Here are my combined light / initiative / difficulty / encounter check rules. I’ve cribbed ideas for these rules from multiple places - here’s a reading list:

The Rules

  • Your party must carry a light source
  • A light source (torch or lantern) has a Light Die associated with it
  • The light die for a fresh torch or new pint of oil is a d8
  • Each turn, you must roll the Light Die. Determine the effect from the table below.
Light Die Effect on Party Effect on Torch Effect on Lantern
1 Wandering Monster Encounter Downgrade Light Die size Downgrade Light Die size
2 Take 1 damage unless you rest for a turn Downgrade Light Die size No effect
3 No effect Downgrade Light Die size No effect
4 or greater No effect No effect No effect

You can use this with strict turns and exploration rules, or simply roll the Light Die whenever the players move between rooms, search a room, rest, or hesitate. I run my games with the latter trigger and it seems to work fine. This means that torches last approximately 6 turns on average. Lanterns last 18 turns on average. This is intended to make wandering monster encounters more likely as your light source dims.

A Light Die can never go lower than d4

The size of your Light Die also affects how risky and rewarding your dungeon delve is. Consult the table below to determine the effect your dwindling light source has on your party’s activities.

Light Die Size Critical Hits on… Rewards
d8 20 No effect
d6 19-20 No effect
d4 18-20 +10% gp

One torch or one pint of oil takes up one inventory slot (I use slot-based encumbrance in my game, with characters having 10 inventory slots).

Lighting a new torch or pouring a new pint of oil into your lantern resets the Light Die to a d8.

At the start of combat, your Light Die is your initiative die. Roll it. Monsters always roll a d6. Winning side acts first in combat.