Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zurgarghk 10-04-05, 06:47 PM	Hello all, I will be playing a Samurai in an upcoming campaign, and a lot of what they get to do involves demoralizing opponents using the Intimidate skill (see PHB). Now Skip mentioned in an article I found on the wizards site that the best time to demoralize foes was at the beginning of a battle. My question is this: What good does demoralizing do for you if it's effects end at the start of your next round? Sure, it's harder for them to hit you when its their turn. But what if they DO hit you. Now you look like an idiot. Character: RAAARRGH!! I'M MEAN AND INTIMIDATING!!! FEAR ME!!! Goblin: (terrified) Eeeeeeekkk! (swings morning star, gets natural 20 and crits) Character: Crap... Party Halfling Rogue: HAR HAR HAR HAR HAAAAR!! My other question is why would it be best used at the beginning? It doesn't have a long duration. The only thing I can think of is if your DM decides to role play the creatures accordingly, making them less eager to fight with you. But knowing your average, crafty, evil DM, they will simply have the creature attack you since there are no written rules that say they have to respond in any other way. Any thoughts? Zurgarghk
narukagami 10-04-05, 07:18 PM	I think it mainly has to do with, as you said, good DM roleplaying. See, DnD was written with the thought that not all DMs are idiots with no common sense, so they didn't have to write rules for every little possible bit of what can be dubbed 'common sense'. Personally, I houserule it that the creatures get a bonus to resist demoralizing equal to how much HP damage they've done to the demoralizer. Few intelligent opponents are gonna shake in their shoes when you yell at them after they've been MOPPING THE FLOOR WITH YOUR FACE for the passed couple of rounds.
Salla 10-04-05, 07:27 PM	Because you're only thinking in terms of interactions between your character and the target you demoralize. You demoralize an opponent to set him up for someone else. The shaken foe takes a -2 on all his saving throws; it's a great way to help your party wizard or cleric put the screws to someone if you want to get off a critical Hold Person, or if you really need the Monk's Stunning Fist to succeed. Additionally, I think fear effects stack, so if you demoralize someone followed by a successful Cause Fear, gives you Frightened+Shaken=Panicked. I could be wrong on this one.
Zurgarghk 10-04-05, 08:00 PM	Thanks! Yeah, I suppose it could help the rest of the party. I thought of that as well. I suppose it's just the implication that the Samurai can then do something afterwards that puzzles me. If you read anything officially published about it, you get that feeling. Maybe I'm just feeling that way because it would be so damned satisfying to scare the bejeezus out of an opponent followed the next round by a full power attack they couldn't dodge because they were squirming in their soiled pants/armor. Oh well...eventually Samurai can do it from thirty feet as a move action, then as a free action...what delicious fun! Narukagami...your house rule does make sense. However, I would make it apply to melee attacks only. If I were a goblin launching arrows from safety at an enraged barbarian, hitting him several times as he climbed the hill to reach me, I think I'd get pretty scared when he eventually reached me, ticked off 'cause of all my arrows sticking out of him, and holding that greatsword aloft... :weep: Zurgarghk