"th3evo;c-2269467" wrote:
To me it sounds like we don't actually 'refresh' buff duration unless it's specifically stated in the ability description. Every time you get a buff it creates a new instance of the buff that we don't always see and that doesn't always directly affect the character.
BB-8 uses Covert Data Transfer every turn: Secret Intel for 3 turns -> Secret Intel (2 turns) + Secret Intel (3 turns) -> Secret Intel (1 turn) + Secret Intel (2 turns) + Secret Intel (3 turns) -> Secret Intel (1 turn) + Secret Intel (2 turns) + Secret Intel (3 turns) -> etc.
At least that's how I understand it. And a really good question was brought up by Ultra - how does it affect characters/ships whose abilities somehow work with the number of buffs - Geonosian Spy, Asajj Ventress, Sith Assassin, Ahsoka Tano's Jedi Starfighter etc.?
The example you put up is correct, but there's a weird quirk that needs to be added--if BB-8 uses his basic attack when he's at SI (3 turns) + SI (2 turns) + SI (1 turn), at the end of the turn he still has 3 stacks of Secret Intel, not 2.
Never mind, I think I'm overthinking this. I bet the Secret Intelligence buff has a hidden effect that gaining Secret Intelligence refreshes the duration of all SI buffs, like how Translation refreshes all stacks of Translation.