Intimidate in combat

[Kerrick]

Characters with high charisma may think of it as a ranged attack! You can weaken a foe from across the room!

Um, yeah. Nice try.

Intimidate to demoralize opponent doesn't specify whose opponent.

No, but it does say that you have to threaten them - you can't "use it as a ranged attack":

You can also use Intimidate to weaken an opponent’s resolve in combat. To do so, make an Intimidate check opposed by the target’s modified level check (see above). If you win, the target becomes shaken for 1 round. A shaken character takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. You can intimidate only an opponent that you threaten in melee combat and that can see you.

 

[MrWildman]

You can intimidate only an opponent that you threaten in melee combat and that can see you.

Bummer.
Well, I got away with it once.

Peace.

 

[Celebrim]

I consider it something like feint. It's the base action that anyone can do, but you have to invest in it (feats) to get it to be powerful.

So make a feat tree.

 

[Mark Chance]

My next campaign will use something similar to True20's "fast task" rules:

You reduce the time needed to complete the check by accepting a penalty to -5 check or a +5 bonus to the check's DC. If the check is normally a full-round action, it becomes a standard action. An standard action becomes a move action, while a move action becomes a free action. For checks requiring time in rounds, minutes, or longer, reduce the time needed by 25 percent per -5/+5 modifier, to a maximum 75% reduction.

Thus, a character could "fast task" an demoralize check by accepting a -5 penalty to the check.

Here are the Intimidate rules I'll be using in my next campaign. I glommed them from True20.

Demoralizing: You can use Intimidate in combat to demoralize an opponent, shaking their confidence. Make an Intimidate check as a standard action. If it succeeds, your target is shaken (-2 on all attack rolls, checks, and saving throws) for one round.

Mass Intimidate: You can attempt to intimidate more than one subject at a time. You suffer a -2 penalty to your check per opponent beyond the first.

Power Intimidate: In return for a -5 penalty to your Intimidate check, you can increase the penalty you inflict for demoralizing a foe by -1 or force your subject to take an action that is against his interests (but not life threatening). You can take this challenge multiple times to increase the demoralize penalty. However, you can’t use Intimidate to force someone to accept a life-threatening order.

Note the lack of a specific requirement that the Intimidate check's target be in the intimidator's threat area.

So, for example, Gronk the Intimidator sees a bad guy roughing up the party wizard. Gronk can't get to the wizard this round, but he can do this: move closer to the wizard and then use power intimidate as a standard action (with a -5 penalty), stipulating that his power initimidate, if successful, will force the bad guy to use a move action to retreat away from the wizard.