Have you been struck by lightning before?

Friend of yours · Post by **Friend of yours** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 11:28 pm

I freaked out, this had never happened to me before. Walking through one of the nature maps at night with rain. No enemies anywhere..

ZAP!!!!

Giant bolt of lightning strikes poor unsuspecting Ajantis...took about 10 points damage...

Never knew this was a part of the game.

Anyone else get whacked by Mother Nature?

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 11:37 pm

I've played through probably a half dozen times and have never been struck by lightning, so I'd say you're making it up.

Friend of yours · Post by **Friend of yours** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 11:49 pm

If it's not part of the game, then it was a bug/glitch. The effect was the same as the high level cleric spell (forget the name). The bolt that comes straight down vertically for about 1-2 seconds. I have not motive to make it up. It happened.

Someone has had to have experienced it. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Personally, I don't think it's a bug. I think it's a part of the game. Under rain, there must be some minute chance for lightning strike. I'll investigate. SURELY there must be someone else that's experienced it.

Friend of yours · Post by **Friend of yours** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:55 am

http://www.forumplanet.com/planetbaldursgate/search.asp

I did a search for 'lightening' on PlanetBaldursGate forums, and sure enough, several posts mention it.

I loved the dig. What I missed was the guy with the whip and the hat!

I agree about the lightning-effect though. I almost fell off my chair. And then later on when Jaheira gets 'call lightning' things gets curiouser and curiouser.
Natural lightning does no damage, but 'call lightning' definitely does!!

and...

In Reply To #9
kirkus tamul (silk) wrote:

In Reply To #8
not a lightning BOLT spell, a call lightning spell! Wizard create lightning from magical energy, Druids or Clerics use divine or weather type lightning. Trust me on this it was a spell. If it happens again read the battle text. I KNOW this one...

Isn't it called "Call Lightning"?
It's a simple weather-based spell that summons some lightningbolts from the skies..

As for the random lighning-strike effects...I've heard talk about this before. The designers originally wanted the lightningbolts to actually do damage, but they decided later that they wouldn't implement that one.

I noticed that the lightning thing happens more often if you've got totsc installed.

I thought it did some damage, I guess on that I was mistken...
There's plenty other posts that mention it, not going to quote all of them...
Just type in 'lightning'...

Friend of yours · Post by **Friend of yours** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 1:04 am

Few more. I mean since I was flatly accused of 'making it up', I feel compelled to drive the point home.

Speaking of lightning bolts....I was walking off the map where Lathander is, towards Beregost. As soon as I clicked on the Beregost map my PC was struck by lightning, but it did no damage. I have no idea why, I hadn't cast a lightning spell all game.

I'm thinking there must be some addt'l weather variable that increases the chance of getting hit by lightning. But I could be reading too much into the quests. It seems that every time I do the Tenya subquest the frequency of getting hit by lightning increases

Ive never seen anyone get hit by lightning before either. In one of our forum regulars MP games, we just got finished with a chaotic battle with 6 gibberlings. I know I (the party tank and paladin) killed three. I saw one go down by our mages magic missle and another go down by kormar. All of the sudden Bex, she was the party's bard, said that she killed three herself. Now someone wasn't telling the truth! Anyway, she said "if I"m lying then let lightning strike me where I"m at" (perhaps that's what I was thinking in my head, but I swear I heard her say it). Anyway, the next thing I knew was a bolt of lightning camem down from the sky and blasted her little tushy! She gave a yelp! I laughed so hard my beverage that I was drinking came out my nose!

Friend of yours · Post by **Friend of yours** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 1:13 am

One more you say? You got it!

Well I know from my own experience that "natural" lightning can have a detrimental effect. I was on one of the coastal screens when it started to rain. I had just killed a siren and was picking up the loot when lightning hit and Minsc yelped. RIGHT after he hollered, Kivan yelps, too. I'm thinking WTH, who's attacking?! I don't think I've ever hit the space bar as hard as I did that time. Seems Minsc was a huge lightning rod and when he was hit, his involuntary knee-jerk reaction was lash out. Minsc lost no hit points, but Kivan had a few knocked off. After that, I tried to keep them moving each time it rained.

