Thoughs on Weapon Poisoning (in General)

I've been absent from the forums for a month or so, and before that, I never really saw anything about "Weapon Poisoning" (not to say noone has ever mentioned it... just passed my radar...)...

So here's my questions and thoughts...

Wouldn't it be cool if there was a service through forging or blacksmithing that would add a certain number of poison charges to a weapon/arrow bundle?

For instance... a maximum of 500 charges or so... or less I dunno... but say a weapon has 500 charges of poison on it... The weapon would then strike it's target, affecting the target with a certain effect or damage... Here are some ideas.

A. Weapon could deal normal damage + a % of extra damage (poison) for a set number of battle rounds... 3 maybe? So you do 500 damage with your poisoned katana and it also does 10% extra damage (50) each round for three rounds... (side note: as not to waste charges, a poisoned target will not be repoisoned by the weapon until the poison rounds have passed)

B. Weapon could be poisoned with STR or DEX draining abilities... Effectively turning a sword into a melee ExBow or AxBow... (Weapon could be changed to target highest STR/DEX or could still just target first minion...) (Also, if poisoned bolts were used with AxBow or ExBow the effects could stack...)

C. Weapon could have a slight chance of dazing an opponent for a round (cancelling targets attacks for the round) or even have a slight(er) chance of confusing the target for a round (redirecting targets attack to an ally, or another random target...)

These are all just ideas, throwing them out there... One of these poisons, or some, or all, I think would add something to the game...

I'm no good at coding and am not sure what sort of work this would require, I'm sure quite a bit... but it could add quite a bit of strategy to the game and if it were possible to make this into a side-game like forging, it could really boost the economy...

Any thoughts?

A can be accomplished through adding to the X of your weapon or by increasing your STR.

B makes axbow and exbow even more worthless than they already are since the introduction of PL.

C has been suggested through spells and skills and who knows what and it is still pretty much disliked by a fair number of people.

How would you suggest making it a "side game" as you so call it? Do you have any measurable evidence that it would boost the economy?

I suggested it like this... "if it were possible to make this into a side-game"...

I guess it could be accomplished through coding and math and some other things...

As for the economy... Well, if it were like forging, people would spend money on it... and other people would make money on it... so theres my concrete evidence I guess...

Not very concrete if you ask me.

Evidence consists of facts and figures to show that people actually would spend money on it and how you possibly propose to implement it properly.

Asking for something and not giving anything but extremely vague pieces of information and biased assumptions on your own behalf is not likely to get you very far.

Give me some solid facts which tell me this isn't like all the other similar half-baked ideas on the same spell/skill/weapon ability and can actually be implemented well and close to balanced then I may think about fighting your corner.

This is only an idea, and in theory nothing solid and concrete can be said about an idea unless they are implemented.

I like the idea Moosh. Don't listen to neverending negative criticism, you can't fight it.

I wasn't posting here to demand a new system which I myself would design... I was throwing ideas around... Zoglog, you're taking this a bit too seriously I think... My response to yours was supposed to be humorous, and you took it as me being a moron... Sorry to confuse you...

Anyway... I guess this idea has been thrown around before with nothing coming of it, but I still think it deserves a discussion about it since I missed the previous discussions...

Zoglog mentioned to me in chat that example A. could be achieved by simply blacksmithing or forging "x" on a weapon... I see his point but here is my arguement... After a bit, adding "x" to a weapon is extremely expensive... A damaging poison would just be a cheaper, less permanent means of adding punch to your weapon/arrows...

Zoglog also mentioned to me in chat that example B. would only make the ExBow and AxBow "more useless"... actually... stacking this type of poison on an ExBow or Axbow would make it more useful, in my reckoning... It might also become an integral part of someones strategy... I mean... the worst thing that could happen is that noone would use this poison if they didn't like the effects. I guess you could say that it might lower the market value of the Ex and AxBows but it might make people want them even more because of the strategies one might come up with when using this poison...

Zoglog didn't bash on example C. but I'm not sure if he even got that far into the post before dismissing it... :) I personally like example C... I think it would be fun to use.

Sorry to use your name so frequently Zoglog, but you're the one who spoke to me about this the most... no hard feelings...

Anyone got any other ideas for poison types?

poison squirt bottle? worth 5 mil?

A thought about anything that is "random chance" (not a bash or agreement, just facts):

There used to be a lot of things in the game that had a "chance" associated with them. Spells had a "chance" that they were even cast. Once cast, they had randomized effects. For example, AMF was not a static reduction and backlash -- it was a chance that the DD spell completely "misfired" back at the casting mage.

Jonathan made a very distinct, very evident effort way, way back to eliminate all of those "chance" elements. "Cast rates" were castrated. AMF and Cause Fear (not around in CB2) were changed. The only randomization now is the range of damages when hitting an opponent, and the chance of extra hits when using physical weapons (as far as I can think of right now, very tired).

So, your ideas are fun. C will never happen (based on the "evidence" above). A is a "charge-based" idea -- something that has no precedent and has been met with lukewarm response from Jonathan (kind of nifty though, and if nothing else could be a cash sink).

B would indeed be yet another blow to specialty xbows. The idea of straight Poison (draining HP) has been brought up many times. Again, lukewarm response. Not sure why -- I have liked the idea. I just think it isn't "different" enough to be considered worthy.

A) I don't see how this mechanic, if made correctly, could be simulated in any other way. You apply poison, target starts to die. Poisoning minion continues to do damage even when they themselves are dead. You could create a minion who's very existence is to simply poison the forward wall and die as the MM Mage kills from behind.

B & C) I'd rather combine these two a bit. Actually this might come out completely different. Poison bolts. They "weaken" the target for exactly the number of rounds they are hit for. So if you get a triple hit, they are "weakened" for 3 three rounds. "Weakening" translates into a cancellation of that targets trained skill and a percentile reduction in there damage, say 10%. Makes axbow and exbow useful again. The bolts would cancel PL long enough for the real target to get hit so long as you score a double hit or higher.

Note that none of my examples really count on any random factors. So long as you hit the poison is applied.

The STR/DEX drain ability certainly would destroy the use of axbow and exbow.
If you can put this on a melee weapon then a lot of tanks would decide upon buying an elbow which is much cheaper to upgrade to allow them to kill PL minions or walls before the melee rounds where PL will no longer be able to absorb the drain.