Diplomacy and Intimidate Skills [Archive] - Wizards Community

Diplomacy and Intimidate Skills [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
katja
04-29-05, 03:36 PM Can I get some pointers on how to roleplay the diplomacy and intimidate skills ? What kind of limitations would a DM put on these?
Sarella Starshine
04-29-05, 05:30 PM diplomacy: 'say, thats a nice jacket you have, whats it made of? can i take a look?'

intimidate: 'give me your jacket or you die punk'

basicly as long as you make sure that the person using diplomacy is trying to act friendly and non threatning, don't limit them. same with intimidate, but instead of acting friendly, they are scaring the person to do what they want.

(fixed spelling)
MadBlue
04-29-05, 11:42 PM Can I get some pointers on how to roleplay the diplomacy and intimidate skills ? What kind of limitations would a DM put on these?As far as limitations go, remember that the effects of Intimidate only last as long as the character is present and for up to one hour afterwards. So characters should be careful about that, since that guard they intimidated in order to get through the gate might report the characters to the authorities after the effects of Intimidate wear off. Also, you can't force someone to obey your every command or do something that endangers their life.

On the mechanical side, circumstance modifiers are your friends. d20 Modern gives a few pointers for circumstance modifiers: +2 for holding a gun on a flat-footed opponent, backed by a crowd of like-minded onlookers or holding a target at his mercy. If the target clearly has an advantage over the intimidator, a -2 penalty might be be appropriate. Likewise, if a guard has been threatened with harsh punishment if he lets anyone through the door, that's probably enough to warrant a -2 circumstance penalty to the character's Intimidate check (that last one's mine, not from d20 Modern).

Roleplaying wise, Intimidate should include immediate threats to one's person, either verbal (like Sarella Starshine's example), physical, such as opposing body language, or grabbing someone by the collar, or a mix of both. Saying that you have someone's family in another room and you'll kill them if the NPC doesn't do what you want, while certainly intimidating, is probably not a good example of what the Intimidate skill is meant to be used for, because you can't base the value of someone's family on a die roll, and if you really do have the NPCs family in another room, you have sway over that NPC for far longer than 1d6x10 minutes after you leave. Threatening to torture them (and actually torturing them) is covered by the Intimidate rules (in BoVD).

Regarding Diplomacy, the effects can last much longer. If you're brokering peace between two warring tribes, obviously (or hopefully) the effects will last for more than an hour after you leave. ;)

However, if you're trying to persuade the chamberlain to let you see the king, or haggle for a lower price, you'd have to do that each time you wanted to get the desired result. The effects of Diplomacy can be especially useful, and with enough Ranks, it becomes a fairly easy task to improve NPC attitudes. That being the case, you might want to use the Bluff Examples in order to raise the DC of the Diplomacy check. For example, if what you're proposing is "almost too incredible to consider", there could be a DC adjustment of +20, if the PC can demonstrate that it's something that's to the NPCs own benefit, that might lower the DC by -5. You also might want to check Rich Burlew's Website (http://www.giantitp.com/Func0010.html) for variant rules for Diplomacy.

As far as roleplaying goes, Diplomacy covers a much wider range than Intimidate or Bluff. If you're being nice, or matter of fact about it, and not trying to pull the wool over someone's eyes, it's probably Diplomacy. For example, telling a king that there is an army massed on his border and the country will be overrun unless he allows your party to take command of the army is probably a Diplomacy check. It's not like you're using Intimidate or Bluff to threaten/trick the king into letting you command his army, you're using Diplomacy to point out that a threat exists and that letting you command the king's army is a good idea.

Hope that helps.

