Thunderclap Psynergy series

Thunderclap, Thunderbolt , and Thunderhead are a series of offensive Jupiter Psynergies featured throughout the Golden Sun series. Thunderhead was originally called Thunderstorm, but this name was too long for the single line allotted to it, causing some display glitches that sometimes occur when it is highlighted. The issue was fixed by renaming the Psynergy in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Prior to Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the series was visually identical to the Plasma Psynergy series.

Basic Characteristics
Thunderclap, Thunderbolt, and Thunderhead are offensive, ranged Psynergies. The total amount of damage is determined by comparing the user's Jupiter Power to the target's Jupiter Resistance and using this value to modify the base power of the particular Psynergy.

In Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the Thunderclap series does not have unique visuals, but instead shares the visuals of the Plasma series, which involves purple-white bolts of lightning firing down on the targets and exploding on impact. Thunderclap features a single bolt, while Thunderbolt features three, and Thunderhead features multiple bolts of lightning.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, each stage of the series has unique but similar visuals. The series, like many Psynergies belonging to the Ninja class, features a unique casting animation that involves a scroll (colored purple to match the element of the series) forming around the caster, which then dissolves into purple characters that spread outward. Thunderclap features a single purple bolt of lighting which strikes the opponent. Thunderbolt features a short crackling of lighting from a cloud, after which two small lighting bolts strike the targets in quick succession. Thunderhead features a longer crackling of lighting from the cloud, followed by a single large lighting bolt striking the targets.

Damage calculations
Elemental Power attacks such as Thunderclap, Thunderbolt, and Thunderhead use a set base power as the base damage to be modified. For example, the base power of Thunderhead is 190. Thus, an unmodified Thunderhead would do around 190 points of damage.

The base damage value of the particular attack is used it in the following equation:


 * final damage = (base damage) * (1 + (User's Jupiter Power - Enemy's Jupiter Resistance) / 200)

To word this in prose, Thunderclap, Thunderbolt, and Thunderhead take the base damage of the particular attack, and then modify this by how much higher or lower the user's Jupiter Power is than the target's Jupiter Resistance. The difference between the user's Jupiter Power and the target's Jupiter Resistance is then divided by, then 1 is added to this, resulting in what can be called the "elemental damage multiplier". This number is what the Psynergies' damage is multiplied by.

For example, if an Adept with a Jupiter Power of 150 casts Thunderhead on a monster with a Jupiter Resistance of 50:
 * damage = (base damage) * (1 + (Power - Resistance) / 200)
 * damage = (190) * (1 + (150 - 50) / 200)
 * damage = * (1 +  / 200)
 * damage = (190) * (1 + )
 * damage = 190 *
 * damage = 285

Therefore, a Thunderhead cast under these circumstances would deal 285 points of damage to the main target. Adjacent targets are dealt a percentage of this total, with the percentage decreasing as the distance to the main target increases.

Availability
Thunderclap, Thunderbolt, and Thunderhead are unique to the Ninja class series. Thus, all Venus, Mars, and Jupiter Adepts can access the series. To access the class, Venus Adepts require a combination of Mars and Jupiter Djinn, while Mars Adepts need Jupiter and Venus Djinn. Jupiter Adepts require a specific combination of Mars and Venus Djinn.

Thunderclap is available at Level 8, while Thunderbolt is available at Level 26, and Thunderhead is available at Level 50.

Analysis
While most of the Ninja's ranged Psynergies are weaker than their counterparts, the Thunderclap series is actually superior in power to the Plasma series. In addition, the each stage of the Thunderclap series is available at the same levels as their Plasma series counterparts. Thunderhead has the distinction of being the strongest Power-based Jupiter Psynergy, which makes it useful for any mage-style Adepts, particularly Jupiter Adepts, that may be utilizing the class. Due to its power, Thunderhead is a useful endgame Psynergy, excellent for softening up groups of enemies. The main drawbacks are that Thunderhead is tied for the most expensive Psynergy in the series, and the higher levels at which they are learned, though the cost and level are not much higher than Spark Plasma. This is offset by the large pool of Psynergy that a Ninja receives, with the Master class receiving a 160% bonus.

Trivia

 * As of Dark Dawn, Thunderhead shares the title of most expensive Psynergy with Reigning Dragon. Prior to Dark Dawn, Thunderhead alone held this title.
 * Thunderhead is one of four returning Psynergies to be renamed between games and the only one to have been renamed in the GBA games. The other three were renamed in Dark Dawn and include Fireball and Fire Orb, known in the GBA games as Fire and Fireball respectively, and Starburst, which in the GBA games was one of two Psynergies known as Blast.