Vision & Light: Adding Shadow (Darkness)

[estrolof]

I know you can add a circle of darkness. I know you can add torches and all that. I do apologize for a repeat question - but I couldn't seem to find a past post (admittedly, I'm sleepy and asking this in a "oooh can I do" fit).

1. Can Light (or Darkness) be applied as squares instead of circles? 5E RAW measures diagonal spaces as 5', so a circle is (effectively) a square - unlike the 'pixelated' circles of 3.X D&D.

2. I know you can use N/N to generate dim vs bright light when making a custom light source. Will the same work for Darkness? Would adding 15/0 to a Darkness effect result in a dimmed/shaded area if there were ambient light?

I was thinking about the Shadowfell and Shades or even a buffed Wraith. Where they create a dimming effect a round themselves - even if the light were Ambient Twilight, they would make it darker still, but not a blinding magical Darkness.

[Zacchaeus]

No to the first one. Light always lights up a circle.

I think also no to the second one. Darkness isn’t a light but a special effect which blots out light. There’s no rules for darkness having a dimness value; it’s either dark or it’s not.