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Thread: Intimidating phrases
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2010-03-30, 01:20 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2009
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- Austin TX
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Intimidating phrases
I'm making a Dragonborn Barbarian. Despite low Cha, he's got a great Intimidate score (trained in it, and I've got a +3 background bonus in it). I want to make a list of intimidating phrases I can use in different situations. I just don't want to use the same 3 phrases every time I talk to someone.
The Barbarian has a Mordenkrad (giant hammer with spikes on the ends). His breath weapon is Fire. His specialty is in charge attacks. He's Unaligned, and believes in taking advantage of the struggles that the forces of Law, Good, Chaos & Evil have with one another to line his own pockets, as every side needs to hire mercs. Having no side himself, he can ally with the group that'll pay the best. Dragonborn are very rare in this setting.
Full background if it helps:
SpoilerShamash's parents lived in a poor makeshift structure in the woods. When Shamash was still an egg, his parents were killed by a pack of hyenas who came in the night. Not long after, a small group of Berudian military happened by, killed the hyenas, and their leader, Pieter, took the three eggs that the hyenas had not yet eaten. He sold two of the eggs in the next town they went to in that town's shadier area.
The buyer was a member of the local thieves guild, Wil, who raised Shamash & his brother Rhogar. The two dragonborn were kept out of sight and trained to fight (as well as a simple thief could train somebody). When he decided that they were old enough, Shamash & Rhogar acted as the muscle for Wil's crimes. They were effective, and the success started to go to Wil's head. He took more risks, got a little careless, and Shamash & Rhogar wound up back-to-back surrounded by a dozen guards while Wil snuck away.
Shamash tried to charge through the guards to make an opening for him and his brother to escape. As he did so, one of the guards stabbed Rhogar through the back. As Rhogar let out a roar of pain, Shamash turned around, saw what happened and was filled with such rage that he screamed as he charged the guard who stabbed his brother, smashing through him before the guard even removed his sword from his brother's back. In his fury, he took out several more guards before they finally knocked him out. This was Shamash's first time unleashing primal fury, and he learned of the power that comes from anger.
He woke up in a prison cell. As he got up, a guard called for one of the other guards, Marc, who wanted to talk to Shamash when he woke up. Marc sat outside Shamash's cell:
Marc: "Where's Wil hiding?"
Shamash: "I'm not telling you anything!"
Marc: "How much is Wil paying you? Maybe we can work something out."
Shamash: "He's not paying me anything!"
Marc: "Wait, if he's not paying you anything, then why work for him?"
Shamash: "He raised me. I'm sure you're just as loyal to your parents."
Marc: "You want to know about my parents?"
Shamash: "Not particularly."
Marc: "Well, my father was a town guard here, just like I am now. He's proud of me."
Shamash: "Good for you. What do I care?"
Marc: "Well, he's retired, but he wouldn't leave me to fight an overwhelming group. Wil ditched you. He's no father."
Shamash: *grabs the bars of his cell and tries to open it* "Graah!"
Marc: "That's not going to work."
Shamash: *backs up, runs, and shoulder-slams the bars*
Marc: "Well, think about what I said. Let me know if you want to talk. We might be able to work something out to get you out of here."
Later, after Shamash's head clears and he has time to think, he calls to one of the guards to fetch Marc. When Marc comes back:
Marc: "Are you ready to talk?"
Shamash: "I don't know. You're right. Wil ditched Rhogar & I. But your men killed Rhogar. Wil, while spineless, is still all I have. I have no other friends or family... I don't know anyone else. And I'm VERY angry. If I help you, I'm just going to wind up getting tossed back in here after getting myself into a few dozen fights."
Marc: "You lack direction. I can't give you direction... But if you want an outlet for your anger, we do occasionally hire mercenaries. The pay's not the best, but as a hired merc you would be free to take jobs from other people too."
Shamash: "That would probably be better than picking bar fights... Or sitting here... But how do I know you'll even let me out of here, let alone hire me, if I tell you what you want?"
Marc: "How's this then? You're obviously mad at Wil for what happened. I let you out of here, and I'll hire you to go after Wil. It's a risk, I know. You'll get double the reward if you bring him in alive than dead."
Shamash: "And how do you know I won't just join back up with him?"
Marc: "I don't. But my gut says you'll probably kill him."
Shamash: "Alright, just let me out then."
Marc lets Shamash out, and has guards follow him, not close enough for Shamash to notice. It's night, so Marc is able to have more guards tailing Shamash than he would during the day. Shamash makes a beeline for Wil's hideout.
Wil: "You're alive?"
Shamash: "No thanks to you."
Wil: "I thought you and Rhogar were already dead. Getting myself killed too wasn't going to help anything."
Shamash: "We were both still alive when you ran. The sound of metal on metal should've been loud enough for you to know that."
