D&D (2024) One D&D playtest, abilities that recharge when you roll initiative.

[pemerton]

At least some of the epic boons refresh when you roll initiative, or finish a short or long rest.

Yes. But short or long rest isn't anything new. Whereas "roll initiative" makes them available again, regardless of rest, for the next combat. Which, as I posted, further weighs the focus of play towards combat rather than non-combat. ( @niklinna's post upthread was - I think - intended as a joke but expresses the same sentiment.)

 

[darjr]

Agreed there's no reason to roll initiative unless a fight has started. It's a mechanical step that is triggered by something happening in the fiction. But it doesn't represent or correspond to anything in the fiction. It's a metagame mechanic.

Rolling initiative IS the mechanic tied so directly to physical fights in dnd that you almost can’t have one without it.

It’s even real world slang to say “roll initiative” to mean “let’s fight”.

It absolutely represents a fight has begun, and corresponds to when things have become violent.

 

[darjr]

This isn't an accurate statement of the 4e rules, which are - as @Charlaquin posted - that those abilities recharge on a short rest.

The DMG2 (p 55) sets out some options for quicker and/or partial recharging. And I use a rule that an encounter power can only be used once in a skill challenge even if the skill challenge straddles a rest - but I don't remember the rulebooks ever flagging that one.

What’s the definition of an encounter power?

Edit to add:

Wait, I think you misunderstood me or the other way round. I wasn’t talking about how it works.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yes. But short or long rest isn't anything new. Whereas "roll initiative" makes them available again, regardless of rest, for the next combat. Which, as I posted, further weighs the focus of play towards combat rather than non-combat. ( @niklinna's post upthread was - I think - intended as a joke but expresses the same sentiment.)

It doesn’t really do that though, because it also come back with a short rest, and because of the initiative refresh. You don’t need to worry about saving it for combat. Just use it when it makes sense to use it. If a fight happens, you’ll have it available.

 

[Charlaquin]

And the encounter. You can’t have an “encounter power” without an encounter.

But encounter powers weren’t actually tied to encounters in any way. They were just short rest recovery powers.

 

[darjr]

But encounter powers weren’t actually tied to encounters in any way. They were just short rest recovery powers.

This is what the 4th edition players handbook says about encounter powers.

"You can use encounter powers many times during a day of adventuring, but you have to rest a few minutes between each use, so you can use them each once per encounter."

However I wasn't talking about how you use them, at least I only was talking about them as a mechanic, that their very existence and definition as a mechanic is tied to encounters as a thing.

 

[Haplo781]

And the encounter. You can’t have an “encounter power” without an encounter.

Apparently I've been playing 4e wrong for the past 14 years

 

[darjr]

Apparently I've been playing 4e wrong for the past 14 years

Ok, Ok, maybe I should have worded that better.

 

[darjr]

Apparently I've been playing 4e wrong for the past 14 years

Though you know there are people out there that will say just that.

 

[Charlaquin]

This is what the 4th edition players handbook says about encounter powers.

"You can use encounter powers many times during a day of adventuring, but you have to rest a few minutes between each use, so you can use them each once per encounter."

Right, so literally their use is tied to short rests, not to encounters.

However I wasn't talking about how you use them, at least I only was talking about them as a mechanic, that their very existence and definition as a mechanic is tied to encounters as a thing.

Except it isn’t in any way tied to encounters, they just have the word encounter in their name. It’s ironic that you think the “recover when you roll initiative” mechanic is a better idea because it’s linked to an in-fiction action whereas encounter powers are tied to encounters, when literally the exact opposite is the case.