OGC:Torture (3.5e Intimidate Skill Use)
Intimidate [Cha]
Torture
Compared to physical torture, psychological torture can take a tremendous variety of forms. It might involve the threat of physical torment, making it sound even worse than it actually is. It could be based on threats to loved ones or to the victim’s reputation. Or it could simply involve actions intended to drive the victim to the point of madness — without actually pushing her over the edge. The advantage of psychological torture is that it can break people who possess tremendous fortitude. A barbarian may be far too tough to fall victim to a set of thumbscrews, but a skilled inquisitor can still make her cry like a baby.
Check: After 30 minutes of working on the victim, make an Intimidation check opposed by her Will save. The consequences of success or failure are the same as physical torture, including the victim’s ability to lie if she saves successfully.
Retry: You must wait for at least an hour before retrying a failed roll. You cannot take 10 or 20 on the check.
Special: You can improve the odds of psychological torture by spending time to prime the subject. For every 30 minutes you spend speaking with your victim (or performing other actions designed to unnerve her), you may make a Sense Motive roll opposed by your target’s Will save. If you are successful, you get a +1 circumstance bonus to your Intimidation check. You can instead choose to keep prying at the victim’s mind to increase this bonus; each subsequent successful Sense Motive check will add one to the bonus, to a maximum value of +4. However, if you leave the subject alone and unattended for more than an hour, the bonus is lost.
Like Gather Information, psychological torture should involve roleplaying; the victim or inquisitor should get bonuses to their rolls based on how they handle the situation.
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