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Can the trident created via divine trident be thrown? Do you have to retrieve it or does it just materialize in your hand? Can other creatures wield it?

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No it cannot be thrown

While I agree with @ruffdove's answer, it is worth noting that Divine Trident is simply an electricity version of the classic Flame Blade spell. The descriptive text makes it a "4-foot-long blazing forked bolt of electricity" instead of a "3-foot-long blazing beam of red hot fire", but the game mechanics are absolutely identical, even including the ignition of highly flammable items. Relevant characteristics are:

  • Attacks with the blazing beam / blazing forked bolt are melee touch attacks, not ranged attacks or ranged touch attacks. If the spell could be used to make either melee or ranged attacks then this would be specified (eg Produce Flame).
  • The beam "springs forth from your hand", it is not a created object that is grasped in your hand. If your hand is somehow able to be non-traumatically removed or extended (eg with the Long arm spell) then the blade springing from the hand can be used to make melee touch attacks from the hand's location.

With this context in mind, it is worth examining a couple of related questions here and here on Flame Blade, admittedly for 3.5 rather than PF. There are certainly some ambiguities in the wording for particular situations, but the ability to make attacks at range does not appear to be one of them.

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No, the spell's range is zero feet. It's attached to your hand.

To establish what the description says:

A 4-foot-long, blazing, forked bolt of electricity springs forth from your hand. You wield this spear-like bolt as if it were a trident (you are considered proficient with the bolt). Attacks with the trident are melee touch attacks. The bolt deals 1d8 points of electricity damage + 1 point per 2 caster levels (maximum +10). Since the bolt is immaterial, your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage. The bolt can ignite combustible materials such as parchment, straw, dry sticks, and cloth.

It says you may wield the bolt as it were a trident, and you may certainly throw a trident (though with a 10' range increment, it isn't ideally used in this way). However, the description goes on to say that all attacks with the bolt are melee touch attacks, which strongly implies that it may not be thrown.

I think the deciding factor here is the fact that the bolt "springs forth from your hand" and the spell's range is 0'. Note it says "from your hand" and not "in your hand." This implies that it is attached to you and you are not holding it with the option to drop or throw. Further, the spell's range is 0', which means that the bolt may not break contact your hand.

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    \$\begingroup\$ It can easily be read that the spells range is 0 so that it is created in your square. Otherwise it would likely read personal, which would more strongly imply it is stuck with you and cannot be interacted with by others. d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/summon-instrument for example, has a range of 0 ft, but the instrument can be picked up (but not played) by others. It explicitly states it cannot be played by others. (Phantom steed is another 0ft spell that specifically states who can interact with it) I am hesitant to accept this without more concrete backup to go with it. \$\endgroup\$
    – Erudaki
    Jan 10, 2021 at 22:32
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Erudaki Given that the summoned object in this case does not share any other properties with the trident weapon, what makes you think it shares the trident weapon's thrown property? It's not really a trident, it's a trident-shaped blob of energy with its own properties that are completely unrelated to the standard trident weapon's properties. \$\endgroup\$
    – Oblivious Sage ♦
    Jan 10, 2021 at 22:50
  • \$\begingroup\$ Erudaki- your point does call the importance of range into question, but I still think this is a clear no. A summoned instrument appears in your hand, according to that spell’s description. Something in your hand can be dropped or thrown. Divine trident springs from your hand, implying a connection to your body, and only allowing for ranged attack if the spell had a range. Together with attacks being melee touch only, I’m comfortable with my answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – ruffdove
    Jan 10, 2021 at 23:49
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    \$\begingroup\$ Honestly I think focusing on the in/from word is not very useful... the entire answer is in the third sentence. "Attacks with the trident are melee touch attacks." \$\endgroup\$
    – Ifusaso
    Jan 11, 2021 at 0:10
  • \$\begingroup\$ @ObliviousSage - specifically because it calls out that it is wielded as if it were a trident, which is a spear, that has a throwing property, instead of a same-damage spear that does not have the same quality. I think Ifuasaso makes a good point that the spell only states melee. I just wish the spell was more clear with its wording. \$\endgroup\$
    – Erudaki
    Jan 11, 2021 at 21:27

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