Hi all,
Just had a session today. The PCs ran into an enormous statue (100 ft. tall or so). One of the players wanted to cast light on it - does this illuminate the entire statue? The spell description states "shedding normal light in a 20 foot radius from the point touched."
So my guess is that just the part of the statue that is touched becomes the emitter of light? How big is the light emitter?
Second question - if a caster were to cast light on someone's helmet, for example, or someone's sword, how does that work? We've always assumed it simply covers a complete 20-foot radius, would it really only cast light out from the point touched (one direction?)
1. Just as you said, the size of the object doesn't matter, but it only illuminates 20 feet from the point touched.
2. What makes you think it only goes in one direction? It casts in a 20 foot radius in all directions from the point touched. Is the concern that the rest of the helm would block the light? It's reasonable to assume that by default the caster touches a spot with minimal blockage, but if the caster wanted to make a beam or spotlight, they could do so with a bit of ingenuity (like touching the inside bottom of a tall stein).
2. What makes you think it only goes in one direction? It casts in a 20 foot radius in all directions from the point touched. Is the concern that the rest of the helm would block the light?
Yes. Normally light or darkness is cast on a small rock, and as such we assume that the entire rock becomes an emitter of light. It casts light in the full 20 foot radius. But if the object touched is very large or very thick, does the light penetrate solid stone to cast light on the other side?
For example, if you touch a spot on a 5 foot thick wall, does light emit on the other side of the wall? I wouldn't think so - it would seem that half the radius would be cut in half (essentially casting light out in a semi-circle.)
So in my statue example, it would only cast in a semi-circle, right?
Correct Torm, but the light still shines in a 20 foot radius. It just so happens that the light is blocked. I think blaphers thought you were saying the light did not work the same way as it normally did. Basically both of you probably agree in principle, but are explaining it differently.
Yeah, I think we're on the same page. In theory, any object with light cast on it would be at least partially deflected by the underlying object, but in practice it's simpler to ignore such things, as otherwise one might have to think about facing, which is specifically omitted from Pathfinder. Worse, we have to worry about what the lighting situation is after casting light on a rock and then tossing it.
Easier to assume that sufficiently small objects simply radiate on all sides and that in any case the holder can and will simply rotate it to see as needed.