House Rules: Skills - Intimidate

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You can use this skill to frighten your opponents or to get them to act in a way that benefits you. This skill includes verbal threats and displays of prowess.

A character may choose to use either their Charisma or Strength modifier to perform an Intimidate check.

Intimidate DC = 10 + the target's Hit Dice + the target's Sense Motive Modifier

Uses


Coerce Opponent (Novice)

Sometimes you need to cow someone into submission for more than just a few hours.

Check: By spending more time threatening or harassing a target, you can attempt to force a creature to act friendly toward you for 1d6 hours + 1 hour for every 5 points by which you exceed the DC. If you succeed at such a check against the same target at least once per week for 1d6 weeks (without ever failing any Intimidate checks against the target during that time), the duration of the coercion increases to 2d8 days. Coercion is overt, not subtle, and in most cases using coercion against a creature is an evil act.

A coerced target acts as though Friendly toward you even when you aren’t around, but the aid offered remains grudging at best. The target’s true attitude is permanently Hostile, and if the target believes it can take an action to hinder you that can’t be traced back to it, it’s likely to take such opportunities.

Creatures attempting to enlist its aid against you can often do so by convincing the target they are able to protect it from your wrath, using the normal Diplomacy rules.

Action: Coercing a target into acting friendly for hours takes 1d4 × 10 minutes. Coercing a target into acting Friendly for days requires you to successfully use coercion at least once per week for 1d6 weeks without failing any Intimidate checks against the target during that time.

Retry? You can’t attempt long-term coercion against the same target again for 1 week.

Proficiency:

  • Skilled: The duration of the target's Friendly attitude is doubled.
  • Expert: The duration of the target's Friendly attitude is is multiplied by 3.
  • Master: The duration of the target's Friendly attitude is multiplied by 4.
  • Legendary: The duration of the target's Friendly attitude is multiplied by 5.

Cutting Humiliation (Expert)

When you successfully demoralize a target by using a verbal Intimidate check in a social situation (rather than an Intimidate check you can make via an ability such as Dazzling Display or Enforcer), you can instead humiliate the target, causing it to take a –2 penalty on Charisma-based skill checks and Charisma ability checks for 1 hour; this penalty increases by 2 for every 5 by which the result of your check exceeds the DC. The target can remove the effect early by taking 10 minutes to compose herself. If you fail this check, any creature who witnessed the failure is immune to your humiliation from this feat for 24 hours. If you fail by 5 or more, you become humiliated for 1 hour instead of your target.

  • Master: The duration of the penalty increases to 1 day, and the target must spend 1 hour to compose herself.
  • Legendary: The duration of the penalty increases to 1 week, and the target must spend 1 day to compose herself.

Demoralize Opponent (Novice)

You can use this skill to cause an opponent to become shaken for a number of rounds. This shaken condition doesn't stack with other shaken conditions to make an affected creature frightened. This is a fear effect.

If you are successful, the target is shaken for one round. This duration increases by 1 round for every 5 by which you beat the DC. You can only threaten an opponent this way if it is within 30 feet and can clearly see and hear you. Using demoralize on the same creature only extends the duration; it does not create a stronger fear condition. A failed check has not effect.

Action: Demoralizing an opponent is a simple action.

Retry? You can attempt to intimidate an opponent again, but each additional check increases the DC by +5. This increase resets after one hour has passed.

Proficiency:

  • Skilled: If you exceed the DC to demoralize a target by at least 10, it is frightened for 1 round and shaken the next round plus 1 round for every 5 by which you exceed the DC. A Will save (DC = 10 + your number of ranks in Intimidate) negates the frightened condition, but the target is still shaken, even if it has the stalwart ability.
  • Expert: If you exceed the DC to demoralize a target by at least 10, it is panicked for 1 round or frightened for 1d4 rounds (your choice) and shaken the next round plus 1 round for every 5 by which you exceed the DC. A Will save (DC = 10 + your number of ranks in Intimidate) negates the frightened or panicked condition, but the target is still shaken, even if it has the stalwart ability.
  • Master: If you exceed the DC to demoralize a target by at least 20, it is cowering for 1 round or panicked for 1d4 rounds (your choice) and frightened the next round plus 1 round for every 5 by which you exceed the DC. A Will save (DC = 10 + your number of ranks in Intimidate) negates the cowering, panicked, and frightened conditions, but the target is still shaken, even if it has the stalwart ability.
  • Legendary: If you exceed the DC to demoralize a target by at least 20, it is cowering for 1d4 rounds and panicked the next round plus 1 round for every 5 by which you exceed the DC. A Will save (DC = 10 + your number of ranks in Intimidate) negates the cowering and panicked conditions, but the target is still shaken, even if it has the stalwart ability.

Influence Opponent’s Attitude (Novice)

You can use Intimidate to force an opponent to act Friendly toward you for 1d6 × 10 minutes with a successful check.

If successful, the opponent will:

  • …give you information you desire
  • …take actions that do not endanger it
  • …offer other limited assistance

After the intimidate expires, the target's attitude towards you permanently shifts down 1 step (at least Unfriendly) and may report you to local authorities.

If you fail this check by 5 or more, the target attempts to deceive you or otherwise hinder your activities.

Action: Using Intimidate to influence an opponent’s attitude requires 1 minute of conversation.

Retry? You can attempt to intimidate an opponent again, but each additional check increases the DC by +5. This increase resets after one hour has passed.

Proficiency:

  • Skilled: The duration of the target's Friendly attitude is doubled.
  • Expert: The duration of the target's Friendly attitude is is multiplied by 3.
  • Master: The duration of the target's Friendly attitude is multiplied by 4.
  • Legendary: The duration of the target's Friendly attitude is multiplied by 5.

Modifiers


  • Feats—If you have the Persuasive feat, you gain a +2 bonus on Intimidate skill checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in Intimidate, the bonus increases to +4.
  • Race—A half-orc with the Intimidating racial trait gets a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks.
  • Size—You gain a +4 bonus on Intimidate checks if you are larger than your target, and a –4 penalty on Intimidate checks if you are smaller than your target.

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