Non-magical "Head Lamp"

[Kesnit]

My PnP Dragonlance campaign ran into an interesting problem last night. While exploring a cave, we realized that, while the Elf Ranger and Human Wizard can see in the dark, the Kender Rogue (me) and the Human Monk cannot. (The Wizard can because of a DM "gift" for passing his Test of High Sorcery. His left eye was replaced by a gem, the full abilities of which only the DM knows.)

The Ranger's player joked we should get headlamps like miners wear. I could get by with a stone that someone cast Continuous Light on attached to a headband, but the Monk has Vow of Poverty, so can't wear magical items. I joked we could just attach a candle to a leather cap (so he doesn't catch his hair on fire), but this is obviously not a great idea.

Is there anything else we could get for the Monk that would allow him to see in the Dark without breaking his vow?

[Grail]

a Torch and flint&steel

[Heliomance]

Grapple/knock out the monk, then attach the stone of continual light to his forehead securely enough that he is unable to remove it and thus cannot be blamed for carrying it.

[Khatoblepas]

Get the wizard to summon up a Lantern Archon, who then casts Continual Light on the monk's hatstone. It's free. It's given by a creature of pure goodness. And continual light is a spell effect, right? It's not a magical item, it's just a stone with a permanent spell on it.

After all, you shouldn't penalise the poor monk if he's benefiting from spells. Poverty doesn't mean no spell effects that you got for free, since that's silly. :P

(The Torch of Continual Light in the PHB is actually the cost of a mundane torch + the cost of the material components of the spell. It's not a magical item. A stone (free), plus the material components the Lantern Archon uses (0gp) is 0gp in total. THe monk is allowed it.)

[kamikasei]

Would a torch or a lantern be too expensive?

[Grail]

a torch is 1cp

[Kesnit]

a Torch and flint&steel

Although he fights unarmed (so doesn't need a free hand), the idea is to have something that leaves his hands free. Sorry for the confusion. (We have a lantern, which just sits on the ground and provides an area of light, but want something a little more portable.)

[Grail]

sounds like a job for some sovereign glue

[Grail]

Just re-reading the vow, there is nothing that precludes getting Dark Vision cast with Permanency on him. So if the rest of the group want to kick in the jink, he can be Povo-Monk of the Night.

[Kesnit]

Just re-reading the vow, there is nothing that precludes getting Dark Vision cast with Permanency on him. So if the rest of the group want to kick in the jink, he can be Povo-Monk of the Night.

Hmm... Now that's an idea... (grabbing calculator) Not too expensive...

I like!

[kjones]

Hackmaster had a hat with a socket in it where you could put a torch... just don't combine this with the Flatulence flaw.

[BobVosh]

Hmm... Now that's an idea... (grabbing calculator) Not too expensive...

I like!

I vote ebon eyes...Shorter distance, but gets through those annoying darkness spells as well

[Hal]

Also, Sunrods are alchemical, not magical, so those should be okay. (Unless VoP doesn't allow alchemy, either. I've never picked up BoED, so I don't know what VoP specifies.)

I'd just ask if he could tuck a sunrod into his belt (say, in an empty scabbard). Not exactly RAW, but I see no reason why that would be broken in any way.

[caden_varn]

Do both the monk and kender need separate items? If the kender gets a continual light headbad, surely the monk can use the light from that too.

Or you could set him on fire.

[Epinephrine]

2 Levels of the Ruathar PrC (becoming an elf-friend, RotW) would give low-light vision, one level of Dungeon Delver (C.Adv.), or two levels of Shadow Dancer (DMG, with the handy supernatural Hide in Plain Sight) or Dark Hunter (C.War.) grant darkvision.

Going with a class or template has the advantage of definitely being 100% in the spirit of the VoP, and probably doesn't affect things much for a monk, since he doesn't need every single class level. Our DM allows retraining of feats etc., so it'd be easy for a monk to qualify for something like Shadow Dancer (dodge, mobility, combat reflexes) as the Cobra Strike monk variant from Unearthed Arcana gets Dodge, Mobility, and Spring Attack as feats, and the shadow dancer isn't a bad style to add to a monk's abilities.

If you are hurting for class levels, see whether you can get a "practiced spellcaster" variant that boosts your effective monk level by 4, up to your level.

[Canadian]

Cast continual light on a piece of poop and give it to him. Nothing is more worthless than poop. A poor man can have lots of poop and still be poor. Unless it's enough to be a manure pile. Then he could sell it to farmers for fertilizer. But a little poop is always worthless.

It costs even less than the 1 copper piece torch. Fits in with the poverty theme. The smell will make him seem even more homeless than ever. It's like +1 to poverty. He'll never get a job or apartment smelling like that.

That's my poverty headlamp idea...

[koldstare]

Cast continual light on a piece of poop and give it to him

Hey don't forget poop is flammable. After the duration of the spell expires he can just set it on fire and voila more light.

