what do you think of light as a first level spell with an hour per level duration rather than 10 mins. (darkness would likley have the same upgrade)
light has been made a 0 level spell in order to make it easier or game purposes... once you have a few people with light you dont have to worry about torches and the like.
but i think there are quite a few such conviniences in the game from torches to sun rods to ioun torches. I am thinking that light should be a first level spell to make it more valued.
would you consider that a significant nerf of spell classes or nothing to cry over.
Insignificant nerf.
I am thinking that light should be a first level spell to make it more valued.
I wouldn't waste valuable (non-cantrip/orison) slots on light+ so I think you'll do the opposite and no-one will take it. Unless you're going to give it some useful quality other than providing long lasting light.
In former editions it was a 1st lvl spell but it could be cast at range and could even be used to blind a creature. Personally I'd support it, but think it would work better with houserules that make darkvision and the like less prevalent. Darkness is superior to light by virtue of being higher level and has an 'offensive' use, I'd avoid increasing the duration.
Might give light short range and allow it to daze a creature for 1 round after which it will be dazzled for the duration, by targeting a creature's eyes. Will negates.
Aioran, what i mean by more valued is the idea that at this time in the game there is really no excuse to not have light... I mean... even though every one but humans and halflings have lowlight or dark vision the fact that any one with an once of casting ability can cast unlimited light spells means that there is never the dynamic of resource management in providing light.
if light were not free it would be more valued as a resource.
while the game seems to feel that managing food and light is an annoyance I personally find it to be a great dynamic.
Remco, your right, returning light to the abilities that the 1st level spell used to have is a good idea... I am also thinking that darkness would stay a 2nd level spell... however dark races like dark elves and troglodytes would get to swap the levels of the spells... so trogs would cast darkness as a first level and light as a second level.
remember... the primary reasons for this is to make light (as in the ability to see in dark dungeons) a more interesting resource.
Light (the spell) is still a resource to be managed since prepared casters need to actually prepare it to use it, and spontaneous casters have to use up a cantrip known.
My current wizard carries an everburning torch around rather than prepare light (at least so far).
torches weight quite a lot if you have to carry them around, especially for the usually low strength spellcasters (even more if its buy-by-point)
so I don't think the small flavor of allowing other tools/items be more used should cripple such characters
As Aioran said, people wouldn't waste a prepared slot (or as sorcerer, a permanent slot) to even get light like that, actually even as cantrip I never took it once now that I think about it
if you really want to have a specific scenario use more torches and similar, make the whole building anti-magical field effected
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Light isn't all it's cracked up to be....you can see 20' with another 20' of shadowy illumination. Meanwhile every monster sees the lit up area from a mile away (practically). If you want more dynamics to light I would just run the monsters as if they are in a dark dungeon when they see a light source coming their way, either they see the light through the cracks of the door the PCs walk up to or they see the PCs coming up a long corridor and they get ready....lots of ambushes and readied actions for the monsters/evil dudes. Sometimes using light is nothing but advertising "Hey, we're here to loot your stronghold, slay you and take your stuff!".
yeah, almost forgot that one, basically most my GM-s aren't stupid and thus stuff like what Fake Healer wrote is just waiting to happen, it was also one of the many reasons I avoid that spell
A 1st level version of Light is appropriate. It would gave to be worth it though, such as variable brightness able to dazzle an enemy or being able to blind a creature for a round but end the spell.
As a cantrip, it's one of my favorite choices.
As a level 0 spell I'd not even think about taking it.
The only reason my magus never prepared it was that he was a lightbringer elf and thus had light at will.
Which brings another point: the lightbringer alternate race trait for elves would have to be rebalanced as is true for an alternate racial trait for aasimars.