using Intimidation on a Bear / Cat / Dog

[Plane]

Zombies 117 mentions "The Intimidation skill affects only zombies that have IQ 6+"

B456 only gives bears/cats/dogs an IQ of 4 so it seems like they'd also be immune to this skill.

In that case how would you go about rolling for an attempt to scare them away?

[Tinman]

Originally Posted by Plane

Zombies 117 mentions "The Intimidation skill affects only zombies that have IQ 6+"

B456 only gives bears/cats/dogs an IQ of 4 so it seems like they'd also be immune to this skill.

In that case how would you go about rolling for an attempt to scare them away?

Use Animal Handling (or possibly an appropriate survival skill).

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Plane

Zombies 117 mentions "The Intimidation skill affects only zombies that have IQ 6+"

B456 only gives bears/cats/dogs an IQ of 4 so it seems like they'd also be immune to this skill.

In that case how would you go about rolling for an attempt to scare them away?

I'd rule that zombies don't have the same fear of death that living animals do, and so that rule doesn't apply to living IQ 4 beings.

[Inky]

It doesn't really seem to make sense that Intimidation couldn't be used on animals, or that, if it couldn't, this information would be hidden away somewhere as obscure and not-obviously-related as Zombies. Animal characters with low IQ usually seem to have normal (or higher) Per. Do the low-IQ zombies also have this? If not, that might account for the difference.

In the "Animal Empathy" advantage in Basic Set it says "You may also use your Influence skills (see p. 359) on animals just as you would on sapient beings, which usually ensures a positive reaction". But that could just mean that you don't have a "wrong species penalty" (compare Animal Handling or Body Language).

The page on "Influence Rolls" in Basic Set (p. 359) doesn't seem to say anything about them not working on animals, and in fact says something that seems to imply that they do - "If the subject is Indomitable (p. 60), you lose automatically unless you have Empathy, Animal Empathy, Plant Empathy, or Spirit Empathy, as appropriate."

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Inky

In the "Animal Empathy" advantage in Basic Set it says "You may also use your Influence skills (see p. 359) on animals just as you would on sapient beings, which usually ensures a positive reaction". ."

Yes, Intimidate is the Influence Skill you're "supposed" to be using on animals. The author of the above passage does not appear to have been thinking of Sex Appeal as an Influence skill. :)

Animal Handling would be a valid choice because (among other reasons) it's not on he Influence skills list.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Yes, Intimidate is the Influence Skill you're "supposed" to be using on animals. The author of the above passage does not appear to have been thinking of Sex Appeal as an Influence skill. :)

Animal Handling would be a valid choice because (among other reasons) it's not on he Influence skills list.

I am now imagining, for some reason, an alien who doesn't speak a human language and doesn't know that humans are sapient trying to use Animal Handling on a human or small group of humans at First Contact.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

I am now imagining, for some reason, an alien who doesn't speak a human language and doesn't know that humans are sapient trying to use Animal Handling on a human or small group of humans at First Contact.

You may have read Battlefield Earth one time too many.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

I'd rule that zombies don't have the same fear of death that living animals do, and so that rule doesn't apply to living IQ 4 beings.

Zombies without fear probably need to buy that with Fearlessness or being outright Unfazeable but I'm not sure if all zombies would be designed that way.

It is made part of the Inexorable meta-trait, for example.

But 117 words it like there may be zombies who lack this:

affects only zombies that have IQ 6+ and neither Indomitable nor Unfazeable

So it seems like you get some degree of indomitable/unfazeable (whatever resists the intimidation skill) inherently to IQ 5 though I'm not sure why (maybe something to do with language?)