The lightning thrower was a unique weapon presumably designed by the Goa'uld System Lord Zeus and used solely by him; only one was known to exist. Although it appeared to be similar to a Kara kesh, it was in fact designed to allow Zeus to throw lightning bolts at his enemies. The weapon itself was powered by naquadah which was channeled through the nerve paths generated by a symbiote in their host; because of this, only Goa'uld, Tok'ra, or one who had been through the blending process could use the device. It was a slow firing weapon, and so would not be extremely useful if Zeus were faced with multiple enemies. (RPG: "Living Gods: Stargate System Lords")