Last Updated on January 22, 2023
What Is a Lantern of Revealing in DnD 5e?
A Lantern of Revealing is a basic lantern with the added ability to shed light that makes invisible creatures and objects visible. This relatively inexpensive item can be incredibly useful if the party comes across any invisible foes.
Lantern of Revealing
Wondrous Item, uncommon
While lit, this hooded lantern burns for 6 hours on 1 pint of oil, shedding bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. Invisible creatures and objects are visible as long as they are in the lantern’s bright light. You can use an action to lower the hood, reducing the light to dim light in a 5-foot radius.
A lantern shedding light is nothing special, obviously. As far as the basic lighting of this object goes, it follows the normal procedure. It does go a bit further to include a hood, which can reduce the light substantially.
This is a great way to turn the lantern off without actually having to turn it off. You might want to do this if you suddenly require a bit of stealth.
Keep in mind though, if the lantern is hooded, it won’t be shedding any bright light. Only the bright light shed by a Lantern of Revealing illuminates invisible creatures and objects.
Naturally, this distinction gives us the entire basis for effectively using this item. If you use it to illuminate a large area, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to uncover invisible creatures and objects.
Unfortunately, invisible creatures and invisible objects are made only temporarily visible. Invisible creatures that move outside of the bright light will immediately be unseen once again.
Is the Lantern of Revealing a Good Item?
The Lantern of Revealing is a good item, but it is only useful in specific niche circumstances. Since it only reveals invisible creatures while they are inside of the light, you have no way of otherwise knowing where invisible creatures are.
Let’s look at this item in comparison to a spell commonly used for identifying invisible creatures, Faerie Fire.
The spell Faerie Fire is a 1st-level concentration spell that outlines creatures and objects with a colored light. This light not only stops the affected creatures and objects from being invisible, but it also adds on advantage for attacks against such creatures.
The spell lasts until concentration ends, which is at most one minute for this spell. Basically, invisible creatures and objects affected by Faerie Fire are going to become visible no matter where they are.
The Lantern of Revealing, on the other hand, only affects a 30-foot sphere.
Both sources can be avoided. You can extinguish the lantern, or you could make the dexterity save to avoid Faerie Fire. So neither option is foolproof. Faerie Fire, then, is clearly the more reliable option since it can cover a wider radius and it provides an additional bonus.
Of course, spells are a limited resource, and most parties will have a lantern anyway.
The Lantern of Revealing is an excellent magic item because it is simply a convenient replacement for the traditional lantern most parties carry anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does a Lantern of Revealing Work in DnD 5e?
As long as a Lantern of Revealing is illuminated and shedding bright light, any creatures or objects that enter the bright light will become visible if they were originally invisible.
How Much Does a Lantern of Revealing Cost?
As an uncommon item, the Lantern of Revealing likely costs somewhere between 50 and 100 gp. The actual price will vary depending on the abundance of magic in your world, but 65 gp is a good common price to stick with.
Check out our Magic Item Price Guide for more information on pricing.
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As a kid, I was often told to get my head out of the clouds and to stop living in a fantasy world. That never really jived with me, so I decided to make a living out of games, stories, and all sorts of fantastical works. Now, as an adult, I aspire to remind people that sometimes a little bit of fantasy is all you need when life gets to be too much.
