The Big Name

The inn was full of hushed tension. The brigands had kicked down the front door, and spread around the room. Their leader, a huge man with black snake brands along his muscular arms, surveyed the room. Only one man remained calm. He was seated at a table in the center of the room, a mug of ale in one hand. His eyes were half-closed, like a lazy cat sunning itself on a windowsill.

"And who are you, sitting pretty when the Bloody Banners come to call?" the leader growled, advancing on the man.

The man sipped his drink, and set his mug on the tabletop. He brought his free hand out from beneath the table, and set a coil of silk rope next to it.

"They call me the Hangman," he said. His voice echoed in the sudden stillness, and every set of eyes above its red mask went wide. "There's a big, strong tree out front. No reason it should grow such early, ugly fruit... is there?"

Together or separate, it makes no difference to me.

The Power of a Big Name

A lot of the time, when someone has a big reputation, they have the goods to back it up. The last ten men who've pulled steel on Duncan Greenwell were all dead in seconds, their throats sliced clean through. Folks step small around Allie Mae Arenwell, as the swamp witch's enemies all seem to die under mysterious circumstances. And Cranken "Bulger" Hatworth may be old, but that right hook can send a man to the floor in a single swing.

Other times, though, it's all an illusion. Maybe the guy got lucky, and played it off like that once-in-a-lifetime shot the whole town saw was something he did all the time. Perhaps he's built up his reputation by stoking the rumor mill, talking himself up while in disguise, or paying storytellers to follow the "official" version of his deeds. It's even possible that it all started as a joke, but now it's spiraled out of control.

If you've ever heard Bert Kreischer's story about how he earned a reputation as The Machine with the Russian mob while he was just a college kid who drank too much vodka, well, that's sort of what we're talking about. If you haven't seen that, seriously, check it out. The inspiration there is rich, and deep.

Building A Big Name

A Big Name is going to be a character who can, at least, talk a good game. As such, they tend to have pretty high Charisma scores. A social trait like Signature Moves, which gives you a masterwork piece of equipment unique to you that grants a +1 bonus on Bluff and Intimidate while it's wielded, is a good place to start. Feats like the Dazzling Display tree, which allow you to Intimidate large groups of enemies (and eventually leave them flat-footed, or make them cowed into submission) are a solid follow-up. Even utilizing Disguise or Diplomacy to seed rumors of what you did, or Bluff to outright lie, can bolster your legend.

But what's the point of the Big Name? Well, to turn that reputation into a blunt instrument, of course.

Ever seen Road to Perdition? There's a particular scene where our main character, a feared enforcer, walks up on a speakeasy. The doorman is cracking his knuckles, and playing the tough guy, until our lead tells him who he is. As soon as the muscle hears the name Mike Sullivan, he immediately slumps his shoulders, and becomes a non-threatening, ingratiating helper. That's the sort of thing you do with a Big Name. The idea behind their name is deterrence, and to make intelligent creatures take their hands off their hilts and walk away, rather than risk finding out if the legends are true.

And when combat starts, they use Intimidate to cow their enemies. Because even if the other members of the party have more muscle, or more magic, it's the Big Name the bad guys will talk about when they run. Which will, of course, only make that name slightly bigger.

For more on this idea, make sure you read Character Reputation in RPGs: The Small Legend. It's one of my more popular pieces, and the advice in it is pretty simple for both GMs and players to follow!

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The Intimidating Wizard

Before we get started on this week's unusual character concept, I'd like to get some news out of the way. First is an announcement that I'll be doing two character conversions a month, instead of just one, for the foreseeable future. Apparently you guys like them, and I try to keep doing things you like. This month's first conversion was Syrio Forel, the dancing master from Game of Thrones. Who will the second conversion be? Stay tuned to find out, but I'll warn you now, the character isn't from the Song of Ice and Fire series.

The other thing I'd like to bring up is that it's the holidays. If you're really into the giving spirit, I'd greatly appreciate your patronage. Just stop by my Patreon page, and give any amount you're comfortable with. You'd be amazed at how far as little as $1 a month will go, and how much it would be appreciated. And, because it's the season of giving, all of my patrons have the opportunity to get two ebooks from yours truly, no strings attached. Just pledge, and I'll contact you with the titles so you can choose your free gift!

