Making Light Sources Needlessly Complicated
OD&D doesn't actually offer us burn times for torches, though it does say that torches can get blown out by gusts of wind, so there's your motivation for buying a lantern. I suppose it is also possible that the Lake Geneva wargaming community had a general familiarity with the burn time of various pre-modern light sources.
AD&D has burn times for torches and lanterns, (6 turns and 24 turns per flask of oil respectively), it also provides an interesting wrinkle where a torch's light radius is 10' wider than a lantern[^1]. Frustratingly, despite having purchase prices for both tallow and wax candles (1cp and 1sp each respectively, it doesn't have burn times for them, they seem to mostly exist for use as spell components, I don't think players are expected to take them as a primary light source while adventuring. Which is fair, I can't walk across the house with a candle without it going out.
The Vanilla Game's lightsource rules are my favourite of the OSR set, with a candle lasting 1d6 rounds, a torch lasting 2d6 rounds, and a lantern lasting 3d6 rounds on a single flask. I like rolling for duration, but I especially like having an option between a steady light or an inconsistent light that is usually better.
I've been hacking at this post for a while, and I think the best way to structure it is to talk first about light source formats, and then about fuels. As I discussed in my last post, there is a pretty fuzzy delineation between "candle", "torch" and "lamp", so I'm going to make some arbitrary definitions, I hope you'll forgive me. Also, I am only interested in personal light sources here, obviously you can make a candle of any size, but a two-hour candle is a cumbersome thing to carry.
I will do another post that has a price list, but I'm sleepy now.
...
Formats
Candle
A stick of solid fuel with a wick. Can be held in hand or affixed to a piece of armour, but will leave a trail of drippings if not contained.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 10' | 5-in-6 | 4-in-6 |
Rushlight
A candle made by dipping the pith of a rush in solid fuel. Also leaves a trail of drippings if not held in a vessel of some kind.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 20' | 5-in-6 | 3-in-6 |
Lamp
A bowl of liquid fuel with a wick. Can hold about a quarter of a standard flask of oil. Must be held upright to prevent spilling. Lamps have a 20' radius of light and a 3-in-6 chance of being blown out by a gust of wind.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 20' | 4-in-6 | 3-in-6 |
Wood Torch.
A piece of wood with a fuel-soaked twine or cloth fixed to the end with metal wire. Damage as club when unlit and flame when lit.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 40' | 3-in-6 | 2-in-6 |
Metal Torch
A wicked lamp with a deep reservoir on the end of a metal rod. Can hold about a quarter of a flask of oil. Must be held upright to prevent spilling. Deals damage as mace when unlit, when lit, a swing sends out a 20' cone of fire, reducing the life by 6 turns. Metal Torches have a 20' radius of light and a 3-in-6 chance of being blown out by a gust of wind.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 40' | 4-in-6 | 3-in-6 |
Candle Holder
A convenient vessel with a handle to catch the drippings of a candle.
Candle Lantern
A box with glass walls and a convenient handle which can hold a candle.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 10' | 5-in-6 | 2-in-6 |
Jack o' Lantern
A gourd or turnip with a face carved in which can hold a candle. Grants +1 to saving throws against incorporeal undead and invisible creatures.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 10' | 5-in-6 | 3-in-6 |
Oil Lantern
A lamp with a large reservoir built into a metal box with glass walls and a handle. Holds a full flask of oil.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 30' | 5-in-6 | 1-in-6 |
Bullseye Lantern
As an Oil lantern, but with a mirrored chamber and a lens to focus the light into an 80' beam, 10' across, and a hood to block the light without putting out the lamp.
Dragon Bile Lantern
An oil lantern modified to allow a slow release of Red Dragon Bile. Heavy (300cn or 2 slots).
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 60' | 5-in-6 | 0-in-6 |
Sea Fire
A pipe-and-bellows contraption that allows a fire attack dealing damage to everything in a 1'x30' line, or 5'x60' when loaded with Red Dragon Bile. Burning oil covers all surfaces in the path and continues to burn for 1d6 rounds. Uses 1 flask of oil per use and has a 1-in-6 chance of dealing half damage to the wielder.
Fuels
Burn times are for candle or rushlight/torch or lamp/lantern
Pitch
Fresh tree sap. Mostly used for improvised torches.
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| -/1d6+1/- | High | Orange | Loud |
Tallow or Butter
Solid at room temperature. Can be melted to fill a lamp.
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1d6/2d6/2d20 | Medium | Yellow | Medium |
Clarified Butter
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| -/1d6+3/2d6+12 | Medium | Yellow | Low |
Olive Oil
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| -/6/24 | Medium | Yellow | Low |
Fish Oil
Also a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| -/2d6/1d20+10 | Medium | Yellow | Low |
Beeswax
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/8/- | Low | Yellow | Low |
Petrolium
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| -/2d6+1/2d20 | Medium | Orange | Low |
Whale Oil
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| -/8/32 | Low | White | None |
Alcohol
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| -/3/12 | None | Blue | None |
Red Dragon Bile
Ignites on contact with air. A broken flask explodes, dealing damage as fireball.
| Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| -/-/48 | Medium | Red | Loud |
Misc.
Ember
The glowing heart of a mature fire. When exposed to a gust of wind, its radius doubles and its burn time decreases by 2.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance | Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10' | n/a | n/a | 6 | Low | Red | None |
Fatwood
Resin-heavy wood found in the heart of pine trees.
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance | Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20' | 5-in-6 | 3-in-6 | 1d3+3 | High | Orange | Medium |
Foxfire
Bioluminescent fungi. Cannot be put out with water
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance | Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10' | n/a | n/a | 2d6 | None | Green or Blue | None |
Fire Beetle Organ
Cannot be put out with water. Attracts Fire Beetles and their predators (1-in-6 chance per turn).
| Light Radius | Lit Chance | Blow Out Chance | Burn Time (Turns) | Smoke | Colour | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30' | n/a | n/a | 6 | None | Yellow, Green or Red | None |
...
Reading: Enshitification by Cory Doctorow
Listening: Warriors of The Dragonfang Order by Coniferous Myst
Playing The World Ends With You (Nintendo DS)