I cant find this anywhere in EotE or AoR but when one of my players wants to physically intimidate someone (ie wookie roaring flexing his mussles) what does he roll? coercion sounds good but thats more psychological as its his willpower. Should i create a custom skill? Or did i miss another similar skill? As of right now Ive been having him roll his brawl.

All intimidation is psychological.

You may want to start giving modifier dice for physical threats, scary implements, reputation, etc.

It's Coercion. It covers both physical and mental intimidation. There's absolutely no need to make up another skill that does exactly the same thing. FangGrip has the right idea - if the player is obviously much bigger and stronger, give him a Boost die to add to his Coercion skill.

Thanks for the input!

I cant find this anywhere in EotE or AoR but when one of my players wants to physically intimidate someone (ie wookie roaring flexing his mussles) what does he roll? coercion sounds good but thats more psychological as its his willpower. Should i create a custom skill? Or did i miss another similar skill? As of right now Ive been having him roll his brawl.

It's Coercion. It covers both physical and mental intimidation. There's absolutely no need to make up another skill that does exactly the same thing. FangGrip has the right idea - if the player is obviously much bigger and stronger, give him a Boost die to add to his Coercion skill.

Had this same situation and used Coercion adding 1 Boost die for each 2 levels of Brawn difference. Worked fine.

There's a few ways to express that scenario through the rules.

The first one - as others have suggested - is giving the character a boost die for their coercion check because of physicially overpowering he or she appears compared to their intended target. I wouldn't allow this to happen every coercion check, as this could be better expressed as a ranked talent.

Another option would be to simply allow the player to use their brawn characteristic rather than their willpower for constructing the dice pool for his or her coercion check. I'm AFB, but I think substituting characteristics for skill checks based on the context of the skill being used, is plausible and outlined in the book somewhere, possibly in a sidebar. Again, not something I would allow my players to do every time, or maybe allow them to use brawn rather that will but at the expense of a destiny point or some other resource.

I find it odd that Wookiees tend to be poor at intimidation (Coercion) and easy to intimidate (Discipline) since they have a low starting Willpower and Strain Threshold (for dealing with Scathing Tirade and the like).

I find it odd that Wookiees tend to be poor at intimidation (Coercion) and easy to intimidate (Discipline) since they have a low starting Willpower and Strain Threshold (for dealing with Scathing Tirade and the like).

I would give wookies at least two boost dice for checks...

+ "Droids aren't know to rip off arms when they lose..."

+ Sheer size and hulking demeanor

I find it odd that Wookiees tend to be poor at intimidation (Coercion) and easy to intimidate (Discipline) since they have a low starting Willpower and Strain Threshold (for dealing with Scathing Tirade and the like).

This has been a point of contention for one of my players. I explain to them the low willpower that Wookiees have is because of their record of raging with only the slight provocation. But in the end, you're right. It's an byproduct of the mechanics and how FFG chose to stat out Wookiees.

Been thinking about Wookiees and how their low starting Willpower is detrimental to their ability to be intimidating and resist such things, particularly after GM Dave's comments on a recent Order 66 podcast about how Wooks (his favorite species) yet again got shafted on intimidation in a Star Wars RPG.

I'm kinda thinking that Presence would have been a better choice for a "dump stat" for Wookiees, as a good chunk of the EU paints the species as being fairly stubborn in the face of oppression; yeah, they can be broken, but so can just about any other species, it just takes more effort if using a predominately physical approach to breaking their spirits, and even then it doesn't seem to take much to get a Wookiee "riled up" enough to push back against those that have enslaved them. But at the same time, while they're seen as a fairly noble species, they're not well-known for their diplomatic skills, preferring a "blunt and to the point" approach to things. Thus, making coercion a more likely tactic than various methods of sweet-talking.

Admittedly, Wookiees aren't known for their patience and cool-heads either, so from that perspective I can see a justification for Willpower being the dump stat.

I don't recall the d6 stats off the top of my head, but the d20 version of Wookiees gave them a penalty to Wisdom and Charisma (Willpower and Presence in this system), so I guess they're ultimately better off here since they're not innately horrible at interpersonal skills.

This is probably one of those things that should have been brought up during the EotE Beta, but I think we're a bit late for that.

