Thinking of a solution tied to stealing and stealthing. People suggest many things for stealth (me included) but no one solution seems perfect and fair.
I believe stealth needs to be broken up in its abbilities. So perhaps something like having 5 different Steal skills to rotate through with each affecting how stealth works on the character. Kinda like we have a pool of utility skills open (elite skills too) when we click on the little arrow on the skills icon.
Rought Draft (stealing itself wont be affected by purposed buff, just stealth used while under each steal buff)
Starting with alteration to how stealth works at base level:
Base Stealth: Invisible. While in stealth, damage taken, shadowstepping and stealth expiration cause revealed for 3seconds. If you break stealth by dealing damage you are revealed for 6seconds.
Steal(base): No change to stealth. Stealing range increased by (range:+500).
Steal(Perma Stealth): When you use a stealth skill, that stealth lasts for 60seconds. All reveals are increased to 60seconds.
Steal(Small Reveal): Stealth lasts only 1sec and then reveals. Reveal lasts for 1sec from all sources. Cloak and Dagger costs 3 initiative and does not require a target.
Steal(No Reveal from Damage): While in stealth you do not reveal from damage taken but healing is reduced to 50%. All other forms of reveal are reduced to 3seconds.
Steal(Never Reveal): You cannot be revealed by reveal skills, taking damage, shadowstepping or even dealing dmg. Your health is drastically reduced to 10%.
Zero cooldown swap in pve out of combat ofcoarse. Thinking there should be a 30sec cooldown swap-in for the steal skill buffs when in wvw(spawn areas under immunity buff) and 10min cd in wvw(everywhere except spawn) and spvp matches to prevent too much op swapping. But these would allow thieves to play their certain way and allow for counter aswell.
Some may wonder where this leaves mesmers. Im not entirely sure mesmer stealth and thieve/smoke field stealths are even the same. But yeah would have to be looked into.
Ty and sorry for wall of text.