Duck and Cover

When I play FO1/2 I some times notice that in dialogue their are smart ass remarks, or tough guys remarks, they all mostly end up in combat. But I was thinking, if a character with high ST and END was talking to some scum who refused to give me something, I would have the option of intimidating him (kinda Like lenny in the hub.)

I like to play a combat character, but if I am carrying a minigun and bulging with muscles, I want the NPC in question to fear me. What say you guys?

Hammer wrote: I like to play a combat character, but if I am carrying a minigun and bulging with muscles, I want the NPC in question to fear me. What say you guys?

There's was some 'intimidation' scripting into FO:T - one example being 'leaning' on the bar owner in Junction City until he gives you a robot part....

I do agree that NPCs should be more informative and co-operative with an NPC/PC that is much larger/armed to the teeth/obviously psychotic. This "Intimidation" or "Menace" skill would work like Charisma, but should cost you local or even overall reputation points as you would basically be threatening them even if you don't do so verbally...

Viktor wrote: There's was some 'intimidation' scripting into FO:T - one example being 'leaning' on the bar owner in Junction City until he gives you a robot part....

I do agree that NPCs should be more informative and co-operative with an NPC/PC that is much larger/armed to the teeth/obviously psychotic. This "Intimidation" or "Menace" skill would work like Charisma, but should cost you local or even overall reputation points as you would basically be threatening them even if you don't do so verbally...

Well, as for that mission in FOT, IIRC, just talking to him several times will have him give you the part, as you put a gun to his head and cocked the hammer.

I don't think making Intimidation a skill would work very well. I think you should jsut be able to, based off of your STR and END, but you would lose karma if done to innocents. So a hero would not lower himself to intimidation, but it would more fun as an evil SOB to go around threatening people into subsmission.

Nice idea.

This could be a good way for combat orientated characters to avoid combat.

If ammo was scarce (which wouldn't be unrealistic), and your char. was down to the last few shells for his shotgun, he might well want to use it to intimidate people into doing what he wants, rather that just shooting them or having to use speech. This would open up a way for char.s with good combat skills or strength or kills or whatever to negotiate without having to have a high speech skill. More flexibility = good.

You could intimidate the raider leader who kidnapped Tandy in FO1 into letting her go couldn't you, or just kill all the raiders.

More of this type of situation would be nice in a FO3.

Intimidation could also be modified by Charisma, since it measures force of personality. Certain Traits/Perks, such as Bruiser, Small Frame, or Made Man, should affect it positively or negatively. The presence of allies, especially large allies, should affect it as well("Fezzik, tear his arms off."). Speech should affect it as well, but it should not be vital. Someone with Power Armor, Str 9 before PA, Bruiser, a GatlingTurboGaussPlasmaXrayLaser, and a couple of Deathclaws backing him up should be terrifying if he wants to be, even if his Speech sucks.

Perhaps you could have a "Scary Mofo" trait available at character creation. It increases your ability to intimidate, but reduces your Speech and dialogue options for normal conversations.

a little off subject here but was "Fezzick tear his arms off" from princess bride? when there trying to storm the castle

twiztid wanderer wrote:a little off subject here but was "Fezzick tear his arms off" from princess bride? when there trying to storm the castle

Yes. They are trying to get the gate key from the Evil Henchman Whose Name I Forgot. The dialogue goes something like this:

"Give us the gate key."
"I don't have a gate key."
"Fezzik, tear his arms off."
"Oh, you mean this gate key."

I would love to have dialogue options like that in FO3:

"This is Cupcake, my Deathclaw friend. He is coming to see you. He will return to me with the holodisk or your testicles. Your choice."

It would have to be affected by charisma because there are several ways he could respond lets take this as an example, just to show how charisma affects intimidation.

"Give us the gate key."
"I don't have a gate key."
"Fezzik, tear his arms off."

He could respond with:
A) Oh, you mean this gate key. [Gives key](High charisma)
End. [Goes into combat](With medium charisma)
C) Go on then punk, i don't think you have the balls. [You walk off](With low charisma)

I don't think that is a good example, Genghis. It doens't take a high CHR, hidh speech skills guy to know that Fezzik woluld, in fact, tear his arms off. In a case such as that, the three options you gave would always be there, unless you were a 3 INT thug, but maybe high INT and speech would give you the option to do something else, like convincing them to leave, or go around a different way, etc.

As for intimidation ability, I think it should be like reaction, accept maybe a "fear" thing. High STR and END would make them afraid, as well as number of companions. Weapons too, because if a little shrimp comes after you with a .357 magnum, you still are gonna do what he says, because he has a gun. Likewise, if they have a weapon as well, it would be offset. And cocky NPC's would have a lower chance of being intimidated. So I think it would be a pretty well calculated system.

Blarg wrote:
Perhaps you could have a "Scary Mofo" trait available at character creation. It increases your ability to intimidate, but reduces your Speech and dialogue options for normal conversations.

Scary Mofo trait, that would be kick ass! It could also be a postive perk, at the cost of some of ur karma..

It wouldn't have to be something seperate from the dialouge screen. It could just give you more options when you speak like "glance at you weapon", or "finger the trigger of your weapon".

It wouldn't necessarily give you more dialogue options, but give ya a higher chance of pulling it off. For example, in FO/2, if you have high INT and speech skills, you would have a lot of options, but with a CHR of 1, it wouldn't do much good.