Wil: "Look, it doesn't matter. Now that you're back I can start my next plan."
Shamash: "Doesn't matter? Rhogar's dead. I'd say that matters. And why's it always your plan? What if I had a plan?"
Wil: "You have a plan?"
Shamash: *grins widely* "I do."
Shamash then slams his hammer into the side of Wil's head, knocking him out. He carries Wil's body just outside and drops him. To the hiding guards: "You wanted him so badly, carry him back. I'll stop in later for my pay." Shamash goes back inside the hideout and searches through everything. He finds the pieces of wood that he and Rhogar started training with, back when they were little whelps and takes them with him to remember Rhogar by.
Shamash continues working as a mercenary for a while, honing his skills and learning to direct his anger. He eventually gets a bigger, spikier hammer. His mercenary work eventually brings him to Skeldergate (where the rest of the party is), where he's now looking for his next job.
Example:
Most intimidate situations:
(Holding up Mordenkrad) "I wonder if I can be precise enough to blind you with this without actually killing you."
"You know, I've always wondered what <target's race> tastes like..."
(From Lysander) *hefts hammer* "I am going to kill you with this"
(From Optimystic) *Ask allies for a few random items, using the target's imagination against them*
(From BRC) "When all you have is a hammer, every problem is a nail"? Well, I have a hammer, so the question is, are you a nail?"
(From Octopus Jack) *lifts Mordenkrad* "Have you ever seen someone whose been hit by one of these?"
(From Deep Blue 706) "You're already dead."
(Nero24200) "You know, my friend said I was meant to scare you...you think intense pain is scary right?"
(From Lin Bayaseda) *point at party members* "You know, watching a Dragonborn beat people to death is the closest thing they get to entertainment"
(From Nidogg) "Im very interested in my ancestry, They ate people like you as well."
(From Dogmantra ) "Are you familiar with the Dragonborn sport 'hitting things until they break'? It's a fun sport. You play it by hitting things until they break. Would you like to play it with me?"
Response to "Are you going to kill me?" sorts of things.
"No no... I think it would be more fun to shatter your limbs, rip out your tongue and leave you here to die slowly."
Interrogation:
"Perhaps holding your tongue would be easier if I ripped it from your mouth."
(As I lift my Mordenkrad, walking over to the subject, talking to the party leader [Paladin]) "He's obviously not talking, should I shatter his legs? Or just kill him?"
"He's not talking. Who wants fried <target's race>?" *takes a deep breath*
"Ugh... Can you just answer our questions? You're not worth the time it'll take me to clean your blood from my hammer."
(From Subotei) *Use one of his allies as a puppet to interrogate him with*
To a thief:
"My father's a dead thief too."
To a guard:
(glaring) "A guard killed my brother, you know."
To an enemy we've seen before:
(From Yukitsu) "I looked up where your family lives. Tell me, who do you like more? Your sister, or your son?"
If someone tries to bribe him:
"And why wouldn't I just kill you and then take it?"
Haggling:
(best I could think of and is horrible, and not really Intimidate) "I'm a Barbarian, and even I wouldn't charge that much. Get it? Charge? No?"Last edited by Thajocoth; 2010-03-30 at 07:35 PM.
Avatar by me. It's Incendius Darkscale, a Good Dragonborn Dragon Sorcerer, Demonskin Adept, Prince of Hell, worshiper of the Platinum Dragon (Bahamut), specializing in Fire and Lightning, wielding a staff in each hand.
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2010-03-30, 01:23 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2005
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Re: Intimidating phrases
For that guy it wouldn't take much. How about being matter of fact?
*hefts hammer*
"I am going to kill you with this"
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2010-03-30, 01:28 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Apr 2007
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- Tampa, FL
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Re: Intimidating phrases
Have you read the Wheel of Time? In the chapter "Figs and Mice" Thief-catcher Juilin Sandar discusses his favorite intimidation tactic at length.
He gets an evil woman to spill her entire life story by calling for rope, cooking oil, and salt. Later, he relates a story on how he made a tough man beg for mercy when he asked for a basket of figs and some mice.
The key was that he had no more idea of what to do with those items than his prisoners did. But the secret to intimidation is to use the listener's imagination against him - generally, they can come up with scarier scenarios than you can.
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2010-03-30, 01:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2007
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- On Paper
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Re: Intimidating phrases
"Are you familiar with the phrase "When all you have is a hammer, every problem is a nail"? Well, I have a hammer, so the question is, are you a nail?"
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2010-03-30, 01:36 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2008
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- Boulder, CO
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Re: Intimidating phrases
Make sure you watch Firefly episode 14, Objects in Space. Jubal Early is, I think, one of the most intimidating characters I know of. Fantastic.
Second, you should make sure you pick up the feat (Don't remember the name) that lets you use STR instead of CHA for intimidate
Finally, I agree with Lysander's assessment, heheh.
