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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SteveC" data-source="post: 4205028" data-attributes="member: 9053">So here are my last comments on the Intimidate thing:First, in the real world, intimidation is used to get assistance all the time. Wealthy and powerful individuals (which, if the PCs are any level, they most certainly are) get things done their way all the time by threats. "Do what I say or my business, X jobs and Y dollars leaves the area," is a common tactic. "Do what I say or our group's protection over your point of light will be withdrawn," might be a powerful motivation in the world of 4E. It's not a nice thing to do, but then if you're intimidating you're likely not a nice person.Second, does this immunity apply only to the PCs? I mean if later on in the adventure, when the PCs discover that the lord in question has been helping the bad guys (as happens many times), and demand to know why. Should this NPC respond, as many NPCs have over the history of gaming: what could I do? They threatened my wife and family, I had to help them. If so, I'd say your players could immediately call BS and say "I'm sorry, this NPC is immune to being intimidated! Come up with another story, because I'm not buying that one!"Because of course you can intimidate someone to help you. Heck, you can even intimidate them to keep helping you over an extended period of time and being your 'friend.' How do you think bullies work? That Cobra-Kai dojo attracts students using the intimidation skill (okay, Karate Kid reference = bad, but still...)  Pretty much every topic we are banned about discussing on this very site has people, even powerful ones, being manipulated by intimidation. So my last point: once you say that someone is immune to a particular form of persuasion, rather than just being very resistant, you're closing off plotlines and removing roleplaying opportunities from the game.If the players succeeded with their skill challenge and used intimidation, that would open up many options to me as a GM that I didn't have before. If I were sitting behind the screen at that moment, I'd be happy that my players had given me more options for how to present a future adversary to them: they have given me a new plotline in the long term in exchange for some short term help. With the players I have, they would most likely give the intimidating player no end of grief several months later when they found out that Duke they were talking with and "intimidated" was the one giving the BBEG all of the most up to date information on what they were doing.Of course if it's your game you're in charge and you can feel free to ignore my rantings.--Steve</blockquote>

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