Dueling In The Dark

Chapter 5

Dueling in the light of day or a well lit area is straightforward, but what does one do when someone turns out the lights?

The experience of dueling in the dark is very different from dueling when everything around you is fully visible. There are many obstacles a caster must consider when dueling in the dark. While the caster gains cover from the darkness, so does the opponent. The most extensive knowledge of spells is no good if a caster cannot find his or her target. The purpose of this section is to ready students for different complications that may arise should they find themselves dueling at night or in the dark. Practiced preparation for these circumstances allows the caster to have in mind the issues that may arise.

Locating Opponent & Aiming Spells

First and foremost, a caster needs to be able to locate his or her opponent in the field of the duel. Even a well cast spell can have no effect if its target is not in the vicinity of the direction it is aimed. This portion of the section gives a few tips on how to find and target an opponent without the help of sight.

The most obvious way of locating the opponent is to produce some source of light. A quick scan of the room with Lumos or the production of some simple Bluebell Flames can provide enough light to find the opponent. The most obvious disadvantage to this technique is that any production of light will signal the opponent to the caster’s location. In some situations, retaining the cover provided by the darkness would be a more advantageous choice for a witch or wizard. Likewise, one should keep an eye out for any light that the opponent might cast.