[RPG] How does Radiance of the Dawn interact with Darkness

clericdnd-5espells

Radiance of the Dawn is a cleric feature that dispels magical darkness in a range. The darkness spell consists of magical darkness spreading from a point.

If the center point is not within the range of Radiance of the Dawn, but some of the darkness that has spread is, is that portion of darkness's area of effect permanently eliminated or will it just be filled by the spell again? Is the entire spell dispelled?

If the center point is on an object and some of the darkness (but not all of it) is permanently dispelled, what happens if I rotate that object?

Best Answer

If one section of the darkness is dispelled, the entire thing is

Radiance of the Dawn says:

As an action, you present your holy symbol, and any magical darkness within 30 feet of you is dispelled.

There is no way to dispel part of an effect. Thus, if any part of a magical darkness effect is within 30 feet of you when you activate this ability, then that entire effect will be dispelled.

This is very similar to the effect of daylight:

If any of this spell’s area overlaps with an area of darkness created by a spell of 3rd level or lower, the spell that created the darkness is dispelled.

Despite the wording difference, there should be only two functional differences between the abilities - which is that Radiance of the Dawn is actually a bit more versatile than daylight. For one, it can negate darkness effects that are not caused by spells as well as ones that are, and second, it can dispel darkness caused by any spell level, not just 3rd or lower.