Feat: Strength for Intimidate Checks

Pretty simple feat:

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Frighteningly Strong

In Mother Russia... Boris breaks all your fingers!

Rather than rely on frightening words and imaginative threats, you simply flex your muscles, and that is enough. When facing foes who would try to intimidate or threaten you, you have confidence in your own strength and size to counter them.

Prerequisite: Strength 15

Benefit: Whenever your make an Intimidate check, you may use your Strength modifier, instead of your Charisma modifier.

In addition, on any save you make against a fear effect, you may use your strength modifier, rather than your wisdom modifier.

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It has been pointed out to me that a Pathfinder feat already exists:

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Intimidating Prowess (Combat)

Your physical might is intimidating to others.

Benefit: Add your Strength modifier to Intimidate skill checks in addition to your Charisma modifier.

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The version posted above is slightly different. It trades a straight gain (Cha+Strength) for a gain (Strength) AND a bonus to fear saves. Here's my reasoning as to why I like the saves against fear modifier.

A big burly fighter or barbarian type (the very person that's going to have a high strength) is part of a party with a Bard. A dragon pops out. Who is afraid of the big old dragon? That's right, the fighter, cloaked in full plate, wielding a sword, and ready to charge. Who's not afraid of the big old dragon? The bard. The guy with the harp.

Does anyone else see that as a little odd? The very guy who's most equipped to deal with enemy threats--the guy who's been training his whole life to fight creatures bigger and meaner than he is--is the one who runs away.

That's not got much going for it for a feat. True, I like the idea but it needs something else.

There's no need for this feat. In the DMG, there is an optional rule that allows for a character to substitute Str for Cha when doing Intimidate checks. That same rule allows for any appropriate ability score to be substituted with any skill, provided the context is appropriate for that ability score to be used (DM decision).

In other words: The feat is duplicating something that is core anyway.

A great many games use Str for Intimidate (or, mutatis mutandis, the appropriate ability score and skill in non-d20 rule systems) as the default anyway.

how about this instead:

Frighteningly Strong

You may add your strength modifier to your charisma modifier for intimidate checks. Also, add your strength modifier to your will save versus any fear effect.

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Originally Posted by Lysander

how about this instead:

Frighteningly Strong

You may add your strength modifier to your charisma modifier for intimidate checks. Also, add your strength modifier to your will save versus any fear effect.

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And if your Charisma modifier is negative? Better just to do a straight swap. Less movement on the RNG that way.

I've updated the original post to reflect both the bonus to intimidate and saves against fear.

It has been pointed out to me that a Pathfinder feat already exists:

Quote:

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Intimidating Prowess (Combat)

Your physical might is intimidating to others.

Benefit: Add your Strength modifier to Intimidate skill checks in addition to your Charisma modifier.

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The version posted above is slightly different. It trades a straight gain (Cha+Strength) for a gain (Strength) AND a bonus to fear saves. Here's my reasoning as to why I like the saves against fear modifier.

A big burly fighter or barbarian type (the very person that's going to have a high strength) is part of a party with a Bard. A dragon pops out. Who is afraid of the big old dragon? That's right, the fighter, cloaked in full plate, wielding a sword, and ready to charge. Who's not afraid of the big old dragon? The bard. The guy with the harp.

Does anyone else see that as a little odd? The very guy who's most equipped to deal with enemy threats--the guy who's been training his whole life to fight creatures bigger and meaner than he is--is the one who runs away.

Sounds like a messy mechanic, to be honest, but I see your point.

In my proposed feat, only the person with the feat gets a bonus.

Intimidate Check with feat: 1d20+intimidate ranks+size+strength
Save of someone without: 1d20+character level+size+wis

Now you have a fighter saving against a dragon's fear aura.
Will Save: Base Will Save + Strength modifier


I'm curious about your example. Let's see how it plays out.

A level 2 fighter is going to have, at most, 5 ranks in intimidate. Let's assume a negligible modifier. 1d20+5. Average 15.5. If he adds his strength: 19.5

A level 10 fighter. Let's assume, since he's a fighter, that his wisdom modifier is negligible. Tack on his 10 levels. 1d20+10. Average 20.5 If he adds his strength: 22.5.

Either way, the feat doesn't make a difference in this scenario. The bonus on saves equal to your level is too great.

I like adding strength mod to charima mod for intimidate checks and to wisdom mod for save vs fear effects. If you ever have a negative charisma or wisdom, well too bad, being weak in those areas should penalize you

What if you've got a positive modifier, though? Then you're getting an even bigger modifier.

You could always make a messy mechanic though, and say "either add your [strength bonus] or your [strength and charisma bonus], whichever is lower."

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Originally Posted by mhvaughan

What if you've got a positive modifier, though? Then you're getting an even bigger modifier.

You could always make a messy mechanic though, and say "either add your [strength bonus] or your [strength and charisma bonus], whichever is lower."

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It's a feat for a bonus to skill checks. It's not that important that you get a nice benefit out of it. I mean, for god's sakes, it's still just a flat +4~+10 to intimidate and saves against something it's easy to become immune to in the "add strength" feat. I mean, if you're banning stuff like... any metamagic, divine metamagic, power attack, shock trooper, etc. then it's a nice feat, but with those allowed there's no problem with letting the feat actually give you a straight bonus.