Invalid question, charisma checks don't determine the actions of PCs in the first place. If an NPC somehow got an Intimidate check result of 40, it still wouldn't require the PCs to act in any specific way.
Citation needed. I have heard this claimed a lot but where in the skill descriptions does it say they do not affect PC's? Not even deception? PC's get to see through all lies simply because they are PC's? Or stealth? PC's do not need perception skill because NPC stealth checks do not affect them?
Why would persuasion or intimidation have no affect on PC's, exactly?
First of all, you obviously haven't payed much attention to racists if you think that they'd act smart when it comes to their racism. Especially not if there's a group of them and they've had a few drinks and started egging each other on. Common scenario: they want to prove how tough they are by picking a fight with that big, dangerous looking dude. You may have heard of Andre the Giant? Pro wrestler back in the 70s and 80s. He got his name because he was 7'4" and weighed 500 lbs. He had people that voluntarily tried to pick fights with him outside of the wrestling ring by making fun of his size. Including one incident where he chased four people out of a bar, then after they locked themselves in their car to try and get away from him he flipped the car upside down. That's in the real world. So yes, it's entirely plausible that people in the D&D world will be stupid enough to pick fights with the half-orc who's 7' tall and 500 lbs.
So racists have no survival instinct? Citation needed. Individual incidents do happen, but those people picking on Andre the Giant were picking fights with a professional wrestler, who was not known for actually hurting anyone in the ring. "I'll take you on!" to a professional fighter is not the same as "We're gonna lynch ya!"
Yeah, people tend to think that professional wrestlers are all show and no substance and that's why wannabe tough guys pick fights with them. Not every wrestler is as nice as Andre was, and people getting badly hurt in some cases because they decided to try fighting against someone didn't hold back. If you really want stories, all you need to do is a simple internet search for racists trying to pick fights with boxers or MMA champions and getting beaten up. It actually happens a lot.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
The word you're after is "idiots". look for idiots who pick on wrestlers, boxers, and MMA fighters. Because "Fighter" is a class, not a race.
For the sentiment, I can 100% see some drunk idiots egged on by their friends deciding to pick a fight with a reknowned hero/heroin who is far beyond their capabilities. The good old "you're not so tough..." approach, which either results in them being intimidated back into their seats or out of the door, or them getting hurt. This very trope is made fun of in Aquaman, where you're expecting a barfight and instead they ask to have a picture with him.
But again, you have a range of things you may want to do when confronted by idiots, all of which require intimidation, and a limited amount of which could be done simply by using Strength:
Want them to be frightened of you, backing down or leaving? Just a show of strength could be enough.
Want them to buy you a new drink? You're going to need to use your words for that, so that's charisma
Want them to run the bar so you and the barmaid they've been harassing can get to know each other better? That's charisma again, and a much higher DC
Want them to sing a song for the bar, or you'll pop their head off? Charisma again, with a DC depending on how obvious you make it that you could pop their head off - a Str 6 rogue wouldn't do well with that threat - they might threaten to stab them instead, which would make the DC down to how obviously they have many ways to do so.
Want them to forget they ever saw you here? Charisma again.
Charisma is one of those checks which is very roleplayable, just like intelligence (a smart player running a dumb character could roleplay as smart and say smart things, despite their intelligence score) and Wisdom (someone making sound, good decisions despite their character having a low wisdom). A players physical strength means nothing to what their character can do, but a player being smart could have dumb characters solving complex riddles with ease. So smart roleplay can compensate for these abilities if you're not careful.
So yes, Strength can come into it, but so can all manner of things - dexterity to throw an apple to them then pin it to the wall beside their head with a knife, Intelligence to deduce a load of stuff about their life and to twist it against them (EG deduce that they have a daughter from the pollen of a daisy chain on their neck), constitution to let them throw the first punch and just take it without flinching. It all helps, but it has to come down to whether you can convey to them what you want them to do now that they are intimidated - and that's Charisma.
Now, you might find that your goals line up with the results of your intimidating actions - you break the table, and then would use intimidation to make them run away, but by breaking the table you've made the DC so low that no roll is needed, so the table-breaking was enough. Or, you might find your actions have the opposite effect; you use constitution to take the first punch, and the pit-fighter who's been months without a challenge laughs and throws a second, encouraged by your ability to take it, and making your intimidation DC more difficult. But in the end I feel like it will generally come down to Charisma.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
The word you're after is "idiots". look for idiots who pick on wrestlers, boxers, and MMA fighters. Because "Fighter" is a class, not a race.
For the sentiment, I can 100% see some drunk idiots egged on by their friends deciding to pick a fight with a reknowned hero/heroin who is far beyond their capabilities. The good old "you're not so tough..." approach, which either results in them being intimidated back into their seats or out of the door, or them getting hurt. This very trope is made fun of in Aquaman, where you're expecting a barfight and instead they ask to have a picture with him.
But again, you have a range of things you may want to do when confronted by idiots, all of which require intimidation, and a limited amount of which could be done simply by using Strength:
Charisma is one of those checks which is very roleplayable, just like intelligence (a smart player running a dumb character could roleplay as smart and say smart things, despite their intelligence score) and Wisdom (someone making sound, good decisions despite their character having a low wisdom). A players physical strength means nothing to what their character can do, but a player being smart could have dumb characters solving complex riddles with ease. So smart roleplay can compensate for these abilities if you're not careful.
So yes, Strength can come into it, but so can all manner of things - dexterity to throw an apple to them then pin it to the wall beside their head with a knife, Intelligence to deduce a load of stuff about their life and to twist it against them (EG deduce that they have a daughter from the pollen of a daisy chain on their neck), constitution to let them throw the first punch and just take it without flinching. It all helps, but it has to come down to whether you can convey to them what you want them to do now that they are intimidated - and that's Charisma.
Now, you might find that your goals line up with the results of your intimidating actions - you break the table, and then would use intimidation to make them run away, but by breaking the table you've made the DC so low that no roll is needed, so the table-breaking was enough. Or, you might find your actions have the opposite effect; you use constitution to take the first punch, and the pit-fighter who's been months without a challenge laughs and throws a second, encouraged by your ability to take it, and making your intimidation DC more difficult. But in the end I feel like it will generally come down to Charisma.
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