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<blockquote data-quote="blickish" data-source="post: 117466" data-attributes="member: 3603">You've missed a key element of the definitionof Charisma in the PHB.&quot;It represents actual personal strength, not merely how one is perceived by others in an social setting.&quot;Assuming (broadly) that all high Strength characters are lumpy mountains of muscle, who'd sooner pound you flat than look at you, does not make them Intimidating.&nbsp; The muscle bound oaf cracking walnuts with his bare hands may be perceived as threatening, but until he gives you that twisted sneer and mimes cracking a couple other nuts in his bare hands, he's not Intimidating.&nbsp; Mike Tyson isn't Intimidating until he threatens to bite off your face. In social situations, Hannibal Lecter is a refined gentleman.&nbsp; If you met a &quot;Hannibal Lecter&quot; at the opera, you would be charmed and dazzled by his poise and personal magnetism.&nbsp; We are only Intimidated by Hannibal Lecter because, as the audience, we know he's going to eat our liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.&nbsp; Likewise, his next victim will have no inkling of what's in store until it's too late.&nbsp;&nbsp; By then he's already peeled his own face off with a shard of glass, because it seemed like such a good idea at the time.Hannibal Lecter isn't Intimidating until he uses the power of suggestion. The wry rogue with the rapier wit can be just as Intimidating as the snarling barbarian with the bloody axe can be just as Intimidating as the blue blooded aristocrat with the disdainful sneer can be just as Intimidating as the mysterious foreigener with the seductive charm.&nbsp; Your black mask or your bulging physique or your lofty position or your dangerous beauty may be perceived as threatening, but until you put your personality to work behind these things you are not Intimidating.Which is to say, Intimidation is a function of Charisma, and nothing more.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="blickish, post: 117466, member: 3603"] [b]You've missed a key element of the definition[/b] of Charisma in the PHB. "It represents actual personal strength, not merely how one is perceived by others in an social setting." Assuming (broadly) that all high Strength characters are lumpy mountains of muscle, who'd sooner pound you flat than look at you, does not make them Intimidating. The muscle bound oaf cracking walnuts with his bare hands may be perceived as [I]threatening[/I], but until he gives you that twisted sneer and mimes cracking a couple other nuts in his bare hands, he's not Intimidating. Mike Tyson isn't Intimidating [I]until he threatens to bite off your face.[/I] In social situations, Hannibal Lecter is a refined gentleman. If you met a "Hannibal Lecter" at the opera, you would be charmed and dazzled by his poise and personal magnetism. We are only Intimidated by Hannibal Lecter because, as the audience, we know he's going to eat our liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. Likewise, his next victim will have no inkling of what's in store until it's too late. By then he's already peeled his own face off with a shard of glass, because it seemed like such a good idea at the time. Hannibal Lecter isn't Intimidating [I]until he uses the power of suggestion.[/I] The wry rogue with the rapier wit can be just as Intimidating as the snarling barbarian with the bloody axe can be just as Intimidating as the blue blooded aristocrat with the disdainful sneer can be just as Intimidating as the mysterious foreigener with the seductive charm. Your black mask or your bulging physique or your lofty position or your dangerous beauty may be [I]perceived as threatening[/I], but until you put your personality to work behind these things you are not Intimidating. Which is to say, Intimidation is a function of Charisma, and nothing more. [/QUOTE]

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