Hmm... The electricity isn't actually electricity, instead something similiar, but magicka instead? So it behaves differently?
Or they are created to more directly attack the target and damage done to the individual target would be less if the whole lake was electriced? Or similiar to that, they wanted it to be safe for the user and any other people in the water?
Or it is very direct and doesn't 'spread out'?
Or a combination of the above?
(Gamewise, it would be too hard to impliment and/or too OP (overpowered))
shock attacks might work like real lightning. An electrical charge that contacts the water would be dissipated horizontally more than vertically. With the realtively small negetive charge a mage would be able to create in the space of their hands, it seems likely that the water would completely negate any serious damage.
Then again this casting method would require all living things to have a fairly significant positive charge, and if that were true, shock attacks would almost always strike true and be able to hit several targets in range
((ok im over thinking things and necroing a month old thread but i spent too long writing this to back out now))
I'm still here, so I might as well reply.
Yeah, that makes sense, I guess.
If you guys want a spell that spreads in water you can try flame spells, they work in water... ROFLOL
LOGIC =/= MAGIC
To be scientific, water doesn't entirely conduct electricity since its a balanced element with a full shell with no free electrons or free ions in the outermost shell. If electricity was applied, then there would be no change in flow (or simply charges). However if large amounts of voltage/current was applied in order to break the bonds in water then it would conduct electricity or if something was added to create charges and ions.
In skyrim, the player should be able to conduct electricity in water since a lighting strike (not thunder) has a voltage of 3.3 million per acre. So the reason being could be an error in a logical perspective or the lighting spells aren't that powerful themselves to make water conduct electricity (not to mention the material the enemies could be wearing could be an effect on conductivity since they could be insulators preventing current/voltage channeling through).
To be even more scientific, yes true, pure water cannot conduct electricity. However, the ions in water (both dissolved salts and naturally occuring dissociated water molecules) will conduct electricity. Given that in Skyrim it is highly unlikely that any of the water is distilled (they might not even know what distillation is, and any water exisitng outdoors is guaranteed to have ions in it from the soil), it can be assumed that the water has ions in it (most "freshwater" actually has a decent amount of salts in it, "salt water" just has a lot more, but relative to the concentration of salts in our bodies freshwater has less while salt water has more). Therefore casting lightining at the water should (scientifically speaking) electrocute any targets in the water, at least mildly (depending on the concentration of ions in the water. Additionally, electrolyzing water (as suggested in the above post as a way of creating ions in the water) (a) only creates H2 and O2 gas (non-conducting, non-ionic compounds), and (b) these compounds are gases at normal temperatures and as such bubble out of electrolyzed water (google water electrolysis if you need proof).
Then again, casting flame spells at the water should boil the water (and steam-burn anything above it), and casting frost spells at water should freeze it. (Also, casting flame spells at the residue left by frost spells should melt them to water). So skyrim does not really follow scientific laws when it comes to magic, most likely for balancing reasons (since it does allow you to set oil on fire and have physics-based damage by throwing objects at people).
Or they are created to more directly attack the target and damage done to the individual target would be less if the whole lake was electriced? Or similiar to that, they wanted it to be safe for the user and any other people in the water?
Or it is very direct and doesn't 'spread out'?
Or a combination of the above?
(Gamewise, it would be too hard to impliment and/or too OP (overpowered))
If you cast a "real" electricity spell into water = The voltage should be the same but the amperage will lower accordingly. Tazers work similarly. Correct me if I'm wrong. This is real world physics.
Melting ice with fire spells and freezing or boiling water would be amazing and would entice more players in trying the game. I am 100% sure the difficulty of implementation is a bigger reason why they didn't do this.