Physical vs Verbal Intimidation


Skills, Feats, Equipment & Spells


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Physical vs Verbal Intimidation

There is verbal intimidation and physical intimidation.

Someone diplomatic can choose to be diplomatic and use non-threatening words. Diplomats are also able to verbally intimidate someone by using threatening words.

When it comes to using Intimidate in combat, we’re using physical intimidation.

When someone wants to be physically intimidating, it’s their size, STRENGTH, and aggression that is intimidating. Physical intimidation is made to SCARE the opponent.

Intimidation is a barbarian signature skill and you can demoralize or frighten opponents in combat using it. If Shania Twain (high CHR) and the Mountain from Game of Thrones (high STR) were intimidating opponents on the battlefield, who do you think would be more successful at scaring their opponents, would it be the person with the high CHR or the high STR?

Using the Diplomacy skill, you can verbally intimidate opponents (it's actually a part of real world diplomacy or even bargaining), but that’s part of diplomacy sometimes. If you wanted to make a change to Diplomacy, you could say adding threats give you a +2 bonus but carries with it the same penalties as Intimidation.

Intimidate, the skill, should be based on Strength because of the way the Intimidation is used in the game and particularly in combat. The Intimidate skill cannot be used to both verbally and physically intimidate an opponent, they are completely different skill sets based on different attributes (STR and CHR). The Intimidate skill should be for physical intimidation, the way the skill is often used in the game.

In PF, Barbarians and Fighters are supposed to be scary in combat, this is something they are supposed to be good at naturally (hint: using their prime stat), not a secondary or tertiary stat.


100% agree. Intimidation should be changed to Strength


Dragon Style monks need STR for damage, DEX for AC, and at higher levels CHR for intimidate. Monks rely on multiple stats more than ever in PF2.

It would help in this case as well, if intimidate didn't rely on CHR, but instead relied on STR, it would make these classes less MAD.

Are you scared of the scary barbarian or the scary musician?

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