Okay, I think that about covers the big news. So, let's move on to this month's Unusual Character Concept. What do I have for you?

The Intimidating Wizard

So, does everyone remember that scene in The Fellowship of The Ring? The one where Bilbo, in the grip of the ring's madness, started accusing Gandalf of trying to steal it for himself? Gandalf's response, that deep-voiced, booming rebuke, was enough to break the hold of a magic addiction that had been going for decades, and to bring Bilbo back to his senses just in time to stop his bladder from letting go.

Do not trifle with me, boy, or I'll have you vomiting spiders for a month.

 

Because really, when you think about it, why shouldn't wizards be terrifying? They are people who have mastered the arcane secrets of magic, and even a relatively weak wizard is capable of sapping your strength, enchanting your mind, conjuring fire and lightning from thin air, and putting themselves behind invisible barriers of force. That kind of power should terrify anyone who would cross a wizard, to say nothing of the common folk who might see them as something near to gods when they come into their full power.

But as most of us know, Intimidate is a charisma-based skill, and wizards tend to be short on charisma, as well as on skill points. So what is one to do? Well, if you're playing Pathfinder, this should get you started.

The Mechanics

To make this idea work, mechanically, you need to start with your traits. The trait Bruising Intellect is a must-have, since it both makes Intimidate a class skill, and it allows you to use your Intelligence modifier when you make intimidate checks. If you pair that with a regional trait like Viking Blood, or the combat trait Bully, both of which give you a +1 to Intimidate, then you're definitely on the right track. If you want to add a feat like Persuasive to the list, to say nothing of Skill Focus, then you'll start stacking some big numbers in a big hurry.

But what's the purpose of a high Intimidate? Well, when you're not throwing magic around, it can help you open doors and gain information. If you follow the advice of guides like The Bullyboy, you can use it to render enemies flat-footed. Given that your spells are already touch attacks, that's a big benefit for you. Assuming, of course, you're willing to eat the feats that lead you to abilities like Dazzling Display, and higher iterations like Disheartening Display. If you're intending on pursuing that strategy, it's a good idea to take the trait Magical Knack, and dip two levels into a class with a higher BAB and bonus feats, like the Fighter. It may also be a good trick for Magi, or for those who are considering pursuing the Eldritch Knight prestige class.

The Flavor

So who is this wizard who uses his tongue as a weapon? Is he a hulking Ulfen mage, whose mastery of storm and sleet is nothing compared to the cold contempt he brings down on those who earn his ire? Is she a battle caster from Nex, who can dress down soldiers so thoroughly and completely that they wish she'd simply hit them with her magic instead? Or is your wizard an illusionist, who uses tough talk to back up the seemingly impossible things that happen when he's confronted?

All of these are solid options, but they're far from the only ones. For example, a spellslinger who's won a dozen duels might let her reputation do the talking, instead of relying on raw spell power. A learned abjurer might look down his nose at his enemies, his raw confidence that they cannot hurt him enough to make them think twice about trying. The sly necromancer, knowing full well the legends and rumors that swirl around practitioners of her kind, may remind those who stand in her way that death is not the end of things, but merely the beginning of service.

"You there! Open that trapped door!" Urghgazzagl...

 

Of course, the method of intimidation your wizard prefers is just one part of the equation. The other question is why do you rely on browbeating others? Did you develop this habit when you were at university, and you realized that you were so much smarter than your classmates that it was quicker to just bark at them to do what you wanted instead of taking hours to explain your train of thought? Were you born in the gutter, and your brains allowed you to climb to the head of a gang, and you realized that it was only their perception of how smart you were that kept you on top? Did you cow your siblings with the capacity of your mind long before you'd ever cast your first spell?

For whatever reason you chose to use your brain to make people more compliant, and to strike terror into your foes, you should ask when the character started, and how it shaped the way they cast their spells. Perhaps an evoker with a flare for the dramatic (pun intended) builds up his spells before casting them, relying on the ignorance of those on the receiving end to have no idea what it was he cast, and how he cast it. A transmuter may use big, sweeping gestures to add a touch of theater to her spells, as if the reactions of those she touched weren't impressive enough.

Is intimidate just another tool in this wizard's toolbox, or has it become so much a part of them that magic is similar to a sword; scary, even if it isn't going to be used to hurt someone?

