Author Topic: Two Daylights vs. Darkness = Daylight, or natural light conditions?  (Read 2463 times)

Offline ksbsnowowl

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Quote from: Daylight spell
Daylight brought into an area of magical darkness (or vice versa) is temporarily negated, so that the otherwise prevailing light conditions exist in the overlapping areas of effect.
The party is in a cave, and their foe has cast Darkness on a stalagmite to shroud the area in magical darkness, allowing the foes to Hide, even versus darkvision.

The party has Daylight cast on someone's weapon when entering the area, thus the resulting light conditions would be the "otherwise prevailing light conditions" inside Darkness' area, so the normal darkness of a cave.  Those with darkvision can see in it just fine.

The situation that came up was that someone then activated the Daylight property on their armor...  With a second Daylight effect, neither of which were used to dispel the Darkness, what would the resulting light conditions be inside the area of the Darkness spell?  Normal absence of light, or the effects of Daylight?

Offline kitep

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Re: Two Daylights vs. Darkness = Daylight, or natural light conditions?
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2016, 01:11:31 PM »
I would say the Daylight spells don't stack, thus normal light conditions prevail.

Offline Kethrian

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Offline faeryn

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Re: Two Daylights vs. Darkness = Daylight, or natural light conditions?
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2016, 05:28:45 AM »
Given the fact that the effects of Darkness and Daylight are both suppressed when their area of effects overlap both instances of Daylight would be suppressed. The reason being that Darkness was not dispelled only suppressed so the effects still overlap thus the second daylight is still suppressed. Should the party use one daylight to dispel Darkness, on the other hand, then use the other to provide light then they would have the light of daylight. Otherwise they have pretty much just created an area that magical light effects don't work in... hope they brought a torch.

Offline phaedrusxy

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Re: Two Daylights vs. Darkness = Daylight, or natural light conditions?
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2016, 11:30:55 AM »
Given the fact that the effects of Darkness and Daylight are both suppressed when their area of effects overlap both instances of Daylight would be suppressed. The reason being that Darkness was not dispelled only suppressed so the effects still overlap thus the second daylight is still suppressed. Should the party use one daylight to dispel Darkness, on the other hand, then use the other to provide light then they would have the light of daylight. Otherwise they have pretty much just created an area that magical light effects don't work in... hope they brought a torch.
If the Darkness is supressed by the first Daylight, then its effects shouldn't be there to affect the second one. So the second Daylight should work normally, IMO. (And likewise with the first Daylight, if you want to argue that they don't "stack").
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Offline Kethrian

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Re: Two Daylights vs. Darkness = Daylight, or natural light conditions?
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2016, 03:24:04 PM »
Quote from: PHB p. 314
suppress: Cause a magical effect to cease functioning without actually ending it.  When the suppression ends, the spell effect returns, provided it has not expired in the meantime.

Yes, if Darkness get suppressed, it is no longer functional, and therefore cannot interfere with the 2nd Daylight.
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Offline ksbsnowowl

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