Disheartening Display - does the frightened condition have a duration?


Rules Questions


Hi,

I'm starting a new campaign with 6 level characters and I intend to have Intimidate build Fighter and was wadering about taking this feat:

Disheartening Display: "When you successfully use Dazzling Display against any shaken, frightened, or panicked opponents, their fear increases by one step. An already panicked creature demoralized by this feat cowers. Once affected by this feat, a creature cannot be affected by it again (by you or anyone else) for 24 hours."

(Disheartening Display is an ability that let's be do a demoralizing check against every enemy within 30 feet of me)

My question is - Since there is no duration mention I assume that enemies that upgrade from shaken to frightened or worse just remain like that.

After all Freightened just for a round or 2 doesn't make that much sense anyway. From the description of the condition if looks more like once you've become frightened you'll flee from the source of your fear for the duration of the encounter. Effectively removing the creature out the combat as long as I am still around.

Is this the right interretation?


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No.

I would say it upgrade the fear condition from any existing fear condition use the same duration as the previous condition had.

The intimidate skill explains how long the duration should last for shaken, and there is no reason to think that duration should be extended (beyond whatever you can normal do with using demoralize function of intimidate).


For starters, let's take standard creatures you fight. You use Dazzling Display on Round 1. They become Shaken for 1 round + 1 round per 5 you beat their DC. This could be only 1 round. This could be 2 rounds. This could be 5+ rounds; it depends on how well your Intimidate is optimized in relation to the creatures you fight.

If you follow up with another (successful) Dazzling Display next round, you would apply Disheartening Display. If they are Shaken (via your Dazzling Display), they become Frightened, and this is for a number of rounds equal to the Dazzling Display results from both your previous round, and this round - 1 (because 1 round has to elapse before Disheartening Display takes effect). And as mentioned, if used on a Panicked creature, they can do nothing but cower in pure fear (i.e. they take no action; frozen by fear, I suppose).

Of course, if they are already inflicted with a Fear condition, your Disheartening Display would apply to the effects of that condition and their duration; Dazzling Display functions independant of the other Fear conditions, and doesn't say that its duration or effects stack with other Fear effects.

Remember that using Intimidate to demoralize foes is considered both a Fear and a Mind-Affecting Effect, which certain creatures are immune to (there are a lot of them, actually), so I would suggest making this sort of an "optional" thing to do against relevant enemies...


Claxon wrote:

No.

I would say it upgrade the fear condition from any existing fear condition use the same duration as the previous condition had.

The intimidate skill explains how long the duration should last for shaken, and there is no reason to think that duration should be extended.

Which is really strong with enforcer. You get to fear an enemy for 15+ rounds with no save.


johnlocke90 wrote:
Claxon wrote:

No.

I would say it upgrade the fear condition from any existing fear condition use the same duration as the previous condition had.

The intimidate skill explains how long the duration should last for shaken, and there is no reason to think that duration should be extended.

Which is really strong with enforcer. You get to fear an enemy for 15+ rounds with no save.

Indeed, with the proper feats you can set up incredibly long durations.

But Disheartening display alone wont do it.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Claxon wrote:
johnlocke90 wrote:
Claxon wrote:

No.

I would say it upgrade the fear condition from any existing fear condition use the same duration as the previous condition had.

The intimidate skill explains how long the duration should last for shaken, and there is no reason to think that duration should be extended.

Which is really strong with enforcer. You get to fear an enemy for 15+ rounds with no save.

Indeed, with the proper feats you can set up incredibly long durations.

But Disheartening display alone wont do it.

For Dazzling Display I like Equipment Trick (cloak) for that extra 1d4 rounds.


While it's not super amazing, since I'm already using Hurtful on a antipaladin character I have I plan on picking up Pile On.

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