Here's one for Skuld:

I've NEVER been hit by lightning I wanna get hit!!

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 2:00 am

Well I've seen lightning before, but I don't ever recall getting hit and sure as hell don't ever recall it doing damage. So Ajantis is more of a weenie than I thought, maybe it startled him a little too much. And just out of curiosity how would you know if someone got hit by lightning if it didn't do any damage? That last question is for anyone who's been struck by lightning like in your many fabulous quotes and have not been dealt any damage in the process.

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 2:06 am

Hey there "Friend"
Yes it is true, I've been hit, but it does either no damage or very little. Happoned more than once.
Kind of score though, the forces of nature,

Who's fist is this anyway

Friend of yours · Post by **Friend of yours** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 3:10 am

And just out of curiosity how would you know if someone got hit by lightning if it didn't do any damage?

As I mentioned earlier, it's the exact same effects as 'call lighning', it's the vertical white lightning strike, replete with the same sound...

Anyways, whatever.

Moving on. If you don't believe, fine. Could care less really.

dagonet · Post by **dagonet** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 6:05 am

This has happened to me a thousand times. Ive played this game too much. Its usually minsc gets struck with his full plate armor in my games

Klorox · Post by **Klorox** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:37 pm

I've gotten struck by lightning a lot, but it never did any damage.

I did get "ow" sounds from the NPCs though. Kinda funny, actually.

VonDondu · Post by **VonDondu** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 5:19 pm

In the game (as in real life), whenever your party is outdoors, there's a small chance that someone will be hit by a random lightning strike. As Microsoft would say, it's not a "bug", it's a "feature". I have played BG1 several times, and I would say I've seen it happen at least a dozen times.

I don't have the game installed at the moment, so I can't verify what I'm about to say, but I think there's a way to turn lightning strikes on and off. I think I saw such an option in one of the control panels. I don't remember seeing such an option in BG2 (although there is definitely an option to turn off weather effects in BG2).

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 5:39 pm

Well I don't have the game installed presently either, or I'd check to see if that setting exists. I never really messed with the settings as I had no reason to, but if mine's turned off by default somehow that could explain it. This is just one of those I'll believe it when I see it things, and right now Fallout's my game and I'm busy with that. Maybe I'll install it and give it a try sometime.

zwadz · Post by **zwadz** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 8:04 am

Zapped by an alien space ray!

I played Balder's Gate many times and don't rember getting hit by lightning. Then one day I installed TOSC and my party started to get hit on occasion. Is it possible that it was an effect added in the expansion?

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 10:49 am

Well the only working copy I have of BG now is the BG Saga, so I'll let you all know if and when I get struck when I get around to playing again.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 11:44 am

I got terrible surprised the first time a character got struck by lightning, but I don't recall it doing damage?

Was a fun little thing to put in the game in my oppinion

Wren · Post by **Wren** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 1:58 am

actually..the author of this post isnt lying as my character was randomly struck by lightning as well lol. i believe i was in Umar Hills playin BG2 when it happened. i guess those who coded the game have a bit of a sense of humor

Salles · Post by **Salles** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 7:45 am

[quote="Skuld]And just out of curiosity how would you know if someone got hit by lightning if it didn't do any damage?[/quote]
The dialogue box displays "]Minsc[/color] : Lightning" when a character is hit by lightning.

The only time anyone in my party gets struck by lightning is when I’ve left characters standing around in the rain. e.g. - just after a battle while another character is collecting the loot or something. I can't recall it happening when the party has been on the move.
i guess the armour acting as a great conductor doesn't help.

I recall a little bit of damage being taken a couple of times, it may have something to do with the character's armour class or resistance to electricity...

Faeid · Post by **Faeid** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 9:30 am

father calling for...

yes, we`ve seen, and it hurts, too... (lvl1)

Wayfarer · Post by **Wayfarer** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 7:16 pm

It happened shortly after I first started up the game...two times in a row!
It is a bit startling.
I think it may happen to any sword-wielding character -- that sucker's a lightning rod. "I have the power!"

After being struck my swords were shattered, but no bodily damage was done.