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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 8250739" data-attributes="member: 7006">For me personally, I just treat the Darkness spell as a 30' diameter ball of "ink" that sits wherever it is cast.  Anything inside that ball cannot be seen from people outside of it, and anyone inside of it can't see anything at all (not including beings with Devil's Sight, which is the exception to all rules.)But in reference to the point above about a torch 100' away with a Darkness spell between the torch and the viewer... the viewer possibly could see ambient light in whatever the location was, depending on how large the area was around where the torch was (although that ambient light might only be seen narratively, but not actually effect the game mechanics of the situation).  So for instance:- A torch is in the middle of an otherwise pitch-black dungeon chamber that is 150 feet in diameter (75' radius).  And someone is standing against the wall of that chamber 75' away from the torch.In terms of game mechanics, a torch gives off Bright Light for 20' radius, and Dim Light for an additional 20' radius past that.  Those mechanics apply to other things that require mechanics for adjudication (like Hiding, and Perception checks).  But narratively, light keeps traveling out to the walls of the chamber, bouncing off and scattering across all surfaces.  Light doesn't just stop at 40'.  So the remaining 35' beyond the 40' radius of Bright/Dim Light of the torch's game mechanics will see light reflecting and bouncing off the ground and walls of the chamber by that person looking at it.  Now there won't be enough light to change the game mechanics of the situation from that last 35' feet from being considered "darkness" mechanically, but there is just enough reflection to allow the viewer to see that for instance, yes, there are walls to this chamber.  They won't be clear, and there might be some sections of the uneven walls where it might seem like there are openings because they are in shadow... but narratively I treat light like light does.  The chamber is lit.Now... in this situation should a Darkness spell (30' diameter) be cast on the ground between the viewer and the torch... from the viewer's perspective they now see a 30' wide / 15' high semi-circle of black "ink" wall in front of them.  Anything behind that wall (including the torch) they cannot see.  But the chamber itself can still be recognized as such, as the torchlight has brightened the room (however slightly) and that light has reflected off the walls and ground and bounced back to the viewer's eye around the darkness sphere (the same way a solid stone wall wouldn't stop the chamber from illuminating.)Now if the Darkness sphere enclosed the torch itself... the chamber is now pitch-black because no torchlight is able to escape the sphere.  Or if the torch was in a corridor 100 feet away from the viewer and the corridor's width and height was less that 30' in diameter... a Darkness spell cast between them in that corridor would also block all the torchlight and the viewer's section of corridor would remain pitch-black.  There's no way for the torchlight to bounce around the Darkness to reach the viewer.  But in any other situation where light can illuminate an area but the Darkness spell cannot encompass the entirety of anything that might reflect it... the area will be brighter and a viewer will see a semi-circle of black ink wall.At the end of the day... I always find it important to keep the narrative of the story mostly separate from the game mechanics, because the game mechanics are an imperfect simulation of the reality of the world.  They can't define everything.  So I use the mechanics when necessary to settle disputes, both otherwise I use the narrative and the story of the world as the definition of what is actually going on.</blockquote>

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