What would ever possess someone to put this skill under CHA? RAW it is not difficult for the Incredible Hulk to be more intimidating than Michael Jackson, it is impossible. Incredible.
Intimidation is a STR skill. This the only thing that makes logical sense and the change makes the fighter or barbarian have the use in social situation that SHOULD be their default use and which by default they should be best at.
Keep in mind that CHA isn't meant to be a representation of a character's likeability... it's a measure of their ability to exert their will over others. That's how CHA works as a spellcasting stat... it's not just being so likeable that you can convince magic to work for you, but rather, having enough force of will to force magic to obey your whims.
So if all you think of intimidation as is physically threatening violence, it doesn't fully make sense. But I think a good pop culture example is Amanda Waller from DC comics and the Suicide Squad. Waller is not, at all, a physically intimidating person. She's a short, pudgy middle-aged woman with no powers. But when she delivers a threat, you know she is fully capable of fulfilling that threat and also that she won't hesitate to do so. Whereas sometimes the big, muscular guy comes off as an easily manipulatable doofus, so even if they're frightening in the moment, their threats might not hold water longterm.
I do think that intimidating with STR makes sense... I know it's considered an optional rule, but I've always allowed the option in my games. I don't think that STR should be the default stat for all intimidation checks... not every attempt to intimidate a character amounts to, "tell us what we want, or the big guy will beat you up".
Sure there are examples of very intimidating characters who are not physically strong. No matter what you do the most intimidating characters will be purpose built rangers, rogues and bards, they get expertise. I am saying the default should be the big strong one. Being charismatic does not make you automatically intimidating. Being the hulk does. RAW charisma is the only way to be intimidating and your physical size plays no roll. Change intimidation to STR and you get: at default the big burly strong ones will be the most intimidating but the strongest intimidation will be with the mind. Does this not sound appropriate? Is this not better than Michael Jackson will always out intimidate the Hulk no matter what you do unless you build both massively out of character?
By default a level 20 STR based fighter should be more intimidating than a level 1 bard, not the other way around.
Another problem with RAW, the only way to make your barbarian more intimidating is to make them less intimidating. To boost my intimidation I'd have to give up STR, the very thing that makes the barbarian intimidating or a danger. A barbarian must concentrate on CHA instead of STR to be intimidating when everything that could possibly make a barbarian scary is STR is one of the dumbest game mechanics I've ever heard.
Not to mention intimidation is one out of combat skill barbarians or fighters should have by default without building out of character. But RAW this is denied them. Of course WOTC hates hates hates martial classes so I guess it's in character for someone.
you always have the option to use strength as the basis for your intimidation that's one of the points Transmorpher is making. In addition the reason that charisma is the base state is that intimidation is actually all about convincing the person that they should tell you/do what you want is the lesser of two painful options. years ago in the avengers they were facing some universe destroying bbg and the the bbg looked them over and decided that the one he had to take out wasn't the hulk but rather was captain america. Why? because cap's rep was actually more imtimdating - the bbg noted that as long as cap was around he would keep fighting and eventually find a way to win so he had to be defeated first, not last. that let the rest of the avengers wipe the bbg out as he kept trying to kill cap. Cap was effectively far more intimidating just standing there than the rest of the assembled avengers.
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What would ever possess someone to put this skill under CHA? RAW it is not difficult for the Incredible Hulk to be more intimidating than Michael Jackson, it is impossible. Incredible.
Intimidation is a STR skill. This the only thing that makes logical sense and the change makes the fighter or barbarian have the use in social situation that SHOULD be their default use and which by default they should be best at.
Keep in mind that CHA isn't meant to be a representation of a character's likeability... it's a measure of their ability to exert their will over others. That's how CHA works as a spellcasting stat... it's not just being so likeable that you can convince magic to work for you, but rather, having enough force of will to force magic to obey your whims.
So if all you think of intimidation as is physically threatening violence, it doesn't fully make sense. But I think a good pop culture example is Amanda Waller from DC comics and the Suicide Squad. Waller is not, at all, a physically intimidating person. She's a short, pudgy middle-aged woman with no powers. But when she delivers a threat, you know she is fully capable of fulfilling that threat and also that she won't hesitate to do so. Whereas sometimes the big, muscular guy comes off as an easily manipulatable doofus, so even if they're frightening in the moment, their threats might not hold water longterm.
I do think that intimidating with STR makes sense... I know it's considered an optional rule, but I've always allowed the option in my games. I don't think that STR should be the default stat for all intimidation checks... not every attempt to intimidate a character amounts to, "tell us what we want, or the big guy will beat you up".
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Sure there are examples of very intimidating characters who are not physically strong. No matter what you do the most intimidating characters will be purpose built rangers, rogues and bards, they get expertise. I am saying the default should be the big strong one. Being charismatic does not make you automatically intimidating. Being the hulk does. RAW charisma is the only way to be intimidating and your physical size plays no roll. Change intimidation to STR and you get: at default the big burly strong ones will be the most intimidating but the strongest intimidation will be with the mind. Does this not sound appropriate? Is this not better than Michael Jackson will always out intimidate the Hulk no matter what you do unless you build both massively out of character?
By default a level 20 STR based fighter should be more intimidating than a level 1 bard, not the other way around.
Another problem with RAW, the only way to make your barbarian more intimidating is to make them less intimidating. To boost my intimidation I'd have to give up STR, the very thing that makes the barbarian intimidating or a danger. A barbarian must concentrate on CHA instead of STR to be intimidating when everything that could possibly make a barbarian scary is STR is one of the dumbest game mechanics I've ever heard.
Not to mention intimidation is one out of combat skill barbarians or fighters should have by default without building out of character. But RAW this is denied them. Of course WOTC hates hates hates martial classes so I guess it's in character for someone.
you always have the option to use strength as the basis for your intimidation that's one of the points Transmorpher is making. In addition the reason that charisma is the base state is that intimidation is actually all about convincing the person that they should tell you/do what you want is the lesser of two painful options. years ago in the avengers they were facing some universe destroying bbg and the the bbg looked them over and decided that the one he had to take out wasn't the hulk but rather was captain america. Why? because cap's rep was actually more imtimdating - the bbg noted that as long as cap was around he would keep fighting and eventually find a way to win so he had to be defeated first, not last. that let the rest of the avengers wipe the bbg out as he kept trying to kill cap. Cap was effectively far more intimidating just standing there than the rest of the assembled avengers.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.