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Below is one of several torchieres in the Bad People's headquarters which is also the primary lighting source for the place.

The fun really starts when the players become aggravated by the lamps and start extinguishing them at the amazing rate of one at a time. (I like my a - maze - in - side - maps)

CAN YOU MAKE ME A PEACH FOR THIS ITEM??

The other question here is this nice lantern could use a name.

CAN YOU MAKE A NAME SUGGESTION FOR THESE TORCHIERES??

_____________________________ Level 20 Hazard.

These torchiere gives out a dim penetrating purplish glowing light made of some sort of arcane energy concentration that attracts, absorbs and hampers other arcana energies.

Effect: ______________ emits dim light to a radius of 4 squares. It also is an aura 5 hazard for wielders using arcane keyword powers.

Property: _____________ is a functional lighting source emitting dim light for a radius of 4 squares from its base and the dim light it emits absorbs and blocks all other lighting sources area of effect. This dim-light area of effect doesn’t hampers the vision of creatures that uses other senses besides eyesight or uses either blindsight or truesight. Property: Creatures with low-light vision and darkvision while inside the ____________’s dim light radius when viewing other objects and creatures inside the dim light radius area use normal vision conditions for these instances. Property: Creatures with darkvision while inside the ____________’s dim light radius when viewing objects and creatures outside the dim light radius area of effect are under the lightly obscure vision conditions for these instances. Properties: Creatures with low-light vision while inside the ____________’s dim light radius when viewing objects and creatures within two squares outside the dim light radius area of effect are under the lightly obscured vision conditions for these instances. Property: All creatures with normal or low-light vision that are within the dim light radius emitted by _____________’s when viewing objects and creatures that are outside the ___________ ‘s dim-light’s area of effect radius use heavily obscured vision conditions for these instances. Propety: Unless a creature uses other senses beside eyesight to perceive than a creature outside the _____________’s dim-light radius must has either darkvision, blindsight or truesight in order to perceive any objects or creatures inside the dim light area. Property: Creatures that can’t perceives inside the ___________’s dim light radius from outside its area of effect while under another lighting source only perceived the borders of the dim light radius as a purple wall. Property: ___________’s dim light radius’ area of effect and all inside of it's lighting's radius is invisible to non-low-light vision creatures that are outside it's dim light radius while under no other lighting source.

Hazard: ________________ has the following aura 5 effect: Effect: All creatures and objects while either within this aura’s zone or designating or targeting a creature or object within a square within this aura’s zone that has the Arcane power keyword takes -2 penalty to attack rolls, -4 penalty to damage roll and all conditions activated by an arcane keyword powers ends at the end of the action it was activated with. Also while in aura’s zone, all PC’s magic items’ powers that are activated by an action can’t be activated. (This includes activated by a free action but excludes activations by no actions.)

Counter-Measure: A PC with a DC Moderate in either Arcana while within the __________________’s aura would recognized the lighting source as the source of the difficulties the PC’s are having with their arcane powers during the encounter and the PC knows that with further examinations (by making a DC Arcana as a standard actions) the PC might find a way counter it effects. When a PC makes a DC Moderate Arcana as a standard action; the ____________ extinguish itself. (If a PC’s first DC check as a non- standard action equals a DC Hard+2 of any of the three mentioned above than the __________’s extinguish itself with no explanation given the player for what just happened or why it did that. )

Ok! How about name suggestions?

Not to sound harsh, but the biggest issue with this hazard is that it is very hard to not only read, but also figure out what exactly how hazard is suppose to work.  In addition, you have far too many fiddly exceptions for something that should either be a minor speed bump or interesting set piece.  I literally had to break out a notepad to parse this thing.

In short, this reads more like a rough draft rather than something that's ready to be critqued.  Everything needs to be rewritten to so that the writing is more concise, the mechanics more simplified, or both.

That said, I do have some insights you might find helpful.


Hazards don't have properties.  And as far as I can tell, both your Effect and Property lines should be condensed under the Hazard entry.  But that's a minor nitpick compared to the sheer number and complexity of properties you have here, which is my biggest complaint with your hazard.  Here's my suggestion of how it could be condensed.

Hazard: A purpleish flame emits an aura out to 4 squares.  Each square in the aura is treated as under dim light, reguardless of the presense of any other light source.
     Creatures inside the aura are invisible to creatures outside of the aura that have normal vision.
     While inside the aura, creatures with normal vision treat each square outside of the aura as heavily obscured.  Creatures with lowlight vision or darkvision treat each square outside of the aura as lightly obscured.
     Powers with the arcane keyword used while in the aura or targeting a creature in the aura take a -2 penalty to attack rolls.
     In addition, item powers cannot be activated while inside the aura.

Notice that I made a few changes to the effect.  The aura and and the light radius are now the same and reference the same mechanic, which greatly simplifies everything greatly.  Additionally, I removed the damage penalty.  A penalty to attack and damage is extremely harsh and takes the hazard from being an interesting challenge to just plain punishing and frustrating.  And instead of trying to specifically limit certain types of item actions, I just removed the ability to use item powers, which effectively does the same thing.  And finally, I excluded mention of blindsight and truesight.  The rules text for each of these already covers the interactions that would happen with this hazard.  So including them in the hazard's description is unnecessarily excessive.

Sep 18, 2012 -- 4:19PM, VoyRager wrote:

Counter-Measure: A PC with a DC Moderate in either Arcana while within the __________________’s aura would recognized the lighting source as the source of the difficulties the PC’s are having with their arcane powers during the encounter and the PC knows that with further examinations (by making a DC Arcana as a standard actions) the PC might find a way counter it effects. When a PC makes a DC Moderate Arcana as a standard action; the ____________ extinguish itself. (If a PC’s first DC check as a non- standard action equals a DC Hard+2 of any of the three mentioned above than the __________’s extinguish itself with no explanation given the player for what just happened or why it did that. )

A quite a few issues here.

