Charged Bolt (Diablo I)

Charged Bolt is a basic Lightning spell in Diablo I.

General Information
Charged Bolt releases 4 bolts of lightning from the caster that travel in random directions. Their movement is very erratic, however they travel forward, not behind the caster. At higher levels, more bolts are released, but Mana cost does not decrease and spell level does not change damage.

The damage is random: from 1 (does not change) to the maximum determined by Magic.

One could use Charged Bolt as a way to lure from his lair on the last level as well, since every single monster on the level, except Diablo and Sir Gorash possesses total immunity to Lightning, allowing the bolts to pass through them.

This spell can be quite annoying because it causes characters with a shield to stop blocking. Its other disadvantage is low accuracy, but when spammed by a Sorcerer, it will decimate numerous foes.

There is a shrine ingame that adds +2 to Charged Bolt, however, it comes at a cost of 10% of the base maximum Mana.

Maximum damage calculation: 1 + Magic / 4

Number of bolts: 4 + [Spell Level / 2]

Lore
''The true essence of Electromagnetism exists on the threshold of the Ethereal and the Physical Realms. While it is very efficient to transform Mana into electrical energy, it is extremely difficult to control. This spell calls into being multiple pockets of lightning which seem to have a will of their own. The caster is able to shield himself from the effects of these charges, but any creature - friend or foe - may be struck. Greater understanding of this spell allows more of these Charged Bolts to be formed, and their existence will be maintained for a longer period of time. The physical toll on the caster, however, increases as well, requiring more Mana to be spent.''