The problem with everyone walking around with abs all the time is that mages on the whole are likely to die less and frankly mages just don't die that often in the first place. The one exception to this is shifters, now this could be because of the greater volume of shifters but I think a lot it has to do with the fact that it takes them one extra command to escape a fight then other mages.

So like I said before it would be cool if using a lot of preps could mess with mobility options.

Idea two: this would likely be a lot more difficult to implement but perhaps you could have an invisible dam redux reputation, as players become more and more dependant on using non class based dam redux perhaps give them a soften like affect for while they are not under the protection of non class based dam redux. Sort of like growing soft. While they are prepped up they will be just the same but when they get caught pants on ankles it could be nasty. This of course would balance out because people who are such perma preppers shouldn't be in such situations and it will give a chance the few times they are caught.

idea three: To an extent redo dam redux from a/b/s to be reflective of your foes ie it reacts to multiple people or powerful magic/villagerness. So using barrier against a herald warrior with no kills might not be as effective as using barrier to fight three villagers. What you scale it on could be different but the basic idea is that now barrier is slightly more useful against another billy badass and joe the shmoe might have half a semblance of a glimmer of a chance.

idea four: an effective max hp barrier. Does that mage who manages to get to 2k hp really need full abs? After certain hp thresholds have the dam redux not work as well, this is kind of like idea three but eh I already typed it out so I am leaving it.

idea fivc: have abs affect mana regen the same way it affects hp regen(on both mana healing abilities and the tick regen). This would just force mages to pick and choose when they used abs a little better since it could mean they don't regen mana very well for a while.

Thats all off the top of my head right now. I think making abs more accessible is fine I just feel that there needs to be some drawback to using it other then you have to replace it. I mean we compare an abs mage to a villager and look at everything a villager has to give up to justify that kind of power.