First, formatting.  Each counter-measure should its own bullet.  Additionally, you need to explicitly list your DCs.  I shouldn't need to go look up the revised DMG errata just to use this item.  Doing these will make your content easier to read and use.

Second, noticing a hazard, or recognizing it for what it is, is not a countermeasure.  Though that knowledge can aid a countermeasure.  The first check you provide would be more appropriate under the perception section (which is missing and needs to be included). 

Third, you need to explicitly state what a successful countermeasure will do.  Does it extinguish the light completely?  Does it end the aura's effect and convert the magical fire to regular fire?  Something else?

Fourth, that last section should be removed.  The only active checks you allow to counter the hazard are standard actions, so this section will never trigger anyway.  Unless you intend for the that last section to trigger off of using Arcana to recognize the hazard.  It so, it doesn't really make much sense to me.  Because that would imply that if you recognize the light is a hazard "real hard", it goes out?  How exactly does that even work?  It would also imply that any additional lights should also go out since the character has already recognized them for what they are.

Sep 20, 2012 -- 9:18AM, VoyRager wrote:

Ok! How about name suggestions?

I can't think of anything interesting.  I would just call it "anti-magic lantern" or "lantern of arcane dampening".  Yes, I am that boring

Why not go for the obvious name and call it Purple Haze?

Sep 20, 2012 -- 6:42PM, Fireclave wrote:

Hazard: A purpleish flame emits an aura out to 4 squares.  Each square in the aura is treated as under dim light, reguardless of the presense of any other light source.
     Creatures inside the aura are invisible to creatures outside of the aura that have normal vision.
     While inside the aura, creatures with normal vision treat each square outside of the aura as heavily obscured.  Creatures with lowlight vision or darkvision treat each square outside of the aura as lightly obscured.
     Powers with the arcane keyword used while in the aura or targeting a creature in the aura take a -2 penalty to attack rolls.
     In addition, item powers cannot be activated while inside the aura.

Notice that I made a few changes to the effect.  The aura and and the light radius are now the same and reference the same mechanic, which greatly simplifies everything greatly.  Additionally, I removed the damage penalty.  A penalty to attack and damage is extremely harsh and takes the hazard from being an interesting challenge to just plain punishing and frustrating.  And instead of trying to specifically limit certain types of item actions, I just removed the ability to use item powers, which effectively does the same thing.  And finally, I excluded mention of blindsight and truesight.  The rules text for each of these already covers the interactions that would happen with this hazard.  So including them in the hazard's description is unnecessarily excessive.

Sep 18, 2012 -- 4:19PM, VoyRager wrote:

Counter-Measure: A PC with a DC Moderate in either Arcana while within the __________________’s aura would recognized the lighting source as the source of the difficulties the PC’s are having with their arcane powers during the encounter and the PC knows that with further examinations (by making a DC Arcana as a standard actions) the PC might find a way counter it effects. When a PC makes a DC Moderate Arcana as a standard action; the ____________ extinguish itself. (If a PC’s first DC check as a non- standard action equals a DC Hard+2 of any of the three mentioned above than the __________’s extinguish itself with no explanation given the player for what just happened or why it did that. )

A quite a few issues here.

First, formatting.  Each counter-measure should its own bullet.  Additionally, you need to explicitly list your DCs.  I shouldn't need to go look up the revised DMG errata just to use this item.  Doing these will make your content easier to read and use.

Second, noticing a hazard, or recognizing it for what it is, is not a countermeasure.  Though that knowledge can aid a countermeasure.  The first check you provide would be more appropriate under the perception section (which is missing and needs to be included). 

Third, you need to explicitly state what a successful countermeasure will do.  Does it extinguish the light completely?  Does it end the aura's effect and convert the magical fire to regular fire?  Something else?

Fourth, that last section should be removed.  The only active checks you allow to counter the hazard are standard actions, so this section will never trigger anyway.  Unless you intend for the that last section to trigger off of using Arcana to recognize the hazard.  It so, it doesn't really make much sense to me.  Because that would imply that if you recognize the light is a hazard "real hard", it goes out?  How exactly does that even work?  It would also imply that any additional lights should also go out since the character has already recognized them for what they are.

Sep 20, 2012 -- 9:18AM, VoyRager wrote:

Ok! How about name suggestions?

I can't think of anything interesting.  I would just call it "anti-magic lantern" or "lantern of arcane dampening".  Yes, I am that boring

@Fireclave:
Will this do or is it "there's have to be a way to format this even shorter?"

Counter-Measure:

• PCs with either a sucessful DC Easy as a minor action or having a DC Moderate Passive with any of the following as a skill check: Perception, Arcana, Streetwise, Dungeoneering, Insight or Nature, while the PC is within the torchiere of arcane dampening’s aura would recognized the lantern as a lighting source and detect it as a hazard.
• The PC having detected the torchiere of arcane dampening as a hazard with a successful DC Perception, Streetwise or Dungeoneering knows while standing in an adjacent square of the torchiere of arcane dampening can spend a standard action to attempt a DC Moderate check using either the Heal skill score or the Endurance skill score to extinguish the torchiere of arcane dampening but all failed attempts deal the PC half the PC’s level+2 in fire and radiant damage
• The PC having detected the torchiere of arcane dampening as a hazard with a successful DC Arcana or Nature knows while with range 3 of the torchiere of arcane dampening can spend a standard action to attempt either a DC Moderate check using either the Arcana skill, or the Nature skill score to extinguish the torchiere of arcane dampening with all failed attempts deal the PC half the PC’s level+2 in fire and radiant damage.

@Mastercliff:
Too clich'e-ish