Thoughts on Light from KarasDjun

From dragonsfoot:

Has anyone ever gone into a dank, pitch black cave with nothing but a flashlight to guide several people along? I would imagine stairs (especially those in disrepair) would be quite treacherous and any hole would be very dark until the light came closer. Those behind the light would be in almost total darkness and easily picked off by creatures able to see well in the dark or dim light. For these reasons and more, I think continual light "flashlights" are a waste of time.

As for enchanted swords and other weapons with light/continual light cast upon them.... Take a flashlight or two in a dark setting and swing it like a sword. Now have someone without a light poke at you with a stick. I'll bet they hit quite often. I would think that multiple light sources like this would likely cause more confusion than shed illumination good enough to see by. Given the shadows cast by these weapons, whipping about at high speed, you would be virtually sickened or at least nauseous by the end of a long combat. A light spell should be cast upon a stable object (ceiling, torch sconce, etc) otherwise the constant movement would become distracting at best, sickening at worst (like watching a video where someone is running with the camera). Bullseye lanterns are sort of like flashlights (mono-directional beam) and are great for spotlighting a certain area, but I'd take a torch or hooded lantern over any of these. A linkboy serves to keep the light still while combat occurs around him. A clerical sanctuary spell or protection from evil would greatly enhance their survival. Even at higher levels, a linkboy with a magical light source can cloak it and reveal it as the party wishes and still leave them free to fight.