# Chain lightning (`src/mods/chainlightning.cpp`)

Rebalancing request (user, 2026-10-15) for the Battlemage's Blitzschlag (art
0x21, icon `GUI_SPELL_BLITZSCHLAG`; 0x0e has the same icon):

- hits per chain N = 3 + level / 5 (the first target included);
- chains B = 1 + level / 10, all starting at the first target
  ("hero -> T1 -> A1 -> A2 ..., T1 -> B1 -> B2 ...");
- a chain that finds no new target hits the previous one again (a lone enemy
  takes N hits).

## How the game casts it (measured with an object / hit log, 2026-10-15)

About 0.3 s after the cast order (0x105, art 0x21) the caster's art code
(`0x5222c0`, Blitzschlag part around `0x526c91`..`0x527102`):

- builds the visual path: up to 20 segment objects of type 799 (0x31f),
  each created linked to the previous one (`CreateAt` third argument), ids
  kept at caster +0x263;
- creates the bolt object, type 872 (0x368), at the target, linked to the
  last segment, copies the caster's +0x2b5 to its +0x39, and sends it a
  cEventFX 0x60 (`0x41e0a0`: [2] caster id, [3] target id, [4..7] position,
  [8..13] two strings, [14] damage, [16..29] damage block);
- plays sound 0x7db.

The bolt object then sends the hit (`cEvent_creature` 5 from `0x5b52d3`,
attacker = caster, +0x14 = 0x368, +0x18 = the bolt object's id).

## The game's own chain (measured 2026-10-15)

The game's Blitzschlag already chains. The 0x60 event's [14] is the number of
hits left in the chain (3 at level 1, from the art level, `0x4d24f0`). After
its hit, a bolt with hits left looks for the next target in its update
(`cObjectManager::FindJumpTarget` `0x6005d0`, called at `0x5b469f` with
(position, 100000 = squared range, caster, current target): the nearest
creature, excluding only caster and current target), builds the arc (segment
objects 799 created at `0x5b4aff`, each set up with a cEventFX), and creates
the next bolt at the target (`0x5b4d7c`) with [14] - 1. No target: the chain
ends (a lone enemy is hit once). Two enemies: it bounces between them.

## The mod

- The first bolt of a hero's cast (the first 0x60 bolt setup after the cast
  order) gets [14] = N = 3 + level / 5 (level = cooldown entry level + bonus
  levels of the art cast).
- The jump search call (`0x5b469f`) goes to `NextTarget` (thunk passing the
  bolt in ebp): for bolts of our chains (bolt id -> chain, filled when a bolt
  of a chain is set up at the target the chain said it jumps to) the next
  target is the nearest enemy within the game's range not hit by this chain
  yet, else another enemy, else the current one again (a lone enemy takes all
  N hits). Other bolts use the game's search.
- B = 1 + level / 10 chains: while the first bolt is set up, B - 1 more bolts
  are created at the first jump targets of the other chains (copies of the
  event with [14] = N - 1); their first hop has no arc.

First version (bolts copied for every jump, not using the game's chain)
replaced the same day: it doubled the jumps.