Friendly - For What Purposes...

[Krel]

Yesterday during a game session, the following issue came up:

My PC intimidated an evil cleric into being friendly. Suddenly, however, angry orcs came around the corner. I won initiative, and I wanted to attack. The only way to reach the orcs was to get past the cleric (it was a 5-ft. corridor).

My question is can I move through the square that my now friendly enemy occupies? Or is the cleric treated as my enemy for purposes of moving through his space?

Thanks for clearing this up.

-Kord

FYI: I can't tumble, and I'm medium-sized.

 

[Felix]

If you beat your target’s check result, you may treat the target as friendly, but only for the purpose of actions taken while it remains intimidated. (That is, the target retains its normal attitude, but will chat, advise, offer limited help, or advocate on your behalf while intimidated. See the Diplomacy skill, above, for additional details.) The effect lasts as long as the target remains in your presence, and for 1d6×10 minutes afterward. After this time, the target’s default attitude toward you shifts to unfriendly (or, if normally unfriendly, to hostile).

If here were friendly, he would not take an AoO on you. He may even aid you in battle in small ways. This is DM dependent, but in combat he should be played as a friendly character.

The only other course of action I could see this cleric taking is using the orcs as an opportunity to escape from your clutches. He doesn't like you, but because of the Intimidation, he won't attack (he must act as friendly). But I do not think this means he won't act in his own best interest if the opportunity to flee arose.

But no, no AoO. He's scared of you; that's what Intimidation is all about; he's been scared straight... for the moment at least.

 

[Bad Paper]

But no, no AoO. He's scared of you; that's what Intimidation is all about; he's been scared straight... for the moment at least.

I agree with this. When you move through his square, he cowers away from you, lest you decide to make good on your threatening posture.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Yes, that friendly condition goes all the way as long as it lasts.

I'd say that if the situation would significantly improve for the intimidatee, he might snap out of it, but I'd say a couple of orcs does not tip the balance sufficiently, especially if you're now out ot kill them.

The guy is afraid of you. At that moment, he's sure that if he crosses you, you end him.

And the fleeing part would not always work, either: Intimidatign someone means not just to threaten that someone. Even a half-orc barbarian without ranks in intimidate and cha 5 can threaten people, and it will often work. But as soon as those people's situation improves, their behaviour might very well change, because the threat you represented may be gone now.

But if you intimidate them, they know that running won't help them. They're afraid, maybe even against their better knowledge, that there's no fleeing from you. They could run away, but they'd only die tired. They could call the authorities, but they wouldn't live to see them arrive. And so on.