EDIT: Forget the feat I suggested; I didn't notice you were in 4e.Last edited by Dr Bwaa; 2010-03-30 at 01:52 PM.
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2010-03-30, 01:38 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2009
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- Austin TX
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Re: Intimidating phrases
Avatar by me. It's Incendius Darkscale, a Good Dragonborn Dragon Sorcerer, Demonskin Adept, Prince of Hell, worshiper of the Platinum Dragon (Bahamut), specializing in Fire and Lightning, wielding a staff in each hand.
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2010-03-30, 01:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Location
- The great state of denial
Re: Intimidating phrases
I played a little girl, 6 charisma dread witch once. The one that worked best was:
"I looked up where your family lives. Tell me, who do you like more? Your sister, or your son?"Me: I'd get the paladin to help, but we might end up with a kid that believes in fairy tales.
DM: aye, and it's not like she's been saved by a mysterious little girl and a band of real live puppets from a bad man and worse step-sister to go live with the faries in the happy land.
Me: Yeah, a knight in shining armour might just bring her over the edge.
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2010-03-30, 01:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
- Location
- Britland
- Gender
Re: Intimidating phrases
*lifts Mordenkrad*
"Have you ever seen someone whose been hit by one of these?"
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2010-03-30, 01:52 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2006
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- New York, USA
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Re: Intimidating phrases
"You're already dead."
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2010-03-30, 01:55 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2010
- Location
- Indiana
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Re: Intimidating phrases
If youve got a first level wizard with you that knows, for example, grease (he should) you can use that to intimidate during interrogations.
Have the wizard grease the poor sod and then get a match or tinder stick, and threaten to set him on fire. Or just breath on him/near him.
Have you ever seen a grease burn? Nasty stuff.
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2010-03-30, 02:03 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2009
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- Austin TX
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Re: Intimidating phrases
There are no Controllers in the party at all. Grease is a fairly useless power in 4e, and I'm pretty sure it's past first level. It just moves an ally I think. Though, we're level 8, so if we had a Wizard, he could know Grease.
We've got: A Ranger that juggles between a longbow and a longsword/shortsword pair, an Unaligned Paladin of Metch (Pelor equivalent), a Shifter Avenger of Metch (who might swap out for his old Cleric since their current Leader is swapping out for a Barbarian), and a Shifter Warden.Avatar by me. It's Incendius Darkscale, a Good Dragonborn Dragon Sorcerer, Demonskin Adept, Prince of Hell, worshiper of the Platinum Dragon (Bahamut), specializing in Fire and Lightning, wielding a staff in each hand.
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2010-03-30, 02:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Location
- The great state of denial
Re: Intimidating phrases
Start singing or humming a cheerful, upbeat song, then walk into the room and smash his foot into pulp while singing, then say: "Oh sorry, I forgot the question portion of the interrogation. I just get so caught up in all the excitement that the boring details just slipped my mind."
Me: I'd get the paladin to help, but we might end up with a kid that believes in fairy tales.
DM: aye, and it's not like she's been saved by a mysterious little girl and a band of real live puppets from a bad man and worse step-sister to go live with the faries in the happy land.
Me: Yeah, a knight in shining armour might just bring her over the edge.
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2010-03-30, 02:18 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
Re: Intimidating phrases
I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire fifty blasts or only forty-nine?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a Maximised, Empowered Wand of Disintegrate, the most powerful wand in the world, and would blow you to little cinders, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
Last edited by Ravens_cry; 2010-03-30 at 02:18 PM.
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2010-03-30, 02:21 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2009
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- Iceland
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Re: Intimidating phrases
My Cha 9 type just shows the victim his collection of severed penises. The penises of people who didn't talk fast enough.
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2010-03-30, 02:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2008
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- Sweden
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Re: Intimidating phrases
How about lifting your weapon and going "WRAAAAAA" and looking really mighty and scary? Intimidate doesn't necessarily mean use of words, body language is far more powerful either way.
Black text is for sarcasm, also sincerity. You'll just have to read between the lines and infer from context like an animal
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2010-03-30, 02:25 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2006
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- Scotland
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Re: Intimidating phrases
Only applies to males: "You know, I have this thing I borrowed from a friend. He calls it a "finger cutter", it's like a tiny guilotine, you just put a finger in it and it cuts if off. There are times when I'm tempted to use this, but I always wondered if it cut's things other than fingers..."
"You know, my friend said I was meant to scare you...you think intense pain is scary right?"
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2010-03-30, 02:35 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2009
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- Austin TX
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Re: Intimidating phrases
Last edited by Thajocoth; 2010-03-30 at 02:37 PM.
Avatar by me. It's Incendius Darkscale, a Good Dragonborn Dragon Sorcerer, Demonskin Adept, Prince of Hell, worshiper of the Platinum Dragon (Bahamut), specializing in Fire and Lightning, wielding a staff in each hand.
