Light and Continual Light spells (Reversible)
First off, apparently there are NO SHADOWS in an area affected by this spell.... The last paragraph in the description of a Halfling's Hiding ability. It is stated in the 1991 D&D Game Rulebook, "Also, if someone casts a magical Light spell in an area where the Halfling is 'frozen' in the shadows, the shadows disappear and the Halfling's presence is automatically discovered."However, since there are two ways to cast the spell (either on an object or as an area effect), and since a popular practice is casting a Light spell on a small object, and then covering that object when the light needs to be hidden (which wouldn't work if there were no shadows...), I allow the two modes to operate differently.
Home Brewed Rule
When the spell is cast as a stationary area effect, there will simply be no shadows in that area, and the light will seem to exist without any light-casting source. Hiding in the shadows will obviously be impossible in such an area.
Whenever the spell is cast on a small object or at a creature's eyes, it will cause a bright glow to surround the object (if the object is not too large), or cause a glowing ball of pure light to be attached to the object at the target point. This light source WILL cast shadows as it illuminates the surrounding area. The object can be covered to hide the light, and this variation will not automatically ruin hiding attempts. However, I only allow this functionality for the Light spell, and not for Continual Light. If Continual Light is cast on an object or at a creature's eyes, it will still create the brightly-glowing light source as above, but consider this more powerful light to be of a highly magical nature, capable of penetrating solid objects as it illuminates them, leaving no shadows in the area and making it impossible to hide the light without magical means. This is because the Continual Light spell has an unlimited duration and better range than Light. It would make it far too easy for anyone and everyone to carry around bright, everlasting light sources that remain easy to conceal, and which are freely created with a low-level spell.
As for the reverse of the spell, Darkness, notice that it mentions infra-vision can penetrate the area when cast as an area effect, but if cast at a creature's eyes, it will blind the creature (creatures with infra-vision are not excluded from this blinding). Also, it's not specifically stated in the spell description, but the functionality of casting Darkness on an object so that the spell effect moves as the object moves, can be inferred from reading the effect of the Onyx Dragon's breath weapon.
Home Brewed Rule
When cast as a stationary area effect, Darkness will function as stated.
When cast on an object or at a creature's eyes, it will create a tiny point that absorbs all light (even magical light) in the area around it. You might think of this as a mini, magical Black Hole effect; all light in the area will be gathered into that one point, and no light will escape outward from that point, so no light will be visible to anyone within the darkened area. If that point is attached to a creature's eyes, the creature might see that one bright point of light in a field of darkness. For creatures with infra-vision, that point of light would prevent the infra-vision from functioning, explaining why they are blinded in this
case.
Whenever either of these spells is cast at a creature's eyes and the creature makes its Saving Throw, the spell "misses" and becomes an area effect version of the spell, centered where the creature was standing.
Read the individual spell descriptions of Continual Light and Continual Darkness to note some other differences in functionality (e.g., Continual Darkness blocks all infra-vision, and only the Cleric's version of Continual Light is as bright as full daylight).|
**Spell name italicized means the spell is reverisble.
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