Another possible approach is akin to that used in the OCR/RCR, where Wookiees got a flat skill check bonus to Intimidate checks, and perhaps provide Wookiees either with a free Boost die or a free Upgrade when using Coerce. Or, let them choose between Brawl or Coerce for their bonus skill rank; this last option doesn't necessarily make them better at being intimidating, but rather gives the a leg-up in comparison to most other species.

Dunno. Chewy comes across as pretty cowardly (Han calls him on it).

He also can't resist the meat trap on the moon of the flesh-eating dwarves. That could be because he's dumb, I suppose. He's a good mechanic though, so maybe not Intelligence. Maybe Cunning as a dump stat?

As a thought, remember that Wookiees are an almost extinct, enslaved and broken species in the empire.

Could it be that their low Willpower/poor Discipline comes from the fact that their society has been battered to the point of annihilation? This is a narrative game remember, and in the current setting, Wookiees are no longer the dignified warrior race living in the treetops of Kasshyyk (sp?).

They are now either enslaved, or scratching out a very basic living because so much of society views them as not much better than slaves.

Just a thought to try and understand from a narrative point of view why FFG would have made them this way.

And no, I NEVER listen to the O66 podcast.

I might just let him roll Coercion/Brawn.

In SAGA our GM built a Feat that made Intimidation use Strength instead of Charisma. Maybe something like that is needed?

I find it odd that Wookiees tend to be poor at intimidation (Coercion) and easy to intimidate (Discipline) since they have a low starting Willpower and Strain Threshold (for dealing with Scathing Tirade and the like).

I would give wookies at least two boost dice for checks...

+ "Droids aren't know to rip off arms when they lose..."

+ Sheer size and hulking demeanor

I don't think this is a good precedent to set, plus it'll throw out any semblance of balance with other races. I'm not a balance natz* but I do believe that it's important that all the Players have the same resources to spend on their characters and two boost dice is a big deal especially for not having spent a single EXP to get this bonus on a potentially often used tactic. Even a single Boost die for free is going to make a difference which is why at my table we ad libbed it by making that die dependent on the difference in Brawn to Brawn rather than an automatic add (1 Boost for each 2). Even this is a stretch because it's a freebie.

I actually suggest not giving anything and just say if a Wookee PCs wants to be especially Intimidating he just not buy that fifth Brawn Attribute and spend it on his/her Willpower and/or Coercion. Not everyone who's large is Intimidating, I have a buddy who's 6'5" and a martial arts master and such a smiley F'er that he's about as intimidating as a kitten.

EotE is a game with stats to represent real fife (or surreal life) abilities that every Player purchases to have the character they want.

If you want it buy it, just like any other PC would have to.

I'd agree with most of the others that I would tend to use Coercion with Willpower, as per the rules.

Kshatriya's post is quite valid though.

I'm only on episode 9 at the moment, but in an earlier Order 66 podcast (#6 or 7), GM Chris mentioned that if it made more narrative sense, a Wookie could use Coercion with Brawn as the base characteristic. Jay Little (lead designer for EOTE) was the guest, and he said "absolutely".

No idea if this was rescinded once the CRB came out, but it drove home to me that there is no reason for the GM not to go with something that feels "right" in the game.

Using the base characteristic that feels right with the skill depending on the scenario is exactly how World of Darkness works, and I personally think it's a great mechanic that puts a lot of flexibility in the GM's hands. It's a house rule I use (though rarely) in extreme situations where it makes sense (like Brawn with Mechanics when trying to wrestle a heavy piece of machinery in place in the midst of a space battle).

The point I am trying to make is that I believe the skills adequately cover everything you would want to do in-game, but if you think there may be a gap, feel free to use a different characteristic if that feels better.

I might just let him roll Coercion/Brawn.

Definitely. In fact, any time someone wants to put the hurt on, this is what they will use. I'd suggest not being afraid of mixing and matching characteristics to skills if the situation calls for it. It's one of the ideas I was first exposed to with World of Darkness, and I shamelessly exploit it (or allow the players to).

I will use a Coercion (Brawn) check

I might just let him roll Coercion/Brawn.

Definitely. In fact, any time someone wants to put the hurt on, this is what they will use. I'd suggest not being afraid of mixing and matching characteristics to skills if the situation calls for it. It's one of the ideas I was first exposed to with World of Darkness, and I shamelessly exploit it (or allow the players to).

Agreed. Something that's come up in other games has been the equivalent of Ranged: Light/Intelligence to know the details of particular blaster models or shooting styles, for example.

