This isn't a good idea unless those changes are for PvE only, which I'd sort of oppose. I understand that guns should be balanced separately, but I'd prefer that apply only to values- damage, accuracy, range- rather than mechanical things that affect how a gun FEELS to use. Both a bigger clip and shorter reload and Thorn would be one of the absolute best guns in the game out of the box; any of the various builds we've crafted to cater to it would suddenly become seriously OP. It's a nasty weapon.
As far as the debuff, I have to imagine they experimented with various versions and this was the only one that didn't make it completely dominant.
Honestly, I think best approach is just to significantly improve its damage in PvE, both to its shots and the DoT effect. The low clip and massive reload time- those are Thorn, those are what you accept to wield it. It should do crazy damage for each one of those shots you connect with, and really make you feel the reload when you're down to that last bullet, unless you build around it- which, if using Thorn seriously, you should.
