As a person who works with electricity every day, and has had an extensive education in the practical uses of electricity in our modern day, allow me to provide my professional opinion:
Wand of lightning + potion of absorption is devestating especially in tight spaces. I personally love lightning but, as is the case in rl, you have to respect it's power and not be careless
One of the best spells. Specially in close quarters if you can aim it right.
And it is pretty easy to be immune to it's effects (or close to it). Boots of Grounding, potion of absorption, robe of electrical resistance. You name it.
Unreliable. Dangerous. Ludicrous. Inconsistent. Doesn't bounce according to any known law.
Completely and utterly unpredictable.
Though getting zapped by it seems predictable enough. I'm convinced it's coded to home in on the player after the first bounce. A superstition, perhaps, but I'm a believer.
I use it frequently, even if it IS the +3 Berserker sword of spells. Or give the wand to Xan. A wand like that is just so Xan. Oh, his face when it comes back on him. 'Typical', he mutters to himself, just before getting fried. There just aren't enough potions or scrolls of lightning protection for every time you use it, and priests don't get the protection spell until spell lvl 4. Boots of Talos are the only item you can rely on. Eventually Xan will get an electricity robe, but by then he's usually died more than once.
Besides, with all the lightning traps in the game, and how devastating they are, I like to save potions and scrolls for my thief. Xan already has a disposition for dying, and he's clearly already come to terms with his mortality, so suicide mage he is.
It's okay. Not great, but not bad. I've made great use of the wand and Xan as a suicide/melee mage in previous playthroughs. Good fun for all, except maybe Xan.
I use it in my game as a wild mage teaming up with Neera. Nothing like double wild mages flinging lightning bolts around for an utterly unpredictable experience.
Comments
...ahem...
Electricity=Magic.
And it is pretty easy to be immune to it's effects (or close to it). Boots of Grounding, potion of absorption, robe of electrical resistance. You name it.
But drink a potion of
insulationabsorption (100 % electrical immunity) and use a Wand of Lightning in any cramped corner against any number of foes.A true Winner...
/A.
potion of absorption*
insulation only confers 50% resistance whereas absorption applies 100%
Completely and utterly unpredictable.
Though getting zapped by it seems predictable enough. I'm convinced it's coded to home in on the player after the first bounce. A superstition, perhaps, but I'm a believer.
I use it frequently, even if it IS the +3 Berserker sword of spells. Or give the wand to Xan. A wand like that is just so Xan. Oh, his face when it comes back on him. 'Typical', he mutters to himself, just before getting fried. There just aren't enough potions or scrolls of lightning protection for every time you use it, and priests don't get the protection spell until spell lvl 4. Boots of Talos are the only item you can rely on. Eventually Xan will get an electricity robe, but by then he's usually died more than once.
Besides, with all the lightning traps in the game, and how devastating they are, I like to save potions and scrolls for my thief. Xan already has a disposition for dying, and he's clearly already come to terms with his mortality, so suicide mage he is.
It's okay. Not great, but not bad. I've made great use of the wand and Xan as a suicide/melee mage in previous playthroughs. Good fun for all, except maybe Xan.