LIGHTING

A city’s or district’s general prosperity tends to correlate to its lighting at night. The worse the illumination, the poorer the area, and the higher the local crime rate.

None: The poorest cities and neighborhoods do not bother lighting their streets at all. Those who go out at night must bring their own light sources, or trust to the moons and stars.

Torches: Cities that can afford no better illuminate their streets with simple torches on posts. Torches burn quickly and require frequent replacement, so most such cities light only their most important thoroughfares.

Oil Lamps: These common and cheap lights consist of simple fuel reservoirs and wicks set atop lampposts. These are easier to maintain than torches and burn more slowly, but they provide only feeble lighting. In particularly close quarters such as narrow streets or alleyways, smoke from burning oil can accumulate into a smelly, vision-blurring cloud (see City Hazards on page 31).

Lanterns: Glass-enclosed lanterns are typical in wealthy districts and are more widespread in prosperous cities. They provide brighter and cleaner illumination than most other nonmagical sources. (Sunrods are even brighter light sources, but their cost makes them impractical for citywide use.) Where glass is unavailable or unknown, lanterns might instead use thin parchment or cloth to shield their flames.

Continual Flame: Major metropolises often employ continual flame spells, at least in important districts. Clean and requiring no maintenance, such lighting is by far the most efficient means of illumination—for those who can afford the high cost of hiring spellcasters or crafting wondrous items. Continual flame torches or lanterns are sometimes stolen, so city guards must keep an eye out for suspicious behavior around lampposts. The result is that only the better parts of town enjoy such illumination, even if the city can afford more.

Magical Daylight: If the DM decides to allow daylight spells to be made permanent (PH 260), such effects can produce the best illumination available. However, only the wealthiest districts of the most prosperous cities can afford this kind of luxury. Such illumination bathes major intersections and important structures in perpetual brightness. In addition to its substantial expense, this form of lighting makes sleeping difficult, so it is almost never used in residential areas.

Lighting: If a city has main thoroughfares, most will be lined with lanterns hanging at a height of 7 feet from building awnings. These lanterns are spaced 60 feet apart, so their illumination is all but continuous. Secondary streets and alleys are rarely lit; it is common for citizens to hire lantern-bearers when business calls them out after dark.

Alleys can be dark places even in daylight, thanks to the shadows of the tall buildings that surround them. A dark alley in daylight is never dark enough to afford true concealment, but it can lend a +1, +2, or +3 circumstance bonus on Hide checks, depending on the specifi c conditions.