@Logrus
Allow me to start by thanking you for your reply and then by pointing out two things, first at the plethora of options available to anyone to cure a poison, potions aside and second at the fact that the issue is not that poisoning needs a change, potions.
The talk about poisoning getting a boost is as you have put it, merely ideas.
It is not my main motive to increase the skill's effectiveness.
Diminishing Returns is something that could be over-come, a couple of posts above I made an effort at explaining how and why, unless EA/M plans to take it to a level where after certain consecutive uses potions simply do nothing. This will not be acceptable by players however, I am almost certain. As the target of a poisoner(and a poisoning skill fan too) I know I wouldn't stand for it.
And if someone reaches their DR limit, supposing EA/M uses DR to address the issue, and the cure potion has then no effect, I'm also guaranteed to poison them constantly while this applies!
That's because I've spent a lot of skill points simply because this is my prefered game style. Constantly poisoning someone to defeat them- Since we mention critical game-play aspects and choices.
The game-play formula as you present it("Find what works, spam it.") at the moment seems(and I put this in Bold as a statement that I'm sure this is not your intention) to promote gimp templates and further exclude certain game styles from any "serious" gaming which require dedication and investment. If that is the way Ultima Online works and how it presents poisoning I can live with it(as in, I will simply put poisoning on a soul-stone and utter "What a shame." opting to use instead the single most usefull template and items even if I do not enjoy playing them since I enjoy Ultima Online), however it still is not a reason for the lack of balance between items and skills in this particular case.
If poisoning itself on the other hand becomes affected by DR regardless whether potions are addressed or not, this way or the other, then it will only be that much more useless unless you would consider removing Mana cost, skill cost or compensate in some other way- Take a look at Gelf's reply, he makes certain noteworthy suggestions and I took the liberty of expanding on them as well in my own reply to his.
Personally I would drop poisoning if DR were to be implemented for it the way you describe.
Indeed, similar to Cure, there are many ways for a player to regain Stamina and the same arguements I offered above stand for all potions.
I will mention something else as well, the Sleep spell, in an effort to explain myself better. People found it usefull and it changed the whole aspect of combat, not necessarily in a bad way(all everyone asked for was the chance to resist it through skill investment). Ultima Online always needed a way to stop someone from "exiting a combat sequence"(for arguement's sake I'll use that term) at will, even at 0 Health. Wouldn't you think that when a target has received enough damage to be considered incapacitated the option to run away(unless they have invested in particular skills, item properties and abilities) only to heal up to full and return in seconds, should not be available? To take it a bit further in most games such is the norm.
I understand your view-points and reluctance to reply but I would very much like to be informed on the possibility of a change of any kind to help with the issue otherwise as things are at the moment I'm practically AND theoretically much better off without poisoning- And while this may be called my own decision it is, due to certain game mechanics which I am trying to point out as broken, forced on me, as a player whose style revolves around poisoning and assassination(both major elements of all modern MMORPGs).
@Gelf
I must say I'm also not fond of the idea of DR, not for potions, neither for poisoning. DR is a system that I do not find absurd or unreasonable for certain things, but this is not one of them in my eyes.
I would prefer instead of tampering with the poisoning skill itself, rather balance what we already have. If EA/M opted to implement your suggestions, still the problem would not be solved; Poisoning would be boosted but players would cure instantly if nothing else were to be changed. This is why I said I would refrain from touching poisoning itself. With a reasonable restrain on potions no other change should be necessary at all. I dare say that things would be balanced.
Having said that I find your idea very interesting indeed!
I would however add that if potions were not altered then poisons should not have charges(poison would simply wear off of weapons after X amount of minutes) and to further refine your suggestion:
1. A poisoner should simply apply the poison which would give their weapon certain charges that are constantly applied on the target until they run out, allowing the poisoner to use the weapon's other special moves at the same time.
2. A poisoner would have to toggle Infectious Strike through poisoning as you suggest, however the poisoner should be able to also toggle their weapon's special moves at the same time.
Use petals. Get Vampire Form. Get Magic Resistance. I won't go on, you're pathetic at PVP apparently and this is why you're stuck at older times mentally. What else are you reminiscent about? War hammers destroying armour in 1 shot?.. Parry Vs Parry lasting 3 hours? GTFO.
