Comments on: Skill Focus: Intimidate

By: Players Need to Be More Creative — Dungeon's Master

Players Need to Be More Creative — Dungeon's Master — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:13:17 +0000

By: Month in Review: April 2009 — Dungeon's Master

Month in Review: April 2009 — Dungeon's Master — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:12:30 +0000

[...] Focus: Heal and Skill Focus: Bluff each provide 10 new and creative ways to use these skills. In Skill Focus: Intimidate we looked at drastically different outcomes based on how you use this skill. We also looked at [...]

By: Ameron

Ameron — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:47:02 +0000

@Rob G
My group has had a lot of success in using Intimidate to force an enemy to surrender during combat. Under this circumstance the PCs know when using Intimidate is appropriate. It’s during skill challenges that we always run into trouble. A PC will do what’s “in character,” namely use Intimidate when Diplomacy is clearly a better option, and earn a failure in the skill challenge. In a way they’re being penalized for role-playing their character. This, in my opinion, isn’t right.

I like your idea of using Intimidate to assist with Heal checks. I suppose it could be used in a similar way to assist with Endurance of Athletics checks. I’ll have to remember that.

@Emily Mottesheard
Your scenario seems balanced and appropriate for the circumstance. You’ve provided another great way to use Intimidate. Thanks.

By: Emily Mottesheard

Emily Mottesheard — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:58:33 +0000

I’ve got a few house rules (not sure whether I came up with them on my own or borrowed them from other folk’s ideas) that makes intimidate a more useful skill for players to pick up. For instance, if a player encounters some bad guys, and has the opportunity to speak some bravado and bluster to discourage them, I let the player roll an intimidate check. Even if the player isn’t saying anything, but trying to do a stare down or make a threatening action, their goal is the same so I encourage them to roll a check to see how effective it is. The bad guys, in turn, roll a will save verses the player’s total roll. If they fail, they are effected as if shaken, and take a -2 to attacks, representing the player’s ability to strike fear into his enemies.

By: Rob G

Rob G — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:50:26 +0000

I hate the way Intimidate never seems to have a use, because if you use it you are punished, yet the description says you can make enemies surrender quite easily.

Your use is a good one and shows it has more versatility. I personally have used it in versatile way my self to give a bonus to heal checks.

“Get up soldier! You lily livered blob of snot! If you don’t get up now I’ll kick you into the Shadowfell myself!” ect, etc.