Dark Torch

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My DM is usually happy to reward ingenuity, but this one idea caused quite a debate.

The party's wizard researched a way of putting a permanant darkness spell on an object. Then he enchanted a disk with this property and slid the disk into a metal tube which was capped at one end. According to the wizards logic, this should make the uncapped end constantly shoot a beam or cone of darkness 15 feet (like the opposite of a modern torch).

This immediately sparked an argument between the DM and the players over whether this would work or not. After all, in our world darkness is merely the absense of light. The DM opinion is that the spell doesn't "radiate" darkness, just eliminate light in the area of effect. Player opinion is that magical darkness in the DnD world is something more "solid", and would radiate like the wizard thinks it should.

Can I get some outside opinions from both DM and player point of view please?

 

Why oh why would one put effort into making that? I don't see any use...

The DMG description of Darkness Spell: This spell causes an object to radiate darkness out to a 20 foot radius.

Description says it radiates. The tube would halt the darkness, except for the open part. My guess is that a beam of darkness would come out.

But still, what's it's use?

 

The player is right IMHO.

 

You point it at enemies within 20ft I assume, aim it at spell casters or archers and it means they are forced to guess where they are aiming.

 

Hmm, that would have some use... Very ingenuitive. (sp?)

 

So there would be a beam of darkness in their eyes? You can still see through darkness can't you? Or am I missing something?

 

Excerpt from the PHB 3rd ed, page 190:

"Not even creature s who can normally see in the dark (such as with darkvision) can see in an earea shrouded in magical darkness."

If the mage's eyes are in the area darkened by the darkspell, he won't see anything. Unless he has a 2nd or higher level light spell (such as daylight) active.

 

Since it does radiate then it should work like the opposite of a flashlight. On another note, wouldn't that be fun to play with in real-life?

 

My advice to the DM: find the stats for any and every Baatezu.

My advice to the players: Get Summon Monster I, get Craft Magic Arms and Armor.

 

If we treat magical darkness like anti-light maybe it can be reflected?

Perhaps if the inside of the tube were painted black it would increase the intensity of the darkness beam to increase the range to say 50'