PDA

View Full Version : Dancing Lights?



ref
2010-02-13, 09:44 PM
While re-reading OotS strips, I reached the strip where Haley is attacking a hobgoblin wizard in Azure City and she makes fun of him for casting Dancing Lights, until she realizes he sent a signal.

I remember in the thread about that strip, there was people that said that whole systems of message signals had been devised for Dancing Lights, and I haven't found an explanation anywhere. Me being a sucker for message codes and creative uses of spells, I wonder if someone could devise such a system to instruct me. Thank you.

Ravens_cry
2010-02-13, 10:02 PM
You could have a simple semaphore system by bobbing two lights up and down. Or one blinking through two different colours for a binary Morse codes style transmission. That's just two ideas off the top of my head, as they say.

Lysander
2010-02-13, 10:11 PM
You could send messages via morse code by moving a light behind an obstacle and back into view at the appropriate pace.

Remember you can also create a single glowing humanoid shape with the spell. What about making an upside down human shape to represent death, a sideways humanoid shape to represent illness or injury requiring immediate assistance, an upright humanoid can represent none injured or dead.

Dr.Epic
2010-02-13, 10:30 PM
You could just create a system and inform party members what it means.

Splendor
2010-02-13, 11:07 PM
Simple use morose code for letters....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:International_Morse_Code.svg

Since the lights can move you could easily form different shapes of move them behind one another to have less of them.

For numbers you could use a base 4 counting system

Randel
2010-02-14, 02:30 AM
There are various configurations that the dancing lights could make:


*

**

***

****

*
*

*
*
*

*
*
*
*

***
*

*
***

*
***

***
*

*
* *
*

* *
* *

**
**

*
*
* *

* *
*
*

*
**
*


And I'm sure there are many more. Just find a few things you would need to communicate and then choose a symbol for it. Note that it could be difficult to 'face' the symbol directly toward the person you are signaling to unless its part of a series of semaphore towers or something. Most combat symbols would probably either be rotating or pointed at something (a symbol for 'we are being attacked' would rotate so everyone within line of sight could see it while a 'the enemy is fleeing in that direction' symbol would be pointing towards the target)



Three applications I can think of for this:

1. A signal flare - A single use magic item that fires a symbol into the sky, most likely the flare has a preset symbol like 'rescue me, I'm trapped here'.

2. Communication Array - Similar to the signal flare but multiple use and function. May either be a heavy item that needs time to set up or is a lightweight 'flare gun' that can be carried by the commander. When a unit reaches an area they can fire a symbol into the sky whenever they want to communicate to others. Use it to announce an emergency or to send messages across great distance (a series of cheap semaphore units should be cheaper to set up than a single telepathy device... although with its limitations).

3. Semaphore Towers - A permanent structure set up in a series with similar ones. A message is given to one tower and the operator changes the dancing light symbol to form coded letters. The next tower in the series repeats them and the next repeats that one ad infinitum until the message is transmitted across hundreds of miles. The messages are all in code so the person at the tower doesn't have to know what it is, just repeat the symbols. With the proper system of addresses and such then you've just made a simple telegraph service or even 'internet'.

With the Semaphore Tower setup, its mostly getting the information protocols set up that's important. With the right setup then anyone with a portable symbol maker can 'plug' into the network as long as they are within line of sight to the towers. Telepathy or other message mediums could interface with it by having them deliver the messages to and from the local Semaphore Tower.