Random Musings: Problemchild Buffs: Wardings and Boosts (really long)

[Herobizkit]

I really REALLY like the concept of sacrificing one spell slot to keep a spell "on" for 24 hours. By this token, I'd like to put forth that you could make a kind of "wizard" domain similar to priests, then have that domain give a free spell slot for a Warding.

For example, an Elementalist wizard would have a free slot for Protection from [X], a Time Mage (one who specializes in movement/restriction magic might have a free Haste), or a Summoner might have a free monster that doesn't go away until killed.

 

[Hussar]

It's true that some (specially the animal buffs) get obsolete quickly. But it's not my experience or what I learnt from story hours that buffs tend to diminish with high level play. As an example, this is the list of spells currently active on the party members, right in the middle of a combat righ now in a 13-14th level Pbp game I'm in:

Mass resist Energy (cold and electricity)
Greater Invisibility
Displacement
See invisibility
Spell turning
Mage armor (2 characters)
Message
See Invisibility (2 characters)
Magic Circle Against Evil (3 characters)
Detect Scrying
Stoneskin
Freedom of movement
Greater magic fang
Mage Armor
Protection from Arrows.

And the only cleric is a mystic theurge, so he's not very militant -or we'd see Righteous Might and Divine power too- And in later levls surely we'd see some Moments of prescience and Mind Blanks in the list.

Sure, but, most of those spells have no particular effect to keep track of. What I mean is:

• Mass resist Energy (cold and electricity)
• See invisibility
• Message
• Detect Scrying
• Freedom of movement

Have no real numerical effect in game (other than the resist energy, but, that's pretty easy).

Of the spells which did have some numerical effect, most are very easy to track - Invisibility and displacement only come into effect when the monster attacks, as does stoneskin and protection from missiles. I also note you've written the same spell down twice a couple of times, making the list look a little longer.

In fact, the only spells there that you would have to worry about stacking are:

• Mage armor
• Magic Circle Against Evil
• Greater magic fang

Like I said, it's not a huge thing to keep track of.