RAI/RAW Dancing Lights + Unseen Servant Combo?

Can unseen servant be instructed to move within the humanoid form of dancing lights for one hour, so that a player can move both of them with the same bonus action?

Basically the intended effect is to create a phantom that can hold something and walk down a hallway and distract some guards, without using any spell slots.  But it needs to be visible so it actually draws their attention.  The caster's plan is to hide in a Minor Illusion faux crate or similar and to direct this unseen servant and dancing lights form to pick up objects and steal them, while also using mage hand to steal other objects in the dark.  Basically.

Can this actually work with the rules?  Or is it impossible to chain one to the other?  I think it might be possible, but am unsure.

A quick test to see if something would likely be allowed (regardless of RAW) is if you are trying to use fewer resources "cleverly" to accomplish the same thing as something does by default using more resources. If you are, then expect to be shut down. Players have been trying to insta-kill things with "clever" uses of cantrips for ages. It just doesn't work that way.

Sabin76 gives a good rule of thumb. 
I’d add that in this case, from a rules perspective, no, you can’t use 1 bonus action to activate both spells at the same time. It’s one or the other. You can command the servant to interact with an object, but the spell effect from dancing light is not an object. 

I will say, however, that if you just had the servant carrying something down the hall, to the guards, it would look like an object just floating along, and that would likely get their attention, as long as they noticed it.

Quote from packman767 >>

Can unseen servant be instructed to move within the humanoid form of dancing lights for one hour, so that a player can move both of them with the same bonus action?

Basically the intended effect is to create a phantom that can hold something and walk down a hallway and distract some guards, without using any spell slots.  But it needs to be visible so it actually draws their attention.  The caster's plan is to hide in a Minor Illusion faux crate or similar and to direct this unseen servant and dancing lights form to pick up objects and steal them, while also using mage hand to steal other objects in the dark.  Basically.

Can this actually work with the rules?  Or is it impossible to chain one to the other?  I think it might be possible, but am unsure.

The spell you're looking for is faerie fire, not dancing lights

Here is the text of the two spells.  I think the issue is whether or not a light is considered an object that could be interacted with, whether or not the humanoid form can be moved at command to mimic human movement like walking, or whether it is static, etc.  An unseen servant ought to be able to follow a light as it moves, up to one hour, as a command.  There is no doubt in my mind that unseen servant and dancing lights could work at the same time but I am unsure if moving dancing lights after commanding unseen servant to move within the light and grab things would effectively allow one to control unseen servant by just moving the lights?  This seems possible.

DancingLights

Illusion Cantrip (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard)

You create up to four torch-size lights within range, making them appear as torches, lanterns, or glowing orbs that hover for the duration. Alternatively, you combine the four lights into one glowing Medium form that is vaguely humanlike. Whichever form you choose, each light sheds Dim Light in a 10-foot radius.

As a Bonus Action, you can move the lights up to 60 feet to a space within range. A light must be within 20 feet of another light created by this spell, and a light vanishes if it exceeds the spell’s range.

UNSEEN SERVANT

Level 1 Conjuration (Bard, Warlock, Wizard)

This spell creates an Invisible, mindless, shapeless, Medium force that performs simple tasks at your command until the spell ends. The servant springs into existence in an unoccupied space on the ground within range. It has AC 10, 1 Hit Point, and a Strength of 2, and it can’t attack. If it drops to 0 Hit Points, the spell ends.

Once on each of your turns as a Bonus Action, you can mentally command the servant to move up to 15 feet and interact with an object. The servant can perform simple tasks that a human could do, such as fetching things, cleaning, mending, folding clothes, lighting fires, serving food, and pouring drinks. Once you give the command, the servantperforms the task to the best of its ability until it completes the task, then waits for your next command.

If you command the servant to perform a task that would move it more than 60 feet away from you, the spell ends.

- - -

Quote from packman767 >>

I think the issue is whether or not a light is considered an object that could be interacted with,

No, it is a magical effect.

Quote from packman767 >>

An unseen servant ought to be able to follow a light as it moves, up to one hour, as a command.  

That should be doable (within limits). 

Edit:

Quote from packman767 >>

whether or not the humanoid form can be moved at command to mimic human movement like walking, or whether it is static, etc.  

It can move but the mimicking part is probably going to be DM dependant and I would likely say no. 

Quote from AntonSirius >>

The spell you're looking for is faerie fire, not dancing lights

That won't work actually. Faerie Fire affects objects and creatures while the Unseen Servant is "an Invisible, mindless, shapeless, Medium force" so there is very little overlap to work with here.

Best you could do was tell the servant to carry an object that is gloving from FF. But then you could just give it a lamp or candle holder or similar instead. 

Quote from packman767 >>

Can unseen servant be instructed to move within the humanoid form of dancing lights for one hour, so that a player can move both of them with the same bonus action?

