Ok, random TTRPG thought: in a lot of instances, players and GMs seem to treat Intimidation as an overtly hostile act that almost by nature involves threats and failure to Intimidate leads to combat. I think that leads to it being underused since Persuasion or even Deception aren't as "risky." - ThreadSky

agentshades.bsky.social • 90 days ago

Ok, random TTRPG thought: in a lot of instances, players and GMs seem to treat Intimidation as an overtly hostile act that almost by nature involves threats and failure to Intimidate leads to combat. I think that leads to it being underused since Persuasion or even Deception aren't as "risky."

Comments

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

But Intimidation doesn't have to be an overt threat. Honestly I think that's one of the least effective IRL forms of Intimidation. If you have to threaten someone directly you've sort of already failed the more effective kinds of Intimidation.

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

I mean think about the classic "mysterious stranger walks into a saloon" scene from like, every Western ever. The stranger doesn't have to say anything, they just project this auro of Intimidation that cows possible threats (except of course the inevitable drunk guy who picks a fight)

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

IMO, in this light Intimidation makes a perfect pairing with say, a Persuasive bard style character who can leverage the way the big, Intimidating character has people nervous, and suddenly very willing to hear the party's offer by Persuasion in a favorable light.

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

Also, I don't think Intimidation needs to make people dislike the intimidating character the way it sometimes seems dms and players will assume. You can be intimidated by a person you very much admire or want to like you. It's more about the perception of power or threat a person presents.

deuteriumice.bsky.social•90 days ago

The power imbalance is a very good an interesting way of putting it.

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

I think of Dame Aylin from BG3. She's very intimidating even if you're on her side, but that's just as likely to engender a desire to be near her (or the rabid fan base of step on me people she has) vs just outright terror or dislike.

regularstudio.ca•90 days ago

I have made one of my party members roll intimidation in a quite a few RP moments because he is a goliath barbarian with a giant bloody cleaver. His presence is intimidating, and effects how NPCs interact with him.

I've also used intimidation for very attractive characters in similar ways.

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

It's an excellent thought that, that a character might be intimidating possibly without even trying just by nature of who they are or what they look like. 🤔 I'll probably steal this idea!

regularstudio.ca•90 days ago

Go for it! Intimidation never has to be a threat. A scary looking person asking you something innocent can still be intimidating; and your perception of them can affect your willingness to cooperate.

Knowing someone has power can cause intimidation. A simple crush can cause you to be intimidated!

dragoningmyage.bsky.social•90 days ago

I alway enjoy the person laughing at the attempt as good alternative if I don’t feel combat makes sense.
It really matters what the players are doing intimation wise too. But often I see it as no different than deception in terms of riskiness, combat possible but not the only fail state.

dndeimos.bsky.social•90 days ago

I would say another piece of it is that intimidation is seen as evil, while Deception and persuasion are thought of as Neutral and good respectively.

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

You know I hadn't thought of that but you're right. Intimidation is for the Darth Vaders of the world choking subordinates vs the good guys who appeal to the powe of friendship and the heart of the cards. But good can be scary! And evil can be very, very persuasive.

dndeimos.bsky.social•90 days ago

For every Darth Vader there's a Batman

primalzed.bsky.social•90 days ago

Batman using intimidation doesn't make the intimidation heroic, it makes Batman an antihero.

dndeimos.bsky.social•90 days ago

I would strongly disagree with the assertion that Batman is an antihero.

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

I think there are depictions of Batman in his almost 100 years of history that portrayal him in an antihero light but the "core Batman" as much as that concept exists is imo very strongly heroic as opposed to antiheroic.

primalzed.bsky.social•90 days ago

What do you think an antihero is, if not a heroic character that has some non-heroic/villainous traits? An explicit or implicit threat of murder (Batman hanging a mook over a large drop while interrogating them) is a staple antihero thing to do.

sashette.bsky.social•90 days ago

I do always like to remind players who lack traditional social stats that they can use Intimidate skills for feats of bravado; to impress as well as coerce.

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

That's an excellent point! Not all of the things that make up any of the socials skills are verbal. Body language, Feats of skill, even something as underused as hospitality (wining and dining, anyone?) all make up irl forms of swaying others opinion to get results you want.

deuteriumice.bsky.social•90 days ago

The one time in recent memory I had a failure to intimidate lead to the subject running away because the PCs narratively 'intimidated too well' the players shot the NPC.

You're right failure mode of intimidate/coercion doesn't always have to lead to a fight and probably shouldn't.

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

Oh I actually love that haha. Gives me real vibes of that one scene in the Princess Bride when Fezzik "jogs the memory" of the keeper of the pit of despair

armoredchocobo.bsky.social•90 days ago

“I’m on the Brute Squad”

“You ARE the Brute Squad.”

titanshomemovies.bsky.social•90 days ago

My problem is that it's a charisma-based stat when the classes who you'd expect MOST to have it generally have as much charisma as a damp tissue. Who makes more sense to scare a group of people out of a bar; the bardlock multiclass with limbs like dead branches or the slab-o-muscle barbarian?

agentshades.bsky.social•90 days ago

Yeah I think this is a situation where other systems have a leg up on D&D in my opinion. I'm usually very open to swapping the skill tied to it for exactly this reason.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply