Unfazeable and Leadership

[Ulzgoroth]

I could see that it might have some application to resisting combat penalties due to intimidation...if you use those for some reason...

The bonuses sound nonsensical. If you want that take some kind of buff power, not Leadership.

[Rolando]

You are not seen the explanation in your own post... Leadership is usefull to reduce combat penalties due to fear of the enemy o circumstances (and other similar things), not supernatural (spell induced for example) fear. Also to make your bunch of squadies/warband/etc do their part and not to turn tail and run in a battle.

It doesent gives "bonuses", except to reduce penalties... just as night vision does not grant bonuses in daylight, but reduce penalties in non-total darkness.

Originally Posted by Cid SilverWing

The idea is, as I've said, to give bonuses to hit and damage via Leadership as follows:

A party of 5, one's the Paladin leader, a samurai, a mage, a priest and a ninja. The enemy proves innumerable and serious about slaughter, so this has the party at reduced combat efficiency solely for being intimidated by the odds. Paladin rolls Leadership and goes, "To battle with courage! Victor favors the valorous!" This encourages the party members and so negates their initial intimidation, they receive +X to Striking ST and DX (they hit more often and damage harder)

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Cid SilverWing

I'm in a dilemma here.

Are Fright Checks that much of a problem that players should buy Unfazeable [15] to dodge FC's as well as Rapier Wit?

Also, how useful is Leadership if you can't make your party members excel better at combat while you're standing there shouting appropriate encouragement to them with Leadership?

Actually an Unfazeable person would lead in an Unfazeable way, riding along cracking jokes or being stoical in a stiff upper lip sort of way. Like Wellington.

[Phoenix_Dragon]

Originally Posted by Cid SilverWing

The idea is, as I've said, to give bonuses to hit and damage via Leadership as follows:

A party of 5, one's the Paladin leader, a samurai, a mage, a priest and a ninja. The enemy proves innumerable and serious about slaughter, so this has the party at reduced combat efficiency solely for being intimidated by the odds. Paladin rolls Leadership and goes, "To battle with courage! Victor favors the valorous!" This encourages the party members and so negates their initial intimidation, they receive +X to Striking ST and DX (they hit more often and damage harder)

That's not Leadership. That's magic.

Leadership can overcome intimidation, fear, etc, but it's not going to make a person magically stronger than they actually are. That's why leadership gives a bonus to overcome fear and personal disadvantages. But no matter how hard a guy yells at you, it isn't going to give you more muscles and better coordination.

The only reason people might be percieved as hitting harder or more accurately with a very successful leadership roll is because that leader motivated them to stop fighting defensively (Defensive Attack or All-Out Defense), and start pressing the offense (Attack, Committed Attack, maybe even All-Out Attack). Leadership is a good way to keep people fighting effectively rather than just trying to save their own lives.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Cid SilverWing

The idea is, as I've said, to give bonuses to hit and damage via Leadership as follows:

A party of 5, one's the Paladin leader, a samurai, a mage, a priest and a ninja. The enemy proves innumerable and serious about slaughter, so this has the party at reduced combat efficiency solely for being intimidated by the odds. Paladin rolls Leadership and goes, "To battle with courage! Victor favors the valorous!" This encourages the party members and so negates their initial intimidation, they receive +X to Striking ST and DX (they hit more often and damage harder)

Yes. That's magic. In fact it's pretty powerful magic.

[Stone Dog]

Leadership also gives bonuses to Self Control rolls, doesn't it? That could be very... very useful.

[Agramer]

My group used leadership extensively in some campaigns.

It boils down to this:

Leader takes "Do nothing" manoeuvre and rolls Leadership
-he gets more than single sentence explaining what he wants party(PC+NPC) to do(PCs dont have to if they dont want to),next turn they act as he likes barring personal disadvantages and/or his success on roll
-if battle is bloody or desperate he gets to rally people

If he rolls Leadership as free action
-he gets one simple sentence that group may or may not listen to(people didnt hear/understand him in clutter of combat)

When playing on hexes it becomes very,very precious skill in combat heavy sessions.

[Phil C.]

Originally Posted by Agramer

My group used leadership extensively in some campaigns.

It boils down to this:

Leader takes "Do nothing" manoeuvre and rolls Leadership
-he gets more than single sentence explaining what he wants party(PC+NPC) to do(PCs dont have to if they dont want to),next turn they act as he likes barring personal disadvantages and/or his success on roll
-if battle is bloody or desperate he gets to rally people

If he rolls Leadership as free action
-he gets one simple sentence that group may or may not listen to(people didnt hear/understand him in clutter of combat)

When playing on hexes it becomes very,very precious skill in combat heavy sessions.

Wouldn't Leadership be a Concentrate maneuver?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Stone Dog

Leadership also gives bonuses to Self Control rolls, doesn't it? That could be very... very useful.

It is handy when you've got a Berserker on the team.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Phoenix_Dragon

That's not Leadership. That's magic.

Leadership can overcome intimidation, fear, etc, but it's not going to make a person magically stronger than they actually are. That's why leadership gives a bonus to overcome fear and personal disadvantages. But no matter how hard a guy yells at you, it isn't going to give you more muscles and better coordination.

The only reason people might be percieved as hitting harder or more accurately with a very successful leadership roll is because that leader motivated them to stop fighting defensively (Defensive Attack or All-Out Defense), and start pressing the offense (Attack, Committed Attack, maybe even All-Out Attack). Leadership is a good way to keep people fighting effectively rather than just trying to save their own lives.

It could make them more enthusiastic and therefore hit harder. It will not make them more accurate. Accuracy depends completely on one's limits in calculating ability. Whereas when we "exceeding our limits" what we really mean is "drawing more on a finite supply of limits". If taken literally, once someone has come to his "limit" he will fall dead of a heart failure. Therefore we must assume there to be psychological limits which can be exceeded and physical ones which cannot be.
Accuracy is a matter of skill rather then of motivation and therefore is somewhat separate from this. While accuracy can of course be increased by working harder it seems a somewhat different thing then bringing into play brute strength that one already possessed but seldom used.