Why do Orcs get Intimidate?

[clearstream]

DM: The raider's handaxe puts you into bloodied. Now the Eye of Grummsh acts. Speaking in Common he describes the torments you will suffer unless you surrender. What's your Will defence?
Player: 15. Why?
DM: With his +10 Intimidate the Eye makes... 26! You surrender. Next turn take off your armour.
Player: I surrender? What is this, mind control?! You're reading the rules the wrong way...
DM: Okay then Einstein, riddle me this: Why do Orcs get Intimidate?



-vk

 

[Hawkeye]

Have you smelled their breath?

Hawkeye

 

[generalhenry]

meh scary orcs.

Works for me.

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

That cracks me up. I want to try that on some players sometime.

 

[James McMurray]

Not every bit of social interaction in the game world involves PCs.

 

[Byronic]

Well, as long as you remember that hostile targets get a +10 to their willsave. Apparently it's easier to intimidate your friends.

 

[Kzach]

The player's aren't monsters so intimidate won't work against them for purposes of giving up. It's included on the sheet because not everyone the orc interacts with is going to be the PC's. For instances include any NPC's that are with the PC's, minions of the PC's (bet your ass it's gonna be in a splatbook eventually), or if the PC is being interrogated and fails a Will check, they blurt out a secret, etc.

 

[Sarck]

Well, as long as you remember that hostile targets get a +10 to their willsave. Apparently it's easier to intimidate your friends.

This really made intimidate suck for me. You basically have to freakin' /own/ at intimidate to even scare off Kobolds! My poor Paladin felt rather disgraced as he charged forward, clad in fullplate, shield and sword on high, crying forth the damnation the Kobolds were fated to should they stand in his way!... moved five squares, failed his intimidation check, and took five damage from the resulting puny thwacks from the Kobolds around him.

Seriously. With a +11 intimidate check at level 4, it would have taken a 10 to intimidate a /kobold minion/.

Edit: As pointed out below~ I cannot type worth crap.

 

[keterys]

Seriously. With a +11 intimidate check at level 4, it would have taken a 20 to intimidate a /kobold minion/.

A _10_, not a 20. That's a pretty important difference

 

[Sarck]

You're correct, I was typing incorrectly. I was thinking I would have to get a total of 21, -10 to intimidate them. Still, the kobolds get a lot for being my enemy.