Corpse wax candles

[Yssa]

I love all of this.

The thing that is a cool and logical difference between candles and potions/scrolls is that there is a very tangible duration but it can be meted out at will -- perhaps you need to spend the night in a haunted graveyard and you have an spirit candle allows you to command the undead around and has 3 hours of burn time, you could spread the usage out throughout the night as needed by snuffing and relighting it at strategic moments.


I'm also imagining how candles would work in the environment. I could see a room filled hundreds of candles keeping various spirits animated or sapping life from PCs or whatnot, and PCs need to split their energy between fighting the ghosts and putting out candles.

Or, one giant 5 ton candle that could burn for a year (a hundred years? Forever?) if you don't find a way to destroy or snuff it. Using any magic that would hasten melting (flame, heat, sunlight?) would hasten melting and shorten the duration, but could intensify the effect in the moment.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Yssa

Or, one giant 5 ton candle that could burn for a year (a hundred years? Forever?) if you don't find a way to destroy or snuff it. Using any magic that would hasten melting (flame, heat, sunlight?) would hasten melting and shorten the duration, but could intensify the effect in the moment.

Yes! It would have to have one of those trick wicks that relights itself after you blow it out...

[Not]

Obviously it's the purpose for which a wealthy merchant was seen transporting corpses to an underground factory. It's too bad the PCs didn't figure that out before they broke in and slaughtered a leading member of the local community, mistaking him for a necromancer.

[Anders]

Love the idea of candles as potions. A lot could be done with that. Maybe a candle that emits a smell that repels some class of creatures (probably undead). Or attracts them...

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Anders

Maybe a candle that emits a smell that repels some class of creatures (probably undead). Or attracts them...

The attraction of undead could be the price you pay for whatever positive power you get from the candle.

[Imbicatus]

It may attract carrion feeders as well. Swarms of rats, beetles, centipedes, or ants, or maybe larger scavengers like carrion crawlers, vultures or hyenas.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Dalin

The attraction of undead could be the price you pay for whatever positive power you get from the candle.

Either that, or it could be a way to lure undead into an ambush.

[Bruno]

Normally corpse wax is pretty crumbly, and probably not well suited for candles. That just means it needs some alchemical preparation to make it into even a mundane candle :)

The first thing that jumps to mind is the classic magic item, a Hand Of Glory, from real-world European folklore. A Hand of Glory is crafted from the hand of a hanged man (a hanged thief is appropriate, although I think traditionally it should be a murderer). The hand is made into a candle holder that clutches a candle which I think is supposed to be made of corpse wax anyways. If not, well, it should be darn it :D

The story about a Hand Of Glory is that while the candle burns (traditionally one hour) the Hand unlocks all doors, makes the bearer invisible, and paralyzes everyone in the house except the bearer. The folklore Hand Of Glory is an ultimate tool of theft and assassination.

As a game item, it's pretty simple to have it allow the user to cast Invisibility, Total Paralysis, and Lockmaster as long as the candle is lit (effective skill 15, user has to provide the energy themselves as usual). If the candle is blown out, or after an hour it's used up, the item doesn't work until a new corpse wax candle is provided.