Light and Darkness Clarification Guide

[carrdrivesyou]

Just a quick list of every light source and spell I could find. Easy to keep track of which spell dispels each other. There are 3 spells that conjure ACTUAL sunlight, and "Daylight" isn't one of them. First one shows up at 5th level, via Dawn. Keep in mind that upcasting spells may move these around a bit. In theory, a 9th level casting of Continual Flame would be the most permanent light source ever created, unless dispelled.

Cantrip:
Dancing Lights - 10ft Dim, 4 areas of effect within 20ft of each other
Light - 20ft bright/20ft dim
Produce Flame - 10ft bright/10ft dim

1st:
Faerie Fire - 10ft radius dim on affected targets

2nd:
Continual Flame - 20ft Bright/20ft dim
Darkness - 15ft Sphere
Flame Blade - 10ft bright/10ft dim
Moonbeam - 5-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder dim light

3rd:
Daylight - 60ft bright/60ft dim (not actual sunlight)
Hunger of Hadar - 30ft radius sphere of of "blackness and bitter cold " that cannot be illuminated. Note that this is not actually darkness, and so is not treated as a light condition modifier.

4th:
Fire Shield - 10ft bright/10ft dim
Shadow of Moil - 10ft aura, lowers light by one step
Sickening Radiance - 30ft sphere of dim light, affect targets shed 5ft dim

5th:
Dawn - a 30-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder of bright light (actual sunlight)
Hallow - 60ft Sphere of Bright Light or Darkness
Immolation - 30ft bright/30ft dim on any affected target
Wall of Light - 120ft bright/120ft dim

6th:
Sunbeam - 30ft bright/30ft dim (actual sunlight)

7th:
Crown of Stars - 30ft bright/30ft dim (or 30ft dim when expended)
Symbol - 60ft radius sphere of dim light

8th:
Dark Star - Up to 40ft sphere
Holy Aura - 30ft radius dim light? (5ft dim light on friendlies inside that aura)
Maddening Darkness - 60ft radius sphere
Sunburst - 60ft sphere (instantaneous), dispels lower level darkness spells (actual sunlight)

9th:
Prismatic Wall - 100ft bright/100ft dim


Modifiers:
Control Flames - Cantrip - Double/Halve Existing Nonmagical Flame (torch or other natural fire only)

Should make light but doesn't by RAW:
Create Bonfire, Wall of Fire, Flaming Sphere, Alchemist Fire, Oil

Mundane:
Torch - 20ft bright/20ft dim
Candle - 5ft bright/5ft dim
Lamp - 15ft bright/30ft dim
Bullseye Lantern - 60ft bright/60ft dim, cone
Hooded Lantern - 30ft bright/30ft dim, alternatively, 5ft dim

Magic Items:
Flame Tongue - 40ft bright/40ft dim
Sunblade - 10ft to 30ft radius sphere of bright light, equal dim light. (Actual sunlight)

Channel Divinity: Twilight Sanctuary - 30ft radius sphere of dim light
Channel Divinity: Radiance of the Dawn - 30ft area Darkness Dispel

Edit: added Channel Divinity and Magic Items, fixed Hunger of Hadar

[RedDew123]

Magic items like Sun Blade and Flame Tongue can illuminate Darkness and Hallow areas.

[quindraco]

Just a quick list of every light source and spell I could find. Easy to keep track of which spell dispels each other. There are 3 spells that conjure ACTUAL sunlight, and "Daylight" isn't one of them. First one shows up at 5th level, via Dawn. Keep in mind that upcasting spells may move these around a bit. In theory, a 9th level casting of Continual Flame would be the most permanent light source ever created, unless dispelled.

Cantrip:
Dancing Lights - 10ft Dim, 4 areas of effect within 20ft of each other
Light - 20ft bright/20ft dim
Produce Flame - 10ft bright/10ft dim

1st:
Faerie Fire - 10ft radius dim on affected targets

2nd:
Continual Flame - 20ft Bright/20ft dim
Darkness - 15ft Sphere
Flame Blade - 10ft bright/10ft dim
Moonbeam - 5-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder dim light

3rd:
Daylight - 60ft bright/60ft dim (not actual sunlight)
Hunger of Hadar - 30ft radius sphere of Darkness

4th:
Fire Shield - 10ft bright/10ft dim
Shadow of Moil - 10ft aura, lowers light by one step
Sickening Radiance - 30ft sphere of dim light, affect targets shed 5ft dim

5th:
Dawn - a 30-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder of bright light (actual sunlight)
Hallow - 60ft Sphere of Bright Light or Darkness
Immolation - 30ft bright/30ft dim on any affected target
Wall of Light - 120ft bright/120ft dim

6th:
Sunbeam - 30ft bright/30ft dim (actual sunlight)

7th:
Crown of Stars - 30ft bright/30ft dim (or 30ft dim when expended)

8th:
Dark Star - Up to 40ft sphere
Holy Aura - 30ft radius dim light? (5ft dim light on friendlies inside that aura)
Maddening Darkness - 60ft radius sphere
Sunburst - 60ft sphere (instantaneous), dispels lower level darkness spells (actual sunlight)

9th:
Prismatic Wall - 100ft bright/100ft dim


Modifiers:
Control Flames - Cantrip - Double/Halve Existing Nonmagical Flame (torch or other natural fire only)

Should make light but doesn't by RAW:
Create Bonfire, Wall of Fire, Flaming Sphere, Alchemist Fire, Oil

Mundane:
Torch - 20ft bright/20ft dim
Candle - 5ft bright/5ft dim
Lamp - 15ft bright/30ft dim
Bullseye Lantern - 60ft bright/60ft dim, cone
Hooded Lantern - 30ft bright/30ft dim, alternatively, 5ft dim

You missed at least one: the symbol spell emits (it uses the "fill" term, same as moonbeam and a twilight cleric's channel divinity) a 60 foot radius sphere of dim light for 10 minutes when triggered. It's level 7.

[Valmark]

Note that Hunger of Hadar doesn't actually make darkness- that's important to all those effects that deal with it.

[No brains]

Good looking out making a handy reference like this.

Another addition: Holy Weapon out of Xanathar adds 30ft bright/30ft dim light for 1 hour with concentration.

[RogueJK]

Note that Hunger of Hadar doesn't actually make darkness- that's important to all those effects that deal with it.

Indeed. It's specifically referred to in the spell description as "blackness", not "darkness". And it goes on to state that "No light, magical or otherwise, can illuminate the area".

So you can't remove the HoH blackness with a higher level light-emitting spell. And things like Devil's Sight that allow you to see through darkness don't allow you to see through HoH's blackness.