Continual Light
Rune
= Ken (Torch)
(Alteration)
Reversible (cleric only) : Continual
Darkness
<image = The Lost Handbook>
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Effect: This spell
is similar to a light spell, except that it
lasts until negated (by
a continual darkness or dispel magic spell)
and its
brightness is very great,
being nearly as illuminating as full daylight.
It can
be CAST into air,
onto an object, or at a creature. In the third case, the
continual light affects
the space about one foot behind the creature if the
latter makes its save. Note
that this spell will blind a creature if it is
successfully cast upon the
visual organs, for example.
DMG: As does a light
spell, this will tend to blind a creature if it is placed on its visual
sensory area.
The spell can also be placed
upon
a smallish obiect, and a
lightproof case subsequently used to encase the
obiect so as to make it
dark until the covering is removed, i.e. a continual
light source which expends
no fuel and will not blow out.
(Darkness
spells are the bane of this device . . .)
ANSWER:
It depends. The caster of the Dispel Magic
would have
to roll percentile dice
for each one to see if he successfully dispelled
each one. Dispel Magic affects
everything within its range.
Answer: Either a Continual
Darkness or Dispel Magic spell can negate
a Continual Light spell,
whether the light had been placed over
an AREA or upon an object.
Continual Darkness does not have to
be cast on the rod itself
in order to ruin the light wand; the
darkness negates not only
the light of the spell, but also the
magic which caused the rod
to give off the light in the first
place. As long as the light
wand is in, or is brought into, the AREA
of effect of the darkness
spell, both spells would cancel each
other out. The same would
be true if the wand were in a light-
proof container inside the
AREA of effect: That container is not
magic-proof, and it is the
magic itself, not just the visible effects
of that magic, which is
negated.
It’s
important to understand the difference between a light
wand of this type and an
item which is actually enchanted to
give off light, such as
a Wand of Illumination
or a Gem of Brightness.
When actual magic items
are employed to produce
magical light, a darkness
spell would at best only neutralize the
charge(s) currently in USE;
the item is not rendered unusable as
long as other charges remain.
For example, Continual Dark-
ness will negate the effect
of a Gem of Brightness for
only one
day — or not at all, if
the owner of the item expends charges to
offset the darkness. A continual
light wand, on the other hand,
is no more than a stick
with a spell cast on it. When that spell is
dispelled, the stick’s light
goes out for good (or until another
Continual Light is cast
upon it).
Dispel
Magic is effective against a continual light wand, again
because it neutralizes the
magic of the spell which was applied
to the rod. Dispel Magic
cannot, as the spell description indi-
cates, weaken or negate
the power of a “specially enchanted”
item such as the Gem of
Brightness. The success of Dispel
Magic against a continual
light wand or other similar object
depends in part on which
particular kind of Continual Light was
used to manufacture the
wand; the dispelling would be more
likely to succeed against
the M-U version of Continual
Light, since that is a second
level spell and the cleric and
illusionist
versions of the same spell are third level incantations.
(Correction: Caster
level, NOT spell level, affects the chance for a successful dispel).
A: Yes, on all counts.
Each of these spells
can negate darkness of any
sort, though a
light spell will ?go out?
immediately after
negating such darkness,
while the continual
light spell will last. Light
or continual
light spell will negate
only one darkness
effect at a time; thus,
if there are two
darkness effects in the
same area, the area
remains dark until two light
effects are
used.
(153.7)
<Note that continual light cast on a gem will sometimes produce light of the same color as the gem. See T1-4, areas 214 and 215.>
Continual Light
This spell damages the eyes of someone/something at which it is
thrown. This “damage,” however, should be considered semi-permanent.
It will make the figure -4 “to hit,” -4 on saving throws
that can be affected by sight (a figure saving versus polymorph or
stone
can be blind or not blind—the s.t. would not change, but saving versus
a fire ball or lightning
bolt would be more difficult if the figure could not
see it coming as well as he/she/it normally could), and -4 on AC in
melee situations, since defense is more difficult.
This “damage” to the eyes does wear off, and a figure should
obtain a s.t. daily to throw off the effects. Of course, Cure
Blindness or
even Cure Serious Wounds (or any
better cure, NOT Cure Light
Wounds, however) will remove the
effects at once. If Continual Light
actually caused full blindness it would be a fantastically powerful
spell,
since it has a range component. What cleric would ever choose to cast
Cause Blindness by touch
when he/she could do it at a 120-foot range?
Remember that if the TARGET makes its SAVE, the circle of light
still goes off behind him/her/it. Aiming at a figure’s eyes implies
the
ability to make a smaller, more concentrated sphere of light for this
one
circumstance, but if the SAVE fails the small sphere expands to full
size. If
this were not true, people would be partially blinded every time they
entered a circle of continual light. Continual Light from a lantern
can
blind as in a Light spell (see previous ruling
on Light) only if the lantern
is opened right in the face of an opponent (10-foot range or so).
(TD33, LTH)
Continual Darkness: Its esrever causes complete absence of light.
MP.55