What do your characters use to do strength-based intimidation?

[Coidzor]

Was just discussing this with my group, and we were trying to decide what the best route to go was, whether to just keep a handy barrel to smash or to have a necklace of skulls and to crush one in one's fist as needed (and, y'know, collect additional ones during the course of normal adventuring) or something else.

So now I'm asking you lot what you've done or would like to try out or see in your games.

[Whyrocknodie]

Just the appearance of physical might and the confidence that comes with personal power should be intimidating. Perhaps cracking knuckles?

[Gurka]

Was just discussing this with my group, and we were trying to decide what the best route to go was, whether to just keep a handy barrel to smash or to have a necklace of skulls and to crush one in one's fist as needed (and, y'know, collect additional ones during the course of normal adventuring) or something else.

So now I'm asking you lot what you've done or would like to try out or see in your games.

See, although I'm a big fan of swapping a wide variety of stats out for certain skill checks, Strength for Intimidate isn't one of them for me. The point of using Intimidate is to get somebody to kowtow to you when they normally would not. Somebody who's really strong doesn't "bring to the table" anything that the person in question can't assess for themselves, and in all likelihood already has. If they're intimidated, it's because they looked at the big guy and made the rational decision to not get on his bad side. Utilizing Strength for Intimidate allows only the threat of violence, which most (not all, but most) combatants are thoroughly accustomed to and not l likely to spook over. Yes, it'd work on the average townsfolk (or pampered nobility), but lets be honest, you didn't need to roll Intimidate for THEM to be scared of the guy with muscles like bridge cables! You need to roll Diplomacy for them NOT to be.

Good uses of Intimidate get the guy who's PREPARED to go 10 rounds with Andre the Giant to back down, and that's not about Strength, unless you're talking about a supernatural level of Strength. That's about letting him know, in a few words, a look, a simple motion, that it doesn't matter how much action he's seen, and it doesn't matter how big he is. If he goes up against you, he will lose. You will beat him, embarrass him, emasculate him, cripple him. Tap into whatever he's afraid of, and make sure he knows that THAT is what you'll do.

I'd be more likely to allow WIS or even INT than Strength, in any case that a roll is required, in order to perceive what that weakness or fear is, in order to exploit. Strength... well that's just too easy for them to gauge for themselves, and that's the sort of threat that's going to sway most who have chosen a career of violence.

[Slipperychicken]

-Grab the target's pinky and snap it. Tell him he's got nine fingers left to tell you what you want to know.

-Literal arm-twisting could also do the job

-Destroy something nearby, preferably something which belongs to the target.

[Coidzor]

Just the appearance of physical might and the confidence that comes with personal power should be intimidating. Perhaps cracking knuckles?

Ah, I must have misread the rules on the subject when I went through them, since it seemed like it was deadset on destroying some kind of object or otherwise manipulating a physical object separate from the character.


-snip-

And if I wanted to play an intimidate-happy Bard, this would be relevant to me. As it stands there's a 20% difference between my capabilities with one ability score versus another, although in the case of Wisdom it would be only a 15% difference.

[Ralanr]

-Destroy something nearby, preferably something which belongs to the target.

This one is easy with level 6 bear totem.

Plus you could also punch a whole in the wall. Let the d20 decide.

[djreynolds]

Was just discussing this with my group, and we were trying to decide what the best route to go was, whether to just keep a handy barrel to smash or to have a necklace of skulls and to crush one in one's fist as needed (and, y'know, collect additional ones during the course of normal adventuring) or something else.

So now I'm asking you lot what you've done or would like to try out or see in your games.

To be fair, I would allow you to add them both, positive or negative (which is only -1). You could add dexterity to performance for some crazy dance.

[Samuel Sturm]

Swedish Massage, of course! Badly done, and "Does that feel better?" are optional.

[rollingForInit]

Utilizing Strength for Intimidate allows only the threat of violence, which most (not all, but most) combatants are thoroughly accustomed to and not l likely to spook over.

That's kind of the whole point of using Strength for Intimidation checks?

I'd say that using Strength for Indimitate translates into taking a serious, physically threatening posture. Showing that you aren't just big and strong; you know how to use your strength. A person can look stronger/weaker depending on posture, how they move, etc. I just appearing as if you mean serious business.

[Slipperychicken]

I'd say that using Strength for Indimitate translates into taking a serious, physically threatening posture. Showing that you aren't just big and strong; you know how to use your strength. A person can look stronger/weaker depending on posture, how they move, etc. I just appearing as if you mean serious business.

I could see that. Such a person could be flexing, posing, gesticulating, or holding one's face in a manner which conveys dominance over the receiver. Definitely making oneself out to look scary, rather than acting like a large teddy bear.

Perhaps an example could be the manner in which a bouncer or bodyguard would move and hold himself to help cow trespassers and unruly patrons.

[rollingForInit]

I could see that. Such a person could be flexing, posing, gesticulating, or holding one's face in a manner which conveys dominance over the receiver. Definitely making oneself out to look scary, rather than acting like a large teddy bear.

Perhaps an example could be the manner in which a bouncer or bodyguard would move and hold himself to help cow trespassers and unruly patrons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfBxYOcYN1I

I could see that as being some kind of Str intimidate. I mean, she's just good at appearing really badass.

Really, a lot of the Renegade persuasion options in Mass Effect could be Str Intimidation. Big guns, badass character ...

[N810]

Lol... this.

http://i.imgur.com/oKkB4wS.png

[Cybren]

I think strength based intimidation is dumb and don't do it.

EDIT: I think a display of physical strength might justify getting advantage on the intimidate check, but nothing more than that.

[illyrus]

- Picking up a guy by his throat with one hand.

- Holding a guy by his ankle over a cliff.

- Tearing a door off its hinges when you enter the bar.

- Shoulder checking or pushing someone.

- After having disarmed someone's weapon, bending or breaking it.

The system is simple enough that using strength(intimidation) vs strength(athletics) for a lot of these is going to give around the same number anyway so it isn't like you're giving an unfair advantage imo.

- Or in the case of my current character, struggling to rip a sheet of paper, hey he's a low strength wizard, what do you expect.