Revision as of 15:45, 5 September 2016

This is about a Roll20 feature exclusive to Plus & Pro-subscribers, or to players in a Game created by a Plus/Pro-subscriber. If you'd like to use this feature, consider upgrading your account.

Dynamic Lighting is an advanced map lighting tool currently available to Pro & Plus subscribers. It calculates line of sight on the fly as tokens are moved across the tabletop. This sections give general and system specific examples of how to set up lighting and vision.

To turn Dynamic Lighting on you must enable it from the Page Settings for each scene you wish to include lighting elements. Remember that a user will only see light sources if they have control over a token that Has Sight enabled. You can activate this setting from the Advanced tab in the Edit Token pane while in the GM view. If the Enforce Line of Sight option is selected in the Page Settings the user will only be able to see light sources that their token is able to see.

The measurements for light distance and vision are calculated using the Page Settings for each individual scene. Whatever the Scale unit measurement is set to (feet, squares, inches, kilometers) is what the units of light range will be calculated in. These examples assume that you are using the default measurements of 5 Feet for each 1 unit but can be converted to any measurement.

System Agnostic Lighting

These are general lighting examples that will work in any system without specific vision rules. They can be tweaked until they best fit the themes and mood of your game.

Half-Orc tokens by Fred Lang and Bonfire by Russ Hapke

Lantern

The lantern is a mobile 360 degree light source that can represent anything from a torch to an electric lamp. Since the light source is mobile and being carried by a character, then it's best to give the player's token a Light Radius under the Emits Light section. The All Players See Light options should be checked. Based on the themes of your game your may wish to have the light "fall off" by getting dimmer the further it travels from it's source. You can do this by putting in the (optional) Start of Dim amount. A good default for this is half the value of the Light Radius. For example, if the lantern's Light Radius is 30 feet, you would set the Start of Dim to 15 feet.

Campfire

The campfire represents static sources of light, from wall sconces to street lights. Since they won't be moving, campfires are best represented as new tokens. The campfire should receive a Light Radius and have All Players See Light just like the Lantern. However, since it isn't attached to a player, it should not have Has Sight enabled. It's a safe idea to move these static sources of light to the Map Layer so that they don't accidentally get moved.

Glow Stick

Use a glow stick for very dim light sources, such as a patch of incandescent mushrooms, glowing coals, or a luminescent barrel of radioactive waste. The glow stick is prepared based on its mobility like either a Lantern or a Campfire light source. The difference is that the option Start of Dim setting is set very low or even zero. An example might be a lit match, prepared like a Lantern but set with a Light Radius of only 5 feet and a Start of Dim of just 1 foot. This is an excellent way to reduce visibility and increase dramatic tension.

Flashlight

If you want to restrict the angle of a light source use the flashlight. It's prepared mobile or static like a "hooded" Lantern or static like a spotlight. The difference is that the Angle attribute is set in the Emits Light section of the Advanced tab of the Edit Token menu. Typically a flashlight will have between a 20 and 60 degree angle of vision. For example, a hooded lantern might have a 60ft Light Radius, a 30ft Start of Dim, and a 40 degree angle.

Super Senses

Night vision, cat eyes, or low light vision are all ideas of being able to see more clearly in low light environments. To simulate this we use the light Multiplier feature under the Has Sight options. To make use of the Multiplier the token must have Has Sight checked. The multiplier amplifies the Light Radius of all light sources the token is able to see. To a token that has a Multiplier of 2, twice as good as normal vision, a Campfire that normally gives off 30ft of illumination and 15ft of dim light would appear to give off 60ft and 30ft.

Alternate Senses

Alternate Senses represents the idea of having "sight" that don't have anything to do with normal light. They work in complete darkness, such as thermal vision, echolocation, or mystical perfect awareness. To simulate this we set up a light source similar to a Lantern on our token but do not include All Players See Light option. This allows this token alone to "see" while not actually producing light or giving any other tokens sight. An example of Infrared Vision might look like a Light Radius of 60ft, All Players See Light is disabled, but Has Sight is enabled.

Daylight

Daylight or other forms of perfect illumination such as a well lit building can be set from the Page Settings menu for the scene you're trying to make day lit. By toggling the Global Illumination option you add a light source that illuminates the entire map. This is useful in creating situations where vision isn't restricted due to lack of light but only by Light Obstructions, such as walls, trees, or boulders. These Obstructions can be added from the Dynamic Lighting Layer.

