Spicing up Intimidate

[Ferrum]

I'm playing a Barbarian/Fighter in a group thats woefully short of charm. As such, my intimidate skill has been one of our few tools in dealing with people. Though I've spent alot of points in the skill, I'm getting a bit annoyed with my hesitation to use it in combat. Demoralize taking a standard action makes it very prohibitive, considering that I'm the main source of melee damage in the party. Losing a round of 100+ possible damage is not worth a a few -2 adjustments.

In trying to add a little use to the skill, I've come up with Improved Demoralize feat, taking the structure of Improved Feint as a model.

IMPROVED DEMORALIZE
You know how to shake an opponent's resolve in combat.

Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack.

Benefit: You can make an Intimidate check to demoralize in combat as a move action.

Normal: Demoralizing in combat is a standard action.

Special: A fighter may select improved demoralize as one of his fighter bonus feats.

I've gone with Power Attack and Str as prereqs, since physical presence and ferocity are what would most likely terrify an opponent. I suppose if you wanted Demoralize to be more of a verbal taunt than a body language gesture, Bluff Skill and Cha could be substituted. I am almost leaning towards throwing in a +2 or +4 modifier in there as well, since shaken is not nearly as much a benefit as the feint's result of losing dex bonus. However... with some possible changes to the Intimidate skill istelf, the result could be more interesting:

INTIMIDATE (CHA)
Use this skill to get a bully to back down, to frighten an opponent or to make a prisoner give you the information you want. Intimidation includes verbal threats and Body language.

Check: You can change another’s behavior with a successful intimidate check. Your intimidate check is opposed by the target’s modified level check (1d20 + character level or Hit Dice + target’s wisdom bonus + target’s modifiers on saves against fear). If you beat your target’s check result, you may treat the target as friendly, but only for the purpose of actions taken while it remains intimidated. (That is, the target retains its normal attitude, but will chat, advise, offer limited help, or advocate on your behalf while intimidated. See the Diplomacy skill, above, for additional details.) The effect lasts as long as the target remains in your presence, and for 1d6×10 minutes afterward. After this time, the target’s default attitude toward you shifts to unfriendly (or, if normally unfriendly, to hostile).
If you fail the check by 5 or more, the target provides you with incorrect or useless information, or otherwise frustrates your efforts.

Demoralize Opponent: You can also use Intimidate to weaken an opponent’s resolve in combat. To do so, make an Intimidate check opposed by the target’s modified level check (see above). If you win, the target becomes shaken for 1 round. A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. You can intimidate only an opponent that you threaten in melee combat and that can see you.

If you succeed the check by 5 or more, the target is frightened for one round and shaken for the following round. If you succeed the check by 10 or more, the target is panicked for 1 round, frightened for one round and shaken for the 2 following rounds.

Action: Varies. Changing another’s behavior requires 1 minute of interaction. Intimidating an opponent in combat is a standard action.

Try Again: Optional, but not recommended because retries usually do not work. Even if the initial check succeeds, the other character can be intimidated only so far, and a retry doesn’t help. If the initial check fails, the other character has probably become more firmly resolved to resist the intimidator, and a retry is futile.

Special: You gain a +4 bonus on your Intimidate check for every size category that you are larger than your target. Conversely, you take a –4 penalty on your Intimidate check for every size category that you are smaller than your target.

A character immune to fear can’t be intimidated, nor can nonintelligent creatures.

If you have the Persuasive feat, you get a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks.

Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks.

In Bold are my suggested additions to the demoralize action. A really scary guy should be abe to scare to a further degree, no?

So... comments, ideas?

 

[airwalkrr]

I agree with you in concept if not in practice. Your adjustment to Intimidate makes it a bit too power I feel. However, I do like your feat. I believe it is fairly balanced and adds a nice option to those players seeking to use Intimidate in combat. To me it seems like the skill out to be one of those things useful both in and out of combat.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

How about a change to the Cleave feat along the lines of:

Instead of the follow on attack when you drop a foe, you may chose to Intimidate your opponents with a display of martial prowess. All opponents that witness the cleave must make a will save vs DC of 5 + your Intimidate check total. Failure results in the opponents being shaken until the end of your next action. This is a mind affecting fear-based effect.
Allies gain a bonus as if affected by the Bardic Inspire Courage. This effect lasts for 1 round per point of either Str or Chr Mod {whichever was used for the intimidate check}.

Note, since the Shaken condition lasts until the end of your next action, a follow on Intimidate could push them into Frightened, then panicked...

This makes Intimidate more incombat freindly, but still limited.. and doesn't eat up another feat... or you could do this as a seperate feat with the same prereqs as Cleave.