I'm not sure why Wookies would necessarily need to be innately intimidating. Consider this:

The representation of Intimidation in the rules is linked to Coerce and Willpower. Wookies don't inherently use Intimidation in their culture. Why not? Because they aren't concerned with such sophisticated methods of communication. They just get mad and cut to the chase.

1. They get mad easily, hence the low Willpower.

2. They have little use for Intimidation because that's like making a threat. Wookies don't waste time on making threats... they WILL pull your arms out of your sockets; hence the low Coerce.

3. Even in "A New Hope" when Chewbacca was playing R2 in chess, Chewie did not directly Coerce (Intimidate) anyone. Han did. Han was the one that created fear in 3P0. In fact, the only thing Chewie did was whine because R2 made a good move, "Crying about it won't help. It was a fair move." - 3P0 to Chewie.

4. In "ESB" when Chewie starts to strangle Lando. Did Chewie Coerce (Intimidate) Lando beforehand? No. Lando removed the binders from his wrists, and immediately, Chewie started to choke him... without warning.

5. Any time we ever see Chewie do anything remotely terrifying, it is always in the heat of battle. Any other time, he's a pretty chill dude who gets along with pretty much everyone.

In these scenarios, we can see how a character being afraid of a Wookie has nothing to do with the Wookie using Coerce. The character is innately afraid of the Wookie because he knows the Wookie will rip his head off in a fit of rage - which is linked to the Wookie's low Willpower. This isn't Coercion. It's just a fact of life.

Coercion is used as a conversation point. You're trying to bend the will of someone else to your liking. Wookies don't do this at all. Of course, it is fair to say that when a Wookie is in rage, it is very prone to causing fear to all witnessing parties. But that's balanced out in the nature of combat. If you aren't smart enough to figure out that you should run away from a 7'5", 400 lb death machine in the heat of battle... you're either too terrified to respond, or you want to die. Running away in this manner is still not Coercion, though. It is just a natural fear mechanic of battle.

You guys are seeing a flaw in the system, and all I see is something that makes perfect sense. Wookie is as Wookie does.

If a person uses brawn and physicality as part of Coercion, add a boost die or two. If the person has a disruptor rifle, add some boost dice or give him/her a free upgrade

If a person uses brawn and physicality as part of Coercion, add a boost die or two. If the person has a disruptor rifle, add some boost dice or give him/her a free upgrade

I would give the free upgrade, those things are intimidating as hell.

If a person uses brawn and physicality as part of Coercion, add a boost die or two. If the person has a disruptor rifle, add some boost dice or give him/her a free upgrade

I would give the free upgrade, those things are intimidating as hell.

Yeah, we did kinda pile on that Defel assassin...

I'm not sure why Wookies would necessarily need to be innately intimidating. Consider this:

The representation of Intimidation in the rules is linked to Coerce and Willpower. Wookies don't inherently use Intimidation in their culture. Why not? Because they aren't concerned with such sophisticated methods of communication. They just get mad and cut to the chase.

1. They get mad easily, hence the low Willpower.

2. ...

Coercion is used as a conversation point. You're trying to bend the will of someone else to your liking. Wookies don't do this at all. Of course, it is fair to say that when a Wookie is in rage, it is very prone to causing fear to all witnessing parties. But that's balanced out in the nature of combat. If you aren't smart enough to figure out that you should run away from a 7'5", 400 lb death machine in the heat of battle... you're either too terrified to respond, or you want to die. Running away in this manner is still not Coercion, though. It is just a natural fear mechanic of battle.

You guys are seeing a flaw in the system, and all I see is something that makes perfect sense. Wookie is as Wookie does.

This. As I said before, if a Wookee PC wants to be an Intimidating walking carpet (Leia BTW wasn't even remotely intimidated by Chewie) then they need to spend some EXP on bumping their Coerce or Willpower. Every other PC has to buy these skills and attributes there's no reason why a a Wookee PC should be any different.

It's a sad fact of RPGs that people want their favored class, race, play style to get something for nothing...

Little harsh, FuriousGreg.

Some people just want a murderous, eight-foot slab of muscle and fur to be, y'know, intimidating.

That said, the system was never going to be perfectly attuned to everyone's particular vision of what living in the Star Wars universe would be like. This little kink is easily ignored or fixed, depending on the tastes of individual gaming groups.