Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 9244262" data-attributes="member: 12731">You also need to consider whether the action is voluntary or not.If you try to intimidate a local prince or something, and this person thinks there is a choice to give in or not give in, (perhaps you're in his court where he thinks he's safe) then yes, you probably need Charisma. Likewise if you're interrogating, say, a ghost, where you simply don't have any physical threats to make.But in many practical cases, when you have collected a bunch of goblins, and the DM asks you to roll Intimidation DC 12 for a goblin to spill the secrets about the local dungeon, then obviously Charisma should not be your only recourse.In this case, answering questions isn't a choice. Your only choice is between:a) answering straight away and being rewarded with, if not outright freedom, then at least a quick death (since players seldom care for the hassle of taking prisoners)andb) witnessing the gruesome deaths of your fellow goblins and then experiencing extreme pain and terror yourself... before revealing the secrets anyway.This doesn't mean the players are psychopaths. It just means the goblins' info is what stands between the PCs and progressing on their quest, and that most groups don't take the game that seriously, so just let us make that Intimidation check, dispose of the goblins, and move on to the next part of the adventure.Since D&D doesn't offer an especially deep psychological study of its heroes, I think Strength is the best option, since it is the one Ability most correlated to sheer bulk and physical prowess. In simple terms, if you have an average Strength, you simply won't be the kind of hulking brute that a goblin would instinctively fear.</blockquote>

Verification