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One of my players, a Warlock, wants to learn a few Cleric spells but not multiclass into Cleric, so he took the magic initiate feat. He just posed the question about taking the feat again at a later level and I'm not sure if there's anything that disallows it.

If there is something in there that says you can't take the feat more than once, would I be breaking anything by allowing him to?

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By RAW, no.

The Feats description mentions

You can take each feat only once, unless the feat’s description says otherwise.

The Magic Initiate feat does not say it can be taken twice.

Would it be game-breaking? I don't think so.

You are trading an ASI upgrade to learn a few cantrips and 2 1st-level spells. It seems to me to actually be a poor mechanical decision.

That being said, I would suggest him multi-classing into Cleric for a level instead of taking this feat twice as a homebrew rule. I don't know your motives for not wanting to do it, of course, so this may not be applicable to your group.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Personally I'm not entirely sure why the player wants to do this either, but I don't want to say no if they feel it's how they want to progress. I totally agree however! \$\endgroup\$
    – Jamie Brace
    Commented Mar 7, 2017 at 10:14
  • \$\begingroup\$ Ask them for their motives and suggest an alternative. If they still want to go through with it, then as long as they are satisfied, let them. It's all about having fun \$\endgroup\$
    – BlueMoon93
    Commented Mar 7, 2017 at 10:16
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    \$\begingroup\$ I would recommend removing the word "wasting" as it's entirely subjective. A fighter taking this feat may be doing so strictly for an on demand ranged weapon that bypasses non-magical damage resistance and immunity, making it worth an ASI sacrifice to that player. As for why somebody would take the feat over a 1 level dip, perhaps they don't want to sacrifice all the advantages that NOT taking a multi-class grants. \$\endgroup\$
    – Lino Frank Ciaralli
    Commented Mar 7, 2017 at 13:02
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    \$\begingroup\$ Seconding what @LinoFrankCiaralli said. Falling 1 level behind in spell progression can be a big deal for spellcasters. Additionally, there's a good number of spells that pack a lot of utility into a single casting. Mage Armor and Goodberry will last you a whole adventuring day. Find Familiar is very desirable both RP-wise and mechanically to many players (e.g. a Cleric with a familiar can deliver Cure Wounds from a distance, or grant himself advantage for Guiding Bolt). \$\endgroup\$
    – Doval
    Commented Mar 7, 2017 at 15:00
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    \$\begingroup\$ @LinoFrankCiaralli Force damage doesn't reach into the Ethereal Plane. \$\endgroup\$
    – Doval
    Commented Mar 7, 2017 at 20:05
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Strictly: No, unless stated.

As DM: Yes, if you want to allow it.

You cannot select a feat again, unless specifically stated. As reference: PHB 166, Elemental Adept:

Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell When you gain this feat, choose one o f the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. Spells you cast ignore resistance to damage o f the chosen type. In addition, when you roll damage for a spell you cast that deals damage of that type, you can treat any 1 on a damage die as a 2. You can select this feat multiple times. Each time you do so, you must choose a different damage type.

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