» Mon Apr 11, 2011 11:25 pm
It should be a real shock effect like a spell, with several spell magnitudes, some can be weak and not kill village NPC's without armor. Some can be medium and kill unarmed NPC's and paralyze them for a few seconds, make them unable to speak (silence) and hear anything. Most powerful shock would just smoke them to a crisp, but you would not be able to die from it because you are dragonborn or something. They could make creatures that are created by the most rare and powerful lightning strikes. It could be some kind of attack from some daedric prince or other that triggers a repeatable side quest.
Wearing metal armor increases damage. Wearing enchanted armor reduces damage. Electric weapon enchantments attract thunder bolts and enough attack strikes would charge the storm clouds and hit the weapon, channeling it into your enemy, not into you. You could carry a two handed quazi-staff/hammer that only shows in one hand that allows you to cast a shock spell that chains directly from the clouds when cast from the supporting attack side.
With the thunder lightning effects, it could be more likely to have high resist enchantments on helmets and hats and many cheap resistance potions. There could also be weather changing artifacts, some that attract certain weather such as strong wind, rain, lightning, etc. and some that ward off those effects, either when held, used, or when you strike at an enemy.
All thunder/lightning bolts should create a dark burn mark on the ground that goes away after a day or so, or on your body if it strikes you. They could be a great money sink for economic value, for instance, if it strikes your thatched roof, a wooden or flammable object.
-There could be a great scripted event of an attack on a village with many warriors in a thunder storm. They charge the town, but the villagers are protected by some god or other that picks off every last warrior with strikes from the clouds before they reach the city buildings.
-It could be easy to enchant any weapon with a random shock effect based on the power of a strike, just hold it up and hope a strike hits it, or litter the ground with swords... What if one got struck by the most powerful bolt? It could summon a storm atronach or something?