Intimidation skill?

[BiggRigg42]

I just started playing A Time of War, but I'm not seeing an intimidation skill. Is there a skill by a different name that I'm missing, which does the same thing as intimidation? Coming from a D&D 3.5 and GURPS background, my group is really used to being able to intimidate.   

[Tai Dai Cultist]

It is interesting that there's no intimidate and/or seduction skill.

But you can use existing skills to govern getting people to do what they don't want to do:

Leadership can get people who are "on your side" to do what you want when they dont' want to do it.

Acting (the conning, fast-talking skill) can coerce/trick people who aren't "on your side" to do what you want even if they don't necessarily want to do it. 

If the context is threatening to harm them if they don't do what you want, then Interrogation can cover that.

If you're looking to replicate the 3.5/Pathfinder mechanic of using Intimidate to demoralize an opponent in the middle of combat: ATOW doesn't really have a skill to replicate that kind of effect.  Inflicting a mechanical penalty on your opponent based on being scary is imo more of a "GM wings it" kind of thing.

[BiggRigg42]

Thank you. I also had the thought that intimidate would not really be a skill since it is not something people get trained in. So, without your response, I was going to make intimidate a Will Attribute check.

[Paul]

I also had the thought that intimidate would not really be a skill

So did we.

I was going to make intimidate a Will Attribute check.

Pretty solid solution. We looked at it more as an RP thing: the situation and language used by the player informs how intimidating he or she is. Makes it a GM call, not really something aided by dice. But your approach is a good way to solve gaps you perceive.

Paul

[monbvol]

Intimidation really does seem to be a sub-function of a bunch of other skills and which skill to use for Intimidation does depend on the situation and desired outcome.

[Daryk]

Viewed that way, "intimidation" is more a result than a skill.  I think I like that...

[monbvol]

It also opens up some interesting possibilities for some otherwise negative traits to suddenly have some positive effects.  Have a bad reputation?  Now you get a bonus to scare people into giving you stuff without a fight!  Got some horrible battle scars?  Now you get a bonus to motivating your troops!

[BiggRigg42]

This is all great advice guys, and I greatly appreciate it. After further reading, I noticed that the acting skill explicitly covers intimidation on page 143: "Acting has no subskills. though it can cover a range of specialties ... intimidation (using body language and strength of will to cow a subject with implied threats and bluffs) ..."

The more I read this game, the more I like it. You created a smaller list of skills than DnD or GURPS, but each skill does more than a skill in those other systems. Thus, keeping the player from being overloaded with choices.