Level
Cantrip
Casting Time
1 Action
Range/Area
120 ft
Components
V, S, M *
Duration
Concentration
1 Minute
School
Evocation
Attack/Save
None
Damage/Effect
Utility
You create up to four torch-sized lights within range, making them appear as torches, lanterns, or glowing orbs that hover in the air for the duration. You can also combine the four lights into one glowing vaguely humanoid form of Medium size. Whichever form you choose, each light sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius.
As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the lights up to 60 feet to a new spot within range. A light must be within 20 feet of another light created by this spell, and a light winks out if it exceeds the spell's range.
* - (a bit of phosphorus or wychwood, or a glowworm)
Also silent alarms.
With the Drow Magic Trait that the Drow get, do they still need the components? A player asked me the other day and I can't find a solid answer anywhere. Any help is appreciated.
It doesn't specify that they can cast without components or an arcane focus, so I would say that those are still necessary unless you chose to rule otherwise as the DM.
This shouldn't have concentration as it being used in combat is not strong enough to justify its use and the only outside of combat concentration spells are things like Pass Without a Trace or a previously summoned creature that is still up. which people would just choose to keep those running instead of just using this cantrip if they needed light. Sure it's easier to get light push out further but requires a bonus action which for some classes isn't a big deal but still matters while light is just cast and forget spell. Even without concentration is kind like a worst light combined with a neutered minor illusion. sure it has its place and would be a fun to use but nothing would make it necessary to be concentration.
I am dog
Example use of dancing lights by an Air Acrobat Owlin.
I was walking in Azcolnul, on the first night of the festival, just as the sun went behind the mountains in the evening. As I did so, the traders were lighting lanterns in their booths. It was a quiet moment, more or less.
Then I heard a joyous cry from some distance above me. There was a winged figure spiraling through the clear air, overhead, still in the sunlight that was already failing here on the earth.
It laughed exultantly and suddenly dove straight down. As it came closer, a diamond of light appeared ahead of it, in the darker air under the shadow of the mountains, and it pierced the diamond in flight. When it flew through the heart of the diamond, it was lit for that brief flash, but went down further and was invisible for a moment. Then the first diamond vanished and another appeared, even lower into the dark around us below, and it too was pierced by the flyer who was visible for that instant only, diving silently at frightening speed.
I watched as the flyer passed through two more diamonds formed from four magical orbs of light at the corners of a diamond shape. Each time the dive seemed impossibly faster than the last, as the flyer flew between the lights.
Then four lights appeared just above where I was standing, in an open space lit by the lamps hung at the corners of the trader's booths. With a shout of "Whoo Whoo It's Midnight Blue!" a dark blue winged Owlin dropped through the last diamond to land gently before me.
He smiled and bowed. Before my breath had even slowed, I found myself handing him a palm full of coppers in thanks for that thrilling show.
That was how I met Midnight Blue, an acrobat with no ropes, swings or net. I hope that you are able to enjoy his art yourself, before the festival is over.
by Abacus The Bard, reporting from the festival in Azcolnul.
I noticed Light mentions it "can be colored as you like." Does the same apply to Dancing Lights? One color, four colors?
This spell is bad for exploration unless you have Darkvision (especially Superior Darkvison), in which case it becomes much more useful since the orbs can be moved all the way to illuminate the edge of your darkvision range, letting you see as if it was in bright light.
Even without Darkvision, Light can only let you see up to 40 feet from the source object, while this would let you see things up to 130 feet from you (albeit in dim light), and even let you light up high ceilings.
The Glowing Humanoid form is weird, since it’s no more effective at providing illumination than one of the four balls (I guess they didn’t want to step on Light’s toes by giving it bright light, but could we have at least gotten 20 feet of dim light?), but it definitely has potential for creative uses like distracting or frightening guards with the mysterious glowing entity that showed up, walked the complex for a bit, and then suddenly vanished, or you could try to make an enemy think you summoned a celestial or something to intimidate them.
Something to note about the spell being Concentration is it lets you end the spell at any time, as you can drop concentration at any time, no action required.
That could be useful if you’re using these to see, and then you get into combat in the dark and want to get rid of the light exposing your party’s location, without having to spend an action to end the spell, like you have to do with Light
It’s still kind of sad that this has concentration, but at least there’s that.
Also available for the Drow Elf as a Trait
How this isn't a druid cantrip is beyond me. If you get Faerie Fire you should get this.
This spell is good for decoying guards or chasing monsters to follow the lights leaving the caster to sneak past them.
Or it would be if you didn't have to vocalise the spell to cast it. Therefore giving away your real position.
V component should be removed.
Are there other spells which cast movable Dim Light ?
Dim light (or Darkness) is required for Advantage when attacking with a Shadow Blade (2nd level Wizard Spell). Other light sources generate Bright as well as Dim light. Darkvision cannot peirce Magical Darkness.
Well, it's not a spell, but Clerics with the Twilight Domain subclass have a Channel Divinity option called "Twilight Sanctuary" that creates a 30-foot radius sphere of dim (and only dim) light centered on the Cleric and moving with them. This provides a larger area to work in than Dancing Lights and the Cleric can also toss you some temporary hit points every time you end your turn in it.