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Well I am building a test character to find some problems, and to see how twinked out min/max or at least maxing out I can. As it stands right now I have the character up to a strength of 40, 44 while raging.
So I am looking at Intimidating Prowess and Dazzling Display. Having not done intimidation in actual play, I was wondering how viable it is.
Are there any must have feats? Are there any feats to make Dazzling Display be used as a swift or free action?
Thanks
-Hexen
There's a rage power that lets you intimidate all enemies within 30 feet after killing someone.
It's quite good, imo.
There's a rage power that lets you intimidate all enemies within 30 feet after killing someone.
It's quite good, imo.
Name/Linky please?
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Dazzling Display is a great setup for another party member with bane, or any other spell that requires a saving throw.
It's something you use at the beginning of the fight - first round, move into a position if necessary, second round, five foot step and dazzling display. From there on, enjoy everyone being shaken for anywhere from 3-5 rounds.
Your target for your intimidate skill is YOUR hit dice + N, where N is roughly equal to 10 (the base threshold to meet) + 5 (+3 for a target Wis mod, +2 for target being two levels higher than you), where every 5 over this adds another round to the duration. Once you hit this threshold - where your Intimidate modifier is equal to your HD + 15, the die roll is there to determine how many rounds the effect lasts.
You absolutely want Intimidating Prowess, which lets you use STR and CHA bonuses. I found Persuasive to be useful as well, but my character is a fighter who's also the Diplomacy-front for the party when he isn't doing Dazzling Display. Beyond that, put a rank in it each level.
Intimidating Prowess means your STR belt you were gonna buy anyway adds to your Intimidate. It means the CHA circlet you were going to ignore can still be ignored.
Circlet of Persuasion is worth grabbing, as is anything that adds a Competence bonus to your Intimidate skill.
Enlarge Person is effectively a +5 to Intimidate (4 for being larger, 1 more for the STR with Intimidating Prowess).
A potion of Bull's Strength is either a +1 or +2 to Intimidate depending on whether or not you have a STR belt.
There's a rage power that lets you intimidate all enemies within 30 feet after killing someone.
It's quite good, imo.
Just checked the rage powers, it's not in there. I think you're thinking of a feat. As far as those go...
There's Cornugon Smash, free intimidate check if you hit someone with a power attack.
Enforcer, same thing but with nonlethal damage (Sap Masters are often built around this and the Thug archetype)
And the BEAUTIFUL Dreadful Carnage. It requires Furious Focus, Power Attack, and BAB 11+ but you get a free demoralize check on everything within 30 ft whenever you reduce an opponent to 0 HP or below.
Now, Dreadful Carnage combined with Terrifying Howl on the Barbarian Rage Powers list is pretty darn sweet. One round you down the guy and shaken everyone within 30 feet. Next round, you howl and they save versus panic. Using your STR-score as the 1/2 level + casting stat. And as a Barbarian of 11+ just the act of raging boosts your STR by 6.
A potion of Bull's Strength is either a +1 or +2 to Intimidate depending on whether or not you have a STR belt.
Ton of great suggestions, thanks. With a str of 40, yes I have a +6 str item.
Also check out Performance feats like Hero's Display, Masterful Display, Savage Display and Dramatic Display; they all give you bonus to the Intimidate check as well as additional stuff. Gory Finish is excellent at lower levels, as well as Shatter Defenses. This character I'm using (in the profile) will probably go for the Display feat chains.
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Yea, dreadful carnage! That's it. Take a level in rogue thug for extra awesome.
Also check out Performance feats like Hero's Display, Masterful Display, Savage Display and Dramatic Display; they all give you bonus to the Intimidate check as well as additional stuff. Gory Finish is excellent at lower levels, as well as Shatter Defenses. This character I'm using (in the profile) will probably go for the Display feat chains.
Do natural weapons qualify as proper weapons for Performance Weapons? If not, then isn't there a feat tax?
Also check out Performance feats like Hero's Display, Masterful Display, Savage Display and Dramatic Display; they all give you bonus to the Intimidate check as well as additional stuff. Gory Finish is excellent at lower levels, as well as Shatter Defenses. This character I'm using (in the profile) will probably go for the Display feat chains.Do natural weapons qualify as proper weapons for Performance Weapons? If not, then isn't there a feat tax?
Using a performance weapon grants a combatant a +2 bonus on performance combat checks. Note that it is to the performance check, not to intimidate.
You can do a performance check with every weapon you want, even naturals. The weapons with the performace quality just make the job easier. The feats are listed as Performance because they are related to the bonus to performance combats, not because you are restricted to use performance weapons.
