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<blockquote data-quote="Jeremy Ackerman-Yost" data-source="post: 5025671" data-attributes="member: 4720">EDIT: Pawsplay wins at timely posting.I think you have a core assumption slightly out of place.Strength isn't inherently scary.&nbsp; Fighting skill is.I'm a big guy with a bare minimum of martial arts background.&nbsp; I certainly have less fighting experience than the average person/humanoid who would actually fight a D&amp;D player character, and I still am not intimidated in the slightest by someone with large muscles.Long reach?&nbsp; Scary if they look competent, otherwise less so.&nbsp; Quick?&nbsp; Definitely a worry, even if I otherwise can't tell anything about them.&nbsp; Quick and smart?&nbsp; I'd rather fight 2 big guys than one wiry-looking guy who has a brain, especially if he can get his hands on a weapon.&nbsp; Big guys are only really a worry if there's going to be grappling involved or there's no room to maneuver (which are really the same thing, most of the time).IMO, if you're trying to model human behavior.... Big, strong guys should get a bonus to intimidate people who don't know anything about fighting.&nbsp; Experienced fighters... not so much.&nbsp; I'm not even legitimately experienced and I have better things to go on than the sheer size of a guy.In a d20-style game, something to do with BAB would be a more realistic way to model that than strength.&nbsp; That's probably the best way to do it.&nbsp; If you want to be really &quot;realistic&quot;, then intimidate or bluff checks to look more or less impressive than you are should be modified by BAB in some way, as well, in addition to charisma.4e sort of handles it indirectly with the automatic bonus to your skills just by leveling.&nbsp; An experienced fighter doesn't need to try to look impressive to untrained people or low skill people.&nbsp; Automatic bonus to your intimidate will handle that.&nbsp; But if he wants to trick another experienced fighter into thinking that he is more skilled than he is... that takes some bluffing, not just muscle flexing.&nbsp; Skilled fighters aren't going to be impressed.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jeremy Ackerman-Yost, post: 5025671, member: 4720"] EDIT: Pawsplay wins at timely posting. I think you have a core assumption slightly out of place. Strength isn't inherently scary. Fighting skill is. I'm a big guy with a bare minimum of martial arts background. I certainly have less fighting experience than the average person/humanoid who would actually fight a D&D player character, and I still am not intimidated in the slightest by someone with large muscles. Long reach? Scary if they look competent, otherwise less so. Quick? Definitely a worry, even if I otherwise can't tell anything about them. Quick and smart? I'd rather fight 2 big guys than one wiry-looking guy who has a brain, especially if he can get his hands on a weapon. Big guys are only really a worry if there's going to be grappling involved or there's no room to maneuver (which are really the same thing, most of the time). IMO, if you're trying to model human behavior.... Big, strong guys should get a bonus to intimidate people who don't know anything about fighting. Experienced fighters... not so much. I'm not even legitimately experienced and I have better things to go on than the sheer size of a guy. In a d20-style game, something to do with BAB would be a more realistic way to model that than strength. That's probably the best way to do it. If you want to be really "realistic", then intimidate or bluff checks to look more or less impressive than you are should be modified by BAB in some way, as well, in addition to charisma. 4e sort of handles it indirectly with the automatic bonus to your skills just by leveling. An experienced fighter doesn't need to try to look impressive to untrained people or low skill people. Automatic bonus to your intimidate will handle that. But if he wants to trick another experienced fighter into thinking that he is more skilled than he is... that takes some bluffing, not just muscle flexing. Skilled fighters aren't going to be impressed. [/QUOTE]

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