BnB-Skills-Intimidation

**Intimidation**

Cha [Familiarity]

You can use Intimidate to frighten your opponents or to get them to act in a way that benefits you. Intimidate includes verbal threats and displays of prowess.

Common Uses

*Coerce* [Language][Fear]:

* Demand, manipulate or browbeat someone into doing things your way
* Roll an Intimidate check against the creature you’re coercing (DC is usually 10+Will Save Bonus, but there may be changes at the DM’s discretion, including adding advantage or disadvantage based on circumstance)
* If you succeed, they are will reluctantly and perhaps clumsily do as you say as best they’re able
* If you beat the DC by 8 or more, they will do as you say promptly and without complaint
* Note that coercion can take many forms, and the outcome and consequences will change depending on the approach:
	+ Implications and intimidating demeanor may be too subtle to illicit enough of a response in some situations, but rarely break laws and the victim is less likely to harbour grievances against you
	+ Explicit threats may be more likely to lead to direct outcomes, but it is illegal in some nations and the victim is likely to harbour a grievance against you
	+ Torture of any kind will have the [evil] tag, is almost always seen as a flagrant violation of laws, and may even attract the ire of celestial or other extraplanar bodies

*Demoralise* [Fear]:

* Through an aggressive display, you weaken your opponent’s resolve to fight on
* Demoralising is a Standard Action by default (though some feats, class features and spells may modify this)
* Make an Intimidation check with DC 10+Will Save Bonus against a single foe within 20 (40) feet of you
* If successful, your opponent is Shaken until the end of your next turn
* For every 5 you beat their check by, extend the duration by 1 round
* If you fail, further demoralise checks against this foe are at disadvantage (stacking) until you succeed a demoralise check against them
* Demoralise can’t usually increase a fear condition (for example, Shaken to Frightened)

*Impress*:

* You demonstrate your prowess, raising people’s estimation of you
* Roll an Intimidate check against all those you wish to impress (DC = 10 + HD + Cha or 10 + Intimidation Bonus, whichever is higher)
* If you succeed, their estimation of you increases. For example, this could impact:
	+ their willingness to trust you with a task
	+ negotiations around payment
	+ their attitude towards you
	+ their confidence to betray you
* You never know how people will react, and you can’t control it by impressing them
* If you fail, further impress checks against them are at disadvantage (stacking) until you succeed an impress check against them or something significant has changed since your last attempt
* If you fail by 5 or more, they may be unimpressed (DM’s discretion)

*Possible other uses (DM's discretion):*

* Hush someone with a glance
* Bargain for a better deal (best left to Persuasion, but could work in a pinch)
* Present as stronger than you are (best left to Deception, but could work in a pinch)

Mastery

*Talented (+5):*

* You gain a +1 Mastery bonus to Perform (speech) and other verbal Perform skills
* Increase the DC of your fear spells and effects by 1

*Expert (+10):*

* When you apply a fear effect to a foe (including Demoralise), you suppress any Morale bonuses affecting them for the duration (however, new Morale bonuses will work as normal)
* When you fail a Deception or Persuasion check, you may immediately make an Intimidate check and use the result in place of the failed roll. This has all the usual consequences of making an Intimidate check

*Master (+15):*

* You gain a +2 Mastery bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks and spell power against foes affected by one of more of your fear effects
* When you successfully Intimidate someone, they have disadvantage on all Charisma-based rolls against you for 1 day