MadBlue
Incursion2005
04-30-05, 12:43 AM i like it this was diplomacy is when my cleric try to talk is way in ot the back room of the castle and intimidate is when my barbarine is so impatiant he grabs the gaurd yelling at him and outs him up against the wall and repedily wacks him against it till he get what he want (to think of it if my barbarian doesnt get what he want the other guy winds up dead hmmmmm)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
katja 04-29-05, 03:36 PM	Can I get some pointers on how to roleplay the diplomacy and intimidate skills ? What kind of limitations would a DM put on these?
Sarella Starshine 04-29-05, 05:30 PM	diplomacy: 'say, thats a nice jacket you have, whats it made of? can i take a look?' intimidate: 'give me your jacket or you die punk' basicly as long as you make sure that the person using diplomacy is trying to act friendly and non threatning, don't limit them. same with intimidate, but instead of acting friendly, they are scaring the person to do what they want. (fixed spelling)
MadBlue 04-29-05, 11:42 PM	Can I get some pointers on how to roleplay the diplomacy and intimidate skills ? What kind of limitations would a DM put on these?As far as limitations go, remember that the effects of Intimidate only last as long as the character is present and for up to one hour afterwards. So characters should be careful about that, since that guard they intimidated in order to get through the gate might report the characters to the authorities after the effects of Intimidate wear off. Also, you can't force someone to obey your every command or do something that endangers their life. On the mechanical side, circumstance modifiers are your friends. d20 Modern gives a few pointers for circumstance modifiers: +2 for holding a gun on a flat-footed opponent, backed by a crowd of like-minded onlookers or holding a target at his mercy. If the target clearly has an advantage over the intimidator, a -2 penalty might be be appropriate. Likewise, if a guard has been threatened with harsh punishment if he lets anyone through the door, that's probably enough to warrant a -2 circumstance penalty to the character's Intimidate check (that last one's mine, not from d20 Modern). Roleplaying wise, Intimidate should include immediate threats to one's person, either verbal (like Sarella Starshine's example), physical, such as opposing body language, or grabbing someone by the collar, or a mix of both. Saying that you have someone's family in another room and you'll kill them if the NPC doesn't do what you want, while certainly intimidating, is probably not a good example of what the Intimidate skill is meant to be used for, because you can't base the value of someone's family on a die roll, and if you really do have the NPCs family in another room, you have sway over that NPC for far longer than 1d6x10 minutes after you leave. Threatening to torture them (and actually torturing them) is covered by the Intimidate rules (in BoVD). Regarding Diplomacy, the effects can last much longer. If you're brokering peace between two warring tribes, obviously (or hopefully) the effects will last for more than an hour after you leave. ;) However, if you're trying to persuade the chamberlain to let you see the king, or haggle for a lower price, you'd have to do that each time you wanted to get the desired result. The effects of Diplomacy can be especially useful, and with enough Ranks, it becomes a fairly easy task to improve NPC attitudes. That being the case, you might want to use the Bluff Examples in order to raise the DC of the Diplomacy check. For example, if what you're proposing is "almost too incredible to consider", there could be a DC adjustment of +20, if the PC can demonstrate that it's something that's to the NPCs own benefit, that might lower the DC by -5. You also might want to check Rich Burlew's Website (http://www.giantitp.com/Func0010.html) for variant rules for Diplomacy. As far as roleplaying goes, Diplomacy covers a much wider range than Intimidate or Bluff. If you're being nice, or matter of fact about it, and not trying to pull the wool over someone's eyes, it's probably Diplomacy. For example, telling a king that there is an army massed on his border and the country will be overrun unless he allows your party to take command of the army is probably a Diplomacy check. It's not like you're using Intimidate or Bluff to threaten/trick the king into letting you command his army, you're using Diplomacy to point out that a threat exists and that letting you command the king's army is a good idea. Hope that helps. MadBlue
Incursion2005 04-30-05, 12:43 AM	i like it this was diplomacy is when my cleric try to talk is way in ot the back room of the castle and intimidate is when my barbarine is so impatiant he grabs the gaurd yelling at him and outs him up against the wall and repedily wacks him against it till he get what he want (to think of it if my barbarian doesnt get what he want the other guy winds up dead hmmmmm)