Realistic Vision

A good way to simulate "realistic" field of visions, meaning that a token cannot see in 360 degrees, is to set the Angle next to Has Sight to 120 degrees. This works similarly to a Flashlight but only affects the light that a token is able to see rather than producing light that everyone can see. Another option might be to extend Angle to 240 degrees to represent someone who is alert and aware of their surroundings, regularly checking their peripheral vision, but still not able to see directly behind them.

If the angle of vision faces toward the back of the token, you can flip it vertically and the 120 degree angle will now be facing the same direction as the token's front.

Blindness

If your scene is using the Restrict Movement feature from the Page Settings menu, the Has Sight feature needs to be selected in order for the token to collide with Light Obstructions. This means to simulate blindness it's better to set the token's Angle of vision to zero degrees rather than disabling the token's Has Sight feature. With the Angle properly set to zero and the Restrict Movement option enabled the token won't be able to see light but will still be blocked by obstructions.

System Specific Lighting

This section will give you exact Dynamic Lighting set ups for some of your favorite systems.

Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition

Fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons has more in common with 3.5/Pathfinder than differences. Below you'll find specific examples of how to set up lighting and vision in Roll20 for D&D5e. To best represent Dynamic Lighting in 5e you'll need to enable Dynamic Lighting on the Page Settings. You'll want to Enforce Line of Sight as well. Each character token will need Has Sight checked on the token's Advanced tab of the Edit Token menu.

Character carrying a torch in 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

Light Sources

Whether they're mobile or static, light sources in 5e follow the tradition of producing bright light out to a radius of feet, followed by an equal radius of dim light. The radius is specified in the description of the light source. To represent this in Roll20 you'll set the token's Light Radius to the total range of the light (that's the bright light and dim Light Radius added together) and the Start of Dim setting is the dim Light Radius. Additionally the All Players See Light option should be checked, since the object is producing visible light.

For example, a torch illuminates 20ft of bright light and another 20ft of dim light. To set that up in Roll20 it would look like:

• Light Radius = "40"
• Start of Dim = "20"
• All Players See Light = "Checked"

Blindsight

Characters with blindsight are able to see in ways that don't actually involve normal light. This means that out to a certain radius, usually 60ft, they "see" without light. To represent this we'll create a "light source" for that token, that only that token can see. What separates it from acting like a Lantern is that the All Players See Light box is not checked.

For example, tremorsense of 60ft would look like:

• Light Radius = "60"
• All Players See Light = "Unchecked"

Darkvision

Characters with darkvision are able to see in dim light as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light, usually out to a radius of 60ft. To represent this we'll create a "light source" for that token, that only that token can see. What separates it from acting like a Lantern is that the All Players See Light box is not checked.

For example, darkvision of 60ft would look like:

• Light Radius = "60"
• Start of Dim = "-5"
• All Players See Light = "Unchecked"
• Has Sight = "Checked"

Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition

Below you'll find specific examples of how to set up lighting and vision in Roll20 for D&D4e. To best represent Dynamic Lighting in 4e you'll need to enable Dynamic Lighting on the Page Settings page. You'll want to Enforce Line of Sight as well. Each character token will need Has Sight checked on the token's Advanced tab of the Edit Token menu. In addition 4e uses squares as it's unit of measurement. This should be changed on the Page Settings menu so the "Scale" is equal to "1 unit = 1 sq".

Bright Light

Whether they're mobile or static, light sources in 4e follow the tradition of producing bright light out to a radius of squares. Unlike other editions of D&D they do not produce an additional radius of dim light. The radius is specified in the description of the light source. To represent this in Roll20 you'll set the token's Light Radius to the range listed in the handbook. Additionally the All Players See Light option should be checked, since the object is producing visible light.

For example, a torch illuminates 5sq of bright light. To set that up in Roll20 it would look like:

• Light Radius = "5"
• All Players See Light = "Checked"

Character with darkvision in 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

Dim Light

Dim light sources are represented much the same as Bright Light. There are mechanics in the game that come into play but the only significant difference for how it is used in Roll20 is in the way it's rendered. To show that the light is dim we add a Start of Dim at 0sq.

