Lighting in Dungeon Fantasy RPG

There was some discussion on Mook's GURPS Discord server about light sources for Dungeon Fantasy PCs, and my thoughts were a bit long for chat, so this looks like a good place.

The lighting rules are on DFRPG Exploits page 19.  To summarize, some light sources make a semicircle of light in front of the bearer, while others make a tight beam of light in the direction they're pointed.  All have a limited range.  Also, some light sources need a hand to hold them, while others do not.  Some work underwater or in strong wind; others go out.  Some work in No Mana or No Sanctity zones; others do not.

Also, the need for light varies.  It's possible that some rooms are brightly lit, though this is going to be the exception rather than the rule in deep dungeons.  More common is going to be dim lighting (so if you don't have a light source you're going to take darkness penalties on everything, unless you have enough Night Vision to ignore them), or no lighting (so if you have no light sources you will probably be eaten by a grue).

I think that how strongly the GM enforces the lighting rules depends both on how harsh the GM wants to be, and how easy it is to enforce them.  In face-to-face games, I think it's most common to mostly handwave light sources: as long as someone is carrying some kind of light source, everyone in the general area takes no darkness penalties.  But if you're playing online with a virtual tabletop that does dynamic lighting, it's really easy to enforce lighting more precisely, so it becomes more important for (almost) everyone to have a light source.

So, what should DFRPG PCs do?  First, assuming they have a Wizard or a Cleric (and they should), that player should be strongly encouraged to take the Continual Light spell.  It's amazing because it lasts 2-12 days and doesn't count as a spell on.  Ideally, they should have a Wizard and a Cleric, both with Continual Light.  The combination of Continual Light and Luck (the advantage almost everyone should take, especially spellcasters, because critical failures with spells can get ugly) means that you can essentially make all the 6-point Continual Lights you need in town (or, if it's a really long hike to the dungeon, in camp outside the dungeon), and not really have to worry much about critical failure.  Ideally each PC would have at least two, one cast by a Wizard (so it works in No Sanctity Zones) and one cast by a Cleric (so it works in No Mana Zones).

And what should you cast Continual Light on?  A lantern earns style points, and (if you remember to bring oil and flint and steel) provides a nice mundane backup if something happens to your magic, but it consumes a hand.  A hand is a terrible thing to waste.  So, unless you have more hands than you need (I'd link to a Peshkali meme but I'd have to start one first), I'd put it on a hands-free item instead.  If you always want to keep your light on, anything that's strapped on and hard to lose seems like a good choice: your helmet or breastplate, for example.  (A weapon or shield is slightly worse because you might drop it, though if you have a backup light source, maybe that's okay.)  Most PCs would probably prefer to make their light switchable, so maybe putting it on a necklace that can be tucked under armor, or a ring that can be stuffed into a pouch, makes more sense.  Unless you have a long weapon like a greatsword or staff, or an even longer utility item like an 11-foot pole, and want to put the light on the end of it to light things up farther away.  It's your call.

Now, remember that Continual Light only has a 4-yard range of full light, then a -3 darkness penalty out to 12 yards, then nada.  So 3 points in Night Vision is a pretty sweet advantage: you get rid of that -3 penalty and attack at full effectiveness out to 12 yards.  I don't want to say "mandatory" for Scouts and the kind of Wizards who use Missile spells, because you only have so many points, but on the list to consider.  The vast majority of attacks in dungeons are going to be at less than 12 yards, but just in case you get to take some long-range shots in a huge dark room, you might consider putting Continual Light on some arrowheads or sling stones.  Now only the first shot is into the dark, and (assuming you managed to put it within a few yards of your enemies), it will serve as a nice spotlight afterward.  (Also, your GM might give you a bonus to find your ammunition after the battle if it's glowing brightly.  Pretty sure my Scrounging is at default, but even I can find a lit flashlight in the dark pretty well.)

