D&D 5E (2014) Is Point Buy Balanced?

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

We already have that in intimidation.

Then great news!

False.

1) And this is the big one. Lots of time it doesn't cause you harm. Someone not liking you and/or what you just did =/= harm.
2) Deception can fail and then what?
3) Persuasion can fail and then what?
4) There will be times that persuasion is an auto fail for reasons in the fiction, but intimidation can work.
5) There will be times, albeit very rarely, when deception will auto fail for reasons in the fiction, but intimidation can work.

2 and 3 is the same for Intimidation (especially if you happen to have the same modifier and DCs).
And what reasons in the fiction are there for there to persuasion to fail but intimidation to work? How do you communicate this in game so that the players understand this and can take this into account?

 

[AlViking]

2 and 3 is the same for Intimidation (especially if you happen to have the same modifier and DCs).
And what reasons in the fiction are there for there to persuasion to fail but intimidation to work? How do you communicate this in game so that the players understand this and can take this into account?

Typically I try to broadcast it to the players through RP. For example a street thug may not respond to persuasion but will to intimidation. So they may respond with "Pretty words don't mean a thing" or I'll just portray them as cowardly but self-centered. As I said above insight checks or even something like a history check come into play as well. If you know the history of the region you may know that soft diplomacy is viewed as a weakness, at least as part of first contact.

Most of the times I don't wait for the player to ask for an insight or history check, I'll just tell them to make one if I think it makes sense for the scenario.