"My first level powers include 4 at wills, 3 encounters and 2 dailies"

[the Jester]

Would this totally break the game?

What if, in addition to the powers you normally get as you go up in levels, you could learn more? Perhaps by spending gold for training or some such mechanism... what if you could "know" as many powers as you got trained in, but you could only use one of a given level/frequency slot? Like a wizard's spellbook, but moreso, and without having to prepare one in advance- for instance, maybe my fighter character knows two different 1st level daily powers. Once I use one, I can't use ANY first-level dailies until I take an extended rest, but I can still use my other powers normally, including one of my 1st-level encounter powers (I know three). Once I use any 1st-level encounter power, though, I cannot use another one until we take a short rest. (I've still got higher level encounter powers to rely on, though. )

I'm just thinkin' out loud here, so to speak. If everyone could do it, how much do you think this would riase the practical power level of the game? Should monsters be buffed a little bit to compensate?

Also, what's a good way to compensate wizards for losing the benefit of having a spellbook?

 

[eamon]

Would this totally break the game?

What if, in addition to the powers you normally get as you go up in levels, you could learn more? Perhaps by spending gold for training or some such mechanism... what if you could "know" as many powers as you got trained in, but you could only use one of a given level/frequency slot? Like a wizard's spellbook, but moreso, and without having to prepare one in advance- for instance, maybe my fighter character knows two different 1st level daily powers. Once I use one, I can't use ANY first-level dailies until I take an extended rest, but I can still use my other powers normally, including one of my 1st-level encounter powers (I know three). Once I use any 1st-level encounter power, though, I cannot use another one until we take a short rest. (I've still got higher level encounter powers to rely on, though. )

I'm just thinkin' out loud here, so to speak. If everyone could do it, how much do you think this would riase the practical power level of the game? Should monsters be buffed a little bit to compensate?

Also, what's a good way to compensate wizards for losing the benefit of having a spellbook?

I wouldn't touch the at-wills; there's no limiting factor here (you could just use a different one each time), and it renders moot a major factor of the human race.

As to the encounter/daily issues, if you have to choose in the morning (like the wizard does) this is probably pretty minor. If, however, you can choose mid-combat, you're potentially increasing power by quite a bit. I'd say that should cost you a feat per power option you so choose, roughly. Obviously, if you do this for all powers it's less powerful that if you do it for just one or two especially juicy options.

You can of course hand em out for free for a noticeable but not gamebreaking powergain. Doing so makes builds that are flexible already relatively less valuable, since this will help those with little flexibility gain it (i.e. humans, half-elves, wizards, and perhaps others will gain a little less than most). If you let half-elves use the house-rule also for their racial and let humans+wizards gain an extra at-will as an encounter (or even just daily?) power, you're probably roughly balanced.

Most problematic are probably going to be encounters against situational foes. These will now be hit with more appropriate powers. Such encounters probably then deserve the most boosting, should you choose to do this.

I'm not sure how much you'd increase overall power levels, but certainly not even close to a level, so if you just up encounter size by a few percent you should be fine. In any case; that's easily tweakable with some more DM-side experience.

 

[Saeviomagy]

It wouldn't massively boost power levels, after all no power should be good enough that having it over another power makes an encounter too easy.

On the up side, some of those odd niche powers would see some use because people aren't giving up the solidly all-round useful powers to get them.

On the down side, people would find it easier to blow through their encounter and daily powers, because ONE of them would always be a good fit for the situation.

Also on the down side, you'd need to memorise a lot more powers. It's kind of like the 3e wizard all over again. Only with spell memorization in-combat. Prepare for 10 minute per-player turns. At best.

 

[Stalker0]

Jester here's what I do in my game, which is very similar to what you are looking for.


Reserve Powers

1) At each power level, the player can choose a second power of each type (so one extra at will, one extra 1st level encounter, one extra 3rd level encounter, one extra 5th level daily, 1st level daily etc). This is there reserve power.

NOTE: Utility reserve powers must be of the same type as the regular power. You can't have an encounter and a daily power.

2) A player can swap one of there regular powers with a reserve power during one of the following times:

a) After a short rest
b) When spending an action point (the power swap is a free benefit, you get the normal use of the action point).
c) Note: A person can not swap a power that has been expended. So you can't swap an expended daily and use another daily for example.