Light Sources - Best Bang for Your Buck

[Nail]

Cheapest? Probably use Lesser planar binding to bind a lantern archon and get it to churn out Continual Flame items (since it can do it at will, and doesn't require the costly material component)

That's what my Clr did (with Summon Monster, of course) to light his temple/fortress and city.

Interestingly enough, the complex was built from the ruins of an old keep named Brightstone.

 

[mvincent]

1) A Lantern Archon (summon monster IV) can cast Continual Flame for free at will.
2) I like the earlier idea of a widened Continual Flame (40' radius)
3) The Daylight spell has a 60' radius, and "Half-celestials can use a daylight effect (as the spell) at will".

 

[Hypersmurf]

Here's one better. Pay a cleric with Widen Spell to create that for you and you get 40'/40'.

Continual Flame has an Effect, not an Area; Widen Spell will not alter it in any way. It would be like casting a Widened Create Food and Water.

You can alter a burst, emanation, line, or spread shaped spell to increase its area. Spells that do not have an area of one of these four sorts are not affected by this feat.

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

That's what my Clr did (with Summon Monster, of course) to light his temple/fortress and city.

I suspect Plane Sailing's choice of Planar Binding was deliberate, since (depending on how you rule SLAs) Summon Monster might run you up against this rule for the Summoning subschool:
When the spell that summoned a creature ends and the creature disappears, all the spells it has cast expire.

If you rule that this does not affect SLAs, there's no problem. But if you rule that it does, then all the Continual Flames will last a minute or so, before the Archon disappears and all the Continual Flames wink out.

-Hyp.

 

[Someone]

That's what my Clr did (with Summon Monster, of course) to light his temple/fortress and city.

Summon monster won't work (more accurately, it'll work, but the spell will only last as much time the monster is there)

When the spell that summoned a creature ends and the creature disappears, all the spells it has cast expire.

That's why Plane Sailing used Planar binding.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Summon monster won't work (more accurately, it'll work, but the spell will only last as much time the monster is there)

The hitch is that it isn't a spell, it's a spell-like ability... so it depends on how the DM rules.

(For my part, I'd consider "Spell-like abilities are magical and work just like spells (though they are not spells and so have no verbal, somatic, material, focus, or XP components)" to apply, so they'd wink out when the Summon expired.)

-Hyp.

 

[Jack Simth]

Cheapest? Probably use Lesser planar binding to bind a lantern archon and get it to churn out Continual Flame items (since it can do it at will, and doesn't require the costly material component)

Yep. And an Everburning Torch markets for 110 gp (the cost of hiring a minimal Wizard to cast the spell).

Cost to buy 10,000 torches: 100 gp (at 1 copper each).
Cost to hire a 9th level Wizard to cast Magic Circle Against Law: 270 gp.
Cost to hire a 9th level Wizard to cast Dimensional Anchor: 360 gp.
Cost to hire a 9th level Wizard to cast Lesser Planar Binding: 450 gp.
The look on your DM's face when you sell 10,000 everburning torches? Priceless (but nets you 548,820 gp, selling for half and hiring everything at full market value).

 

[Mistwell]

Anyone know of any other equipment specifically that offers a good light radius?

 

[Nail]

Summon monster won't work (more accurately, it'll work, but the spell will only last as much time the monster is there).

True!

To be honest, it might have been that archon summoning spell from BoED, which is a [calling] spell, IIRC. Or perhaps it was Lesser Planar Ally..... It's been a while (which is a poor excuse, I'll admit).

 

[Nyaricus]

Continual Flame has an Effect, not an Area; Widen Spell will not alter it in any way. It would be like casting a Widened Create Food and Water.

I dunno mate, some of the McDonald's I've eaten at have sure left a thick brick in my stomach