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I'm relatively new-ish to the game still, so there's a lot I don't know about PvP and the like, as a foreword to this suggestion!

All the same, Polymorph is a wonderful spell with a wide variety of applications, particularly with roleplay, which is what this game is primarily about.

I've heard that polymorph used to last for a looooot longer than it does now, and while I think that to be a bit excessive, I definitely believe the duration should be bumped up a bit from where it is presently.
Right now, with Master level skill and Extend spell, it lasts give or take 18 minutes. I would suggest that the spell would last around 30 minutes, up to an hour with Extend spell. This doesn't add much power really, save for having to remember perhaps one less casting of it per grinding session. However it adds quite a bit of potential for RP, considering most RP sessions I see tend to last around ~30 minutes or so, up to an hour (unless there's extended roleplay going on, at which point surely there's time within that hour to cast it again.)

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this, if anyone has any!

Have fun out there <3

I'm not entirely certain how accurate that estimate might be. I just timed Areia's own twice, and, extended at expert proficiency, it lasted just under twenty-five minutes both times. Regardless, though, I don't think it'd be a change for the better.

SRD defines its duration as being 1 min./level, same as shield, the stat-enhancing spells like bulls strength, etc., and it does presently match FK's equivalent of that span perfectly.

In addition, and of far more concern, increasing its duration would further tip the scales in a wizard's favor. I'd mention that in general, I wish most spells' duration were actually less than they are now. To give an admittedly outlying example, the way Areia keeps her spells prepped and with their duration etc., she can manage to run through areas of her own level legitimately without ever having to stop to rest, barring being dispelled or whatnot, because she can spell up fully, run, and by the time the spells start to fade like nearly a half hour later, they've all already been refreshed, even through use of her offensive magic etc. The same is even true for my much less played wizards, to only a slightly lesser extent. Deri might have to stop to chill for a minute or two every now and then. The ultimate point, though, is that there will always be people who abuse freedoms given for RP's sake in favor of grinding or getting an upper hand on others.

I'd like to be able to keep an animal form or something for RP purposes longer, but considering it's already a very long-lasting spell and the points above, I'd be worried it would do more harm than good.

This is via (light) testing from Daerin's character, not personal experience, so I can't say much personally as to the full-on duration.

However, in regards to PvP, 25 mins (Areia's estimate) is the same as 10 hours. If a fight isn't decided by 25 minutes, it's certainly not going to be polymorph that's keeping things going. And with regards to grinding, really, wizards need few other spells anyways. A doubled or even tripled polymorph duration doesn't seem like it would change much of anything, especially at lower levels (where most of your forms can't cast spells, so you'd need to Revert and cast your buffs before changing back).

Really, there's very little difference to the effectiveness based strictly on the topic of duration that I can see.

Aislynn is right, it mostly simplifies rp and pve, and probably wouldn't change much, save making things more comfortable.

The form one gains access to are more relevant to balance than the duration of the spell itself.

I tend to agree with the belief that the duration's fine, but is there perhaps a middle ground?

What if non-combat forms are increased in longevity? If I want to polymorph into a rat, chances are I'm not doing it for the +hitroll bonus. I don't see it being exceptionally imbalanced. Maybe we can even have non-combat versions of things like panthers that last a long time but do significantly decreased damage with less stats but increased duration?

Any other thoughts?

While I don't think increasing the duration of RP forms is a bad idea, that sounds like it'd be a lot more work for staff than a simple increase in duration across the board. With the spell lasting 20 mins anyways (once you're really good with it apparently) there's not really any difference in power by increasing the duration from what it currently is.

If that path were to be taken, however, I certainly wouldn't mind. The humanoid forms like Elves, Half Orcs and so on would be good candidates, I think, because they only add a few extra STR points, really (no extra attacks or anything). Perhaps most forms lower than Journeyman level and the PC races?

Either way, I certainly don't want staff to have to go way out of their way for tailoring it like that when a (imo) perfectly acceptable solution is so much easier.

I kinda feel the same way but in regards to shapechange. Pretty low duration, and being a skill with limited uses per day the extend feat does not apply and it also makes it rather hard to train up/skill up.

Long story short: what can be unbalanced about polymorph and shapechange is not the duration but the features of the races available.

If a form is too strong it should either not be available or being available with higher skill level.

Low duration is just an annoyance, but it does not achieve any balance.

This because at high levels you will recover your polymorph spell, especially if extended, before the polymorph that currently affects your character expires.