Stacking buffs

[slayernz]

It would be fantastic if you could stack buffs like the tomes/scrolls of sustainment.
Arguments for:
* You are paying for the buffs in SP, so it's not like you're extending your buffs for free
* You are getting the same number of turns worth of buff - just queueing them in advance rather than having to manually update them when one or more run low/out
* It doesn't skew the game balance too much - again, these buffs are things you are able to apply, but this way you're doing it more efficiently
* You are able to buff some of the shorter-duration buffs to match timing of the longer-duration buffs so that you don't have some run out well before others.
* There are tomes/scrolls that do exactly this buff prolongment, so it isn't something new to the game

Arguments against:
* Powerful buffs have shorter duration, so stacking them in advance would alter the balance of these buffs in a bad way
* Some buffs are designed to disappear after first hit, so stacking them would be pointless
* You could use buffs so much that you run out of SP after the first battle - which often negates the value of buff stacking

Any other thoughts on pros and cons? I think there is certainly value in buff stacking, even if you only get 50% of the buff duration added onto the existing time ...
eg
Stone Skin duration 16. If you cast Stone Skin again, you get an additional 8 turns on top of the first 16.

[Cory Trese]

Doesn't that unbalance combat length vs. buff duration?

[fallen]

I would agree this would unravel the entire setup around skill to buff balancing, buff to combat length, etc.

[slayernz]

Ha! Torping fallen and Cory Trese for having the exact same Karma! Oh wait, wrong thread!

I agree that it could be unbalancing if you had straight buff stacking, but if there was a stack factor of say 50% of the previous gain, then maybe it might work and be not-overly nuts.

Case in point again using Stone Skin
First buff = 16 turns
Second buff = 8 turns
Third buff = 4 turns
Fifth buff = 2 turns
Sixth buff = 1 turn
Seventh buff+ = no effect

That gives you a max 31 turn buff, BUT you've gone and used a ton of SP in order to get there. At StoneSkin 5, you're looking at 30 x 6 = 180SP

Yes, you get to extend the buff through particularly long combats, but the cost of SP is a nice counter-balance to the whole ordeal. And again, the alternative is just using a scroll or tome that you found and/or purchased so you get the extended buffs another way (and probably at a cheaper overall cost).

Okay, I'll get off the cat fence now and stop meowing so loudly

[fallen]

slayernz - sorry, the system was just not designed for this kind of activity. Everything puts pressure on buff duration (pre buff, post combat rest turns, skills, auto buff now) so I can't see this working for us.

[slayernz]

Okay - all gud I'll just focus on skills that extend the buff duration to see if I can't maximize buffability

[fallen]

slayernz - and Auto Buff will fix all your woes about efficiency.