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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:
| 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.