Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders
Page 202 - up to +4 for displays of strength, bloodthirstiness, capability to inflict harm, etc.
|
Yeah, I guess having ST could be a “display of [it]” in a literal sense, especially when cracking knuckles. It doesn’t feel as “intimidating” as say cracking skulls, so if I give +4 for that, there’s the issue of how to distinguish between a calm bar negotiation where violence is frowned upon if not forbidden, and say in a life and death situation intimidating a group of bandits not to come closer (“or else I’ll crack skulls like I crack this barrel!”)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered
A couple of notes:
read modifiers for Intimidation on page 202: it gives a bonus for displays of "strength, bloodthirstiness, or supernatural powers", as a GM's judgement. Your SM also boosts the roll (and is penalized by the targets). So you can pick up at least a couple of bonuses there.
intimidation is based on Will. Barbarians may not be smart, but its often appropriate for them to have a decent will, representing grit, toughness, and the ability to hang on in spite of it all. So buying up will may not be a bad approach.
Lastly, Intimidation is not about just being scary. Its about getting what you want through being scary. You want them scared enough to do what you want but also convinced that if you do it they'll be somewhat ok.
|
Fair enough. In general I think simply adding +1 per SM in a lot of contexts is a bit low given the physical difference (combat, etc; I’d say size – and its reach – is underrated). I guess here it’s passable. Especially, as you implicitly point out: it’s not just about conveying the ability to deal damage, but also about convincing the target they won’t be able to escape it.
Also, that it’s based on Will not IQ I missed. That feels a bit counterintuitive to me; it sounds more sensible to have IQ to read body language and push the buttons in the right way. Maybe it’s for just this kind of situation it’s not.
Oh, and as per the title, what about passive intimidation? Say Conan opens the door to a tavern; how would I emulate his mere presence’s effect? Then, imagine he were 50% bigger (SM1), would that just be a mere +1 to the roll?