Troll Lord Games

Hey all, I asked this over in the FB group but it mostly went unanswered, so I'm hoping I can find a little more help over here.

Two questions about Barbarian special ability Intimidate:

1) When the Barbarian uses it, do most of the DM's roll for every monster affected (which, at high levels could take quite a while!) or choose sanity and roll once for each group of monsters? The latter kills the "realness" but, that could be a whole lotta rolls and then trying to keep track of exactly which monsters are affected! Yikes!
Or perhaps there's a third option that I'm not seeing?

2) When Barbarians use their intimidate ability, do the penalties the monsters have apply to other members of the PC group? The monsters affected have a -2 to attacks and damage, but I'm not sure if it applies to attacks against the Barbarian or if they're so shaken up that it affects all attacks, including the other members of the party.

Thanks!

1) I make the roll vs the monsters as a group roll if more than five or six present that are affected, assuming the barbarian is of sufficient level for multiple enemies.

2) If the PCs are within the 15' radius around the barbarian when the skill is used, then I would say the allies gain the benefit of the debuff as well, though once they move outside that 15' radius that debuff benefit is lost.

Go0gleplex wrote:
2) If the PCs are within the 15' radius around the barbarian when the skill is used, then I would say the allies gain the benefit of the debuff as well, though once they move outside that 15' radius that debuff benefit is lost.

Not working outside the 15' radius. I never would have thought of that. :-/

I mean, I understood having to be inside the 15' radius for the ability to work at all: the monsters have to be all up close and personal to see him in all his fury (or whatever). But the idea that it would stop working outside that radius -- that the monsters would no longer be intimidated once they moved the distance of the chair from the couch in my house -- never clicked with me.

Thanks for the help. You totally showed me a new way to look at the ability that may apply to other abilities from other classes. I may be reworking how we play this game in general!

KeyIXTheHermit wrote:

Go0gleplex wrote:
2) If the PCs are within the 15' radius around the barbarian when the skill is used, then I would say the allies gain the benefit of the debuff as well, though once they move outside that 15' radius that debuff benefit is lost.

Not working outside the 15' radius. I never would have thought of that. :-/

I mean, I understood having to be inside the 15' radius for the ability to work at all: the monsters have to be all up close and personal to see him in all his fury (or whatever). But the idea that it would stop working outside that radius -- that the monsters would no longer be intimidated once they moved the distance of the chair from the couch in my house -- never clicked with me.

Thanks for the help. You totally showed me a new way to look at the ability that may apply to other abilities from other classes. I may be reworking how we play this game in general!

NP and good luck. My reasoning on being within the radius is that you have the big scary barbarian there...and even if going after the people next to them, you're still in reach of the big and scary. Sort of like how one might feel playing with matches in a shed full of gunpowder. When you no longer have to fight near the big scary, it isn't so nerve wracking....or playing with the matches outside of the gunpowder building.

if the Barbarian's friends are fighting along with him... his big scary helps them with their courage, not hurts friends or at least those knowing the fury cannot be directed at them... only opponents. That would also simplify things.