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2010-03-30, 02:54 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2010
- Gender
Re: Intimidating phrases
When in doubt, go for the classics.
*point at party members* "You know, watching me beat <insert race>s to death is the closest thing they get to entertainment"
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2010-03-30, 03:12 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Location
- The great state of denial
Re: Intimidating phrases
Me: I'd get the paladin to help, but we might end up with a kid that believes in fairy tales.
DM: aye, and it's not like she's been saved by a mysterious little girl and a band of real live puppets from a bad man and worse step-sister to go live with the faries in the happy land.
Me: Yeah, a knight in shining armour might just bring her over the edge.
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2010-03-30, 03:55 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
- Location
- Austin TX
- Gender
Re: Intimidating phrases
Avatar by me. It's Incendius Darkscale, a Good Dragonborn Dragon Sorcerer, Demonskin Adept, Prince of Hell, worshiper of the Platinum Dragon (Bahamut), specializing in Fire and Lightning, wielding a staff in each hand.
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2010-03-30, 04:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2009
- Location
- New Jersey
- Gender
Re: Intimidating phrases
Interrogation? Maintaining a calm tone is key. Ask lot's of questions.
Example questions:
"Do you have ice in your country? No? Well, this is an ice pick."
"Do you know what a urethra is?"GMs 3.5, cWoD, Rogue Trader, Monsterhearts, The Pool, and Fudge. Narrativist, wacky builder, and dancer.
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2010-03-30, 04:19 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2010
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- Birdsnest
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Re: Intimidating phrases
Tips:
Go Listen to Duke Nukem Talk
Then go listen to Bruce Campbell Talk (in any of the evil dead movies)
then go listen to arnold shwarzaneggar
then go listen to Sylvester Stallone as Rambo
then go listen to Harrison Ford (in almost anything)
and finally go watch the punisher. Listen to him.
You should get a nice amount of phrases inspired by all these.
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2010-03-30, 04:24 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2010
Re: Intimidating phrases
IN interigation after beating up a target
Licks blood:
"Mmm, I wonder what the REST tastes like...."
All perpose intimidate
"Im very interested in my ancestry, They ate people like you as well."Last edited by Nidogg; 2010-03-30 at 04:43 PM.
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2010-03-30, 04:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
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- I wish I knew...
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Re: Intimidating phrases
"Oh look... a new playmate!"
Or, creepy female character, in that not-sane not-in-this-reality kind of voice "Oh look, a new pet. Come here, dear little thing. I shall show you things you never dreamed existed..."SpoilerQuite possibly, the best rebuttal I have ever witnessed.
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2010-03-30, 05:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- With Uncle Crassius
Re: Intimidating phrases
"Are you familiar with the Dragonborn sport 'hitting things until they break'? It's a fun sport. You play it by hitting things until they break. Would you like to play it with me?"
BANG → !
OH LOOK AT HER/.../YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN/YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN/YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN MEAN/RICHARDS
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2010-03-30, 05:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
Re: Intimidating phrases
"Suddenly, I viddied what I had to do [to you], and what I had wanted to do [to you], and that was to do myself in; to snuff it, to blast off for ever out of this wicked, cruel world. One moment of pain perhaps and, then, sleep for ever, and ever and eve"
Or just about any other quote from A Clockwork Orange and for kicks always sing while you're beating down on them.
As for a torture/intimidate tactic perhaps get an evil druid to help out - tie them down and plant a small weed in a wound and have the druid start to prep to cast Plant Growth.
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2010-03-30, 05:15 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2010
Re: Intimidating phrases
what about a simple.
"Watch your tongue, or I shall rip every limb from your body and watch you bleed out. You could ask my son, the only problem is I would have to kill you first!"
something along those lines..
must use the I ripped my son apart for backtalking me...but you know...a father who killed his some by ripping him limb by limb is quite terrifying...
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2010-03-30, 05:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
Re: Intimidating phrases
If this kills you, it just means I have to cast Speak with Dead after.
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2010-03-30, 05:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2006
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Re: Intimidating phrases
When fighting more than one foe, simply butcher enough to leave one left. Then ask questions. If you like theatrics, use ventriloquism and the decapitated head of one of the aformentioned enemy as a finger puppet to pose the questions to the prisoner.
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2010-03-30, 07:37 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2009
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- Austin TX
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Re: Intimidating phrases
Thanks a lot everyone for your help. I have enough to likely last me a while. Though, I'm not going to discourage adding more.
Avatar by me. It's Incendius Darkscale, a Good Dragonborn Dragon Sorcerer, Demonskin Adept, Prince of Hell, worshiper of the Platinum Dragon (Bahamut), specializing in Fire and Lightning, wielding a staff in each hand.