Handcandle

This spell causes a flame to spring from the caster's palm. The flame can be either a reddish tongue that burns and heats, or a whitish light that cannot ignite or harm anything. The caster can cause the flame to be one form or the other as often as desired, switching at the end of a round. Once created, the flame cannot move from the caster's palm.

As a burning flame, a handcandle can ignite flammable materials, cook food, or scorch beings touched by the caster for 1d4+1 points of damage (unlike the fire of a produce flame spell, it cannot be hurled).

As a white light, handcandle can touch anything without igniting it. The intensity of its light can be controlled by the caster. (It isn't blinding or as bright as a lantern, but it can be made so dim as to be visible only from a few inches away.) The effect is ideal for reading in poor light, stealthily finding keyholes and the like in darkness, and so on. Many priests use it to impress the gullible by “swallowing fire” or giving their faces an eerie appearance by night, playing with the effects made possible by this light.

A handcandle can be extinguished (ending the spell) instantly whenever its caster desires. In either form, it can withstand even gale force winds (including magical winds) without being extinguished. It does no harm to the caster: many priests who conjure one as a tent light fall asleep with it still shedding light for their companions.