I wasn't entirely sure where to place this, but I thought of a little idea for future spell types, and even a type that could be modded into existing games.

We all know how annoying it is to have to take time and cast a buff spell, only to have it disappear on us or go awry when it's of the most importance. So instead of simply casting a spell that runs out on a duration, it would instead act on a toggle. And instead of simply spending your current magicka on it, you would instead have your total magicka lowered. This lowered amount is the power required to sustain the effect over time. Too many sustained effects, and you have a very small pool of magicka to work with at any given moment.

Most sustained spells would probably be player buffs, but others could include party buffs (any allies within the character's "aura"), enemy debuffs (also in an area around the caster), or even summoned creatures.


Thoughts?

Im gonna say no.
Not because its a bad idea, but its ported straight out of dragon age.
And I dont really want features from other games in Skyrim.
Skyrim should be the game people copy, not the other way around.

Is that also to say that The Elder Scrolls shouldn't use magic because it exists in other games?

I've never played Dragon Age before. I just think it's a neat idea.

Its a neat idea, thats true.
It would sort of work as a constant enchantment, only sustained by the wizards own power and not a soul gem.
So lore wise there is nothing against it too.
Im just slightly allergic to things ported in from other games and its exactly how abilities worked in dragon age.
If there is a way to make it look and feel uniquely TES Im all for it.

Think of Frostcrag Spire; it had a permanent Atronach you could summon. Also note the many Daedra in your adventures who are not tied to a timer. Game-wise they are simply NPCs placed there, but realistically (lore-wise) they are perma-summoned. For a player, or NPCs for that matter, it's unbalanced because it doesn't take into account the character+buffs+summons as a measurement of total power.

Whereas timer-based buffs/summons have a fair tradeoff in one's spending of current magicka, a tradeoff of maximum magicka is the best solution I can see for more permanent spells. Perhaps it was used in another game, but it works.

Do you have any ideas for alternate ways for perma-buffs/summons to work?

Well since they probably copied the whole idea of grades of material for weapons and armour from TES it seems only fair
There was an Oblivion mod that did this
I wouldn't be against it but I don't think mages need it to be effective

I have played Dragon Age, and it works a lot like this

But I do like this idea more than the "timed spellcast". Maybe, for particularly powerful spells, it could constantly drain your Magicka, as well.

A neat idea. Unfortunately, as I believe was already mentioned, it's not too Skyrim-y, for some reason. It just doesn't feel like something Bethesda would do.

I think it would fit perfectly well with Elder Scrolls. Think of all those mages who have their permanent summons, assisting them on various tasks. They don't have to constantly re-cast the spell over and over; they sort of passively dedicate a portion of their power to sustaining the summon.

For Oblivion Gates, this passive power exists in the form of Sigil Stones.

Daedric realms are extensions of their respective lords. The realms themselves are a portion of the lord himself. In this way, having a realm weakens the lord's overall strength of his physical form, and his capabilities at the moment. (Although I suppose part of this dedication would entail health as well.)

A guard captain could use a Rallying spell that works on all allies within an area; for a large battle it would be more beneficial to use a sustained spell rather than a quick burst spell.

I think one thing that would be smart is to have to actually sacrifice some Magicka for every enchantment you make, and then whenever you're ready, you can destroy the enchantment. Basically the same thing, and it would probably help balance the enchanting a LOT. Unfortunately, it would make enchantment a lot less viable for non-mage types of people.

Enchanting (and item power in general) is sort of a hard thing to balance through logical means. It really has to come down to overriding realism for game balance. I somewhat like how the system is now; place a baseline amount of magicka power into it, and that power is released as an additional spell on hit. When it runs out, the power must be refilled. A bit different from a sustained spell, since the power is released rather than continuously applied. An infinitely-charged magic item could automatically drain the player's magicka, perhaps.

Hm... so many possibilities!