's sold by a merchant you've probably already met. The first pyromancy trainer is found in a sewer area near to some butchers. In both cases be careful not to hit them with your weapon and be aware that you break crates and pots by rolling into them. You'll meet both of them soon.

There's a blacksmith who sells a few spells who you can get to already. Go down the stairs in firelink next to the depressed guy in chainmail, past the mute lady in the cell and you'll find an elevator. Go down that you'll be in a dark place with a cliff edge nearby and some hard to notice stairs running along it. Go down them and in a cell built into the side of the cliff is a blacksmith. He has some spells for sale.

Pyromancy doesn't scale with your stats, as you have noticed, but rather it scales with your Pyromancy Flame which can be upgraded by the pyromancy trainers.

The second sorcery trainer is in a fortress filled with traps, later moving to a library, and the second pyromancy trainer is in a swamp. Another sorcery trainer can be found in a forested area, near a lake.