Intimidate ..too good?

[Zalgarde]

Someone mentioned superexploding a bunch of enemies to half health in one round and then having the paladin demand surrender like it was a problem. If I were bandit joe fighter and me and 20 of my friends got cooked like lobsters in under 6 seconds by the one man who wasn't covered in armor and brandishing razor sharp instruments of destruction, and then the nice shiny paladin who probably (hopefully!) has to keep his word, offered me a way to not die before my armor stops sizzling?

Hm, I think I might take that.

 

[chaotix42]

And reconciling that with said hard numerical rule, put in place to satisfy those who would cry moar, is where that "DM fiat" bit comes in.

Agreed. When the PCs are battling foes that the DM is comfortable with having surrender, you have a simple guideline for determining difficulty. When the PCs are battling well-trained and loyal bodyguards or cultists who would balk at surrender, or ancient dragons protecting their jealously-guarded hoards, the "DC set by the DM" and "other conditional modifiers (such as what you might be seeking to accomplish or what you’re asking for)" parts come into play.

 

[Kishin]

Whats wrong with writing rules which don't require DM fiat to unbreak?

Like the part where it says DC set by the DM?

Is a DM setting difficulty for a task DM Fiat? I was under the impression that was what I was supposed to be doing as part of being the DM.