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Lightning never strikes twice???

TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,268
Well. Something interesting happened to me just now. Yes yes I know this is yet another lightning strike thread but I just had to do this.

I was at the high hedge and it was raining. I encountered some ghouls. Then within the space of 15 seconds lightning struck 5 TIMES!!!!!(4/5 of those hit my party) It probably would have continued to blast my party had I not decided to quickly hit the rest button to make the rain go away before I died.

Seriously though... this feature is starting to wear my patience thin... At first it was mildly interesting and a little annoying but now it is getting ridiculous. I used to enjoy playing this game and watching the rain and lightning flashes on the screen but now when it starts to rain it fills me with a sense of dread. Kind of a buzzkill actually. I remember that in the original lightning strikes were quite rare and did no damage. It isn't so much the damage that bothers me about the EE lightning strikes; it is the unnatural frequency with which it strikes, especially considering how rare these strikes were in the original. I think that the frequency of this happening could be toned down a bit to make it more realistic and less irritating.

Now where is my entry in Volo's record book for most sequential lightning strikes?

Comments

  • secretmantrasecretmantra Member Posts: 259
    I have actually gotten spooked by the sound of the thunder strikes because they are so loud. I guess I kind of like it--injects some random paranoia into the game, keeps me on my toes.
  • LadyEibhilinRhettLadyEibhilinRhett Member Posts: 1,078
    Maaaan, I've never even seen a lightning strike in my game. I feel so left out.
  • MathmickMathmick Member Posts: 326
    This is not evidence against the well-known fact that "lightning never strikes twice". Typically, lightning will strike an area once and then not strike it for the duration of the thunderstorm. However, sometimes lightning will strike an area three or more times (In your case, five). However, lightning will NEVER strike twice without more successive strikes.
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    You must be very unlucky, then. Like five xvarts rolled a natural 20 at the same time and killed my tank in glorious full-plate mail. :p

    It is a very rare occurence in my games, and when it rains in the wilderness, I try to stop and rest as soon as possible. Makes sense in a RPing way, you really don't want to go out and fight with sword/shield and plate mail while there is a raging thunderstorm. All that metal can attract lightning, and also rain water can spoil the armors unless cared very well. Oh and all others can catch a cold from being soaked wet, all those heavy mage robes do not dry quickly. :-)
  • KidCarnivalKidCarnival Member Posts: 3,747
    I have finally managed to break the vicious cycle of "Talos hates drow". The only one who got struck was Baeloth - I never had lightning strikes before the patch that added him. After that, he got struck every few maps (and made the decision who wears Talos' Gift really easy). Yesterday, for the first time, the lightning hit Dorn, within seconds of recruiting him, nearly killing him. Guess these guys have a point about racial prejudice after all.
  • mjsmjs Member Posts: 742
    edited March 2013
    yeah i've had two or three successive lightning hits on two occasions, didn't think to rest though, i was always close enough to the edges to just leave the map

    it panicked me and then pissed me off
  • CalmarCalmar Member Posts: 688
    Beware! Beware of High Hedge! 'Tis a wicked place, haunted by the strange magicks its lord Thalantyr conjureth! Be grateful that thou hast survived! Beware!
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    I guess characters wearing metal armor are at highest risk? If so that's making ankheg armor look a lot more attractive.

    On a side note, what with the new colors and all, it would be neat if we had a dying option for armors, eh? Or at least of you could choose a few basic colors when Taerom makes your ankheg armor.
  • KidCarnivalKidCarnival Member Posts: 3,747
    Oh so very much agreed! I was delighted that Dorn was finally a BLACKguard with the Cosmetic Revisions mod... but it only changes non-magical things, so with Full Plate, Ankheg and such, he goes back to being a silverguard. New color options for ankhegs would be awesome.
  • WebShamanWebShaman Member Posts: 490
    Viccy got hit by lightning once! Electrifying!

    I mean, when I say she was smokin' hot, I am not exaggerating!
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
    Every time lightning strikes in my games, it always goes for the dwarf. Always the short one!

    I mean, he's surrounded by elves and humans, so you'd think they'd act as lightning-rods and protect the poor fool, but nooooooo... :P
  • WowoWowo Member Posts: 2,064
    I'm fine if this stays the same.

    If it was change I'd only want it changed to add more features. Like:
    --lightning strikes are less likely if you're close to a tree
    --lightning strikes are more likely if you're in metal armour

    In general I'm fine with it, keeps things interesting.
  • smeagolheartsmeagolheart Member Posts: 7,963
    Isn't this DnD? If we have lightning shouldn't there be a magic natural phenomenon like suddenly... boom.. portal to alternate plane randomly spawning.

    Or something like one of these:
    http://www.somethingawful.com/d/dungeons-and-dragons/random-encounter-dnd.php

    (refresh the page at that link to get new random encounters)
  • LadyEibhilinRhettLadyEibhilinRhett Member Posts: 1,078
    Does anyone know the percentage chance of being hit by lightning? I've never been hit before and I'm starting to feel left out.
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,268
    I would like to know how the probability of getting struck works too.
  • the_spyderthe_spyder Member Posts: 5,018
    edited March 2013
    I'd suspect that it is like a naturally occurring instance of the Druid spell, and therefore has the same chance of striking a character as in that spell.

    From a RP and realism (if there is such a thing in BG or D&D) perspective, I'd suggest not to engage in combat in the middle of a storm while wearing full plate metal armor in any case. I'd bet it is no fun what so ever. And it rusts your shiny metal armor. That would solve the entire thing.

    I think it sucks that the OP got hit 5 times, but the engine is known for it's penchant for having runs of bad rolls. Not that the overall percent chance mechanic is flawed, but that individual bad runs (and quite probably good runs as well) do occur. I'd almost say that they were lucky because, in the grand scheme of the game, they probably will have burned off a bunch of bad rolls. Now they are due for a run of good rolls. But no one complains when they get a run of good rolls. i wonder why?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,675
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • the_spyderthe_spyder Member Posts: 5,018
    WebShaman said:

    Viccy got hit by lightning once! Electrifying!

    I mean, when I say she was smokin' hot, I am not exaggerating!

    Shocking... Ok, you were all thinking it. I was just crass enough to actually post it.
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