Ultra-Bastard D&D: Illumination

Over the Garden Wall

In Ultra-Bastard, tracking illumination is optional. Much of the time, decrementing torches and revealing the map a few squares at a time will be too administratively taxing, but often, particularly in classic dungeon-crawling, light is a major source of tension, constraint and fun. 

When tracking illumination matters:

Types of Light

For ease of play, two levels of light are recognized: bright and dim. Bright = full vision, Dim = no detail. While you can fight, and see the shapes of rooms in dim light, you won't be able to spot a tripwire or read an inscription.

Exploring Dark Spaces

When exploring a new area, only illuminated areas will be revealed/described.

When using a grid, mundane lights will illuminate adjacent squares with bright light, and dim light for one more ring. If you aren't within 2 squares of the light source, you're in the dark.

Sources of Light

Candles can be used one at a time to provide weak light for a long time or burned together to create stronger light.

Torches don't last as long as candles/lamps but they can be used as weapons and are less likely to be extinguished at an inopportune moment.

Lanterns are expensive, fragile and consume a lot of oil but they do expand your light range.

Extinguishing Light

If a candle, lamp or lantern is dropped, it is broken and goes out. A torch will go out 25% of the time.

Some combatants will target light sources. On a successful attack, the light is dropped / broken.

Wind, water etc. may also extinguish your light source.

Mike Mignola's Baltimore, art by Ben Stenbeck

Magic Light

For Ultra Bastard I don't usually include Light on the list of spells, but if I did, the OSE version is mostly fine. I'd just change the radius to 10' / 20' to match lamps and torches and keep the duration at 6 turns to make my life easy. 

Light: Magically, conjure light (10' bright, 20' dim, as torch) for one hour. Can be cast on a location or an object (in which case the light moved with the object). Alternatively, can be cast on a creature's eyes, blinding it on a failed save vs. spells.  

I play in an OSE game now and in my experience light is almost exclusively used for blinding rather than revelation but, given the extreme threat of darkness in my Ultra Bastard games, I can imagine the spell being a good back-up for when other lights are extinguished.

Continual Light... not a thing.

Fire Damage and Setting Targets Alight

Most targets (i.e. those wearing normal clothes etc.) taking 4 or more fire damage in a single attack are set on fire. Particularly flammable targets might be easier to ignite. Once on fire, they take d6 fire damage at the top of each combat round and if f they take 4 or more, they remain on fire.

A character can spend their turn to stop, drop & roll, to put the fire out.

I've written about this in detail before:

If a creature or flammable object takes fire damage ≥4 it is set on fire. 

• While on fire, it takes d4 fire damage at the top of each round, if the damage is ≥4 it continues to burn.
• If a creature is doused with oil or some other accelerant, they'll take d6 instead of d4 and are consequently much more likely to keep burning for multiple rounds.
• Taking a turn to stop, drop and roll will put out the fire on humanoids but may not work on especially flammable creatures (e.g. a scarecrow). 

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Attacking with a Torch or Flaming Oil

A torch counts as an improvised weapon and deals d4 fire damage. If a 1 is rolled for damage, the torch is extinguished.

A flaming oil bottle takes one round to prepare. When thrown, make a Dex check, on a success it hits the desired target and deals d6 fire damage in a 5' radius (can target a few closely-grouped opponents).

Jean Giraud (Moebius)

Acknowledgements / Further Reading:

I found Dwhiz' article on this subject "Advanced Darkness" very influential on my approach. 

Lindybeige's videos on torches (outdoor / indoor / alternatives) from ages ago also affected my thinking. 

Patrick's essays on darkness & light in Veins of the Earth are worth reading. Earlier, partial version on False Machine.

If you want handy cards for tracking torches/lanterns, Dyson Logos has you covered: 

Get them here! 

If any interesting articles/blogposts etc. springs to mind as you read this, kindly link them in the comments.