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Control the direction of Deeper Darkness:
1. Cast Deeper Darkness on a coin.
2. Put the coin in one end of a scroll case.
3. Point the unopened end of the scroll case to create a 60' cone of darkness.
4. Point the cone at enemies and away from allies to put them in darkness while keeping everybody else in the ambient light level (or vice versa as desired).
Is this valid in the rules? Does Darkness and Deeper darkness work that way or is it more like "fog" in that opening one end of the tube puts everything in darkness in a 60' radius?
I want one.
I should clarify, that only works for Darkness, Deeper Darkness doesn't have that little rider about coverings.
But it says it works like the spell Darkness.
It's like an everburning lantern, but with deeper darkness instead of daylight.
It's worth noting that as a player I often employ an ioun stone with a heightened (4th) continual flame spell on it.
This makes you safe from most casting of darkness spell, unless they specifically make a habit of casting heightened deeper darkness.
Control the direction of Deeper Darkness:
1. Cast Deeper Darkness on a coin.
2. Put the coin in one end of a scroll case.
3. Point the unopened end of the scroll case to create a 60' cone of darkness.
4. Point the cone at enemies and away from allies to put them in darkness while keeping everybody else in the ambient light level (or vice versa as desired).Is this valid in the rules? Does Darkness and Deeper darkness work that way or is it more like "fog" in that opening one end of the tube puts everything in darkness in a 60' radius?
Read the descriptions of Burst and Spread, then see if your spell is one of those.
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@Mauve: that's not really helpful since it's neither.
Darkness works like, well, darkness and light. It's simplest to think of Darkness as radiating anti-light like some sort of weird black lightbulb that makes everything darker. Anything that would block a ray of light blocks a ray of anti-light.
Could also be done with a bullseye lantern, I'd think.
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Read the descriptions of Burst and Spread, then see if your spell is one of those.
I did read those. I didn't find them illuminating.
The spell description does not actually say either way.Yes, I meant the pun.
@Mauve: that's not really helpful since it's neither.
Darkness works like, well, darkness and light. It's simplest to think of Darkness as radiating anti-light like some sort of weird black lightbulb that makes everything darker. Anything that would block a ray of light blocks a ray of anti-light.
Could also be done with a bullseye lantern, I'd think.
If it does work that way, then objects and creatures will cast "anti-shadows" of light when the darkness reaches them. For example, some ogres standing in front of some orc archers would provide them light by blocking the darkness, thus allowing the archers to see. Another situation would be a person pointing a "flashdark" at a rogue's back while he is trying to pick the lock on a door. If it works like a real-world flashlight, the rogue could still be able to see because his back would stop the darkness reaching his eyes or the lock.
The other interpretation is that any portion of the "en-darkened" object that is uncovered triggers the effect everywhere in a 60' radius. In this way, the darkness turns around corners and surrounds objects and creatures. The ogres and orcs in the above example would both be in darkness. As would the rogue and the lock he is trying to pick. For support, the spell description says nothing about the area behind the person holding the object that darkness is cast upon as not being affected.
I can't decide which one is more correct, more desirable, or more confusing.
Based on that, it should work.If darkness is cast on a small object that is then placed inside or under a lightproof covering, the spell's effect is blocked until the covering is removed.
I stridently disagree. Based on that, it explicitly would not work. The cover is removed so the spell's effect is no longer blocked. It's only blocked as long as it is completely inside or under a lightproof covering with the cover in place.
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I stridently disagree. Based on that, it explicitly would not work. The cover is removed so the spell's effect is no longer blocked. It's only blocked as long as it is completely inside or under a lightproof covering with the cover in place.Based on that, it should work.If darkness is cast on a small object that is then placed inside or under a lightproof covering, the spell's effect is blocked until the covering is removed.
It's an awkward picture, but I'm inclined to think this is the spirit of that wording. It's either in the bag or out of the bag - half way doesn't count.
