D&D 5E Players Only: How Often Should Your Character Be Able to "Go Nova"?

[CleverNickName]

For the purpose of this poll, "going nova" means using all of your best and most effective class features: your most damaging spells and attacks, your most devastating combos, your flashiest and snazziest tricks. "Going Nova" means that you are using all of the best and most iconic things that define your character, and you're spending the most resources you can so that you can crank all the dials as high as they will go. It's the ultimate power-move...the hardest you can hit, the fastest you can go, the most you can do, etc.

So. If the choice were up to you, and the game was going to be balanced to match your choice...which would you choose? (I put some examples in parenthesis...they're just examples.)

 

[CleverNickName]

I voted 'once per day,' but it was close. I really, really like the 'once per gaming session' option as well. It would remove a lot of issues I have with rest-spamming, at any rate.

I might change my vote later...

 

[CreamCloud0]

once per short rest i think, if i had to pick ONE for everyone it would be by short rests, but i would probably be lowering the bar for how much damage/control/healing/whatever each individual nova gets you,

 

[overgeeked]

Once per encounter. Trying to force resources to last across multiple encounters breaks any chance of balance in the game.

 

[Deset Gled]

How about never? Using all of your resources should take a significant amount of time. You shouldn't be able to expend them all at once.

 

[Minigiant]

Isn't "Going Nova" and "resources reset" 2 different things?

Like a Barbarian's resources reset at "daily strength" but their nova strength is "encounter strength" because a barbarian cannot stack nor chain the effect of multiple rages.

 

[niklinna]

You left out "Once. Ever."

 

[Scribe]

Long Rest, Once a Day.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Refreshing everything on in-game days is going to cause problems, of the nova-and-nap variety. I have daily resources, and I have no time limit? Of course that's the logical course of action for my character.

Refreshing everything for each encounter is going to make them all need to be deadly encounters, yet they'll often end up similar. We went through this with 4e, where outside of dailies (which encouraged the 5-minute work day) you tended to do the same things.

So I think I'll say... each encounter you have available to you RANDOMLY CHOSEN abilities (from a themed pool). Because I like chaos and surprise and being forced to optimize with what I'm given.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Isn't "Going Nova" and "resources reset" 2 different things?

Like a Barbarian's resources reset at "daily strength" but their nova strength is "encounter strength" because a barbarian cannot stack nor chain the effect of multiple rages.

this is something i think is desirable, being able to nova while at the same time not being mechanically able to drop absolutely all your resources in one go, but i picked short rests in the interest of not making your best abilities something you use every battle and diminishing their percieved value as a result