Intimidate Skill: Useless?

[ptolemy18]

Have any DMs here made modifications to the uses of the "Intimidate" skill? I'm specifically thinking of the combat "Demoralize" usage.

Basically, to "Demoralize" someone, you have to take a standard action, and then they become "shaken" for 1 round. This seems extremely lame and I wonder why anyone would bother using this skill. The effect makes sense, but the fact that it takes up a standard action ruins it. If you're facing an opponent and you have a standard action, wouldn't want to attack them instead?!

It makes more sense to me to make "Demoralize" a move action.... :/

Jason

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

It's more for you to use so your allies can get a bonus. There is also a feat that improves the Intimidate skill by making it a move action, IIRC.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Intimidate in combat is just total crap.

Most DM's would be well advised to make intimidate a standard action for both the combat AND social versions.

Which means you could actually use intimidate to stop an impending fight, where diplomacy might not be so good a choice (given the -10 for a quick attempt).

Unless you do that, intimidate is the poor man's diplomacy.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Intimidate in combat is just total crap.

Mess with Intimidate at your peril. (Get it?)

Seriously, Intimidate is vastly underrated. Among other things, just consider the Demoralize option in conjunction with other fear effects, many of them available at 1st level.


Jeff

 

[ptolemy18]

Intimidate in combat is just total crap.

I'm inclined to agree...

The other ridiculous thing is that Fighters don't have it on their list of skills. Meaning that the characters most likely to be actually able to kick someone's ass can't intimidate as effectively as, say, Rogues (Imagine the buff Fighter with low Intimidate: "Ah, er, ahem, I'm going to beat you up, mumble mumble.")

I might make it a move action...

Intimidating someone so that your foes get an advantage doesn't make much in-character sense either. ("I'm scared of YOU -- so now your friends can whale on me while I sit here looking at you and shivering!")

Jason

 

[ptolemy18]

Continuing the theme that it doesn't make sense for Intimidate to be a way to let your friends fight better against scared opponents (since they're supposed to be scared of you, not your friends)...

Maybe it should work like Dodge, which designates a target... so when you successfully Intimidate somebody, they have a -2 on all attack rolls & stuff AGAINST YOU for the next round.

....That's it! That's how I'll use it in my campaign!

Jason

Postscript: Hmm... what shall I post next...? I think next I'll complain about the new classes from the Miniatures Handbook!

 

[ThoughtfulOwl]

I'm inclined to agree...

The other ridiculous thing is that Fighters don't have it on their list of skills. Meaning that the characters most likely to be actually able to kick someone's ass can't intimidate as effectively as, say, Rogues (Imagine the buff Fighter with low Intimidate: "Ah, er, ahem, I'm going to beat you up, mumble mumble.")

Are you using 3.0 or 3.5? In the latter, intimidate in on the fighter skill list.

 

[Bigwilly]

I've used it to good effect

Why just the other evening one of my PCs used it on the elder of a dwarf village to get him to spill the beans about the 'dwarf's big secret'. Mind you there was a fair bit of roleplaying involved and I did roll a natural 20.

Bigwilly

 

[Henrix]

Fear effects stack. Two intimidating fighters = one frightened foe running.

A shaken foe also has -2 saves, which could be a useful way of softening him up for your friends stunning blow/Tasha's hideous laughter/whatever.

 

[vulcan_idic]

If you're facing an opponent and you have a standard action, wouldn't want to attack them instead?!

Not neccesarily...

Consider a character with a very low attack bonus, and/or weakened... And a lot of ranks in Intimidate...

If you attack you may or may not hit them... and even if you do, unless you eliminate them in one blow it is highly likely they will either try and kill you then or run away and find someway to get revenge... Using the Demoralize action, especially with a high rank, you may have a much higher chance of success, which will either avoid the conflict entirely, or eliminate a few of the opponents. Additionally, and potentially more importantly, those who run from you will have no good measure of your combat ability - for all they know you could have wiped the floor with them. In addition, they are probably less likely to seek revenge than someone who escaped you when you tried to kill them. To quote Sun Tzu, "Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."