A question for all you rules buffs out there:
Can a dread necromancer (Heroes of Horror) use her charnel touch supernatural ability with the Intimidating Strike feat (Player’s Handbook II)? The feat states “As a standard action, you make a single melee attack against your foe.” Charnel touch states, “…she can make a melee touch attack against a living foe…”.
Charnel Touch can be used "At will, but no more than once per round." There's no "action" stated other than that you make a melee touch attack.
That's actually the crux of the problem, so far as I can tell. Intimidating Strike is designed to be used with a normal attack. Taking a penalty on a touch attack is a markedly smaller inhibition than taking a penalty on a standard melee attack.
Unless there's some other text elsewhere, I'd be inclined to say that the RAW disallows it, but I'd allow it myself. If the Necromancer wants to focus on melee combat, let him. The fighter with Intimidating Strike is basically saying "it doesn't matter how hard you try, I'll still cleave you apart with my sword," while the necromancer is saying "feh, why would I need a sword?"
I'd be inclined to say that the RAW disallows it, but I'd allow it myself. If the Necromancer wants to focus on melee combat, let him.
Agreed. Any wizard-type with low hp who charges into melee deserves whatever he gets. Giving him a fairly weak buff like Intimidating Strike--one that he already burned a feat on (a feat that could have been used for Spell Focus or Arcane Stike or almost anything else more useful)--is probably not going to break the game.