Spell Durations. Something is funky.

[Hinty]

Description
==========
Some spells seem to be lasting a lot less than they should. At random?

Steps to reproduce
----------------------------
Hard to say, just keep casting spells with durations until you see it? I've not noticed a pattern.

Expected result
-----------------------

Spells last a fixed duration based upon level.

Actual result
-------------------
Some spells last almost no time at all.

Misc Notes
----------------

I first noticed this last night while playing my Barb, but was not aware what I was noticing. A char fighting Yuan Ti was getting hit by hold spells that lasted only one or two rounds max, right up until one of them lasted much longer. I assumed this was an issue with the NPC build at the time.

Today I noticed that my level 17 Warlock with SF and GSF Illusion was suffering an issue where her Extended Imp Invis Concealment bonus was dropping in a matter of a few rounds, although I did not get a feel for an exact duration, it was certainly no more than a couple of minutes, and by no means the 34 minutes it should have lasted. Shortly after this I cast an extended confusion on a group of Boogin, they were all affected (no visual effect over their heads because of the NPC Model but they stood around then started attacking each other) part way through the fight, one Boogin started to attack my char, hard to say if confusion was just rolling that over and over, but the attack lasted long enough that it is likely that one Boogin was no longer confused. The others still were.
The final nail in the coffin was fighting a group of Gnolls. The fight was going poorly, and I hit them all with Extended Hold Monsters, fortunately the saves all failed, and I had a few seconds thinking i was in the clear, before the paralysis effect on the Gnoll Champion wore off. It had lasted, at most, a full round. The Spell had definitely hit. I saw the failed save in the log. The graphical effect triggered and the Gnoll stopped moving, then the graphical effect lifted and it charged me. The Hold spell that I had cast on the Shaman immediately after in the same round continued to last and was still active as I left the zone.

I cast a large number of other spells, they all acted as expected. I cast Confusion and Hold Person a number of times without any unusual durations other than the two stated events.


Which Server(s)?
------------------------

Incident with the Yuan Ti was on Distant Shores. The incidents with the Warlock on Surface.

[Hazard]

I've had this same stuff happen to me before.

[Quidix]

I've noted this several times lately (initially thought I was making it up in my head)

[Aren]

Description
==========
Some spells seem to be lasting a lot less than they should. At random?

Steps to reproduce
----------------------------
Hard to say, just keep casting spells with durations until you see it? I've not noticed a pattern.

Expected result
-----------------------

Spells last a fixed duration based upon level.

Actual result
-------------------
Some spells last almost no time at all.

Misc Notes
----------------

I first noticed this last night while playing my Barb, but was not aware what I was noticing. A char fighting Yuan Ti was getting hit by hold spells that lasted only one or two rounds max, right up until one of them lasted much longer. I assumed this was an issue with the NPC build at the time.

Today I noticed that my level 17 Warlock with SF and GSF Illusion was suffering an issue where her Extended Imp Invis Concealment bonus was dropping in a matter of a few rounds, although I did not get a feel for an exact duration, it was certainly no more than a couple of minutes, and by no means the 34 minutes it should have lasted. Shortly after this I cast an extended confusion on a group of Boogin, they were all affected (no visual effect over their heads because of the NPC Model but they stood around then started attacking each other) part way through the fight, one Boogin started to attack my char, hard to say if confusion was just rolling that over and over, but the attack lasted long enough that it is likely that one Boogin was no longer confused. The others still were.
The final nail in the coffin was fighting a group of Gnolls. The fight was going poorly, and I hit them all with Extended Hold Monsters, fortunately the saves all failed, and I had a few seconds thinking i was in the clear, before the paralysis effect on the Gnoll Champion wore off. It had lasted, at most, a full round. The Spell had definitely hit. I saw the failed save in the log. The graphical effect triggered and the Gnoll stopped moving, then the graphical effect lifted and it charged me. The Hold spell that I had cast on the Shaman immediately after in the same round continued to last and was still active as I left the zone.

I cast a large number of other spells, they all acted as expected. I cast Confusion and Hold Person a number of times without any unusual durations other than the two stated events.

1) Are you sure that invisibility and concealment wasn't removed by Invisibility Purge? Quite a few NPC's cast this, especially at mid level content - and they usually cast it at the beginning of a fight.

2) Confusion is random, as in you can have a confused NPC choose to attack you, and then on the next "roll for behaviour" choose to attack you again. Thus you will see no change in behaviour.

3) I am not sure if Gnoll Champions are mechanically barbarians. If they are, they might have Mighty Rage which clears CC.

I am not trying to downplay your experience at all, I am just looking for potential mechanical explanations.

[Hinty]

Pretty sure it was not Invis Purge. There were enemies with the spell in the area, but it was not cast every time it dropped.

Confusion is random, but normally they only attack for a round or two before rolling a new behaviour. It is possible he kept rolling to attack an enemy, but unlikely given how long he remained focused on me.

Didn't notice a rage, but it was a hectic fight so that is a possibility.

[Hazard]

If it's anything like the imp invis bug I've had, I've literally stood in a house .. cast it on myself, and watched it just fall off a few rounds later instead of lasting for 60 turns.

Doesn't always happen, but if you no-life it, you'll see it happen eventually .. and it seems to be during times of BIG LAG.

[Flower Power]

Pretty sure it was not Invis Purge. There were enemies with the spell in the area, but it was not cast every time it dropped.

Worth bearing in mind that Invis. Purge isn't a one-and-done spell, but an aura w/o a visible indicator of its area of effect, with a pretty decent duration of its own. Entirely possible that something either already had it up when you stumbled into it, or that you just didn't notice it being cast in all the hubbub.

If it happened while fighting Boogin, it's most definitely a possibility because they have relatively common spawns that all slap it on themselves and often end up doing fisticuffs w/other spawns in the areas they're in (which might lead to them casting it before you encounter them yourself.)