D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 Darkness Spell - Otherwise known as "Huh?"

[John Crichton]

Ya know, this is the first real issue I've had with 3.5. Other than this things have been going very well and the changes have worked well with my group.


I think I'm going to try and merge the 3.0 version with the 3.5 version. Not to many penalties for the darkness but keeping it as an area of complete darkness, not an area of candle-lit murkiness...

 

[Gez]

Creating shadowy illumination is good! If you have low-light vision, you can use these darkness and deeper darkness spells to create light. You can see in a 40-ft. radius, by casting darkness.

3.5 changes to spells are the next best thing.

Next week, I'll teach you how to build a magical fridge +3 with a wand of fireballs.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I've just continued with the old version, but if I wanted to be consistent I might choose to use it this way:

I assume that the baseline is torchlight/light spell level of illumination.

Darkness darkens an area, and increases concealment by one step. (normal visibility becomes concealment (20% miss chance), concealment (i.e. presently shadowy illumination) becomes total concealment (50% miss chance).

Deeper Darkness darkens it more, and increases concealment by two steps.

Real daylight or the Daylight spell is treated as one level better than normal torchlight illumination, thus an ordinary darkness spell in daylight doesn't really impede anyone, although it would negate the sunlight penalties. A deeper darkness in sunlight would provide concealment (20% miss) within its bounds.

I don't know if this is useful to you, but it makes more sense to me than the idea of a darkness spell actually increasing the level of illumination in a cavern!

"Hey, it's all gone dark"

"Don't worry, I can cast my darkness spell"



Cheers

 

[jgsugden]

Creating shadowy illumination is good! If you have low-light vision, you can use these darkness and deeper darkness spells to create light. You can see in a 40-ft. radius, by casting darkness.

3.5 changes to spells are the next best thing.

Next week, I'll teach you how to build a magical fridge +3 with a wand of fireballs.

Although it has not been fixed yet, there was a comment by a designer (I forgot who or where, but I do rememeber reading it) that said that the wording was unfortunate, because the spell was not intended to create light. It was intended to reduce light to no more than shadowy illumination regardless of natural light sources.

If you want to play as the spell is written, it creates shadowy light in natural complete darkness. If you want to play it as intended, it only has an effect when there is more than shadowy natural light present.

 

[Rashak Mani]

hehe... the "Darkness" spell is one of my pet peeves...

First because it balanced what didn't need balancing.
Second because its name is all wrong now...

3.5 only got it worse with the Gnome Bard prefered class... argghh... that was awful...

 

[gfunk]

IMC, darkness and deeper darkness get about the same mileage as illusiory wall and sleep. In other words, 3.5 has made them utterly and totally useless.

Here's a question have any of you actually made good use of darkness in 3.5?

 

[Shard O'Glase]

well I suppose if I'm fighting the rogues without darkvision clan it would come in handy. Cause you know knifing someone in a dark alley is tough work unless your a dwarf or something.

 

[John Crichton]

well I suppose if I'm fighting the rogues without darkvision clan it would come in handy. Cause you know knifing someone in a dark alley is tough work unless your a dwarf or something.

Actually, if I'm reading this right, darkvision and low-light vision makes no difference with 3.5 darkness. The concealment (20% miss chance) is still there on them, too - which makes sneak attacks impossible.

Oh hell - I just found something else I don't like - the target is object touched. Which means you either cast it on the ground under you or on yourself (or a coin, rock, etc). No more casting it on someone's head. This just keeps on not jiving with the FR usage of the spell... *grr*

I know it was the same way in 3e, but that doesn't work with this either. Sonofa.... Okay, this needs to be balanced with the way it has always worked before. Ranged (short) with a REAL darkness globe. Back to the drawing board for me....

*sigh*

 

[John Crichton]

Okay, just to follow up on this issue - here is another rules thing.

Would the 3.5 Darkness spell add the "poor visibility" condition to the area, thus making movement cost more but still allowing blind-fighting to help those used to those kinds of conditions? I'm assuming that the chart on page 163 of the PHB means darkness (of course) but what kind? Magical or true darkness?

Thanks to all contributing. My players will thank you as well...

 

[d20Dwarf]

Actually, if I'm reading this right, darkvision and low-light vision makes no difference with 3.5 darkness. The concealment (20% miss chance) is still there on them, too - which makes sneak attacks impossible.

This is funny to me. A rogue's primary attack form is useless unless he uses it in broad daylight!