Torches vs Lanterns

Light is your most important resource in the dungeon after breathable air. There are lots of light sources you can bring on a delve, but the most common and traditional choices are torches or lanterns. Which has spawned decades of discussion about which is better. This isn't more of that.

Most arguments about light sources focus on efficiency, doing the math about which gives the most light/longest burn time compared to how much space it takes up and weight it adds to your gear.* They focus on packing as light as possible so you have room for the loot you hope to bring back, but prioritizing the space-effectiveness of items over their actual usefulness and applications misses the point of choosing equipment. You pick the things that'll help keep you alive. Sacrificing an inventory slot or two in order to carry more useful gear is a smart choice.**

So instead of choosing between torches or a lantern bring both. Use both. Keep both on hand so you have the flexibility to use each in the situations they're best suited for. It's worth the extra weight to be able to adapt to whatever weird thing you run into.

And once you have them both, be smart about when to use each. Take the time to think about your equipment and how you can use each piece to your advantage. Not only the obvious intended uses, but also the different unintended ways it could help if you improvise. That goes for all equipment, not just light sources.

Here's what I think about when it comes to lanterns and torches. These aren't pros/cons lists, they're just the properties of each item to consider when deciding how to approach a situation.

Lanterns:
- Can be set down, hung, and left unattended without going out. Hands-free.
- Aren't extinguished by wind, random gusts, or rain.
- Have a shielded flame so they won't accidentally set things on fire, but makes it harder to intentionally set things on fire.
- Can be shuttered and concealed easily.
- Fragile(ish). They might work with broken glass, but rely on having an intact fuel tank.
- Can use the fuel for other purposes (as oil, accelerant, solvent, for tick removal, etc) but can accidentally spill it.
- More expensive. They're reusable but cost more to replace.
- Can be disassembled and cannibalized for glass, metal, and wire.

Torches:
- Can't be set down without going out. Need to be put in a sconce, stand, or specifically propped up.
- Put out by air currents and splashes.
- Can't be concealed easily and have to be put out completely to hide.
- Smoky. Makes for bad air quality but the smoke can be used as a tool.
- An unshielded flame. Easy to set things on fire, but it's just as easy to accidentally set your things and self alight too.
- Durable, because it's a stick. Can also be used for stick things and as a source of wood.
- Cheap as hell, utterly disposable. You can throw them ahead of you and drop them down holes without a second thought.
- Floats. Again, stick.

So if you want to sneak around and hide at a moment's notice? Go into rough weather? Use both hands freely? Light up your lantern.

Want to detect air currents? Hit something? Light an area or check for explosive gas without having to go in? Keep your options open for an impromptu arson? Pull out a torch.

Dungeon crawling is basically critical thinking and problem solving as a career, so lean into it. Don't worry about packing efficiently or how much you're carrying, bring the tools that will work best even if they're more expensive (in capacity or money) because they'll help you more than an empty space in your pack.

* If you're curious, here's the light per slot napkin math:
Torches last 1 hour and can be bundled. So at 6 torches/bundle it's 6 hours of light per slot.
Lanterns burn for 6 hours on 1 pint of fuel. A waterskin holds 4 pints of liquid and takes up 1 slot, so that's 24 hours of light. The lantern itself takes up a slot, so it actually works out to 12 hours of light/slot and gets slightly better if you carry more skins of fuel. A jug holds a gallon of liquid (8 pints), so if you use those to store your fuel you can double the waterskin numbers.

** As an adventurer your job is to explore, fight, and get everyone back home safely. If there's loot to carry you can help haul some, but most of the schlepping should be left to hired porters while you focus on keeping everyone safe. If there's enough treasure that your porters can't take it all at once, then don't. Leave some behind and come back later with more porters. It's okay to make two trips.