Divine Magic

"Ours is the truest magic, for we have been granted the blessing of will: to think, and to have those thoughts imprinted upon reality."

Of the Quadrilunarum, divine magic is the rarest and most mystical. In divine magic, mortals are granted the smallest fraction of true Divinity: the ability to have one's own thoughts and will manipulate the lunar-arcane directly. There is little science to divine magic compared to arcane magic, and the chaos of the lunar-arcane is rarely embraced like it is in occult or elemental magic. There is only one's blessing to unlock divine magic and one's willpower to enact it.

The Foundations of Divine Magic: Willpower and Blessing

Unlike the other magics of the Quadrilunarum, divine magic must be accessed through a blessing. Divine magic is then enacted by force of will: a caster exerts their thoughts and emotions onto the lunar-arcane and, if they have the strength, pulls forth the effects of a spell.

How Divine Magic is Gained and Furthered

Divine magic can only be attained by a blessing of some kind. These blessings tend to come from three avenues:

• A god-spirit or divine servant grants one divine magic in a relationship of give and take, typically through religious servitude.
• A powerful artifact or location blesses one with a surge of power, granting access to divine magic.
• A non-divine but extremely powerful entity, like the Lesser Idols, gives the caster divine magic in a pact or boon.

A blessing can be revoked or lost for countless reasons, and almost every single divine caster's relationship to divine magic is unique in some way. And, since many blessings can come from non-divine entities, artifacts, or places, it's important to note that divine magic was given its name for two main reasons: it functions like a mortal version of the gods' Divinity, and most societies and people think of divine magic as solely connected to the gods, despite the reality being otherwise.
Once a blessing is gained, divine magic is then furthered through the growth of the caster and/or the increase of their relationship to the blessing-giver. Divine magic takes one's own mental and physical energy, so the caster can learn the best ways to apply their will and create spells without draining themselves too greatly. They can also grow more comfortable and confident in imparting their will upon the lunar-arcane, creating greater and more varied spells. Then, if the caster has a relationship with their blessing-giver, the giver may grant greater power and a more potent connection to the lunar-arcane; while this cannot make up wholly for a caster's own growth (and is typically on loan), it can create huge temporary boosts in magical ability.

Divine Spellcraft

"Spellcraft" is a loose term for divine magic, as there are very few formal spells in a magic that is all about raw thought and will. Some of the most broad spells have been written about, and the direction of will needed to cast them can be taught. Healing a wound can be broadly taught: how to stitch the wound together magically and repair the skin. But one cannot be taught all the different ways to heal with divine magic, as they must discover how their own thoughts and feelings must be guided towards healing.

Divine Magic: Canon vs. TTRPG Gameplay

Divine magic, in canon, does not require components. This is for my writing; in most TTRPGs like Pathfinder or D&D, divine casters still require components for the sake of balance. Also, while I say divine magic has few formal spells, that would also have to be hand-waved in TTRPGs.

The Limits and Costs of Divine Magic

The single largest limit to divine magic is the barrier to entry: the blessing. Gaining a blessing is an act of one part talent, one part willpower, and one hundred parts luck. Then, depending on the nature of the blessing and its giver, there's the question of keeping one's blessing; lose the blessing, lose the magic.
The only other limit is one's own force of will. Divine magic can be intensely costly on the caster's mind and body; enacting miracles is no small task. It is not uncommon for a divine caster to work a spell and find the effects of their intentions are far more energy-intensive than originally planned. Luckily, unlike arcane magic, a divine caster can cut off their flow of energy into a spell because they directly imprint upon the lunar-arcane, whereas arcane magic needs a medium and can rarely be stopped once it's started. Thus, the cost of divine magic (one's own willpower and energy) is also one of its limits, and the more practice one has with imparting their will on the lunar-arcane and casting spells, the better they become at creating more specific and more powerful spells. The key to growing one's ability in divine magic is learning the most precise ways to imprint their will on the lunar-arcane; thinking "heal this person's body" could involve a lot more than "close and repair this wound," and the application of one's intention is even more complex than just thinking the thing.