It's an awkward picture, but I'm inclined to think this is the spirit of that wording. It's either in the bag or out of the bag - half way doesn't count.I stridently disagree. Based on that, it explicitly would not work. The cover is removed so the spell's effect is no longer blocked. It's only blocked as long as it is completely inside or under a lightproof covering with the cover in place.Based on that, it should work.If darkness is cast on a small object that is then placed inside or under a lightproof covering, the spell's effect is blocked until the covering is removed.
Does it go through walls and doors? For example, would the effect continue down a hall and turn a corner, as well as continue through a locked door into the next room?
Does it go through walls and doors? For example, would the effect continue down a hall and turn a corner, as well as continue through a locked door into the next room?It's an awkward picture, but I'm inclined to think this is the spirit of that wording. It's either in the bag or out of the bag - half way doesn't count.I stridently disagree. Based on that, it explicitly would not work. The cover is removed so the spell's effect is no longer blocked. It's only blocked as long as it is completely inside or under a lightproof covering with the cover in place.Based on that, it should work.If darkness is cast on a small object that is then placed inside or under a lightproof covering, the spell's effect is blocked until the covering is removed.
Walls and doors are pretty clearly sold barriers that would block line of effect based on the Line of Effect rules.
Now, if we really wanted to show how light worked in the game, there would be better light rules involving direct and indirect lighting, how light travels around corners, and the like. But, the sad truth is that the Pathfinder system just isn't robust enough to tackle those kinds of issues.
I'm going to be real honest here and say I want my game to have robust lighting rules. Shark week! The light and dark rules are a fricken labyrinth of interaction headaches the way it fricken is already. You want to make those rules more complex?! I mean, on the one hand I get it. If they were more complex then they'd be more realistic, and, possibly, easier to adjudicate because of that realism, but it's hard to bring realism to a magical world where there is such a thing as darkness that blocks your line of sight to the other side.
I did read those. I didn't find them illuminating.
HA!
I see what you did there...
Without a clear consensus or an official ruling on this issue. it looks like another gray area for a GM.
Without a clear consensus or an official ruling on this issue. it looks like another gray area for a GM.
What's unclear?
If darkness is cast on a small object that is then placed inside or under a lightproof covering, the spell's effect is blocked until the covering is removed.
It's simple - either it's "inside or under a lightproof covering" or it isn't. I love the idea of the "flashdark" but the rules don't allow it.
So, if I understand this correctly, magic darkness is like a gas, which rapidly disappears. The target of the spell generates enough for its radius to stay visible, but if you put it in a sealed box, it disappears. If you then poke a hole in the box, it fills the radius again. Is this a fair analogy to explain RAW?
Not quite as good, but there is
Darklight Lantern This lantern does not burn oil, but instead burns shadowcloy. When shadowcloy is used as its fuel, this lantern creates a strange, hazy darkness that decreases the light level for 30 feet around it by one step. Unlike when shadowcloy is thrown at a single target, this haze does not decrease natural darkness to supernatural darkness. One flask of shadowcloy fuels a darklight lantern for 1 minute. Source PRG:ARG
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Without a clear consensus or an official ruling on this issue. it looks like another gray area for a GM.What's unclear?
If darkness is cast on a small object that is then placed inside or under a lightproof covering, the spell's effect is blocked until the covering is removed.It's simple - either it's "inside or under a lightproof covering" or it isn't. I love the idea of the "flashdark" but the rules don't allow it.
If you put it under a completely lightproof covering, it's blocked completely. But if you took a covering that was only partial, it should be blocked only partially. As the spell states, the (inner) object radiates darkness. The line you quoted describes what happens if you block the rays.
A bullseye lantern provides normal light in a 60-foot cone and increases the light level by one step in the area beyond that, out to a 120-foot cone (darkness becomes dim light and dim light becomes normal light). A bullseye lantern does not increase the light level in normal light or bright light. A lantern burns for 6 hours on 1 pint of oil. You can carry a lantern in one hand.
A bullseye lantern is a lantern that's mostly covered, except for a small slit from which you project a cone of light. picture