Quote Originally Posted by KaiserDragon with a hat
Quote Originally Posted by Skyblade
Wrong. Lightning isn't that controllable. It is simple electricity. It would seek the path of least resistance to get to the ground. If it hit a creature's head it would then pass through most of the rest of its body in an attempt to reach the ground and restore the ion difference that caused it in the first place.
You can aim it. That doesn't mean that you hit something with Bolt 3 and expect its body to be in perfect condition when you're done. If you want that, just take the Destruct Materia and use Death.

My guess about the absorbtion thing is the difference between electrical burns as opposed to burns from an open flame. They have much the same effect, but I bet the Materia combinations treat them differently.