Lightning on the Zig

[Kiaring]

If you’re talking reality I’d say, “Reality sux, keep it a game.” You want real, try carrying 99 arrows and see what happens.

You probably don't have to, since you can just pluck them off the battlefield dead and re-utilize them?


Personally I'm for anything that makes things like rain, cold and other such elements sensible beyond the realm of mere RP. What an amazing world it would be if everyone retreated into shelter once rain started. But we know players have to be SCOURGED WITH LIGHTNING in order to understand. Tsk.

[Pup]

The funny thing is, encasing yourself entirely in metal could actually protect you from lightning.  It would be like your own personal Faraday cage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

There's your "realism".

[Kiaring]

Notice how real-world faraday cages do not touch the objects which they are meant to protect.

Water seeping through your armor and mixing with sweat and other salt sources would also make for an excellent conductor.

We can do this all day, but realism isn't the point here, I think SCOURGING PLAYERS WITH LIGHTNING is an excellent idea regardless of whether it seems realistic or not.

[Gwydion]

Pup,

I doubt even full plate would act like Farday's cage.  Electricity takes the path of least resistance, and once it hits your helmet, it may like traveling down the bone of your skull and spine as much as through the metal pieces if there isn't a continuous metal to metal to metal path to the ground.

Touching the metal in any place would subject you to some of the current I would think.

But we digress.  

Kiaring gets my point I think.  People hurry through the ruins when night is approaching.  It's good AND practical RP.  Be nice to see people scurry indoors and pick up their wares strewn on the ground rather than let rain soak magic scrolls, garments and metal goods.

No wonder there is so much rusted armor for newbs to be found!  :)

[The Beggar]

Not all rain showers sport lightning.

[Semli]

I've gotten XP in the past for making a point of saying things along the lines of, "Hey its raining, let's talk inside."  DMs seem to like that stuff.

Also, as far as standing on top of the Zig in full plate goes, I've been two-hitted by a greataxe wielding minotaur that just happened to get sucked through the gate in the past.  Considering the fact that just about every kind of monster raids the Zig for lulz and the worst thing I've fought has come through the damn thing, I don't see a good reason not to wear armor on the off chance I'll get lightning bolted.

[Zelknolf]

Pup,

I doubt even full plate would act like Farday's cage.  Electricity takes the path of least resistance, and once it hits your helmet, it may like traveling down the bone of your skull and spine as much as through the metal pieces if there isn't a continuous metal to metal to metal path to the ground.

Touching the metal in any place would subject you to some of the current I would think.

'cept that you're not actually touching any metal in a plate harness. The plates are touching leather and wool - which are excellent insulators, both in terms of temperature and electric current - which are touching linen underclothes, which are touching skin. (to preempt the "porous materials absorb water, which reduces electrical resistance" argument, leathers in armor are treated with wax and oil -- boiled for plates, conditioned for joints; they're effectively hydrophobic materials in that state.)


To the RP logic: how many people walk through the troughs of water on the zigguraut? How many people change their shoes after? How many cases of trenchfoot do we see on the zigguraut? If we're keen on nurturing the RP around the unfortunate applications of water and rain, why not go with the actual reason not to stand in the rain? It's cold. It's uncomfortable. If you do it long enough, it's really bad for your skin, which will prune up, then lose heaps of nutrients (wet clothes = poultice), then crack gruesomely and prolifically. If you let your socks get soaked and wear them all day, the same thing applies, but the soles of your feet eventually start peeling off and risk infection while making walking an exercise in most ridiculous pain.

[Pup]

I'm actually in favor of occasional lightning, and my current char often remarks and emotes a distaste for standing around in the rain.

I was just making an ironic point to try and illustrate the silliness of using "realism" as a debate tool when it comes to these things.

Edit: You CAN touch the inside of a Faraday Cage, btw.  I'm just sayin'...

[bob7el]

I'm going a bit out of character here, since I'm normally very pro-realism, but I'd actually prefer not to see PCs being struck by lightning on top of the Zig.  It'd be annoying, and wouldn't really add to the immersion, imo.

Magic.

And this is really a fine explanation as to why it doesn't happen.

[RIPnogarD]

It’s not that I’m against IG realism, on the contrary, I like it. It’s just that, (to me), some things are better left to RP than added to game mechanics. If you want game mechanics realism then add 0.1 weight to each arrow and bolt, add 0.1 to each coin carried, make switching weapons during combat the same as trying to switch clothing or gear, make PC’s take damage for not eating, have all female PC’s get barbarian rage once a month that lasts for a week :rolleyes:, make it so you can arm any weapon or armor you want but take penalties for using that which you are not proficient with, etc, etc, etc…

IMO some things are just better left to role-play than game mechanics. If a PC is indifferent about rain (Maybe he worships Talos) then it should be our prerogative to RP him or her that way and not have to take damage because of it.

[dragonfire9000]

As always, RIP pwns. And he's married, so he knows about the barbarian rage thing...

Against it. I mean, what if you're a level two wizard with a CON of six and you portal in and are all like "Ohhhhhhh my gosh, where, like, am I?!"  and all, RPing and such, and then you get TOASTED!

*sigh* That may have been the worst thing I've ever written...

[Xorisai]

People in medieval Europe knew that lightning tended to hit high things like church steeples, but their answer was prayer, because they believed strikes to be simply God's will.  It wasn't until Ben Franklin that lightning started to become linked to electricity - medieval people (even Renaissance people) would probably not have known that metal armor would put them in particular danger.  

Maybe some Gondites or Lantanese with experience in electricity might know these things but I doubt even in the FR that this would be common knowledge.  It seems more likely that in a lightning storm, the average character would turn to prayer and then maybe find lower ground, not strip out of their plate.  I've seen some characters give offerings to Talos/Umberlee/whatever during lightning storms and I always thought that was a good RP approach.

In fact, in FR, prayer might objectively be more likely to protect you than wearing non-metal armor.  If we make lightning responsive to metal, we really should also make it check your deity field! (Not actually, that's rhetorical.  I say keep it as is.)

[9lives]

Amazing.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

TALOS


I am against this.

[The Beggar]

Gwydion just likes to argue, you are all feeding his addiction.

Help Gwydion. Intervention scheduled in IRC November 30th, 8pm. All those who care for his recovery and eventual rehabilitation will be there.