And, if you're looking for more inspiration, you should check out 5 Tips For Playing Better Wizards!

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

How to Weaponize Your Intimidate Check in Pathfinder

Normally I put this at the end of a post, but I figured I'd change things up this week by reminding readers that if they want to help support Improved Initiative, then leaving a little patronage at my Patreon page is a great way to do it. From now till the end of November, though, in addition to getting the warm, fuzzy feeling you get from supporting something you like, I'll give you a free book as well!

Also, if you're an existing patron and you bring someone new, then both of you get free stuff!

All right, obligatory reminder that this blog pretty much runs off your support aside, let's pop the hood and get into the gears for this week's crunch build.

The Bruiser: Weaponizing Your Intimidate Check

Intimidate is one of the most commonly used social skills in Pathfinder. If there's a guard getting in your way, or a merchant who's trying to screw you on a deal, you make a veiled (or not so veiled) threat to get them to reconsider their actions. During combat you can make an intimidate check to demoralize an enemy, leaving them shaken if you can beat a DC equal to 10 + the enemy's hit dice + the enemy's wisdom modifier. Not only that, but the duration of the shaken condition goes up by 1 round for every 5 by which you beat the enemy's DC.

Bullets are expensive. Tell me, what's your life worth?

I've talked about using intimidate in combat before with what I titled The Bullyboy build. That build was fairly rogue-centric, as it used your intimidate check to render enemies flat-footed in order to let you get your sneak attack more readily. While there are some very good suggestions and feats in there, The Bruiser does something a little different; it allows you to create fear on a level we typically reserve only for characters like Batman.

So What's The Trick?

It all starts with the humble feat Enforcer. Found on page 159 of the Advanced Player's Guide, this feat simply says that whenever you hit someone and deal non-lethal damage, you can make an intimidate check as a free action. If your check is successful, the enemy is shaken for a number of rounds equal to the damage dealt. On a critical hit they're frightened for one round, and then shaken for a number of rounds equal to the damage dealt.

That's not a bad start, eh? Say you have a Strength modifier of +3, you're swinging two handed, and you roll minimum damage. That's still a minimum of 5 rounds the enemy's shaken.

Run faster than my horse, and you may yet see another day.

Here's where the numbers get crunchy. You need to have a class that receives sneak attack as a feature. You then take the feats Sap Adept and Sap Master from page 116 of Ultimate Combat. The first feat states that when you deal non-lethal sneak attack damage with a bludgeoning weapon that you add a bonus to the dice equal to twice the number of sneak attack dice you rolled. The second states that when you deal non-lethal sneak attack damage to a flat-footed opponent that you roll the sneak attack damage twice, and total it. Add in the Bludgeoner feat, found on page 90 of Ultimate Combat, which allows you to deal non-lethal damage with a bludgeoning weapon at no penalty, and you've got a nasty trick up your sleeve.

But there's a cherry to go on top of this sundae!

The Thug archetype for the rogue automatically adds on 1 more round of shaken to anyone demoralized by your intimidate checks. Not only that, but anyone who is shaken for 5 rounds or more you can just decide to make frightened for 1 round instead.

Given the sheer number of rounds you can tack on, it's a safe bet your enemies are going to spend more time running out of the fight than they'll spend getting in your way.

EDIT: The feat Cornugon Smash (From Cheliax: Empire of Devils), allows you to make an intimidate check as a free action whenever you strike an enemy with an attack modified by the Power Attack feat. So if you really want to live up to the bruiser archetype, all you need is Power Attack, and 6 ranks of intimidate to snatch this feat.

You could also combine this with the monster feat Hurtful (Monster Codex). Hurtful says that when you intimidate a creature within your melee reach in combat that you may make a free attack on them as a swift action. If the attack misses, though, then the shaken status is removed from the creature. Useful, but only if you don't need your swift or immediate actions for other class abilities.

Tweaking The Engine

You're going to have a lot of feats leftover, especially if you decide to play a rogue/fighter combination who uses an unpleasant disposition to browbeat enemies. That's why it might be a good idea to also use the Shatter Defenses feat, found on page 133 of the Core Rulebook, to render enemies flat-footed against your incoming attacks. Also, given the sheer number of rounds you could leave enemies shaken for, Shatter Defenses is going to be sure you get your sneak attack in for pretty much the rest of the fight (it is a one-two punch, though. You hit a shaken enemy once, and it's flat-footed against you till the end of your next turn. All the more reason for those fighter levels to give you a higher bab, and more attacks).

