Get more utility from retraining

[Aoirorentsu]

Hi all you very helpful humans and demi-humans - had a house rule I wanted to run by everyone and get feedback.

Basically, I decided that it's very odd that PCs get all these attack powers and so few utilities. To fix that without giving PCs more powers overall (and creating balance issues...maybe...), I created the following house rule.

You may retrain an attack power for a utility power of the same frequency (at-will, daily or encounter) and of the same level or lower.

What do y'all think? Helpful? A good idea? would it create funky balance issues? Could I get away with a more radical approach (ie, giving PCs access to many utility powers, but keep the same number of total utilities of each level)?

Thanks!
Aoi

 

[Brain]

If you consider encounter attacks, daily attacks, and utility powers separately, you end up with more utility powers than anything else because you don't have to get rid of them to gain more once you're into paragon.

However, especially at lower levels, utility powers are in short supply. I think depending on the type of player you have, you could end up with balance issues by instituting this house rule.

My gut instinct is to say that it's not neccessary and that swapping out attacks for utilities would make for less variety in your attacks and perhaps less fun. Of course it would be optional - so players would tend to only do it to pick up the really good utility powers. I can see a ranger (who may use twin strike almost exclusively not having much problem dumping some attacks for more utilities and being better off for it.

Overall I'd say give it a shot if you think it'll make things more fun, but maybe reserve veto power and ask the players to tell you what they want to do before they do it.