Just in from the Godforge Discord: [Barrier] and [Shield] are not classified as buffs.
Suzi from FATELESS posted to let us know that their teams says “They appears as buffs but they are not true buffs.”
The act more like an addition character attribute. Like HPA and HPB, both which get taken from before HP is reduced.
This of course means that things like Remove Buffs will not remove them, Extend Buffs will not extend them. It’s also very likely that they do not count as Buffs for things like: Abilities, Imprints and Weapons that trigger on Buffs.
Some examples:
Heimdall’s Passive and Imprint:
“Allies under any [Buff] have a 50% chance to reflect any [Debuff] received.” (Imprint 25%)
Morrigans’s Ultimate:
“Remove all [Buffs] from all enemies, then attack all enemies (100%ATK+2%INIT)3 times. The first hit has a 80% chance to place [Drain II] on each target for 2 turns. The second hit has a 80% chance to place [DEF Down II] on each target for 2 turns. The third hit has a 80% chance to place [ATK Down II] on each target for 2 turns.”
Morrigan’s Passive and Imprint:
“When an enemy receives a [Buff], reduce its duration by 1 turn. When an enemy receives a [Debuff], increase its duration by 1 turn.” (Imprint 50% chance)
Cleopatra’s Passive and Imprint:
“When a [Buff] on an ally expires or is removed, restore 5% of their Destroyed MAX HP” (Imprint 2.5%)
Excalibur:
“Increase damage inflicted by allies by (2.5-5.5%) for each buff on them that was placed by this hero.”
Namsaru:
“Buffs placed on this hero are instantly removed, granting (5–11%) divinity and turn meter and a permanent 5% damage increase.”