[Telonius]

Let him retrain a feat (or wait a level) to get Nimbus of Light. It's an Exalted Feat. I did the VoP Monk thing when it first came out, and found out that I quickly ran out of useful Monk feats. (I was playing a lesser Drow, so vision wasn't a problem). In fact, one of my complaints to the DM was that, "The only thing left is the one that lets me glow in the dark!" He eventually let me take regular feats in place of Exalted ones, but I hope my misfortune can be your gain.

[Kesnit]

Do both the monk and kender need separate items? If the kender gets a continual light headbad, surely the monk can use the light from that too.

Possible, but unless they were facing they same direction, it wouldn't do the Monk much good. (Headband only points in one direction.)

Or you could set him on fire.

Set the Monk or the Kender on fire?

2 Levels of the Ruathar PrC (becoming an elf-friend, RotW) would give low-light vision, one level of Dungeon Delver (C.Adv.), or two levels of Shadow Dancer (DMG, with the handy supernatural Hide in Plain Sight) or Dark Hunter (C.War.) grant darkvision.

He's only LVL 4 (maybe 5, but I think 4), so it will be a while before he could get a PrC. (The Kender and the Ranger are LVL 6. The Wizard is LVL 5. I should have mentioned level before. Sorry.)

Let him retrain a feat (or wait a level) to get Nimbus of Light. It's an Exalted Feat. I did the VoP Monk thing when it first came out, and found out that I quickly ran out of useful Monk feats. (I was playing a lesser Drow, so vision wasn't a problem). In fact, one of my complaints to the DM was that, "The only thing left is the one that lets me glow in the dark!" He eventually let me take regular feats in place of Exalted ones, but I hope my misfortune can be your gain.

As I said above, he's only LVL 4, so doesn't have a lot of Exalted feats to swap out. (The one I know he has, Touch of Golden Ice, he is in love with and I know he won't give it up. Also, it helps the party by lowering monster AC through lowering DEX.) That is something to consider when he hits LVL 6, though. (Not sure if he has another feat in mind.)

[Artanis]

Set the Monk or the Kender on fire?

Yes

[Fax Celestis]

I thought VoP granted extra forms of sight already...?

EDIT: *checks* Huh, guess not.

[Roderick_BR]

After all, you shouldn't penalise the poor monk if he's benefiting from spells. Poverty doesn't mean no spell effects that you got for free, since that's silly. :P

Actually, I think the book do say that you can receive spells and/or low cost stuff from allies, like receiving buffing spells, or the day's rations. Having a mundane item enchanted with a spell is within his limits, it is not really a magic item.

[BRC]

Light your enemies on fire.

[Kesnit]

Light your enemies on fire.

LOL! Well, the Wizard does want to go Elemental Savant (Fire). But he isn't there yet. Also, at the moment, the "cave" we are in is actually made of the roots and vines of a very large tree. Setting enemies on fire would (according to the DM) set the whole place on fire and probably kill us.

[BRC]

LOL! Well, the Wizard does want to go Elemental Savant (Fire). But he isn't there yet. Also, at the moment, the "cave" we are in is actually made of the roots and vines of a very large tree. Setting enemies on fire would (according to the DM) set the whole place on fire and probably kill us.

Then leave the cave, chuck a fireball in there, then chill while your enemies roast. Once the screaming stops, head in there ,kill the survivors, and congradualte yourself on a job, if you will pardon my pun, well done.

[AmberVael]

LOL! Well, the Wizard does want to go Elemental Savant (Fire). But he isn't there yet. Also, at the moment, the "cave" we are in is actually made of the roots and vines of a very large tree. Setting enemies on fire would (according to the DM) set the whole place on fire and probably kill us.

Unless this is a dead tree, I call BS. Seriously, if it is a tree that big, and it is still alive, I really doubt a few little fire spells could ignite it and kill you all. Brief flashes of flame- unless they're really hot (you're level 4, so they AREN'T really hot)- will not set a tree larger than a redwood tree on fire.

[Darth Stabber]

^I love that plan, So deliciously evil.

[only1doug]

Actually, I think the book do say that you can receive spells and/or low cost stuff from allies, like receiving buffing spells, or the day's rations. Having a mundane item enchanted with a spell is within his limits, it is not really a magic item.

As there is a listed magic item that is effectively something that has received a continual flame spell you may find it hard to convince a GM of your argument.

As others have said, the monk can follow the kender and benefit from his light.

[Fhaolan]

In RL miners did indeed have candle-based headlamps. The hat I've seen is from the 1800's and looks pretty much like a modern baseball cap with a bent mental plate on the brim that the candle is stuck to with a spike.

At this time the miners didn't wear hardhats and the like. That's a more modern safety feature. :)

[Tacoma]

Everyone in the party needs a helmet that has a lantern built into it. Instant 360° light at pretty good range. So long as the Monk doesn't stray too far he'll be fine. Have the wick for the lantern follow a metal tube down the wearer's back into a screw-on metal flask of lamp oil to keep the center of weight way down and prevent sloshing.