For example, a candle emits 2sq of dim light. To set that up in Roll20 it would look like:

• Light Radius = "2"
• Start of Dim = "0"
• All Players See Light = "Checked"

Low-light Vision

While Low-light Vision has mechanical benefits in D&D4e, there is no difference in how Low-light Vision is represented in play in a Roll20 scene.

Darkvision

Characters with Darkvision can see effectively in no light. There is no effective range to this vision making is so the character can see perfectly regardless of the lighting situation. To represent this we'll create a "light source" for that token with an effectively unlimited range, that only that token can see. What separates it from acting like a very powerful Lantern is that the All Players See Light box is not checked. What this means is that unless an Obstruction blocks the characters line of sight, they can see everything.

For example, darkvision would look like:

• Light Radius = "1000"
• All Players See Light = "Unchecked"

Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition / Pathfinder

Third edition Dungeons and Dragons, 3.5, and Pathfinder all use nearly identical lighting and vision systems. Below you'll find specific examples of how to set up lighting and vision in Roll20 for the above. To best represent vision and lighting you'll need to enable Dynamic Lighting on the Page Settings page. You'll want to Enforce Line of Sight as well. Each character token will need Has Sight checked on the token's Advanced tab of the Edit Token menu.

Character with low-light vision in Pathfinder/3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

Light Sources

Whether they're mobile or static, light sources in third edition follow the tradition of producing bright light out to a radius of feet, followed by an equal radius of dim light. The radius is specified in the description of the light source. To represent this in Roll20 you'll set the token's Light Radius to the total range of the light (that's the bright light and dim Light Radius added together) and the Start of Dim setting is the dim Light Radius. Additionally the All Players See Light option should be checked, since the object is producing visible light.

For example, a torch illuminates 20ft of bright light and another 20ft of dim light. To set that up in Roll20 it would look like:

• Light Radius = "40"
• Start of Dim = "20"
• All Players See Light = "Checked"

Low-light Vision

Character with low-light vision can see twice as far from light sources. To represent that in Roll20 we set the token's "Multiplier" to "2". This means that a torch normally produces 20ft of bright light and an additional 20ft (out to 40ft) of dim light. To a character with Low-light Vision this same torch would appear to produce 40ft of bright light and and additional 40ft (out to 80ft) of dim light.

An example of low-light vision would look like:

• Multiplier = "2"

Darkvision

Characters with darkvision are able to see in ways that don't actually involve normal light. This means that out to a certain radius, usually 60ft, they "see" without light. To represent this we'll create a "light source" for that token, that only that token can see. What separates it from acting like a Lantern is that the All Players See Light box is not checked.

For example, darkvision of 60ft would look like:

• Light Radius = "60"
• All Players See Light = "Unchecked"

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition

Below you'll find specific examples of how to set up lighting and vision for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons in a Roll20 game. To best represent lighting and vision in AD&D you'll need to enable Dynamic Lighting on the Page Settings page. You'll want to Enforce Line of Sight as well. Each character token will need Has Sight checked on the token's Advanced tab of the Edit Token menu.

Light Sources

Whether they're mobile or static, light sources in AD&D follow the tradition of producing bright light out to a radius in feet. Unlike other editions of D&D they do not produce an additional radius of dim light. The radius is specified in the description of the light source. To represent this in Roll20 you'll set the token's Light Radius to the range listed in the handbook. Additionally the "All Players See Light" option should be checked, since the object is producing visible light.

For example, a torch illuminates 40 feet of light. To set that up in Roll20 it would look like:

• Light Radius = "40"
• All Players See Light = "Checked"

Infravision

Characters with infravision are able to see in ways that don't actually involve normal light. This means that out to a certain radius, usually 60ft, they "see" without light. To represent this we'll create a "light source" for that token, that only that token can see. What separates it from acting like a Lantern is that the "All Players See Light" box is not checked.

For example, infravision of 60ft would look like:

• Light Radius = "60"
• All Players See Light = "Unchecked"

Ultravision

Characters with Ultravision can see effectively in no light. There is no effective range to this vision making is so the character can see perfectly regardless of the lighting situation. To represent this we'll create a "light source" for that token with an effectively unlimited range, that only that token can see. What separates it from acting like a very powerful Lantern is that the "All Players See Light" box is not checked. What this means is that unless an Obstruction blocks the characters line of sight, they can see everything.

For example, ultravision would look like:

• Light Radius = "1000"
• All Players See Light = "Unchecked"