RPCS 3.0 — UPDATE: FORCE LIGHTNING
Follows on from the 2.8 blaster and 2.9 explosives notecards.
NON-FORCE CHARACTERS: nothing changes for you, except that being on the receiving end of lightning is now considerably worse. Read the last two sections.WHAT CHANGED
Lightning used to be a single hit for 5 damage. It is now a channelled
power: you hold the current on a target for ten seconds while it burns through them. Cost 20 Force Duration 10 seconds Damage 3 per second, 30 in total before their regeneration Cooldown 30 seconds, shared with the other dark powers Against a mid-rank opponent who is regenerating, expect somewhere around 20 to 25 percent of their health. Against a high rank, less.BOTH OF YOU ARE ROOTED
This is the important part.
While the lightning runs, NEITHER of you can move. Not the target, and not you. The grip cannot be shrugged off with Resist — unlike Hold or Sleep, spending ten Force does nothing here. That cuts both ways. You have your victim exactly where you want them, and anyone else on the field has you exactly where they want you. Ten seconds is a long time to stand still in the open. Lightning is a duel weapon. In a group fight it is a gift to the enemy unless someone is covering you.AIMING
Two ways to use it:
HOTKEY (F4 by default) Fires immediately at the nearest target in front of you. No menu, no leaving mouselook. Face your opponent and press the key. HUD MENU Touch the dark powers button and pick from the list. Slower, but it lets you choose a specific person out of a crowd. Sleep, Fear and Poison work the same way on their hotkeys now.WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Casters wear a lightning attachment on the wrists. It stays invisible
until you cast, then flares along your arms and follows your movement. The target throws off sparks for as long as the current holds. If you do not have the attachment yet, ask an officer. The power works without it — you simply will not see anything.ADVICE FOR THE RECEIVING END
You cannot break the grip, but you are not helpless: your allies can.
Anything that takes the caster out of the fight ends it early, and the caster is standing perfectly still for ten seconds. If you are alone and someone starts channelling on you, that fight is probably already decided. Consider whether the scene calls for a surrender rather than watching a health bar drain.STILL COMING
- Lightning breaking off when the caster is attacked by a third party
- Heavy weapons and emplacements - Combat statistics Feedback welcome, especially on whether ten seconds feels right. It is a long time, and that is deliberate — but we would rather hear it from you than guess.RPCS 3.0 — Rakata Power Inside!