Weird experiments

[Jarulf]

one result was that the sparking mail adds the specified damage to "electrical" type bows, and to those only.

What I meant was why wouldn't it add to fire-type bows?

(I think I may be misunderstanding your misunderstanding's misunderstandment (if that's a word) and if so, we are all hopelessly lost in the gaping jaws of the English-Grammar-and-Dialect-demon (fearfully, and commonly, called the EG&D demon) and will surely perish by trying to figure out what everyone else meant when we aren't sure as to what me meant ourselves!)

You mean why it does not add lightning damage to the fire bow? Because it is not adding up lightning damage on a fire bow :) It is part of adding up the lighting damage, it will add up the various palces in the character data were it is kept. Lighitng damage from the mail (and other non weapon items) is kept in one place while the weapon lightning damage on another (if I recall correctly). The game simply add them up. That is why it works like it do.