Divine spellcasters prepare their spells in largely the same manner as arcane spellcasters do, but with a few differences. The relevant ability for divine spells is typically Wisdom. To prepare a divine spell, a character must have a minimum spellcasting ability score of 10 + the spell’s level. Likewise, bonus spells are based on their primary spellcasting ability, usually Wisdom.
Requirements
Time of Day
A divine spellcaster chooses and prepares spells ahead of time, just as a wizard does. However, a divine spellcaster does not require a period of rest to prepare spells. Instead, the character chooses a particular part of the day to pray and receive spells. The time is usually associated with some daily event—such as the rising of the sun for member of the Church of Light. If some event prevents a character from praying at the proper time, he must do so as soon as possible. If the character does not stop to pray for spells at the first opportunity, he must wait until the next day to prepare spells.
Spell Access
For most divine spellcasters, access to divine spells is limited by her class level as shown on the Spell Access table for her class. When preparing spells for the day, she may choose to prepare only spells to which she has access. While a divine spellcaster can access any spell on her class list, she can only prepare those she has accessed. This functions somewhat similarly to both a wizard’s spellbook—she has a limited list of spells available and she must prepare spells selected from this list.
Unlike a spellbook, however, a divine spellcaster may change the spells she has accessed. She may choose to conduct a ritual during her daily meditation to replace one of her accessed spells with a new spell from her class spell list. In effect, she “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. This process doesn’t cost the spellcaster anything but the time it takes to conduct the ritual.
Spell Selection and Preparation
A divine spellcaster selects and prepares spells ahead of time through prayer and meditation at a particular time of day. The time required to prepare spells is 1 hour and requires a relatively peaceful environment. A divine spellcaster does not have to prepare all her spells at once. However, the character’s mind is considered fresh only during her first daily spell preparation, so a divine spellcaster cannot fill a slot that is empty because she has cast a spell or abandoned a previously prepared spell. Divine spellcasters do not typically require spellbooks; however, such a character’s spell selection is limited to the spells she has accessed.
Domains
The cleric and mystic classes, among others, also have access to divine domains determined during character creation. Each domain gives the spellcaster access to a domain spell at each spell level from 1st to 9th as well as a special granted power. With access to two domain spells at each spell level—one from each of her two domains—a cleric must prepare one or the other each day for each level of spell she can cast. If a domain spell is not on her class spell list, it can be prepared only in a domain spell slot.
Domain spells are always considered accessed and is thus available to be prepared, but they do not count against the maximum number of spells a character can access.
Spell Slots
The character class tables show how many spells of each level a character can cast per day. These openings for daily spells are called spell slots. A spellcaster always has the option to fill a higher-level spell slot with a lower level spell. A spellcaster who lacks a high enough ability score to cast spells that would otherwise be his or her due still gets the slots but must fill them with spells of lower level.
Recent Casting Limit
At the time of preparation any spells cast within the previous 8 hours count against the number of spells that can be prepared.
New Divine Spells
Divine spellcasters most frequently gain new spells in one of the following two ways.
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, he or she learns new spells from that level automatically.
Independent Research
A divine spellcaster also can research a spell independently, just as an arcane spellcaster can. Only the creator of such a spell can prepare and cast it, unless he decides to share it with others.
Limitations of Research
Most divine spellcasters know all spells on their spell list but can access only a small number of them. They have a very limited ability to add additional spells to their list. Because of this, a divine spellcaster is always treated as a spontaneous spellcaster for determining the maximum number of spells she can research.
A divine spellcaster with limited spell access is considered to have access to any spell she successfully researches. These accessed spells do not count against her normal spell access limits; however, a divine spellcaster cannot access more researched spells of a spell level than her normal spell access for that level. If she has researched more spells of a level than she can access, the spellcaster may exchange one of her researched spells when she changes her normal spell access.
For example, a 4th-level Ranger can access two 1st-level spells. If she researches three 1st-level spells, she may only access two of them in addition to the two spells she can normally access. Once per week, the ranger could exchange one of her two researched spells for the third researched spell at the same time that she exchanges her normally accessed spells.
Divine spellcasters that cast spells spontaneously and have limited spells known function exactly the same as spontaneous arcane spellcasters for researching spells.