Mel
2014-12-20, 05:39 PM
Disputing a answer given in the the quick answers.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/darkness
Since nonmagical lights don't help against this darkness, if you were in a room well lit by torches, wouldn't darkness instead of bringing the light level down one, go to complete darkness? Since none of the torches could contribute to the light level. So in most circumstances aside from daylight, darkness means complete darkness, right?
In all those cases, your torch would do nothing to affect the situation because it is nonmagical, unless the torch was contributing to lighting the room prior to the darkness effect coming into being.
Funny how you say "in all cases" then immediately after say "unless it was before".
Really this spell contradicts itself, and ignores its own contradiction. In which case, wouldn't it make more sense to use the interpretation that makes more sense when in doubt? Which would be that Darkness ignores all non-magical, non-sunlight, and magical light not strong enough, thus a room well light with torches but no outside light would be pitch black thanks to darkness.
This may indeed make the spell too powerful, so here is a possible alteration (well either way you got to tailor it out of its own contradiction, unless you have a source other then the spells own text to draw on?) Nonmagical light does not effect darkness, except for sunlight. Any magical light of level 1 or higher, but not higher then darkness, is reduced by its effects one tier lower in its effect on brightness rounded down.(so if a single magical light would make the room dim, it would have no effect, two magical lights would make the the room dim) Light spells higher then darkness ignore its effects. level 0 light spells would have no effect on darkness.
If you treat the text, brightness goes down one step as the most important part to pay attention to when resolving the contradiction of this spell, you ignore TWO other contradictions of the spell.
1. As established, this ignores the spells own rules about it ignoring nonmagical and lesser magical light sources.
2. You ignore that magical light sources above Darkness's level, ignore darkness. You could have a room well lit by five level 4 light magical sources, and darkness would still reduce the light level, or three torches, this interpretation doesn't care.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/darkness
Since nonmagical lights don't help against this darkness, if you were in a room well lit by torches, wouldn't darkness instead of bringing the light level down one, go to complete darkness? Since none of the torches could contribute to the light level. So in most circumstances aside from daylight, darkness means complete darkness, right?
In all those cases, your torch would do nothing to affect the situation because it is nonmagical, unless the torch was contributing to lighting the room prior to the darkness effect coming into being.
Funny how you say "in all cases" then immediately after say "unless it was before".
Really this spell contradicts itself, and ignores its own contradiction. In which case, wouldn't it make more sense to use the interpretation that makes more sense when in doubt? Which would be that Darkness ignores all non-magical, non-sunlight, and magical light not strong enough, thus a room well light with torches but no outside light would be pitch black thanks to darkness.
This may indeed make the spell too powerful, so here is a possible alteration (well either way you got to tailor it out of its own contradiction, unless you have a source other then the spells own text to draw on?) Nonmagical light does not effect darkness, except for sunlight. Any magical light of level 1 or higher, but not higher then darkness, is reduced by its effects one tier lower in its effect on brightness rounded down.(so if a single magical light would make the room dim, it would have no effect, two magical lights would make the the room dim) Light spells higher then darkness ignore its effects. level 0 light spells would have no effect on darkness.
If you treat the text, brightness goes down one step as the most important part to pay attention to when resolving the contradiction of this spell, you ignore TWO other contradictions of the spell.
1. As established, this ignores the spells own rules about it ignoring nonmagical and lesser magical light sources.
2. You ignore that magical light sources above Darkness's level, ignore darkness. You could have a room well lit by five level 4 light magical sources, and darkness would still reduce the light level, or three torches, this interpretation doesn't care.