Dims and Glows

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Dim and Glow are useful and under-utilized.  Here's the deal:


Dim and Glow are two alchemist spells that are used to impart darkness or light 
to an item.  If the alchemist is skilled enough, the darkness/light effects
are permanent.  

Glows that are non-permanent are seldom useful.  Permanent glows are akin to
a critical success in the spell, and they are very clear to the caster.  The
alchemist gets the message:  

    Using your superior mastery you make part of the glow permanent!

Glow requires cesium; dim requires nullium.  Temporary effects only take
0.5 kg of the material.  Permanent effects take 1.0 kg.  And as an odd
'feature', you must have MORE THAN 1 KG of the material in your inventory
when casting in order for the permanent effect to be possible.  If you 
try casting with only 1.0 kg in your inventory, you will never achieve
a permanent effect.

Glows give a [shiny] message in the short description, whereas dims have a
[void] message in the short.  If the effect is temporary, the effect 
expires at boot and that message disappears.  However if the effect is 
permanent, the message disappears at boot but the effect continues forever.
Casting ID at an item will reveal the permanent dim/glow -- it says the
item emits light or dark.  

The glow and dim effects are, per-item, comparable to carrying a small chunk of
light or dark-emitting material (e.g., cesium or nullium).  So while getting a
glow may cost you a bit, it does save you some carried weight. 


Here are some hints related to dims and glows:

  *  Non-permanent glows/dims simply aren't worth messing with.

  *  For permanent glows/dims, seek out a well-trained alchemist.  
     I suspect (but am not certain) that spell % doesn't matter much.  
     Mastery of alchemy probably determines the ability to cast a 
     permanent effect.

  *  Since permanent dims and glows do not leave a message in the short
     description, it's a nice idea to have your items labeled.  Thunk
     uses a system that I think is neat:  /*\ indicates a glow.  
     Conversely, you can use \*/ to indicate a dim.  Short and sweet.  
     If it makes you happy, throw some <> or || or [] brackets around 
     your dim/glow labels.  Other players are fond of (dim) and (glow)
     labels.

  *  If you change your mind about an item, you can cancel the effect
     by casting the opposite spell.  

  *  COST:  Permanent glows are somewhat pricey, since they require 
     a reagent and can only be cast 3x per alchemist per boot.  
     I charge 20k per item for permanent dims and glows.  

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