[Tirwalker]

Hm.  Can you buy hits in combat?  I never gave it a thought, but if you think about it, like a 'Taking 10' in D&D, bought hits can (or could) be used as a benchmark for how readily you can do any particular thing - your baseline average, or even minimal, level.  For example, someone with the 16 dice that ZeConster mentioned can be understood to do '4-hits well' without really trying.  Granted, that's without being unlucky, too, but ...

Buying hits is always with GM permission, and should not be allowed if a glitch/crit glitch would have a significant impact.  So its a GM call, but most GMs would probably not allow it.

[Namikaze]

As a general rule, one can only buy hits when they have time to focus on the task.  Just like "taking 10" in D&D.  That's not to say a GM couldn't allow it, it would just really mess with the dynamic elements of combat.  Everything would become a multiple of 4 in order to make a difference.

[Lucean]

We have a GM who occasionally lets things happen, when the result is obvious and would just take a certain amount of time. So rarely in combat, mostly when it's just "mopping up the rest".

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Exactly my point.  If you have the dice pool to show off (so to speak), why spend time on plowing through sixty mooks in order to reach the Named Guy in the back?  I agree, though, that it'd be a GM / game / table thing, and not something to use casually.

[Tarislar]

As stated Missions uses Buying hits.

As for when this can be an a good thing, when getting unlucky and not hitting a certain level is painful.

For me that is Binding.  Having a 5-7 dice advantage over a spirit should mean you win, but, the way binding works means failing is an all too common option.  Buying hits cuts you out of extra services but it also cuts the sprit out of getting that 50% roll & guaranteeing you loose no matter how well you roll.