Evocation • Divine Battle Blessing
Divine Power
Divine Power fills a warrior-priest with the might to stand in the foremost ranks. In Pathfinder 1e, the spell grants a growing luck bonus, temporary hit points and an additional full-attack strike. In D&D 3.5e, it instead raises the caster’s base attack bonus to their character level, grants +6 Strength and adds temporary hit points. It does not use these mechanics in fifth edition.
Divine Power at a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | No spell with this name in SRD 5.2.1; no direct conversion provided |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | No spell with this name in the 2014 core rules |
| Pathfinder 1e | Evocation, Cleric 4: +1 luck bonus per 3 caster levels (maximum +6); 1 temporary hp per level; one extra full-attack strike |
| D&D 3.5e | Evocation, Cleric 4, War domain 4: base attack bonus equals character level; +6 enhancement to Strength; 1 temporary hp per level |
Legacy quick facts: Personal range; 1 standard action; V, S, DF; duration 1 round per caster level. Pathfinder’s extra attack does not stack with the extra attack from Haste or a speed weapon. This spell is not automatically on a Witch spell list in either legacy edition.
Spell Rules
Divine Power — 5.5e / 2024
Status: Divine Power is not a named spell in SRD 5.2.1. Do not import the legacy base-attack, Strength or extra-attack mechanics into 5.5e.
Divine Power — 5e / 2014
Status: Divine Power is not a named core 2014 spell. Use the edition’s own combat buffs.
Divine Power — Pathfinder 1e
Cleric 4 (also available through the War domain where applicable). Pathfinder 1e spell source.
| School | evocation |
|---|---|
| Level | cleric 4 |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Components | V, S, DF |
| Range | personal |
| Target | you |
| Duration | 1 round/level |
Calling upon the divine power of your patron, you imbue yourself with strength and skill in combat. You gain a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, Strength checks, and Strength-based skill checks for every three caster levels you have (maximum +6). You also gain 1 temporary hit point per caster level. Whenever you make a full-attack action, you can make an additional attack at your full base attack bonus, plus any appropriate modifiers. This additional attack is not cumulative with similar effects, such as haste or weapons with the speed special ability.
Divine Power — D&D 3.5e
Cleric 4 and War domain 4. D&D 3.5e SRD spell source.
| School | Evocation |
|---|---|
| Level | Clr 4, War 4 |
| Components | V, S, DF |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Range | Personal |
| Target | You |
| Duration | 1 round/level |
Calling upon the divine power of your patron, you imbue yourself with strength and skill in combat. Your base attack bonus becomes equal to your character level (which may give you additional attacks), you gain a +6 enhancement bonus to Strength, and you gain 1 temporary hit point per caster level.
What Changed?
- Pathfinder 1e: +1 luck bonus per three caster levels (maximum +6), temporary hit points, and one extra full-attack strike that does not stack with Haste or a speed weapon.
- D&D 3.5e: base attack bonus becomes character level; +6 enhancement to Strength and temporary hit points replace Pathfinder’s luck/extra-strike framework.
- 5.5e / 2024 and 5e / 2014: this spell is not part of the named core spell lists, so no unsupported conversion has been introduced.
- Witch eligibility: neither legacy core spell list automatically makes Divine Power a Witch spell; the Games Master must authorize any non-core access.
Using Divine Power in Play
Divine Power is a short-duration self-buff for a spellcaster entering weapon combat. Cast it immediately before a decisive melee rather than spending its rounds while travelling or negotiating.
Related Magic
Haste — important Pathfinder extra-attack non-stacking rule · Divine Favor — another short-lived martial blessing · Athena’s Blessing — thematically related magic · Divination — a different form of divine magic
Worked Example: Blessing Before the Charge
Pathfinder 1e, caster level 9: a cleric casts Divine Power as a standard action. For the next 9 rounds, the cleric gains a +3 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, Strength checks and Strength-based skill checks (one point per three caster levels), plus 9 temporary hit points. When making a full-attack action, the cleric may make one extra attack at the full base attack bonus, with appropriate modifiers. That extra strike does not stack with Haste’s additional strike or a speed weapon’s extra attack.
D&D 3.5e, a single-class 9th-level cleric: a cleric who ordinarily has base attack bonus +6/+1 instead uses +9/+4 while the spell lasts. The spell also gives +6 enhancement to Strength (usually +3 to the Strength modifier if the character has no competing enhancement bonus), 9 temporary hit points and a 9-round duration. The 3.5e effect does not grant Pathfinder’s scaling luck bonus or a separately specified extra strike.
Counterplay and Rulings
- Casting: the spell targets the caster only; it does not empower a companion or an entire army.
- Duration: one round per caster level. Count rounds during preparation and movement as well as during the fight.
- Pathfinder stacking: the extra full-attack strike cannot combine with an extra strike from Haste or a speed weapon. Luck bonuses follow the edition’s stacking rules.
- D&D 3.5e stacking: the +6 Strength is an enhancement bonus; it does not add to an existing enhancement bonus to Strength. Base attack bonus becomes character level, not caster level.
- Dispelling: an enemy capable of dispelling an active magical effect can remove Divine Power under the chosen edition’s rules.
- Edition boundary: fifth edition does not gain base attack bonus, 3.5e’s Strength bonus or Pathfinder’s extra full-attack strike simply because another buff has a similar theme.
Mythical Context
In Book 5 of Homer’s Iliad, Athena grants Diomedes exceptional courage and martial power. A radiance shines from his helm and shield as he drives into the Trojan ranks, and the goddess later restores his confidence and strength. The scene provides a classical model for a warrior receiving a patron’s blessing in battle. It is a mythological parallel, not a source of spell bonuses or a claim that the ancient Greeks used these rules.
Historical Context
A Romano-British limestone altar excavated at Kings Stanley depicts a warrior deity, probably Mars, holding a spear and shield. The surviving carved object records the presence of martial divine imagery in Roman Britain. Worshippers sought protection and favour from war deities, but the archaeological record does not establish that strength, attacks or endurance were supernaturally increased.
British Museum: Romano-British altar, probably depicting Mars (1805,0704.1) · The Metropolitan Museum: Greek vase showing Athena with spear and armour
Rules Sources and Licensing
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