Lightning Rod

A Lightning Rod is a farm device that intercepts lightning strikes during storms. Its effectiveness depends on how many Lightning Rods on the farm are currently charged; a charged rod is one that is pulsing or holding a battery pack. The more rods that are already charged, the less likely the next strike is to be intercepted.

The interception chance is calculated as:

chance to intercept = 1 - (charged lightning rods / total lightning rods)²

This means Lightning Rods work best when most of them are still empty. If none of the Lightning Rods on the farm are charged, the next lightning strike is guaranteed to be intercepted. If half of them are charged, there is a 75% chance to intercept a strike. If 90% are charged, the chance drops to 19%. At least one Lightning Rod must be placed on the farm for any interception to occur.

If a lightning strike is not intercepted, it has a base 25% chance to hit a feature on the farm, with daily luck and luck buffs affecting that chance.

Because interception depends on the share of charged rods rather than the total number alone, spreading out many Lightning Rods can improve storm protection, especially early in a storm when fewer rods are already occupied. Keeping a reserve of uncharged rods available makes it more likely that incoming strikes will be absorbed before they can damage the farm.