As a minor note, GURPS Magic has Continual Mage Light, which is like Continual Light except only mages can see it.  DFRPG does not have this spell, but if you're a Wizard in a game where it's allowed, it might be worth spending a couple of points to have a light source that you can see and most monsters can't.  Of course your less magically inclined buddies need the lame version, and that might accidentally get them targeted a bit more often than you, but then they probably have more armor than you, so that's probably totally fair.

This goes without saying, but even if you have Continual Light, better yet both flavors of Continual Light, you might get trapped in the dungeon for a long enough time for the spells to expire, or hit the dreaded No Mana And No Sanctity Either (Mu-ha-ha!) Zone.  So keep a torch in your backpack, and a way to light it.  You don't expect to ever use it, but just in case.

There's a 62-point NPC template in Dungeon Fantasy 15 Henchmen called Torchbearer.  In a world with hands-free Continual Light spells, I have a hard time imagining hiring someone just to hold the light.  Unless you're not a very nice person and think that whoever holds the light gets attacked first and you'd rather that not be you.  Or, more charitably, if that person has other jobs like treasure-hauler or stretcher-bearer and holding a light source is just a little bonus job you give them so they can feel useful in combat without actually fighting and getting themselves hurt.  Anyway, in the unlikely event you hire a torchbearer, maybe give them a bull's-eye lantern so they can spotlight enemies 10 yards away, out of full brightness range of Continual Light.  It might actually matter once.  And hirelings appreciate having fancy equipment.

Another thing I wanted to discuss was realistic vs. player-friendly viewing field of view in virtual tabletops like Roll20.  I've played in games where PC tokens can see 360 degrees, and games where PC tokens can only see 180 degrees (unless modified by Peripheral Vision or No Peripheral Vision), and games where the GM adds extra cameras away from the tokens to make it extra-easy for players to see what's going on even when their PCs can't.  Limited focus of view is definitely more realistic, but it makes players constantly want to spin their tokens, which is annoying and distracting, like those players in shooter video games who hop-hop-hop all the time.  So I lean toward giving players 360 degree vision while knowing their PCs still get reduced defenses against side attacks and no defenses against non-runaround back attacks.  And that feeds back into lighting, because if you're going to give PC tokens 360-degree vision, you might also want to give them 360-degree lighting to make that useful.  Or maybe not; maybe only giving 180-degree lighting for semi-circular light sources will remind players that they don't really know what's behind them unless they have a rear guard facing backwards, projecting a light that way.  Ultimately it's the GM's choice how to do the view and lighting, and the players' job to react to it with solid tactics.  For the Whiterock game, I think I'll start with 360-degree vision and 180-degree lighting and see how that goes.  (Of course some players might just put a second Continual Light on their back...)

The last subject I want to touch on is that stealthy PC who doesn't want to be lit up, because they have visions of successful surprise rolls and backstabbing for bonus damage.  Unfortunately, none of the PC races in DFRPG have Infravision or Dark Vision, so if it's pitch black, you're out of luck unless you have a friendly Wizard to cast one of those on you as a spell.  (Note that Infravision is only 1 point to maintain, so if your Wizard has it at 15, he's your new best friend, though it's -1 to all his other spells for having a spell on, so ask very nicely.  Dark Vision is 2 points to maintain, so probably not going to happen unless your Wizard has Magery 6 and having spells at 20 is affordable.)  If you don't have someone to cast one of those spells for you, your next best bet if you want to get well away from the not-so-stealthy party is going to be really good Night Vision and a really dim light that you hope nobody notices.  (Like a 2-point Continual Light pebble that you mostly squeeze in your fist but let just a wee bit of light leak out.)  Or if you can't do that, maybe you just stay near enough to your party to use their light and don't carry any light yourself, and hope everyone notices the bright and loud ones while you stay in the shadows.  (Or, hey, if you're dreaming, get that Wizard to learn Invisibility at 20 and make you invisible all the time.  Probably hard to find another player who's willing to devote that much of his PC's life to buffing your PC, but if your GM allows Allies...)