Morale Maneuvers

Main > Combat > Morale Maneuvers

Social combat maneuvers are used to influence your opponents through trickery or intimidation.

Social Maneuver Mechanics

Moral Maneuver Defense

Each character and creature has a Morale Maneuver Defense (or MMD) that represents its ability to resist morale maneuvers. A creature’s MMD is determined using the following formula:

MMD = 10 + your Hit Dice + your Wisdom modifier + miscellaneous modifiers

If you are trained in Deception, you may calculate your MMD as 10 + your Deception skill bonus if this value is higher.

Performing a Morale Maneuver

When you attempt to perform a morale maneuver, make a skill check with the skill associated with the maneuver. The DC of this maneuver is your target’s Morale Maneuver Defense. Morale maneuvers are skill checks, so rolling a natural 20 does not result in an automatic success, while rolling a natural 1 does not result in automatic failure.

Multiple Attempts

For each that the same morale maneuver is performed against the same creature, you suffer a -4 penalty. This penalty stacks and lasts for 1 hour.

Creature Types and Morale Maneuvers

You suffer a –4 penalty on morale maneuver attempts made against opponents of a different creature type than you. You also suffer a –4 penalty against opponents that are of animal intelligence (Int 1 or 2). These penalties stack.

It is impossible to perform morale maneuvers against mindless creatures.

The Wild Empathy class feature can be used to antagonize, demoralize and feint creatures of animal intelligence (Int 1 or 2) in place of the usual skill, in which case you don’t receive the -4 penalty.

Morale Maneuvers

Antagonize

Action: standard action
Skill: Deception
Target: one opponent within 30 feet and able to see and hear you
Feats: Compelling Maneuvers, Lasting Morale Maneuvers

In combat, you can goad a target into focusing his attacks upon you.

If you succeed, your target gains the Antagonized condition for 1 round. The duration of this condition increases by 1 round for every 5 by which you beat your opponent’s MMD.

Antagonizing an opponent is a verbal, mind-affecting ability and is language-dependent.

Demoralize

Action: standard action
Skill: Intimidation
Target: one opponent within 30 feet and able to see and hear you
Feats: Compelling Maneuvers, Greater Demoralize, Lasting Morale Maneuvers

In combat, you can shatter a foe’s resolve with biting words or an intimidating front.

If you succeed, your opponent gains the Fearful 3 condition for 1 round. The duration of this condition increases by 1 round for every 5 by which you beat your opponent’s MMD.

The trigger is that the opponent is required to stay outside of your reach. At GM's discretion you may demoralize an opponent with a different trigger of equivalent level, such as the opponent being prohibited from attacking a specific ally.

Demoralizing a previously demoralized opponent extends the duration of the fearful condition.

Demoralizing an opponent is a verbal, mind-affecting ability.

Distract

Action: standard action
Skill: Deception
Target: one opponent able to see you
Feats: Compelling Maneuvers, Greater Feint

If you succeed, the next time you would trigger an attack reaction from the target, they lose that chance. This condition lasts until the end of your next turn or until triggered.

Feint

Action: standard action
Skill: Deception
Target: one opponent able to see you
Feats: Compelling Maneuvers, Greater Feint

If you succeed, on the next melee attack you make against the target, the target counts as being flat-footed. This attack must be made on or before your next turn.

Open Gaming License Version 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE

System Reference Document. Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

Open Gaming Content On This Page From:

System Reference Document

Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook

Psychological Combat