Suggestion for a complete solution for a half-solved problem

Rufus_The_hermit

I have a fine suggestion to "finish", to give the final polishing, for a fix/change from some years ago that never really got well accepted : the potion nerf/fix (depends on point of view) of 2010. Some enjoyed, others hated. With minimal ajusting it can be fine for everyone.

Back then it was identified that players were being able to resort to near all of the beneffits of the alchemy skill but without actually spending any skill points in alchemy at all. This was a problem because UO has this kind of unwritten golden rule of "you only get the ability for it if you spend the skill points on it", and players could just stock up on plenty of potions and waste them away for a paltry gold cost and without any skill points in alchemy.

The solution found at the time was to double potion weight so that people could only carry half as many. The solution was... meh. Specially after kegs allowed folks to just store them for 1 stone again, they just needed to refill the same half a dozen REUSABLE bottles from time to time.

One of the reasons that the nerf/fix was criticized was that it would reduce potion performance not only for those whom the change was intended to but also for the very alchemists themselves that made and sold those pots as they DO have the alchemy skill after all so that they ARE supposed to be big time potion users. That is what an alchemist does... you know... uses potions. You do not nerf potions for alchemists because warriors are OP'ed with potions...

Or so this was the dilemma for some back then (and with a good point!)

In the end, the curent situation is that kegs somewhat undid the change and now only potions that actually CONSUME BOTTLES are affected by the extra potion weight : the exploding and conflagration pots. One can fill them from kegs, yes, but still they need to carry the bottles anyway as they are consumed along with the pot, you can not just refill the same few bottles and save the extra carry capacity. So for now these two are still 2 stones each, while for the other pots there are workarounds.

I thought of a way to mantain the half-restriction in potion weight only to non-alchemists (as they have no alchemy skills and are not supposed to be hardcore potion users) while returning back to actual GM alchemists their due skill-justified ability to be resourceful arsoners.

straight to the point:

--> SET GLASSBLOWING TO WORK WITH PLAIN HEAT SOURCES USED FOR COOKING INSTEAD OF (OR ALONG WITH) THE ONES FOR MINING

This way only glassblowers (who are GM alchemists) could have fire/attack potions at 1 stone weight : carry 0.1 stone of sand worth 1 stone of bottles and just make the bottles as they go. Curently one can only craft bottles out of sand if they are near a static MINING heat source (forge), but if they could do so with one of the portable COOKING heat sources (campfire, heating stand) too/instead they could ultimately carry 1stone worth of bottles with just 0.1stone worth of sand. This means, in the end, having potions at a weight of 1 stone each (~ 1 stone in reagents and just 0.1stone in sand to make a bottle).

If it is intended that EVERYBODY get to be limited in potion amount FOR PVP ONLY, then this change mantains that, as things are too fast in PVP for folks to be making and filling bottles midfight, but at the same time it lets dungeoncrawling alchemists refuel lower and lighter stashes of bottles/potions instead of having to luggage one big unreplaceable stash from start. Dungeons and treasure hunts can be a loooong walk and this way the true alchemist can carry those many molotov cocktails he was supposed to. It DOES bring the alchemists back their lost due hability to be big time potion users, they would just need to stop for a min every 5 or so to replace spent "charges".