[Taqwus]

Battles can, in fact, be surprises. Nobody really expects a Gift of Kurgi'd flying Devourer of Souls to fly into town, unless they're playing a really twisted enemy. Vastnesses and some other units can move 10 provinces a turn; and magical movement can go much further. Never mind attacks that were unexpected backstabs...

As for blessing -- in practice I see little need to script it with pure priests; they're blessing-happy already, even if they're being accompanied by a Divine Blessing-scripted prophet who's been doing this first turn for battles over the last few game-years.

A mage-priest, however, can be worth scripting (especially a prophet for Divine Blessing), because the additional options from his other magic paths may distract him.