Surrendering

[Quickleaf]

Surrendering to a foe
There comes a time in a hero's life when capitulating to one's enemy and burning with pride is preferrable to losing one's head. During combat any creature may surrender to another as a standard action during their turn. This involves sheathing or dropping one's armaments and calling upon your foe's mercy. During this time you present yourself as helpless to your foe for one round (or more if you wish). If the foe accepts your surrender, the foe gains the following benefit: all intimidation attempts the foe makes against you automatically succeed. There are no rules saying you must be a good prisoner or that you can't try to escape, however.

Intimidate: Forcing a foe to surrender
If you have reduced a foe to 1/4 its total hit points, you may attempt to force its surrender. Likewise, if you have reduced a group to 1/4 its original number, you may attempt to force any remaining enemies to surrender. This percentage may vary depending on the culture and war customs of your enemies. You make an Intimidate check opposed by their level check as a standard action. If you succeed, you force your foe to surender as above.

Is this balanced? How do you run surrendering in your game?

[the Jester]

I do it via roleplaying. Why, just the other night, the pcs defeated 14 bandits, with 8 of them surrendering.

[Endur]

Most of it seems reasonable. I'm not sure that I would have the "all intimidation attempts automatically succeed" part though. I might have the "first intimidation attempt automatically succeeds".

Originally Posted by Quickleaf

If the foe accepts your surrender, the foe gains the following benefit: all intimidation attempts the foe makes against you automatically succeed. There are no rules saying you must be a good prisoner or that you can't try to escape, however.

[Starglim]

You can speak, drop an object, or kneel as a free action. These have the usual mechanical implications.

Combat, and thus initiative, ends when the DM decides that the fight is over.

You can use Intimidate to compel an NPC to act as if friendly (that is, to chat, advise, offer limited help, and not to attack, interfere or flee from you).

As you said, nothing in surrendering compels you to be a good prisoner, nor stops your captor from instantly attacking and killing you.

I don't think any further mechanics are required.

[dedicated]

The intimidate check is opposed by a level check?

that will give the guy with the intimidation an advantage

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Originally Posted by Quickleaf

Is this balanced? How do you run surrendering in your game?

The only one who decides what a PC submits to in surrendering is the player. Unless there's a lot more than just intimidation at work (like actual, powerful domination magic) a PC cannot be FORCED to surrender. Certainly not with a mere feat much less a skill check.

Like Diplomacy, Intimidation skill does not affect PC attitudes and actions as it does NPC's. Players alone decide when their characters will be swayed by Diplomacy or affected by Intimidation.

Surrender is not a formal, rules-defined procedure. It should be played out under existing rules. You lay down your weapons as part of your surrender if you WANT to lay down your weapons as part of your surrender, not because Surrender Rules force you to do so. Etc.

[Stalker0]

I think intimidation is fine to make NPC's surrender, but I wouldn't force it on players. Let them decide how they want to risk it.

Is it the basic DC for a normal intimidate check?

[Quickleaf]

Thanks for the input. I too usually run surrendering as a purely role-playing matter, until a player pointed out to me that the GM was entirely in control of whether or not NPCs surrendered. The player argued that Intimidation and Diplomacy could influence an NPC with rules, and that a high-level renowned warrior should be able to induce his opponent's to surrender.

Of course, this is a player-only option to cause their foes to surrender. It provides a way to end a battle without killing. I imagine it would look like this on the role-playing table:

Ragnoth the Cruel and Dimas Lightweaver are squaring off. Having exhausted their mounts and broken their lances and shields, the two warriors have cycled through a variety of weapons - axes, maces, swords all lie broken at their feet. Battle-weary and bleeding, Dimas circles the unarmed Ragnoth with a glaive in his hand. In the background, the sound of a triumphant battle horn can be heard. "Give up, foul barbarian! My army routes your horde! Bow down to me and I shall swear to treat you well. Bow down and you shall see your beloved wife and daughter again." (Player rolls Intimidate check and succeeds) Ragnoth eases himself to one knee in shame, surrendering.

Yeah, I think the DC is the base for Intimidate.

Maybe I should re-create this as a feat.