Just remember, some enemies are too dumb to intimidate.

The Bruiser, combined with The Bullyboy, will give you a lot of options in average combat for using your intimidate skill to its best, possible effect. However, it's important to remember that there are a lot of enemies in the game that you simply cannot intimidate. Mindless undead, plants, constructs, creatures immune to mind effects, paladins, all of these and more will simply not be affected by your intimidate checks. Additionally, because of extremely high hit dice, many big bosses will simply be too high for you to effect unless you have geared your intimidate score to a ridiculous level. That's why it's important to have a backup plan in place so that when you can't brutalize your foes, you can still contribute to the fight.

That's all for this week! I hope you found this little guide to be of use, and that you hand it off to all your friends around the table. If you'd like to get more updates from Improved Initiative, just plug your email into the box on the right, or follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.

The Bullyboy

Normally I end every article with a request for readers to help support Improved Initiative by spreading links to the articles here, and by remembering all of our funding comes from Google AdSense. This week I thought I'd try putting that at the top to see if more people saw it.

Now without further ado let us present this week's crunchy little build, The Bullyboy.

He said "what" again.

When it's time to roll initiative most skill checks go right out the window. Except for acrobatics to avoid attacks of opportunity, or the occasional bluff check to feint or hide, most players focus on swinging swords or slinging spells. The Bullyboy though is a character who uses personality like a hammer, leaving enemies unsure of themselves and flat-footed against incoming assaults.

Did You Say Flat-Footed?

I heard all the rogues in the audience squirming in their seats. Yes, the ultimate goal of the Bullyboy is to render as many enemies as possible flat-footed against your attacks. This makes the rogue a natural choice, but spellcasters and gunslingers (who use touch attacks almost exclusively) might find this strategy useful as well. This is especially true for multiclass mongrels like fighter/rogues, barbarian/rogues, etc.

What's The Trick?

The feat you're building up to is Shatter Defenses (Core Rulebook 133). It requires the character to have Weapon Focus (Core Rulebook 136), Dazzling Display (Core Rulebook 120), a base attack bonus of +6, and proficiency with the weapon you're wielding.

The way Shatter Defenses works is that any opponent you hit who is shaken, frightened, or panicked is considered flat-footed against you until the end of your next turn. In case you were wondering yes, if you have two attacks that means your enemy is flat-footed against your second attack as well as your entire next round. Take note that you don't have to use the weapon for which you have Weapon Focus, but if you took the feat for a +1 to hit, why not use it?

Crank Your Intimidate

The Bullyboy has a pretty simple, two-round setup. The first round you make your enemies afraid of you. The next round, while they're still shaken, frightened, or panicked, you attack. Once you land even a single hit on a scared enemy, regardless of your weapon, you've got an entire round where that target is flat-footed. That means a lower armor class (most times), and an inability to take attacks of opportunity against you. Unless you've got mind-affecting magic or a class ability that lets you cause a fear effect though, you're going to have to roll your intimidate check. For that roll you're aiming to get higher than the target's hit dice+Wis modifier+10. Not an easy task.

Traits

Your focus on fear should start at character creation. You get to pick two traits, and one of those should be a trait that gives you a +1 on intimidate, and which makes intimidate a class skill for you. Bully is the most popular, but others like Viking Blood have the same affect for characters that want a different background.

