Is magic arcane or divine anymore?

[Prince Vine]

I saw a post on another thread that reminded me of an ongoung debate at work.

Is there a difference between arcane and divine magic anymore?

I've seen people tweaking builds and having to manage multiple classes because they want theurgey 'master of all magic, arcane and divine' thing. I struggle to see the point.

In previous editions things were clearly spelled out as either arcane or divine (and sometimes psionic, and once primal) but now there is no real difference. The classes make it even blurrier. Paladins, sorcerers and (maybe) bards have inborn magic. Clerics, druids and warlocks draw on a higher power outside themselves. Wizards, (maybe) bards as well as specialized fighters and rogues get it from study. Bards heal almost as well (and sometimes as well) as a cleric or druid.

Do other people maintain the distinction? Does it have any real impact in your world? Where do you differentiate in situations like an arcane cleric, celestial warlock or a divine sorcerer and why?

[LudicSavant]

Is there a difference between arcane and divine magic anymore?

There is no longer a mechanical divide between arcane and divine magic in the sense that there was in past editions.

[Naanomi]

But in a world-building sense; it is still noted as distinct a few places... and a few of the module settings have social distinctions between the two in-setting

[Ihazturtlez]

I consider the Wizard, Sorcerer, sometimes Druid, and the Bard to have arcane magic. Paladin, Warlock, and Cleric are divine casters.

(EK and AT are arcane as well)

[Willie the Duck]

Is there a difference between arcane and divine magic anymore?

They are still flags attached to various magics, but there aren't many explicit uses for those flags. You can still have people/peoples who have different opinions on various magics, based on whether they are arcane or divine. You can also have campaign effects which boost/inhibit magics based on arcane or divine.

[KorvinStarmast]

Is there a difference between arcane and divine magic anymore?
Yes, some differences exist, in particular that divine casters have access to ALL spells of their level, but they have to choose what to prepare on a given day. Some spells are only available to wizards, some only to clerics, etc.

Paladins, sorcerers and (maybe) bards have inborn magic.
Paladins are divine casters. See about page 205 PHB where they discuss magic.

Clerics, druids and warlocks draw on a higher power outside themselves.
As do Rangers. Divine Casters, but known not prepared, so closer to "inborn magic" than Paladins, druids, or clerics.

Wizards, (maybe) bards as well as specialized fighters and rogues get it from study.
Yes, but only wizards need spell books. The other three "know" spells as the Sorcerer and warlock and Bard do. No switching.

Bards heal almost as well (and sometimes as well) as a cleric or druid. Via spell, yes, but not via class skills as life clerics and celestial warlocks to, or divine sorcerers.

Where do you differentiate in situations like an arcane cleric, celestial warlock or a divine sorcerer and why? The sub class takes care of that, there is no reason to screw with it further.

[Millstone85]

Here is how the PHB explains arcane/divine magics and sorts classes between them:

The spells of wizards, warlocks, sorcerers, and bards are commonly called arcane magic. These spells rely on an understanding---learned or intuitive---of the workings of the Weave. The caster plucks directly at the strands of the Weave to create the desired effect. Eldritch knights and arcane tricksters also use arcane magic. The spells of clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers are called divine magic. These spellcasters' access to the Weave is mediated by divine power---gods, the divine forces of nature, or the sacred weight of a paladin's oath.

Of note is that:
* Monks aren't in either list. The magic of ki seems to be its own category.
* Warlocks have a direct access to the Weave, despite having learned/drawn from a patron.

This does look mainly relevant for worldbuilding.

[Unoriginal]

Some classes have acccess to divine magic, others have access to arcane magic.

The only real, critical mechanical distinction is that the designers deliberately wrote the spell lists so divine magic and arcane magic have differences.

For example, Clerics have access to far fewer destructive spells than Wizards, while Wizards have few if any healing spells.