Torches and Lanterns

I gotta admit, as a GM/DM/Referee, I tend to forget about torches. I don’t know if it is laziness on my part or because I ran games set in modern or futuristic settings that lacked torches for most of my life. The reason I forget about torches doesn’t matter. What matters is that sometimes, keeping track of how long a torch lasts in game time is pretty damn important.

So I made a mechanic for myself to use to keep track of torches.
Each of the following activities uses 1 unit of torch time.

• Searching a 10ft area
• Traveling at normal pace for a round.
• Attempting to disarm a trap
• When I forget about keeping track of torch time and all of a sudden say, "oh yeah! Roll against Torch Time!" Honestly, this is going to be at least 90% of the time.

Every time a unit of torch time is acquired, Somebody (probably me, but it really should be the character holding the torch) rolls a d10 and tries to roll a 4 or higher. If the roll is successful, the torch is fine and the players go on their merry way. If the roll is unsuccessful, the die drops to a d8 the next time a unit of torch time is met. Each subsequent failure drops the die type by one. When the torch (or lantern; I just remembered about lanterns) reaches a d4 and fails, it burns out/runs out of fuel.

I originally used a d12 to start with, because d12s are underused and awesome, but it makes the torch potentially last forever.

Oh! and to explain why a torch burns out instantly or lasts an unusually long time, just remember that torches are sticks with a flammable end and are homemade. Sometimes you get a dud.