Also check out Performance feats like Hero's Display, Masterful Display, Savage Display and Dramatic Display; they all give you bonus to the Intimidate check as well as additional stuff. Gory Finish is excellent at lower levels, as well as Shatter Defenses. This character I'm using (in the profile) will probably go for the Display feat chains.Do natural weapons qualify as proper weapons for Performance Weapons? If not, then isn't there a feat tax?Using a performance weapon grants a combatant a +2 bonus on performance combat checks. Note that it is to the performance check, not to intimidate.
You can do a performance check with every weapon you want, even naturals. The weapons with the performace quality just make the job easier. The feats are listed as Performance because they are related to the bonus to performance combats, not because you are restricted to use performance weapons.
I am finding this new performance system a little hard to grasp, mostly due to time I can spend to it, can you give me a bit of a more direct explanation on how it works please?
School evocation [fire, language-dependant]; Level alchemist 2, bard 2, inquisitor 2
Components V, S
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range personal
Area 30-ft. radius
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex partial, see text; Spell Resistance special, see below
You unleash an insulting tirade so vicious and spiteful that enemies who hear it are physically scorched by your fury. When you cast this spell, make an Intimidate check to demoralize each enemy within 30 feet of you. Enemies that are demoralized this way take 1d10 points of fire damage and must succeed at a Reflex save or catch fire. Spell resistance can negate the fire damage caused by this spell, but does not protect the creature from the demoralizing effect.
You can make it a standard action for an Inquisitor or a Bard, along with doing a small amount of damage.
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I am finding this new performance system a little hard to grasp, mostly due to time I can spend to it, can you give me a bit of a more direct explanation on how it works please?
Dotting because I've read it a couple of times and it just seems to go right over my head. I'd love to read a good explanation of how it works, too!
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Okay, here's what performance combat looks like to me:
Step 1. Is it a performance combat? If not, ignore the performance combat rules.
Step 2. Perform an action triggering a performance check. (The list is long, not going into it here.)
Step 3. Make the performance check. If you have a performance feat and/or a performance weapon, you can use it here.
Step 4. See the results of the check. If successful, shift the audience (getting a bonus to future attacks), and activate your performance feat, if any. If failure, shift the audience (getting a penalty), and you don't get to use the rest of your performance feat.
All in all, I think it falls into the "needless complexity" bucket, and I'm just ignoring it. If I plan on using it, I'll build a campaign around it.
Okay, here's what performance combat looks like to me:
Step 1. Is it a performance combat? If not, ignore the performance combat rules.
Step 2. Perform an action triggering a performance check. (The list is long, not going into it here.)
Step 3. Make the performance check. If you have a performance feat and/or a performance weapon, you can use it here.
Step 4. See the results of the check. If successful, shift the audience (getting a bonus to future attacks), and activate your performance feat, if any. If failure, shift the audience (getting a penalty), and you don't get to use the rest of your performance feat.
All in all, I think it falls into the "needless complexity" bucket, and I'm just ignoring it. If I plan on using it, I'll build a campaign around it.
What is a performance check, what do I need to do, what bonuses do I get, what minuses?
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A Performance check is a Perform (Acting, Comedy, or Dance) skill check. You get +2 if you're using a performance weapon, and +2 if you're using a Performance Combat feat. The DC depends on the crowd--if they're indifferent, they're easy to sway one way or another, but if they're already enthusiastic or hostile, it gets harder. There's a table in the book.
If you've earned a performance check through a success (hitting on a charge, success with a combat maneuver, or dropping a foe, for example), then a successful check improves the audience one step and grants you bonuses, while a failed check gives you nothing.
If you're required to make a performance check through a failure (rolling a 1, becoming scared, etc.), then a failed check worsens the audience by one step and grants you penalties, while a successful check gives you nothing.
There´s lots of ways to change the action of Intimidate, the number of targets, or strength of effect.
You don´t really need to worry too much about boosting the Intimidate skill itself,
maybe ONE Feat or something to use a higher Stat (e.g. STR) is all you need,
because Intimidate DCs are pitifully easy, which is really an oversight in game design IMHO.
I know one Barbarian Power that is the culmination of the Core line of Intimidation Powers, ends up not even using the actual Intimidation skill, which is a wierd turn of things that when you reach the end of that chain, your investment in the skill becomes useless (for that power, you can still use Intimidation normally and via other Powers).
Also for intimidate you can get a suit of giant hide armor. Storm giant variety and become colossal for fifteen minutes a day. That's quit a bonus with its +8 Str I believe and several size increases
As a primary damage dealer it is probably not worth it. Generally the only condition it is worth an action to inflict on the enemy is Dead. Using Corneguon Strike can be worth it because it costs nothing and adds insult to injury.
On the other hand Dazzling Display can be useful on the first round of combat when you are not getting your full attack. But rarely otherwise.