Will taking the same encounter power twice break anything?

[Lizard]

Would it have any noticeable effect on the game if someone picked the same encounter power twice (when they were able to select another power, or via retraining), allowing them to use it twice/encounter? They still have the same number of powers total, and most encounter powers seem pretty well balanced with each other.

 

[Khime]

I assume you're asking if it would have any noticable effect on the game if someone were allowed to pick the same encounter power twice, yes?

 

[Tale]

You're asking this fully acknowledging the rules explicitly say not to, correct?

It's possible it won't break anything. However, it's possible that encounter powers are designed with full knowledge that they won't be all useable in the same encounter. If you have one encounter power doubled up, then whenever one is useful, both will always be useful. But that's kind of a reaching rationalization.

Aside from that admitted reaching justification for it, I can't think of what it would precisely break without looking pretty hard into it.

 

[Lizard]

I assume you're asking if it would have any noticable effect on the game if someone were allowed to pick the same encounter power twice, yes?

Yes.

 

[Mort_Q]

Break?

It lessens the specialness of a lot of the Paragon Path powers...

... not sure if that counts as broken, although I would say it's against the intent of the rules, for whatever that's worth.

 

[Lizard]

You're asking this fully acknowledging the rules explicitly say not to, correct?

It's possible it won't break anything. However, it's possible that encounter powers are designed with full knowledge that they won't be all useable in the same encounter. If you have one encounter power doubled up, then whenever one is useful, both will always be useful. But that's kind of a reaching rationalization.

Yes...the advantage of getting to use a power twice per encounter is, at least in theory, offset by the fact in some encounters, it will never be useful. But this assumes every encounter power is useful in the same percentage of encounters, and I doubt that very much...

 

[Tale]

To best answer this question, I should probably also ask about the situation that inspired it. If a situation were to arise that it was considered favorable to "double up" then it's also reasonable that is the precise favor they wished to avoid.

 

[Obryn]

Unless people are replacing all their lower-level Encounter powers for high-level Encounter powers, I think it's fine.

-O

 

[Terwox]

If you're going to allow this as the DM, just say that if someone is going to do so, you want to review it.

For a couple reasons -- if they want to take a power twice that they think is cool, that should be fine. If they want to take a power twice that is somehow broken in a combo, just ban it. If they want to take a power twice that is clearly worse than a power they could take instead, advise them on why it's a bad idea. (Which, isn't this true most of the time w/ encounter powers? What 3rd level encounter power is better than every other 7th level power of a class?)

 

[James McMurray]

Important question: which power(s)?

Not all powers are created equal, and something mildly useful most of the time could be incredibly powerful in a speicif campaign (such as any radiant power in a mostly undead game).

I don't think that in general it would cause problems, but would want to evaluate it on a case-by-case basis if I were running the game.