Skill of the Day: Intimidate!

The Intimidate skill represents both physical and mental intimidation, the ability to cow sentient foes into stepping aside, coughing up a password or handing over the loot, thus bypassing the need for combat. It can also be used to frighten away some animals, although this is less likely to succeed. Any ability – depending on context – can be used in concert with the Intimidate skill: Strength to impress with one’s potential for violence, Constitution to display one’s capacity for endurance, Charisma to simply use sheer force of personality, Wisdom as a marker of one’s own strength of purpose, Intelligence to intimidate using logic or knowledge and Dexterity to show off one’s physical prowess. Some of these combinations should be very limited in application, however: the City Guard are unlikely to be moved by a snazzy display of sleight of hand, but a poison-conscious Administrator might. Similarly, a Wolf won’t be moved by reasoned arguments, but a passionate howl using Charisma might do the trick.

There are, however, considerable limits on what can be done – and to whom – using the Intimidate skill. As a general guideline, one cannot Intimidate a foe with more Hit Dice than half one’s own Competency Level (rounded down, minimum of 1).  Against creatures or monsters, Intimidate in melee can precipitate a Morale Check (with no modifiers, save those the GM chooses to apply according to context). Against NPCs with class levels, the GM is the arbiter of what may or may not occur in a combat situation.

Out of combat, a successful use of Intimidate can modify reaction rolls (GM discretion) and may be used more directly to force specific actions (e.g., “Stand and Deliver!”). As ever, the GM will limit the possibilities. Generally, Intimidate can’t force someone to perform an act that they would not in some measure be inclined to perform in extremis.  NPCs are of course free agents, able to respond according to their own agendas: if Gortan (level 3 Thug/level 2 Thief) successfully Intimidates Meezle (level 1 Administrator), a minor functionary in the Imperial Revenue Service, Meezle must then weigh the consequences of giving Gortan what he wants against the likelihood that Gortan will make good his threats. If Meezle thinks Gortan is the greater danger, chances are he will acquiesce, hoping to cover his misdemeanours in some way. If, on the other hand, Meezle knows that his superior Gungle (level 6 Administrator) is reviewing his case load, he might just ring the bell for the guards...although he could just as likely try to refer Gortan to Gungle, shovelling the problem upstairs.

When to Roll the Dice

An actual Intimidate roll is only necessary when circumstances are against the character attempting to Intimidate. Any attempt to Intimidate an animal should fall under this rubric. Other occasions will include obvious disadvantages such as being outnumbered, injured or far from any obvious sources of support (Bognor tries to Intimidate a Gadnagi merchant in that merchant’s own home town, one hundred miles from the borders of his own land).

INTIMIDATE
Primary Ability: Charisma
Alternative Abilities: varies, see text
Usual Time Requirement: varies with context, 2 minutes maximum
Availability: Level 1
Type/Rate of Development: Campaign/Strategic; Slow (1:3)
FREE DEVELOPMENT BY CLASS:
OSRIC: Fighter, Barbarian, Brawler
Swords & Wizardry: Fighter
Labyrinth Lord: Fighter, Barbarian, Berserker(*), Bandit(2), Half-Ogre (*)
FREE DEVELOPMENT BY RACE:
OSRIC: none
Swords & Wizardry: none
Labyrinth Lord: none

Note that, as pointed out in the previous post, “*” indicates a quicker rate of development (1 Competency Level for every 2 Character Levels, whilst the 2 in parentheses indicates that members of the Bandit class begin with 2 free levels of Competency.

As ever, comments are most welcome!