How many of you actually use the term "buff" in game?

[Lanefan]

There's one player in our group who goes on about "buff-o-rama!" while casting spell after spell into his PC while loading up for a combat. Pretty much nobody else uses the term at the table; I use it here in EnWorld for simplicity.

Lanefan

 

[pogre]

I only use it when playing a barbarian raging after defeating an enemy and boxing it out to impress everyone with my mighty pecks and yell, "Buff enough for ya' baby!"

 

[CRGreathouse]

I sometimes use the term, but never during play or in-character.

 

[Chupacabra]

Ditto. Used VERY rarely out of game. Never in game. By me or by the other players or DM. Silly little term.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Of all the threads I've read or participated in here at ENworld, this is the first to make me feel old and sad.

Why? The notion that player characters would have the same sort of professional terminology as any real world paramilitary group does seems pretty reasonable to me. In fact, the notion that they wouldn't have a term for this sort of spell strains credulity, IMO.

 

[Driddle]

(I)f I said "I need a buff, quick!" that means my character says something similar. Sometimes I'll be more roleplayish and say "I need some supporting magic" or whatever. But still, it's easier to assume that the exact words that are coming out of the character's mouth aren't what the player says ...

I can get behind that, I s'pose. :\

Recently we've started using similar shorthand -- the DM and other players understand that "F6" (pronounced "eff-siks") basically means the first line of the party hugs the wall to flank and engage the enemy so that the second line can fire missile weapons while the back line begins preparing prespecified magic spells. When the designated leader calls "F6," it saves a lot of time and avoids misunderstanding. Because we all know that if we don't move quickly, the game is gonna eat our lunch!

"F1" (pronounced "eff-wun") is reserved for each PC individually. It implies a currently held object will be dropped to the ground and a prespecified second object will be drawn (usually a weapon). ... It meshes well with other codes, and can even be uttered in the same breath: "F6 plus F1," by the aforementioned ranged attackers, for example.

We just haven't gotten around to adopting "buff" into our shared lexicon yet.

 

[Umbran]

In fact, the notion that they wouldn't have a term for this sort of spell strains credulity, IMO.

That they'd have a term for it that has no context unless they used modern English colloquial slang (or even worse, watched SNL's "Hans and Franz") isn't exactly relaxing to credulity, though

 

[sniffles]

I'm the only person in my gaming group who ever uses the term 'buff', and never in-game. I'd never heard the term used that way until I started frequenting this site.

 

[Mycanid]

"Buff"?!? in a game?

Err ... no.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That they'd have a term for it that has no context unless they used modern English colloquial slang (or even worse, watched SNL's "Hans and Franz") isn't exactly relaxing to credulity, though

I'm reasonably certain that the party's dwarf will be buffing and polishing his armor and his axe during every bit of downtime. I think the term is perfectly acceptable in a D&D world.