Hello!
One-round duration abilities work well in turn-based systems, but they fall a bit short in hybrid systems like Neverwinter Nights.
To get an actual full round of the buff, you need to activate it at the top of the round. This is less important for defensive buffs, but it still affects them.
Clicking a buff and only getting 25% to 50% of its actual worth feels pretty bad.
The first option is to increase the duration of single-round abilities to 9 seconds. This encompasses just over a full round, and solves the problems in my examples. It does have room for a single-round buff to be perfectly timed and be a little more beneficial. However, from my NWN dev experience, it balances out with the times a player duffs their timing and loses out on the other half.
The second option is to move to a 'charge' based system. My preferred system for approaching number balance with systems like this.
Just thought I'd share my thoughts after playing a class with quite a few one-round duration buffs.
One-round duration abilities work well in turn-based systems, but they fall a bit short in hybrid systems like Neverwinter Nights.
To get an actual full round of the buff, you need to activate it at the top of the round. This is less important for defensive buffs, but it still affects them.
Example One
You activate Ki Strikes, granting you six seconds of bonus damage.- You activate the buff after you've already attacked. Only one of your attacks gains the effect.
- You activate the buff at the start of your 'turn'. All of your attacks gain the effect.
Example Two
You activate Defensive Maneuver to gain +2 AC.- You activate the buff in the middle of the enemy's turn. You gain +2 AC against their first attack the next round, but not against the rest.
- You activate the buff at the right time and gain +2 AC against all the enemy's attacks.
Why Bad?
Sadly, relying on people watching the chat log to properly activate their buffs at the right time isn't viable in some combat scenarios. Not to mention this method isn't viable for people newer to Neverwinter Nights and the nuances of its combat. Buffs and their bonuses are very finite and can make a difference when applied correctly on this server.Clicking a buff and only getting 25% to 50% of its actual worth feels pretty bad.
Suggestions
There are two easy ways to fix this.The first option is to increase the duration of single-round abilities to 9 seconds. This encompasses just over a full round, and solves the problems in my examples. It does have room for a single-round buff to be perfectly timed and be a little more beneficial. However, from my NWN dev experience, it balances out with the times a player duffs their timing and loses out on the other half.
The second option is to move to a 'charge' based system. My preferred system for approaching number balance with systems like this.
- "You gain +2 AC against the next six attacks."
- "Your next three hits deal +1d4 magic damage."
Just thought I'd share my thoughts after playing a class with quite a few one-round duration buffs.