Recommended Feats

-Dazzling Display: This feat is required for the build to work, but it's also the easiest way to demoralize all enemies within 30 feet of you. Generally speaking, unless you're only fighting a single enemy, this is going to be the feat you lead off combat with.
-Skill Focus (Core Rulebook 134): This feat gives you a +3 on a skill, and a +6 when you have more than 10 ranks in it. That's a good place to start (hint: half-elves get this feat for free at creation).
-Intimidating Prowess (Core Rulebook 128): This feat allows you to add your Strength and Charisma modifiers both to the die roll, which is a big bonus for characters playing bruisers who might not be comfortable putting a really big stat in Charisma.
- Gory Finish (Ultimate Combat 102): This feat allows you to take an attack action (a standard action) at your highest base attack bonus. If you knock your enemy into negatives you can take a swift action to intimidate all enemies who saw and heard what you did within 30 feet. Not a necessary feat, but it is a quick and dirty way to kill two birds with one stone.
- Persuasive (Core Rulebook 131): This feat adds a +2 to your Intimidate and Diplomacy checks. If you have more than 10 ranks in these skills, it adds a +4.
- Enforcer (Advanced Player's Guide): This feat allows you to make an Intimidate check any time you deal subdual damage to an enemy with a melee weapon, and it leaves them shaken for a number of rounds equal to the damage dealt if the intimidate is successful. Best when used with high-damage weapons.

Classes and Abilities

There are a lot of class combinations that can be used to make the Bullyboy work. Some of them are more effective than others though. Here are a couple of suggestions.

Barbarian
This is the obvious choice for the bullyboy. Barbarians are big, mean, uncouth, and often naturally thuggish when it comes to battlefield tactics. They also reach the +6 base attack bonus quite quickly. With the increase to Strength provided by Rage providing a slight boost to those who take Intimidating Prowess, and the benefits of Rage Powers like Intimidating Glare (Core Rulebook 33) which leaves an opponent shaken for a number of rounds equal to 1d4+1 per every 5 by which the barbarian exceeded the check by, they're a natural fit.

Rogue
Rogues are masters of misdirection and nuanced untruth, but the best variant fit for the Bullyboy is the Thug (Advanced Players Guide). The Thug starts off strong right out of the gate with its first-level ability, Frightening. This automatically increases the duration of any shaken effect caused by the Thug by 1 round, meaning that enemies are shaken for a minimum of 2 rounds with a successful intimidate. Additionally, if the target is shaken for 4 or more rounds, the player can upgrade the effect to frightened. The rogue trick Strong Impression grants the character the feat Intimidating Prowess.

Other Classes
Other classes can have the Bullyboy's build applied to them. Sorcerers, for instance, have high charisma in addition to spells that cause fear. Fighters willing to take advantage of psychological warfare are another option. Alchemists who specialize in the feral mutagen and the beastly bonuses it offers might like to soften their opponents up mentally. Even gunslingers, whose strange, deadly weapons are a terror all by themselves (and who at higher levels can use abilities like Menacing Shot to cause fear) might find some use out of this build. Remember though, just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Keep The End Goal in Mind

As with any other build trick, the important thing with the Bullyboy is not to lose sight of the end goal; namely to knock enemies flat-footed after the first round of combat and to keep them flat-footed (in addition to shaken) for as long as possible. It is just as important to ask yourself what you're going to do once your enemies are where you want them, however.

The most obvious answer is to sneak attack them. When combined with the Thug's ability, sneak attacking any intimidated opponent is a slam dunk. That's not the only benefit of having an enemy flat-footed though. It means their armor class goes down significantly, and if one is using a touch attack from spells or firearms, then the player is likely aiming for a 10+deflection modifiers. It also means the enemy's Combat Maneuver Defense goes down, which is a blessing for those who use maneuvers to control an enemy's effectiveness. That said, you need to look at what you can do, and what that ability means in terms of effectiveness on the battlefield.

Lastly, remember that for every trick there's a counter. Constructs, undead, mindless creatures, demons, devils, paladins, and others are all immune to fear of any sort. If you find yourself fighting these creatures then you're going to have to dig deeper into your bag of tricks, because scaring them off simply is not an option for you.

Don't Forget to Roleplay

When you get too caught up in numbers it's easy to forget you still have to roleplay. So you've got to ask yourself one question; how are you intimidating?

There's a multitude of ways to do it. Do you draw your rapier and make an elaborate bow which shows off your extreme skill with the razor-sharp steel? Do you sock the head of your mace into your open palm, idly looking at which of your enemies is getting his skull cracked first? Do you smile beatifically and explain who you're going to kill and in what order? Or do you give a long speech of all the fiends who came before this sorry group of adversaries, and who ended their lives stretched dead at your feet? Ask yourself how your character is intimidating, and in what way, before you throw that die. Who knows, if you put in a good performance your storyteller might even give you a roleplaying bonus on the attempt.


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