Buffs are advantages you can get from various sources. They affect Attack and Defence as well as Travel or even Favor. Some are good, some are evil and some most are of the 'OHMYGOD - what happened to my character' sort.¹⁾ Positive buffs are good - they increase your attack or defense level. Negative buffs are bad - they weaken your attack or defense, or turn you into a newt.^{2)3)4)5)6)7)8)9) 10)}

Examples include:

• Ale buffs. Go to the Prancing SpiderKitty in Improbable Central and drink an ale from Dan the bartender. Most of his drinks provide an Attack buff, and some provide a Defense buff.
• (Lie)Capelthwaite's Blessing buff. At the Old Church in Improbable Central, find Capelthwaite and he can 'bless' you. Sometimes his blessing is a bonus (positive buff), sometimes it's a curse (negative), and sometimes it's both (such as negative on attack and positive on defense).¹¹⁾
• Clan buffs. Join a clan and the sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself will provide definite advantages. Clan buffs can last anywhere from 10 to 120 210 excessive rounds of jungle combat. Some buff levels increase your attack, some increase your defense. Some reflect damage, some regenerate your health.
• (Also a lie)Feelgood buff. Once you hit a certain level, go visit Heidi in Kittania. Make a donation, and her blessing will provide a buff.
• Nicotine buff. Smoke a cig and you'll get long-lasting, positive Attack and Defense buffs. But once it wears off, you'll suffer a long-lasting negative Nicotine Withdrawal buff that weakens your attack and defense levels.
• (Uh uh uh uh stayin' a lie! Stayin' a lie!)Watcher's Blessed Armor/Weapon buff. While you're riding the Failboat, build up lots of favor. Once your Favor level goes over 500, question the Watcher and ask her to tune up your armor or your weapon. Once she does, every time you go into a jungle fight, your armor or weapon will provide combat advantages. You can only have one of these active at a time (weapon or armor), and it never wears off. (This Buff Removed, to be replaced with something Cooler¹²⁾ at a later date.)

You'll find more as you go along. The gods¹³⁾ are a capricious lot, and they're prone to suspending your buffs in certain circumstances¹⁴⁾, such as PvP¹⁵⁾ combat, to help ensure a fair fight¹⁶⁾.

Oh, and remember that buffs wear off¹⁷⁾ - often when you least expect it.