Discussion:Ugly Intimidation

Leviathan 12:05, 25 April 2008 (MDT)

Perhaps I've missed something, but isnt' the intimidate skill a tad bit... well I'm not sure what word to put here. You use your player's charisma mod. to the skill check. Your charisma is your force of personality and relative attractiveness, correct? Now who's to say an ugly half-orc from a savage tribe couldn't intimidate just as well as anyone? I just don't understand.--Leviathan 12:05, 25 April 2008 (MDT)

  Hooper   talk    contribs    email   13:22, 1 March 2009 (MST)

I've had this discussion before. Most who argue that the Cha base makes sense because the character could manipulate with a great personality and vocabulary. However, some DMs allow melee characters of high STR to use the skill as a STR-check as they would most likely use the threat of physical force to intimidate. Check with your DM.

S1Q3T3 07:45, 2 March 2009 (MST)

Intimidation is really a mental thing. Nothing says people can't rationally respond to raw power. Intimidate, like Bluff, is a social skill. It reflects the ability to "puff up your feathers" -- to accentuate your actual dangerousness. Charisma is an appropriate ability to base it on. Half-Orcs have a penalty to it because they are a LA +0 race and they have to have a penalty to something. It would be reasonable to houserule a mechanic for calculating situational modifiers for obviously powerful and dangerous creatures.

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