In The Slayers d20 there is a section called Psychological Warfare that deals with fight with words instead of fists.
Psychological attacks
Psychological attacks are carried out as opposed skill checks. The attacking character decides whether he or she hopes to cause confusion, embarrassment, or fear in his or her enemies. The effects desired determines what skills that characters can use.
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Psychological attacks[br][br]Skill, Effect[br][br]Bluff, Confusion[br]Diplomacy, Confusion[br]Intimidate, Fear[br]Taunt*, Embarrassment[br][br]*it's a new skill in slayers that is based off of charisma
The character's skill check is opposed by the target's modified level check (1d20+character level or Hit Die+ target's wisdom modifier). The target may substitute his or her Will save bonus if that is better. If the character's skill check result is higher than his or her opponent's, the target becomes distracted (for bluff or diplomacy checks), shaken (for intimidate), or abashed (for taunt).
Every round, the target may attempt another level check ( or Will save) as a free action. The condition imposed (whether confusion, embarrassment, or fear) remains until the character gets a check result equal to or higher than the result of the psychological attack. Each round, the character gains a +2 cumulative bonus on this check, as long as the character making the psychological attack has stopped. It's more difficult to get over embarrassment if you're still actively being teased.
During appropriate situations, such as when the character's friends, allies, or self are in imminent danger or the source of the attack leave, the GM may grant bonuses to the level check or Will save to over come the attack.
Making any type of psychological attack is a standard action.
CONFUSION A witty, fast-talking character can cause confusion in his or her enemies using bluff or diplomacy skill checks. There are three states of confusion: distracted, befuddled, and addled (from least to most severe)
A distracted character who becomes subject to a new source of confusion becomes befuddled, instead. Similarly, a befuddle character subject to a new confusion will be addled. The character may make a check against each source of confusion each round to attempt to overcome these conditions.
EMBARRASSMENT Everybody's sensitive about something. Characters may become embarrassed when put in embarrassing situations. There are three states of embarrassment: abashed, flustered, and mortified (from least to most severe)
An abased character who suffers embarrassment again becomes flustered instead. A previously flustered character become mortified. The character may make a check against each source of embarrassment each round to attempt to overcome these conditions. Characters surrounded by detractors may find themselves quickly mortified and forced to flee the situation to recover their dignity.
Embarrassment damage Sometimes, you don't want to just embarrass someone. You want to make it
really hurt! For times like those, it is possible to cause embarrassment damage. The attacking character makes a Taunt check, as normal, with a -4 penalty. If he or she beats the target's modified level check (or Will save), the target suffers nonlethal damage equal to 1d6+attacker's Charisma modifier.
Embarrassment damage recovers more quickly than other forms of damage, even other nonlethal damage. A character recovers a number of points of embarrassment points equal to his or her character level every minute. A character cannot begin recovering this damage until he or she is no longer embarrassed (abashed, flustered, or mortified)
A target who suffers embarrassment damage becomes abashed as usual. He or she may continue to make checks each round to overcome the embarrassment condition imposed, but this does not affect the embarrassment damage he or she has suffered.
FEAR Even the bravest adventures feel fear. Characters may succumb to fear when they face dangerous opponents and frightening situations, or when an enemy makes an Intimidate check to bully them. There are three states of fear: shaken, frightened, and panicked
FAINTING Sometimes, it all just becomes too much to handle. When characters are pushed to their limits, embarrassed or frightened as far as they can go, they may pass out. Any time a character makes a check against fear, a roll of a natural 1 causes the character to faint. He or she becomes unconscious for 1d4+1 rounds.
The GM may decide that characters shouldn't faint that often. In this case, he or she can simply declare that a character will only faint if he or she is already panicked (or cowering) and rolls a natural 1 on a check to recover.
Characters may also faint from embarrassment damage. Any time the character takes enough damage to reduce him or her below 0 hit points, the character becomes unconscious, just as he or she would from any other source of damage. Since characters recover from embarrassment damage faster than from other sources of injury, they do not normally stay unconscious for long.
CONDITION SUMMARY Psychological warfare cover six conditions. These conditions are explained below.
abased -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks
addled Paralyzed with confusion and can take no actions. An addled character takes -2 penalty to AC and loses his or her dex bonus ( if any)
befuddled A befuddled character can take only partial actions and takes -2 penalty on all attacks rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
distracted -2 penalty on all attacks rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Flustered A flustered character will try to hide from the source of embarrassment as best they can. If unable, the character will attempt to distract attention away from themselves. A flustered character takes -2 penalty on all attacks rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. A flustered character can use special abilities, including spells, to hide or flee; indeed, the character must use such means if they are the only way to find relief.
mortified A mortified character must drop anything he or she holds and do anything possible to hide or flee (along a random path) from the source of their embarrassment. He or she can't take any other actions. In additions, the character takes -2 penalty on all attacks rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. If cornered, a mortified character cowers and does not attack, typically using a total defense action in combat. A mortified character can use special abilities, including spells to hide or flee; indeed, the character must use such means if they are the only way to find relief.
