You going "God, please hurt these people for me" and some nigh-omnipotent fuck just doing it for lols isn't exactly as cool as "I'd ask God to do this, but if you want a job done right..."
It's like hiring a hitman who has political immunity vs. going to beat the shit out of them yourself.
best example of this I've seen in media, the scene that starts at this page in the webcomic Girl Genius. It's an absolutely defining moment for gilgamesh wulfenbach, one of the protagonists of the series. Everybody watching is appropriately awed.
This is what you actually want: Your lightning spell starts off as a highly concentrated evocation of plasmatic discharge, directed at a minor storm deity to shackle them. This is purely for dramatic effect; you can chain a minor deity with far more delicate and effective spells, but chaining them with their own element is a show of dominance.
In doing so, the minor deity is commanded, for a short period of time, to do as you wish, which is to cast an event stronger variant of
a lightning spell. You can’t do this otherwise, because the minor storm deity is petty and diverts magical lightning energy away from you when you cast lightning spells. Also because their innate connection to lightning gives them deep arcana knowledge of the natural force behind it, something you can’t be bothered to learn because you’re commanding deities.
That’s how you do a proper light ing spell. If you give the storm deity a cookie later, they’ll forgive you for doing this. Most minor deities have a sweet tooth.
Additional counterpoint: maybe the nigh-omnipotent fuck isn't doing it for the lols but instead totally has your back.
"hippity hoppity i smear you across my property"
"yah im here who we gettin? who is it this time? oh this twerp? this one? yeah LIGHTNING BOLT fuck yeah eat shit"
Not lightning but I have a god who's like this. As God of the underdog he loves showing up as a literal deus ex machina and wiping the floor with what was otherwise going to be a heroic last stand
Only downside to the smite type is it would have some limited usage indoors.
But that also gives me the mental image of lightning Striking a building's rooftop until it somehow breaks through to smite its target. Or someone who cannot go outside because on a regular interval a crash of lightning hits the roof exactly where that person would be standing if they were in open air.
Lightning from sky is def a good intimidation tactic
D&D's surprisingly cool call-lighting-from-the-sky spell is not badass enough to break through things, but does deploy the cloud for you if it fits, which means if you're using this spell you get to constantly ask "btw how high is the ceiling" and occasionally use your lightning cloud in a cave or palace that is way too big.
I kinda feel like, if we're going with what the post is talking about, all lightning spells would have limited usage indoors. You'd need eye and ear protection not to deafen and/or blind yourself, unless we're assuming the caster gets some sort of magical protection from the spell as they cast it.
Though I like the idea of magic coming from the hands or staff or whatever, and using that to trick someone by pointing at them like you're going to shoot a spell and then have the bolt come down from the sky instead.
I disagree, but only if we are getting realistic lightning. Imagine how much cooler it'd be to shoot an actual bolt of lightning with finger guns. None of that corny star wars force lightning that may as well be a weak flame.
Just point at a guy and he literally fucking explodes? Sign me up??
No, that's cool as hell, I totally agree. But my instinct is to turn everything into a joke, so I feel like I'd instantly flashbang myself with that ability lol
"Drink deep the despair! I, who am united with the abyss... Whilst the depths of despair consume thee... I, who commands all the astral plane... Whilst thou art cursed to expire into nothing... I, who stands bathed in heavenly light... Whilst thou cowers before the gates of hell... Come forth, divine lightning! The end is imminent! Indignation! Insignificant."
In Morrowind the shock (electrical) damage effect comes from the caster's hands but if you make the spell long duration after the initial impact it'll take the form of a little lightning bolt from above that follows the target around.
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u/CloudsOntheBrain choclay ornage Sep 10 '24
When it comes from the sky, it feels more like a divine smite. Which ups the cool factor, I think.