Basically the intended effect is to create a phantom that can hold something and walk down a hallway and distract some guards, without using any spell slots.  But it needs to be visible so it actually draws their attention.  The caster's plan is to hide in a Minor Illusion faux crate or similar and to direct this unseen servant and dancing lights form to pick up objects and steal them, while also using mage hand to steal other objects in the dark.  Basically.

Can this actually work with the rules?  Or is it impossible to chain one to the other?  I think it might be possible, but am unsure.

 Ultimately, this is a question for your DM, but it's not ruled out.

You can't use one bonus action to command both spells, but the servant is capable of performing a task to completion once commanded, so you can probably start it going, then control the lights the rest of the time. Especially if you're not currently in combat time, as a DM, this seems like something I'd have no problem allowing.

(Whether it works as you want it to is another question.)

To me it's not possible to move both, when you take a Bonus Action you either;

1. Move the lights up to 60 feet to a space within range. 

OR

2. Mentally command the servant to move up to 15 feet and interact with an object. 

Quote from Thezzaruz >>

Quote from AntonSirius >>

The spell you're looking for is faerie fire, not dancing lights

That won't work actually. Faerie Fire affects objects and creatures while the Unseen Servant is "an Invisible, mindless, shapeless, Medium force" so there is very little overlap to work with here.

Best you could do was tell the servant to carry an object that is gloving from FF. But then you could just give it a lamp or candle holder or similar instead. 

It may be a "mindless, shapeless Medium force", but it has an AC and, more importantly, Hit Points

Hit Points (HP) are a measure of how difficult it is to kill or destroy a creature or an object.

Doesn't really matter which one you think it is -- if it's a creature or an object, you should be able to hit it with faerie fire

Quote from AntonSirius >>

It may be a "mindless, shapeless Medium force", but it has an AC and, more importantly, Hit Points

Which doesn't actually matter. It's still neither a creature nor an object, which means there aren't a whole lot of spells that can actually target it.

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

Quote from AntonSirius >>

It may be a "mindless, shapeless Medium force", but it has an AC and, more importantly, Hit Points

Which doesn't actually matter. It's still neither a creature nor an object, which means there aren't a whole lot of spells that can actually target it.

If it has Hit Points, per RAW it's got to be one or the other. I consider it an object, personally, since it meets the Glossary definition

An object is a nonliving, distinct thing.

Are you saying that even though an Unseen Servant has a listed AC and HP, you would rule it can't be targeted with a fire bolt, or would be completely unharmed if caught in the AoE of a shatter?

Quote from AntonSirius >>

If it has Hit Points, per RAW it's got to be one or the other. I consider it an object, personally, since it meets the Glossary definition

Are you saying that even though an Unseen Servant has a listed AC and HP, you would rule it can't be targeted with a fire bolt, or would be completely unharmed if caught in the AoE of a shatter?

RAW does not actually say that hit points can only be had by a creature or object, though what they mean for something that is neither one is undefined (if I were cleaning up the rules, I would make it an incorporeal construct).

RAW, a fire bolt cannot target an unseen servant. As for shatter, it wouldn't be able to damage an unseen servant even if it's treated as an object, since it's definitely not a nonmagical object.

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

As for shatter, it wouldn't be able to damage an unseen servant even if it's treated as an object, since it's definitely not a nonmagical object.

Fair. Bad example if we're going by RAW

IMO an example of a spell that could target an Unseen Servant is Disintegrate though it might be an overkill 🤔

So it looks like this just doesn't work at all. You cannot give the servant a command to follow. As a bonus action, you can command it to move up to 15 feet and interact with an object. That's it. The spell does not suggest in any way that you can give it a course of actions to follow autonomously.

Quote from Plaguescarred >>

IMO an example of a spell that could target an Unseen Servant is Disintegrate though it might be an overkill 🤔

It's definitely in the list of valid targets (it's a creation of magical force), though it will be difficult to target since disintegrate can only target things you can see, unseen servant is invisible, and see invisibility and truesight only detect creatures and objects; you will need blindsight (side note: several divination spells create an invisible sensor; I had not previously realized that those sensors cannot be seen with see invisibility and truesight).

Because of how vague it is in terms of what it target, Chromatic Orb might do it too...

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

Quote from Plaguescarred >>

IMO an example of a spell that could target an Unseen Servant is Disintegrate though it might be an overkill 🤔

It's definitely in the list of valid targets (it's a creation of magical force), though it will be difficult to target since disintegrate can only target things you can see, unseen servant is invisible, and see invisibility and truesight only detect creatures and objects; you will need blindsight.

 Yeah while possible its a bit of a edge case i concur !

Quote from Plaguescarred >>

Because of how vague it is in terms of what it target, Chromatic Orb might do it too...

Some other spells that just say "target" are chill touch, flame blade, melf's acid arrow, scorching ray.

Oh, and you can also (indirectly) attack them with weapons. When making an attack you are required to target a creature, object, or location, but if you target a location, there are no restrictions on the type of target within that location.