How to Adjudicate INTIMIDATE?

[Samothdm]

In the publisherd adventure I ran last week, two of my players (a rogue/fighter and a hulking human barbarian) ran down two bad-guys (sorcerers) who were trying to run away while carrying an unconscious kidnap victim. I just assumed that my players would attack the two sorcerers. Instead, the rogue/fighter decided to use Intimidate and rolled really well.

This is the first time that she's used Intimidate in my game, and I found the description in the PH rather lacking. There was no table for "grades of success" or anything like that. With a successful check, how should I rule what the bad guys tell her?

I checked through the "House Rules" forums and couldn't find anything there so decided to post here.

How do you know how much of an evil plan/plot that a bad guy will reveal if successfully intimidated? What if the remainder of the party tries to attack the bad guys (who are already Intimidated)? Would they fight back, or cower because they are Intimidated?

 

[Schmoe]

I would rule Intimidate to work similarly to Diplomacy - ie a roll of 15 would "improve" relations by one step, and a roll of 25 would "improve" relations by two steps. In this case, however, realtions wouldn't be "improved" beyond the immediate encounter, and they would only be "improved" in so far as the NPC's willingness to comply with the PC's requests.

So, a hostile opponent could be intimidated into acting unfriendly, thereby ceasing immediate hostilities, or even to neutral, thereby willing to bargain or deal further.

The difference I see between Intimidate and Diplomacy is that Intimidate can be used during a combat, while Diplomacy cannot, and Diplomacy can genuinely affect an NPC's feelings toward a PC, while Intimidate cannot.

In your case, I would have had the sorcerers stop and bargain with the PC's, obviously wanting to avoid a confrontation. However, they would likely still be unfriendly, or at least neutral toward the PC's, and thus they would only give as much information as needed to avoid conflict. I think the Intimidate roll would certainly be enough to get the sorcerers to drop the kidnap victim.

If the PC's attacked anyway, I'd have the sorcerers flee or defend themselves, unless they have reason to believe the PC's are merciful, in which case they would probably surrender.

 

[Lucius Foxhound]

Schmoe's rules are good for a house rules. According to the SRD:

The character can change others' behavior with a successful [intimidate] check. The DC is typically 10 + the target's Hit Dice. Any bonuses that a target may have on saving throws against fear increase the DC.

So if you make the roll against that DC, then the other character becomes intimidated.

In our game, we use this skill when we're trying to get information out of someone. If the check succeeds, they're more likely to tell us what we want to know...

So a prisoner will spill his guts and an enemy might surrender. Like a lot of charisma checks, it's up to the DM.

 

[Kyramus]

from the SRD
(*)Intimidate (CHA)

Check: The character can change others' behavior with a successful check. The DC is typically 10 + the target's Hit Dice. Any bonuses that a target may have on saving throws against fear increase the DC.

Retry: Generally, retries do not work. Even if the initial check succeeds, the other character can only be intimidated so far, and a retry doesn't help. If the initial check fails, the other character has probably become more firmly resolved to resist the intimidator, and a retry is futile.

Special: If the character has 5 or more ranks in Bluff , the character gets a +2 synergy bonus on Intimidate checks.

---
Personally if I were running the outcome. Having 2 npc sorcerers carrying a body and running, when one successfully intimidates both, I'd have them drop the body and keep running.
Intimidate means they are cowed so they are frightened and will flee from the people. It doesn't mean they are stupid, just not willing to risk their hides. Dropping the body would be one way of ensuring this.
The pcs can either stop and check the body or keep chasing them.
If they don't stop to check the body, then lower the exp award.

An intimidated person that is cornered would have to think of two things. 1 escape, 2 if he spill his guts, what are the chances that his superiors will spill his guts literally.
so while he is half lying to the group he would be planning a way to escape, at the first available moment he will. Might even leave and inform his superiors why the group is going to the mine that they never had any operations on.

 

[Stalker0]

People have always gotten really confused about intimidate, because the wording of the skill is very poor.

But from what WOTC members, and board members alike have said in previous postings is that intimate isn't really a skill designed to scare the beejesus out of anyone, "arg!!! I'm really scary, run you puny mortal!!!" Its a way to use words in a threatening language to get people to do what you want.

Example, in the situation we're talking about, let's say the sorcs run into a corner.

The PC comes in, cocks an eyebrow and smiles and says, "You know you could run, and you might even get away. But (looking at a particular marking on the sorc's cloak) I notice your from the saris order. It would be a shame if something happened to them in your abscence"

That's why its a charisma skill. I think you should be able to use intimidate as a scaring skill, since there are no others like it, but in that case I would say the opponent gets a will save vs your check (like a fear save), thereby paladins can't be intimidated. Also, it should have the same effects as fear, shaken vs flat out running, but it won't give you info.



IF you watch the movies, you notice how heros use their intimidate skill. Some will their guns slowly behind the guys ear. Some will lay down their weapon right in front of the guy, and put a "friendly hand" on his shoulder. Its not about being a badass, although being a badass helps and I think situation mods can often be in order, its about using it in a way that's just flat out cool.

 

[Lucius Foxhound]

Sounds like Stalker0 is right.

I wonder how an NPC using Intimidate on a PC would work. It's fine for the DM to say, "Okay, you're extremely intimidated by him," but its another to tell the PC that he should consider spilling his guts. It hasn't come up in our game..

 

[Petrosian]

i use intimidate as a perception thing.

A successful intimidate (circumstantial modifiers apply) will convince the victim that you are powerful and dangerous... you appear threatening, something he should worry about.

The reaction changes but how it changes really is dependent on the person being affected. A typical lackey will respond as he does to all threatening figures... he focuses his innate lackeyness on you.

A conniving evil prince might decide its good to play nice for now and arrange to have you killed later, after he finds out more.

As for NPCs intimidating the PCs, handle it with description. if the evil sorcerer intimidates the PCs describe him with a good touch or two of out-of-the-ordinary "he is powerful" effects. "Even from across the room, the magic this guy exudes makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. the bar grows silent as everyone, even drunken dain, is staring at the stranger. he walks casually to the bar, his eyes seeming to study you for a moment, almost as if looking inside you, and orders a drink."

Since you know your players and their characters it should be a snap to figure out a descriptive tweak or two to make this "intimidating figure" seem like something more than "your typical NPC" enough to make them think twice.

 

[kreynolds]

I wonder how an NPC using Intimidate on a PC would work.

Actually, the DMG says that NPCs can never use a Charisma check to influence PC attitudes, since your players always decide their attitudes themselves. In my games, when an NPC uses a diplomacy check, I relate to the PC(s) that the NPC seems to be cooperative and genuinely wants to help them. When an NPC uses an intimidate check, I relate to the PC(s) that the NPC definately means business. For example, it might be obvious that the NPC has no other choice but to fight you, or the NPC simply might not have any problems at all with just killing you where you stand. It's a pretty fluid thing, but both skills work very differently when used against PCs.