Intimidate

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

**Common Uses**

**Coerce Opponent**

Sometimes you need to cow someone into submission for more than just a few hours.

**Action**: Coercing a target into acting friendly for hours takes 1d4 × 10 minutes. Coercing a target into acting friendly for days requires you to successfully use coercion at least once per week for 1d6 weeks without failing any Intimidate checks against the target during that time.

**Try Again**: You can’t attempt long-term coercion against the same target again for 1 week.

**Check**: By spending more time threatening or harassing a target, you can attempt to force a creature to act friendly toward you for 1d6 hours + 1 hour for every 5 points by which you exceed the DC. If you succeed at such a check against the same target at least once per week for 1d6 weeks (without ever failing any Intimidate checks against the target during that time), the duration of the coercion increases to 2d8 days. Coercion is overt, not subtle, and in most cases using coercion against a creature is an evil act.

A coerced target acts as though friendly toward you even when you aren’t around, but the aid offered remains grudging at best. The target’s true attitude is hostile, and if the target believes it can take an action to hinder you that can’t be traced back to it, it’s likely to take such opportunities.

Creatures attempting to enlist its aid against you can often do so by convincing the target they are able to protect it from your wrath, using the normal Diplomacy rules.

**Demoralize Opponent**

You can use this skill to cause an opponent to become rattled for a number of rounds. This rattled condition doesn’t stack with other rattled conditions to make an affected creature shaken. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + the target’s Hit Dice + the target’s Wisdom modifier.

*Success*: If you are successful, the target is rattled for one round. This duration increases by 1 round for every 5 by which you beat the DC. You can only threaten an opponent this way if it is within 30 feet and can clearly see and hear you. Using demoralize on the same creature only extends the duration; it does not create a stronger fear condition.

*Fail*: The opponent is not rattled.

**Action** Demoralizing an opponent is a standard action.

**Retry?** You can attempt to intimidate an opponent again, but each additional check increases the DC by +5. This increase resets after one hour has passed.

**Influence Opponent’s Attitude**

You can use Intimidate to force an opponent to act friendly toward you for 1d6 × 10 minutes with a successful check. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + the target’s Hit Dice + the target’s Wisdom modifier.

*Success*: If successful, the opponent will:

·        …give you information you desire

·        …take actions that do not endanger it

·        …offer other limited assistance

After the intimidate expires, the target treats you as unfriendly and may report you to local authorities.

*Fail*: If you fail this check by 5 or more, the target attempts to deceive you or otherwise hinder your activities.

**Action** Using Intimidate to change an opponent’s attitude requires 1 minute of conversation.

**Retry?** You can attempt to intimidate an opponent again, but each additional check increases the DC by +5. This increase resets after one hour has passed.

**Modifiers**

* **Size** You gain a +4 bonus on Intimidate checks if you are larger than your target, and a –4 penalty on Intimidate checks if you are smaller than your target.

**Intimidate Unchained**

Characters who have selected the signature skill feat for intimidate unlock additional abilities when they attain 5, 10, 15, and 20 ranks in a skill.

With sufficient ranks in Intimidate, you earn the following. .

**5 Ranks**: If you exceed the DC to demoralize a target by at least 10, it is shaken for 1 round and rattled thereafter.\* A Will save (DC = 10 + your number of ranks in Intimidate) negates the shaken condition, but the target is still rattled, even if it has the stalwart ability.

**10 Ranks**: If you exceed the DC to demoralize a target by at least 10, it is frightened for 1 round or shaken for 1d4 rounds (your choice) and rattled thereafter.\* A Will save (DC = 10 + your number of ranks in Intimidate) negates the shaken or frightened condition, but the target is still rattled, even if it has the stalwart ability.

**15 Ranks**: If you exceed the DC to demoralize a target by at least 20, it is terrified for 1 round or frightened for 1d4 rounds (your choice) and shaken thereafter.\* A Will save (DC = 10 + your number of ranks in Intimidate) negates the terrified, frightened, and shaken conditions, but the target is still rattled, even if it has the stalwart ability.

**20 Ranks**: If you exceed the DC to demoralize a target by at least 20, it is terrified for 1d4 rounds and frightened thereafter.\* A Will save (DC = 10 + your number of ranks in Intimidate) negates the terrified and frightened conditions, but the target is still rattled, even if it has the stalwart ability.