Flash

Flash is a Magic spell in Diablo I.

General Information
When cast, Flash damages enemies in melee range (1 tile) over the period of 1 second. Both Character Level and Spell Level increase damage, but not the radius.

The same spell is used by Mages in the deeper levels, if player approaches them in close combat.

On cast, it creates a small ring of energy around the caster that damages all nearby enemies. This damage cannot be blocked.

Damage Calculation:

(Rec stands for Recursive function, Itt stands for Iterative function)


 * Minimum Damage: [3 x Rec(Spell Level, Character Level/2)]
 * Maximum Damage: [6 x Rec(Spell Level, Character Level/2)]
 * Instant Minimum Damage: 1.5 x Character Level · [(9/8)^Spell Level]
 * Instant Maximum Damage: 3 x Character Level · [(9/8)^Spell Level]
 * Real Damage per tick 1: [3 x Rec(Spell Level, Itt(Character Level, Random[1-20] + 1))/2]/64
 * Real Damage per tick 2: [3 x Rec(Spell Level, Itt(Character Level, Random[1-2] + 1))/2]/64
 * Duration: 0.95 seconds

This spell may appear to be powerful, but it's hampered by bugs and does far less damage than displayed, especially when compared to the Mages' version. There are actually two spells cast; the first hits targets the left and below the character, while the second (less damaging) flash hits the three to the upper right.

Like other timed spells, Flash hits once every .05 seconds, for a total of 19 attempts in just less than a second.

Bugs
Flash deals far less damage than the (very high) listed value. This is not due to a bug in the spell's function, but to incorrect listed damage. Put simply, Flash only deals strong damage to 5 of the squares in range; it hits for far lower damage to the other three adjacent squares. The three weak squares are illustrated by the image to the right (monster alive after casst were hit by weaker spell).

Lore
''The Flash spell was created to fight the servants of Baal, whose minions prefer to surround their enemies and attack from all sides simultaneously. To properly form most incantations, the caster must be able to concentrate long enough to complete the necessary invocations and gestures. With this spell, the caster draws in as much Mana as possible as quickly as possible from the surrounding area and concentrates it into a single point within his own body. This Mana is then released in a single burst of raw energy that dissipates very rapidly – and very violently. While this spell is usable only in close combat, it is extremely potent and will strike creatures on all sides of the caster.''