Intimidating Prowess or Skill Focus (Intimidate)?

[DracoDruid]

What would you prefer and why?

[blackbloodtroll]

Strength is low, then skill focus.

[Vrischika111]

SF, as you can get it via 1/2 elf, or human ART

but you can have both :)

[PridefulOne]

Skill Focus. Why give your intimidate TWO ability scores to be hit by a drain?

[Jin Hebimoto]

Intimidating Prowess. for those Physical summoners, Sorcs and Paladins ... also goes up every time you get new gear. This assumes you have str however

[blackbloodtroll]

Depends on the build.

Kind of a question with no answer, only more questions.

[Spacelard]

Skill Focus gives +6 when you get 10 ranks in Intimidate, so unless your build is giving you 22 STR...

or both

[DracoDruid]

Right now, I am playing a STR 16, CHA 7 Half-Orc Inquisitor.

Even for a STR-build Skill Focus is always better, I'd say.
(+6 at 10 skill ranks)

I think if "IP" would let you use STR INSTEAD of CHA, it would be good, though.
(It would mean a +5 bump to Intimidate which increases with STR)

[Chengar Qordath]

Spacelard wrote:

Skill Focus gives +6 when you get 10 ranks in Intimidate, so unless your build is giving you 22 STR...

or both

Most heavily strength-focused builds should have at least 22 strength by level ten. Not to mention that after level ten your strength will keep going up more.

It really does boil down to what your primary stat is. If you're pumping strength, then intimidating prowess is better. If you're not, then take skill focus instead.

[gustavo iglesias]

Basically it depends on your stats. If your str is higher than 16 before level 10, and higher than 22 after level 10, then prowess is better, obviously. IF not, then the focus is better.

[gustavo iglesias]

DracoDruid wrote:

Right now, I am playing a STR 16, CHA 7 Half-Orc Inquisitor.

Even for a STR-build Skill Focus is always better, I'd say.
(+6 at 10 skill ranks)

I think if "IP" would let you use STR INSTEAD of CHA, it would be good, though.
(It would mean a +5 bump to Intimidate which increases with STR)

If so, then characters who don't dump CHA would be penalized.

[PridefulOne]

Honestly, you guys should look into using something similar to how D&D 5th and Iron Kingdoms does it. Intimidate checks are based on what skill you're using to intimidate. For instance, if you know what religion they are you could threaten them with their god smiting them for going against their beliefs (Using Wisdom in place of charisma). Or you could intimdate them by slipping a knife at their throat before they realize it (Dexterity). It doesn't make sense that a 7' tall Barbarian isn't scary, so he'd intimidate with his sheer size (Str or Con).

There're weaknesses in this system I was trying to address with my own take on it using a 2d6+1d6 variable engine, but Iron Kingdoms' 2d6 fills what I was trying to make with a few more ideas.

[brreitz]

Both? Take both.