A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

The perk "Frightening Side Effects" seems a bit overly complicated and runs a bit against an existig mechanic for doing what it does.

With the perk, a Mystic Knight can make a supernaturalish effect occur with the Imbuement associated with the perk and then makes an Intimidation Roll.

Problem: Power Ups 2: Perks gives such a Perk on p. 15 "Fearsome Stare" wherein the character does something that is preumably scary, specified at creation or perk acquisition and is allowed to make an intimidation roll. It's usable against groups and no requirement of them being dazed first is anywhere on the horizon.

I'd just buy it as Fearsome Stare with the 0% feature that there is some supernaturalish effect with it's use.

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

Frightening Side Effects lets you Intimidate as a free action, Fearsome Stare doesn't make your Intimidate a free action only easier to perform. Frighting Side Effects is more equivalent to Flourish, where the +4 is replaced by a free action.

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

Yep. Fearsome Stare doesn't change most of the requirements for Intimidation meaningfully. What it does is let you use the skill without speaking to or touching your target. It certainly does reduce the time from "minutes to hours of conversation" to "a few seconds," but that's not the same as "a free action in combat." If I had intended a free action in combat, I would've said so.

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

But there is time frame and that realism thing. Time to stare fearsomely is within a single turn of GURPS. Without resorting to the combat/non-combat traits used mostly by other game systems, you should be able to make a fearsome stare as or just before, combat begins.

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

However, it IS specifically a DF legal set of rules. Realism is riding shot-gun at best and is probably sitting in the back knowing that it is going to be stuck as the designated driver.

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

If you're referring to Fearsome Stare from the Perks book, the whole point of that set is that you're allowed to make a roll without overt action or words. You can just throw a glare at someone and roll Intimidation to intimidate them. Or, Sexy Pose, throw someone a wink, or simply stand just so and make a Sex Appeal roll. It basically obviates the need to do anything or, more importantly say anything.

Frightening Side Effects is just Follow-Through: After you've done a cool combat thing (knocking someone down, killing someone, etc), you can make an Intimidation roll as a free action immediately, provided you succeed at a skill roll (with your weapon/imbuement skill) representing some cool trick that just adds an extra layer of awesome/scary to your use of the power.

The samurai slices through someone and then deftly flicks blood from the blade. Intimidation. The Mystic Knight slashes through someone, and leaves an after-image of their soul hanging over the corpse before it too collapses. Intimidation.

Fearsome Stare is something altogether different.

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

Yeah, my mom has it, and she ain't no Mystic Knight.

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

Frightening Side Effects was stolen was stolen whole cloth from Magical styles, where it appears under the same name. In that book, it was basically a retooled Flourish.

Now, for the mystic knight this perk is incredibly potent, since Crippling Blow allows you to possibly stun a foe, with every attack you make, meaning that you're looking at a lot of intimidate checks in combat.

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

Listen, Gudiomen, now that you're old enough to understand the truth, there are things you need to learn about your mother...

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

Is this before or after you give him the ancestral family sword that you've kept hidden up in the attic all this time?

Re: A nit to pick with the Mystic Knight
 

Before, obviously. I want him paying attention during this, not playing with the damn sword!