Zardnaar
Legend
Right make it a lightning leash from a mage and you wouldn't blink twice but a very convincing trick and bring on the whine with all the trimmings.
Not going to mention they changed it to address whiners and made it an attack against will before the move (a change which made it more powerful according to some Char op folk but is predictable in ad better at dealing damage sort of way)
Lightning leash makes sense in a D&D world.
In world's where supernatural abilities exist it's no big deal if people use psionics, magic, the force etc.
It's an unavoidable mundane effect which is the problem. As I said if you like that sort of thing it's fine but that's why it gets mocked.
A flaming sword is no big deal in D&D land.