Once per Activation Abilities

[Calriel]

Hi guys,

I’m asking about the Oyabun’s Command, but I suppose the same would go for any type of Obey or Prompt Action:

Can you use this to get a single model to charge twice during the same turn?

In other words: should the ‘once per activation’ stipulation for charging (and concentrating, for that matter) also apply to the model being directed to charge, even though it isn’t his activation?

Or are these Oyabun’s Commands seen as taking place outside of the activation of the model in question, and this not suffer the Once per Activation penalty?

[CD1248]

Once per activation means exactly that. A model can charge once per Activation, in this case once during it's activation then again during Misaki's activation if she uses Oyabun's Command on it. 

In theory a model could charge as many times in a turn as you have activations, provided all the models involved have Obey-type actions to hit it with (looking at you, Lucius).

[solkan]

20 minutes ago, Calriel said:

Can Misaki, however, give that one model the command twice?

If Misaki tries to do that, the second attempt fails because it's still the same Activation.

One of the important rules points for Malifaux is Activation is that specific set of steps that you go back and forth doing in the Activation phase.  So it goes like this:

• Misaki Activates
  • Start Activation
  • Take Actions
    • Misaki takes the The Oyabun's Command action
      • Declares Shang as the target, generates an Action for Shang.
    • Shang takes the Charge action.
    • Misaki takes the Oyabun's Command action
      • Declares Shang as the target.  At the point where we get to "Target may take the Charge Action" Shang can't because that violates the "Once per Activation." italics.
    • [This space left deliberately blank for unrelated Misaki Action]
  • End Activation for Misaki

(In other words, Shang is taking the action during Misaki's Activation.  Shang is not Activating to do this.)

Charge has two restrictions:

Quote

Once per Activation. Cannot be declared while engaged

The applicable part of "Breaking the Rules" here is:

Quote

When a special rule explicitly contradicts the core rules, follow the special rule rather than the core rule.

The Oyabun's Command's second sentence has that part about "it may take the Charge Action while engaged."  It doesn't have anything to contradict the "Once per Activation" restriction.

[Calriel]

Can Misaki, however, give that one model the command twice?

[Paddywhack]

1 minute ago, Calriel said:

Can Misaki, however, give that one model the command twice?

No. It's still once per Activation. In this case it happens to be Misaki's Activation, but each model can still only Charge once during any Activation. 

[Kharnage]

Nothing about Oyabun's Command supersedes the Once Per Activation restriction. The fact that it addresses the "while engaged" if Last Blossom is a good hint that all restrictions would otherwise normally apply.