Lerk Poison Bite

Fasta Benj

<div class="IPBDescription">Anti-Healing instead of DOT</div>It's been complained that a fast acting, med happy com renders the Lerk helpless. What if instead of doing DOT, the Lerk's poison bite momentarily disabled Marine healing (meds/armory)? The duration would probably need to be relatively short, like in the range of 3-4 seconds. Ideally the heal suppression shouldn't last for very long once the Lerk disengages / is killed.

This should move the bite from a damaging / annoying role more to offensive support, and create a natural combo with spores (whereas now the bite poison effect and spores do much the same thing). It would also give the aliens a tool against nano+medspam gods of war. Throw in a visible effect for the bite (eg. a glowy aura) and the Lerk could be used to tag / weaken targets for the team to focus their attacks on (the effect would also reduce com confusion on the Marine side).

TimMc

I think would prefer for the DOT to be a static number - say 5 seconds of damage, rather than constant damage until low health or a medpack.

Medpacks are such a powerful counter they made poison bite almost useless except against jetpackers (who are not on the ground, so medpacks miss).

Floodinator

<!--quoteo(post=1950116:date=Jul 9 2012, 06:14 PM:name=Fasta Benj)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fasta Benj @ Jul 9 2012, 06:14 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1950116"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It's been complained that a fast acting, med happy com renders the Lerk helpless. What if instead of doing DOT, the Lerk's poison bite momentarily disabled Marine healing (meds/armory)? The duration would probably need to be relatively short, like in the range of 3-4 seconds. Ideally the heal suppression shouldn't last for very long once the Lerk disengages / is killed.

This should move the bite from a damaging / annoying role more to offensive support, and create a natural combo with spores (whereas now the bite poison effect and spores do much the same thing). It would also give the aliens a tool against nano+medspam gods of war. Throw in a visible effect for the bite (eg. a glowy aura) and the Lerk could be used to tag / weaken targets for the team to focus their attacks on (the effect would also reduce com confusion on the Marine side).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Well I need to say I had the same thoughts till I realised, that the Poison is such a powerfull weapon! It can reduce the Marines tres really fast if the com is medding alot.
Group up with a friend and only bite 1 time a marine, go back to regen, repeat.

And the best part if the com nanos that guy he will still slowly get down to 5HP and the com wasted 3 tres and another one for the med. So IMO the best nano counter in the game!
If there is no armory, the com will spend 2 tres to med, go back in after some secs, go out, com meds -2tres, etc etc. In the early game lerks can hurt the economy the most, it is a hard desicion sometimes to spend 2 tres to help this guy or not because you would need to wait 16s longer to get the important armor 1 upgrade?

Well spores do almost the same thing, if a marin touches the gas he loses around lets say 17HP well still a 2/3 bite kill, gets he bitten once and doesn't get a med or needs to run back the chances increase that he will become a 1 bite kill. Sometimes the Marine is down to 5 HP just when he reaches the base and gets killed a nearby skulk or even gorge, beside you could get him yourself as a real lurker.

OT:

BTW that is also a important reason parasite can be used as a tres drain for the marines. 80% of players request a med when they are parasited.

AurOn2

i would much rather a vampire bite than a poison bite. That and the fact, spikes are really really damn useless now.

twiliteblue

Changing Lerk Bite to either, apply a reduced healing effect on Marines, or a "vampiric" self healing attack sound like good ideas to me.

Poison bite is rather easily countered, and puts the Lerk at too much unrewarding danger.