[Leticron]

Actually no need to convince me, I am with you on that.
The physical damage turns electricity damage turns stun damage (because it is electricity damage) argumentation chain is quite logical after all.
Its just that its wording is not precise enough to convince those who want lightning bolt to do physical damage.
That is why I keep writing "play it the way your group wants to play it". One could even give both versions a try and see if it fits. My group tried Stick'n'Shock too, and after one run we just dropped it. Didn't fit our play style.

[JustADude]

I'm pretty well convinced that the way the RAW works it's going to end up as Stun... though "is treated as Stun Damage" seems like nothing more than pure, needless word-bloat when they could just say "is Stun Damage".

It really, really hurts my head, though, that you have to pay the DV for Physical Damage while ending up with Stun. If I ever GM again, I'm house-ruling that Stun elements use the Stun DV +2 and Physical elements use the Physical DV +2.

[Crash_00]

Any proper rules nazi can tell you why it's forced to be that way. If it weren't, you'd just choose stun then add an elemental effect that does physical damage. The elemental effect would override the stun and you'd have a stun cost physical spell.

Really the only time it comes up is vs. objects, and you might as well just take powerbolt or fireball for those. Shock still incapacitates enemies (and ignores metal armor), smoke ignores all armor except for inhalation blocking gear, and sound ignores everything but dampners/silencing spells and nauseates. Of course lightning bolt still has the chance to cut out electronics which, for expensive gear, may be preferable to straight up destroying.