How Strong Is Lightning, Really?

[Flashlight237]

Hey there. So, it is generally believed that lightning contains 1 to 5 billion joules of energy (VBW uses a figure of 1.6 gigajoules). If that's the case, why is it that the best AP feat lightning can do is 9-B, in that case, breaking trees?:


I mean it could be 9-A if the tree was big enough, but I dunno how trees work.

 

[DarkDragonMedeus]

8-C is the total yield of the entire lightning bolt; however, it's not too impressive durability wise based on how natural lightning works. Lightning phases through targets, and it's mostly the ground and the air that absorb most of the impact. Basically inverse square law where it's only decently impressive if the target is very large. A human tanking a lightning bolt would technically be Street levels of survivability.

 

[Flashlight237]

8-C is the total yield of the entire lightning bolt; however, it's not too impressive durability wise based on how natural lightning works. Lightning phases through targets, and it's mostly the ground and the air that absorb most of the impact. Basically inverse square law where it's only decently impressive if the target is very large. A human tanking a lightning bolt would technically be Street levels of survivability.

Yeah, lightning seems to disappear as soon as it appears. I dunno what's the worst part about it; the fact that I don't know how inverse square law works, or the fact that I've yet to see lightning destroy a house in one sitting.

 

[DarkDragonMedeus]

Right here, but basically it's the reason surviving a big explosion doesn't automatically mean the character scales from the entire blast. It's also the reason flying insects can survive being swatted by large animals.

 

[Sinpokefan]

In other words unless the character tanks the hole thing aka hits him while in the air it doesn't count. Wouldn't this be usable for an upgrade to the Lisa verse? As one character can throw lightning?

 

[Sinpokefan]

Here

 

[Sinpokefan]

In this case would be 9-A+ since the guy is on the ground, but for those in the air (which there are) this attack would be 8-C this also scales with the TNT feat as it vaporized like 5 people

 

[LephyrTheRevanchist]

Necro, closing (and question was already answered anyways)