Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 roxlimn Mar 16, 2004 3:10:28	Vision and Light Perhaps the most taken for granted sense that characters possess is vision. Characters use vision to navigate through areas, identify friend from foe, and generally to sense and make sense of the world around them. Vision: Vision is a sense available to most creatures and player characters. Characters can use Vision to locate and target objects and creatures, and distinguish the details in their environment in appropriately designated areas. Vision may be impaired or unusable in some areas. Vision has infinite range in a straight line and can be used provided there is an unobstructed straight line between the area or target and the character. It cannot extend beyond or through areas with 100% cover or concealment. Darkvision: Darkvision is a special kind of Vision that some characters possess. Darkvision can normally locate and target within 60 feet in all areas of illumination barring Blinding Illumination. It has limited ability to distinguish detail and cannot detect color. It does not extend beyond its range and can also be defeated by cover and concealment not associated with lighting conditions. Some spells which affect lighting conditions also affect darkvision. Low Light Vision: Low Light Vision is a special kind of vision that some characters possess. Low Light Vision can locate, target and distinguish detail in areas of shadowy illumination and in areas of bright light as well as normal vision can in areas of bright light. In addition, Low Light Vision locates, targets, and distinguishes detail in areas of minimal illumination as normal vision does in areas of shadowy illumination. Like Vision, Low Light Vision has infinite range in a straight line and is limited by cover and concealment in similar manner. Light Source: Light Sources are objects or creatures that shed light. Light sources produce areas of illumination around their point of origin as described below. This effect is similar to the emanation area of effect as described in the Magic Overview section for Areas of Bright Light. The effect is similar to the spread area of effect as described in the Magic Overview section for all other areas of illumination. Other things in the game may behave like light sources in terms for producing these effects and are adjudicated similarly. Some magical effects that affect illumination may also block emanation effects from light sources. Areas of Illumination or Lighting Conditions:
#2 boondoggle Apr 03, 2004 1:36:52	For the most part, this is a clear and well presented guide to a complex subject. Kudos. However (there's always a 'but'...) Duration: 1 minute/level (D) ... they automatically fail any attempt to maintain a concentration duration spell and fail any Concentration checks they make. A 3rd level spell that denies any spell-casting with no save is very unbalancing. I find your 'minimal illumination' designation unnecessary. Low-light vision simply doubles the distance at which a light source provides bright and shadowy illumination. I also disagree with your adjudication of 'instantaneous light.' I would have such effects decrease concealment by one step (from total concealment to concealment and from concealment to none) for one round after the effect. Creatures would still be denied their dexterity bonus, only allowed to move at half speed, etc. The decrease in concealment would also allow creatures to know where (which 5' square[s]) other creatures are and target them without needing to succeed at listen checks.
#3 roxlimn Apr 21, 2004 8:38:20	Thanks for the feedback, Boondoggle. I'm currently working on the more thorny problems of interactions between light and terrain, but I'm beginning to think that the problem isn't ruleable. This means that the next installment on this topic may very well be mostly new spells with the Light and Darkness descriptors. A 3rd level spell that denies any spell-casting with no save is very unbalancing. You're mistaken. The spell doesn't force spellcasters to make Concentration checks to cast a spell; so they can cast spells just fine as long as no other condition exists that forces them to make Concentration checks to cast spells. In those cases, Strangling Darkness could very well be a crippling spell. In any case, since the subject needs to make a Fort save to breath, the target needs to make a Fort save in order to use V components, but no other restrictions exist. I find your 'minimal illumination' designation unnecessary. Low-light vision simply doubles the distance at which a light source provides bright and shadowy illumination. What about a cave with fungal illumination having natural Shadowy Illumination? What about starlight and moonlight? It seems rather illogical that a Half elf cannot see very much better in a set illumination exactly like the Shadowy Illumination conditions in torchlight in which his range advantage allows him to see in Bright while his Human companion sees in Shadowy. For these reasons, it is both simpler and better to simply designate a separate rules set for handling Low Light Vision rather than a confusing and simplistic "double range". Not every illumination area comes from a Light Source. I also disagree with your adjudication of 'instantaneous light.' I would have such effects decrease concealment by one step (from total concealment to concealment and from concealment to none) for one round after the effect. You can rule it as you like. These are only my house rules, after all. I simply found it inconvenient that no lighting rules exist for spells like Fireball and Lightning Bolt, which, strictly speaking, do not help your Vision whatsoever. I ruled like I did to allow people to Ready attack actions to coincide with a Lightning Bolt in order to benefit fully from the lighting effect, if they so choose. Even if they didn't locating a target is ruled as "not an action", so if they're sure they move right after the Instantaneous Lighting effect, they can target the square where they "saw" the target even while the target still benefits from concealment.
#4 boondoggle Apr 23, 2004 1:17:10	From the SRD: To cast a spell, you must concentrate. From Roxlimn's spell: They automatically fail any attempt to maintain a concentration duration spell and fail any Concentration checks they make. If you want to hamper concentration, impose a penalty, such as -10. The way the spell is worded now is misleading and mechanically inconsistent. Roxlimn wrote: It seems rather illogical that a Half elf cannot see very much better in a set illumination exactly like the Shadowy Illumination conditions in torchlight in which his range advantage allows him to see in Bright while his Human companion sees in Shadowy...Not every illumination area comes from a Light Source. This is incorrect. In bright light, such as daylight, a character can see forever, at least as far as his spot checks allow. In shadowy illumination, such as a clear night, a character with low-light vision can see twice as far as normal, but not forever. Oh, by the way, all illumination comes from a light source, that's the nature of light. I think what you meant to say is that not all illumination comes from a point source of light.
#5 roxlimn May 04, 2004 14:11:04	Boondoggle: If you want to hamper concentration, impose a penalty, such as -10. The way the spell is worded now is misleading and mechanically inconsistent. No. I'm fundamentally opposed to how Concentration is currently set up. With enough ranks in it, -10 isn't going to matter one whit. DC 15 with a -10 mod? It's not a problem if you've got a Concentration mod of +18. I don't even see why it would be misleading. It doesn't say that it forces Concentration checks to cast spells, so why assume that it does? This is incorrect. In bright light, such as daylight, a character can see forever, at least as far as his spot checks allow. In shadowy illumination, such as a clear night, a character with low-light vision can see twice as far as normal, but not forever. What I'd like to know is exactly how far away "twice as far as normal" actually is and whether anyone has concealment against low light vision in those circumstances. Oh, by the way, all illumination comes from a light source, that's the nature of light. Note caps. I was using a technically defined term. In normal rules, it's unclear what is or what is not a Light Source, how they affect each other and how their influences interact. Is a Light Source a burst effect or an emanation effect? Does it go around corners or doesn't it? If you use a low wall to block off an Area of Bright Illumination partially, what's the illumination conditions at the bottom corner of the low wall? You'll be surprised, in fact, at how confusing the "nature of light" can be. Nevertheless, the rules do not expressly cover what happens when the source of light is not a point source. It is partially what I meant, but not wholly.