How does spellstudy work for divine casters?

[VarisianViscount]

I'm not asking about the mechanics, as those are clear: spend time and money, pass a check (and convince your GM), and you get to add a spell to your spell list. I'm asking about the flavor/lore implications.

An arcane or psychic caster studying a spell they don't normally have access to is pretty straightforward: they have learned the incantation, movement, and energy pattern necessary to create the desired effect. There's no further discussion to it, as their magic is created by their own effort/will.

A divine caster, on the other hand, asks some being/thing other than themself for magic, and gets all the spells their source is willing (or able) to give. They still need to know that a certain spell exists to ask for that particular spell (duh), but that's about it. In theory, no matter how much they study incantations, movements, and energy patterns, if their source of magic says 'no', then it means 'no'.

Still, some cases make sense: Lore shamans getting wizard spells or feyspeaker druids (presumably) drawing upon the First World to gain some enchantment and/or illusion spells. However, halcyon druids (the druid archetype counterpart to the Magaambyan Arcanist prestige class) somehow add wizard spells to their spell list simply through association with a wizard academy that studies druidic magic.

One interesting spell in that regard is the druid-exclusive cyclic reincarnation, which was created by Old-Mage Jatembe, a WIZARD that studied druidic and clerical magic (hence why the spell appears to be a mix of reincarnate and resurrection). As such, the spell should be a wizard spell (if only on Jatembe's spell list), but somehow druids caught wind of the spell (likely the halcyon circle mentioned above) and “reverse engineered” it, so to speak.

I just can't wrap my head around, say, a Cleric 5/Pathfinder Savant 3 knowing – and being allowed to cast, for that matter – two spells that their deity doesn't see fit to grant to all its other clerics as well.

[Dave Justus]

One could suppose that having greater understanding of both the fundamentals of magical theory and also their deity/natural world/source of magic inspires/allows the deity or whatever to allow them spells that are not normally allowed.

This would suppose that in theory a God could grant any magic they wanted, but for ineffable reasons of their own they limit that ability for most followers. Since we know that the Gods do have some limits pertaining to agreements or whatever with other Gods that isn't an impossible assumption. They also might have other reasons of their own as well of course, and laws of the universe that pertain to them that we don't know anything about.

[deuxhero]

You research your religious texts/teachings for more obscure miracles (spells) done by heroes of your faith and ask for those powers. Everyone knows about Enhance Water/Ferment/Rotgut/Tears to Wine, Water Walking, Remove Disease, Raise Dead and Regeneration but how many remember that time a pair of bears were summoned to maul a bunch of bandits (Summon Nature's Ally V)?

Alternatively the character isn't granted the spells he wants 100% directly. The caster still has to learn how to work their powers and what they can do. Under this idea the deity is just giving the worshiper a chemistry kit instead of a grenade.

[Agénor]

From the Core Rulebook, in the Magic chapter, the section relative to divine spellcasting:

Quote:

Spells Gained at a New Level:

Characters who can cast divine spells undertake a certain amount of study between adventures. Each time such a character receives a new level of divine spells, she learns all of the spells from that level automatically.

Independent Research:
A divine spellcaster can also research a spell independently, much as an arcane spellcaster can. Only the creator of such a spell can prepare and cast it, unless she decides to share it with others.

Divine spellcasters know their spells just like arcane ones, much like someone without the ability to cast them would, it is magic theory. The power to cast them is what is granted by divinity.

[Derek Vande Brake]

I'm a fan of using soup as a metaphor for spellcasting. Some (wizards) buy all the ingredients at a store and cook it from scratch. Some (alchemists) buy a can and microwave it. Some (clerics) go to someone else's house and have them make it. Regardless they all get soup in the end.

A cleric creating a spell is like going to someone else's house and making it yourself. You put in the knowledge and work but you are using their kitchen and ingredients.

[Rednal]

I've had to say something similar in a recent game. XD My Cleric has no idea how their magic actually works - when asked, they just kind of shrug and say it's a gift from their deity. That's the explanation for the limits on casting, too. "I can only use what I'm given. I don't know why the limits are what they are."

[Meirril]

Once upon a time D&D said that Clerics get their spells delivered to them from a deity, through intermediary beings, to the cleric. That...probably doesn't work anymore.

There is a more fundamental break than a follower knowing a spell that other followers don't receive. A follower can know a better version of the same spell. How exactly do you explain that cleric A knows Quickened Breath of Life, while cleric B can cast Breath of Life, but has no ability to Quicken it? Because cleric A has a feat that cleric B does not.

Spontaneous Divine casters are another huge stumbling block for this whole idea of spells coming from Divine beings. Oracles know what they know. Even though they have a direct line to the Gods...no ability to change spells even if they get a prophecy that says a different spell would be really good for this.

Pathfinder is totally devoid of that old concept. Instead at a certain time determined by the Gods each divine caster gets divine energy flooded in their bodies and each caster has to change it into their spells for the day. Clerics and Druids channel them into spells they are aware of, and can use feats they have gained access to. Oracles are more static in what they can accomplish, but have a pool of energy they can channel their divine knowledge into. Everyone else follows one of these 2 basic models.