Skip to main content

Dancing Lights

Dancing Lights
  • Level: 0
  • School: Evocation
  • Class: Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard
  • Casting Time: Action
  • Range: 120 feet
  • Components: V, S, M (a bit of phosphorus)
  • Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

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 humanoid in shape. 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 vanishes if it exceeds the spell's range.

Tactical Usage​

Mobile Illumination: Dancing Lights provides flexible, controllable lighting for tactical positioning and area illumination. This cantrip evocation spell excels at dynamic lighting control and distraction tactics.

Optimal Timing: Most effective for exploring dark areas, creating distractions, or providing mobile lighting that follows party movement.

Resource Management: Cantrip requires no spell slots - unlimited use makes this viable for constant utility deployment.

Target Selection: Choose between four separate lights for area coverage or one humanoid form for focused illumination and potential distraction.

Spell Combinations​

Synergistic Spells:

  • Illusion Magic: Combine with minor illusion or other illusions for enhanced deception
  • Stealth Magic: Use lighting to control visibility and create shadowed areas
  • Detection Spells: Improved lighting enhances visual perception and investigation

Class Feature Interactions:

  • Cantrip Enhancement: Features that improve cantrips benefit the light manipulation
  • Concentration Support: Abilities that protect concentration maintain the lighting
  • Performance Skills: Bards can use dancing lights for entertainment and distraction

Multi-Caster Coordination: Multiple casters can create extensive lighting networks for large area illumination.

Material Component Details​

Component Acquisition: Bit of phosphorus - available from alchemists, natural deposits, or magical suppliers.

Component Handling: Minimal component requirement that doesn't consume materials during casting.

Roleplay Opportunities: Different light colors or patterns can reflect caster personality or magical traditions.

Economic Considerations: Negligible cost makes this economically viable for unlimited utility use.

Creator Notes​

Encounter Balancing: Mobile lighting affects stealth encounters and dark environment challenges.

NPC Usage: Entertainers, scholars, or spellcasters use dancing lights for practical and aesthetic purposes.

Environmental Considerations: Particularly valuable in underground environments or during nighttime adventures.

Campaign Integration: Essential utility cantrip that provides consistent lighting solutions throughout adventures.

Environmental Interactions​

Terrain Effects: 120-foot range with bonus action movement allows flexible lighting positioning.

Weather Influence: Unaffected by wind or weather conditions that would extinguish normal flames.

Structural Interactions: Lights can navigate around obstacles and illuminate specific areas as needed.

Elemental Interactions: Magical light immune to mundane extinguishing methods but can be dispelled.

Common Rulings & Clarifications​

Timing Questions: Bonus action movement up to 60 feet. Lights must stay within 20 feet of each other.

Target Limitations: Four individual lights or one Medium humanoid form. Each light sheds dim light in 10-foot radius.

Duration Interactions: Concentration up to 1 minute. Lights vanish if they exceed spell range.

Mechanical Interactions: Can appear as different light sources. Combined form creates single larger illumination.

Alternative Applications​

Non-Combat Uses: Entertainment performances, signal communication, reading light, or atmospheric lighting.

Social Encounters: Impressive magical displays, mood lighting for social interactions, or distraction techniques.

Exploration Applications: Scout ahead with mobile lighting, mark explored areas, or provide hands-free illumination.

Utility Functions: Night watch lighting, crafting illumination, investigation enhancement, or emergency signaling.

Same School: Other evocation spells like light (cantrip object lighting), continual flame (2nd level permanent), daylight (3rd level bright illumination).

Similar Effects: light (cantrip single object), continual flame (2nd level permanent light), faerie fire (1st level revealing light).

Progression Options: dancing lights (cantrip mobile lighting), continual flame (2nd level permanent), daylight (3rd level sunlight).

Complementary Magic: prestidigitation (enhance performances), minor illusion (combine with lighting effects), detect magic (identify light sources).

Scaling Analysis​

Level Progression: Remains consistently useful throughout campaigns for utility and tactical lighting needs.

Upcast Benefits: As a cantrip, provides unlimited utility without resource expenditure.

Campaign Phases: Valuable across all levels for consistent lighting utility and tactical applications.

Comparative Value: Excellent utility cantrip that provides ongoing lighting solutions without spell slot costs.

Narrative Flavor​

Casting Description: Motes of phosphorescent energy dance through the air as you weave patterns of light that respond to your magical will.

Effect Manifestation: Glowing orbs or lantern-like lights float gracefully through the air, casting gentle illumination wherever you direct them.

Personal Style: Bards might create theatrical lighting effects, wizards precise geometric patterns, while sorcerers manifest chaotic dancing flames.

World Integration: Represents fundamental light magic available to beginning spellcasters, often associated with entertainment magic, practical utility, or basic evocation training.