From: hansell@ellie.atmo.arizona.edu (Seth Hansell)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: New Spells to Research
Date: 12 Nov 92 19:40:41 GMT
Organization: Department of Atmospheric Physics

In article <1992Nov12.105938.18419@odin.diku.dk>, null@diku.dk (Niels Ull Jacobsen) writes:
|> HC61@lafibm.lafayette.edu (HC61) writes:
|> 
|> 
|> Well, this one worked wonders for my M.U./Thief, Thaila:
|> 
|> Secret Light (2nd level) (reversible)
|> All statistics as for the normal 1st level Light, except that only the
|> caster can see the light. This of course means that it can in no way be
|> used as an attack (blinding people, harming certain undead, etc.) It will
|> cancel/be cancelled by magical darkness, just like Light. The material are 
|> as for light plus two drops of blood and a tear from the caster.
|> 
|> It can be reversed to Secret Darkness, although this normally isn't
|> very useful. Perhaps if in presence of a blinding light you could cast
|> secret darkness at the light source, so that you wouldn't be blinded?
|> Of course, you'd better have another source of illumination handy. And
|> it wouldn't save a vampire from the effects of direct sunlight - the
|> light is still hitting his body, he just can't see it.
|> 
|> And of course (though my character never actually got this to work)
|> 
|> Continual Secret Light (4th level)
|> Does the same for Continual Light as Secret Light does for Light.
|> Preliminary research seems to indicate that it requires at least
|> an ounce of blood from the caster. But it'll sure be handy for your
|> keep.
|> 
|> It also seems that it would be possible to make a magical lantern,
|> whose light would only be visible to the person holding it. The exact
|> process of its manufacture is not very clear, however.
|> 
|> Just a few ideas. I would like to see some comments. Should they be
|> higher level? Are they too useful?
|> -- 
|>    Niels Ull Jacobsen, Dep. of C.S., U of Copenhagen (null@diku.dk)
|>    Adaz sighed.  "So how long will this journey take?" 
|>    "A month?" Sutekh shrugged.  "Depends on when the horses die." 
|>      -- from "Adaz & Sutekh" by Jeff Stehman

  I would consider them to be somewhere around 3rd level as written.  Allow it
to effect "creature touched" and they would make good 4th level ones.  That would
allow the mage to cast it on party members that can use it (i.e. make it so that
it is useful for someone other than a M-U/Thief).  The reverse can then be used
to mimic the effect of a blindness on a sucessful touch (cf cure blindness (r.))
and probably a save failure.  That also bumps the casting time up to 3 seg.
  It seems that this is not quite a "light" spell, but rather a vision
enhancement, perhaps more akin to infravision (3rd level), but actually giving
full sight.  As such, I would also rule that it is not canceled by "darkness".
I would say that while in the area of darkness it would not work, but it would
not cancel it.  
  I don't see any reason it couldn't be put into an item that gives the holder 
this enhanced vision.

  My only remaining question is what is the range of sight, and how bright is 
the light.  Bright light (as continual light) would be more powerful but would
make sence for the level I was suggesting, torchlight (as light) would be less
useful

 -Seth Hansell                     "Righting wrongs yet to be written
  hansell@air.atmo.arizona.edu      Avenging those who can not,
                                       or will not, avenge themselves"