Pathfinder 1E Unintimidating Muscle-Bound Hulks

[Fauchard1520]

Do you guys allow "the big guys" in the party to substitute Strength for Charisma on Intimidation checks? Or do you insist that they pay the feat tax for "intimidating prowess?" What's the rationale either way?

(Comic for illustrative purposes.)

 

[aco175]

In 5e I do. I tend to make the DC a bit higher for some types of monsters. I view it as more close to torture or threat of violence by breaking things or bending a steel bar like in the movies over just talking about all the things you are going to do.

Had such a crush on her when I was a kid.

 

[James Gasik]

In 5e I do. I tend to make the DC a bit higher for some types of monsters. I view it as more close to torture or threat of violence by breaking things or bending a steel bar like in the movies over just talking about all the things you are going to do.

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Had such a crush on her when I was a kid.

Diana has just as much Charisma as Strength so it really doesn't matter.

 

[Fauchard1520]

In 5e I do. I tend to make the DC a bit higher for some types of monsters. I view it as more close to torture or threat of violence by breaking things or bending a steel bar like in the movies over just talking about all the things you are going to do.

I meant in Pathfinder. :/

 

[Alzrius]

I can understand why someone would object to not using Strength as the key ability score for Intimidate, but I've seen too many instances of intimidation in various movies, TV shows, video games, comics, etc. that didn't rely on brute strength to say that Charisma isn't a better choice. It's about presence a lot more than muscle, as Rorschach so effectively demonstrates here:

 

[Vaalingrade]

Being a psychopath should have its own modifier though.

 

[MGibster]

There's an RPG called Timelords that came out in the late 1980s. Your skill level was modified based on how difficult the current task was. i.e. Trying to fix a car without proper tools is more difficult than it would be if you had the proper tools. For intimidation, one of the examples they used was a six-year-old girl with a stick trying to intimidate a grown man. It's going to be difficult. On the other hand, if you try to intimidate someone by threatening to kill them after they witnessed you using a flamethrower on another person, well, you're more likely to be successful.