Desperate Ground: The way out is through

[Chamomile]

"Ground on which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay is desperate ground." -Sun Tzu

This is a simple rules patch for the fear rules that I'm writing up mostly because the thread on retreating made me think of it and Sun Tzu's desperate ground is a tactical concept that I enjoy adding into games. I'm not entirely sure why. I've also added a new feat called Bushido that uses the desperate ground rules.

Intimidation

First off, under the desperate ground rules, frightened or panicked creatures will attempt to surrender if they are completely unable to flee, but only if surrendering will not result in death or a fate worse than death. You can make an offer to surrender to a creature you plan to torture (or whatever) on a successful Bluff check against their modified level check (1d20+character level/hit dice+WIS) or Sense Motive check. Exactly what constitutes a fate worse than death varies from one creature to another, but generally anything but torture will not qualify.

If a creature is cornered such that they cannot flee directly from a lethal threat by any means necessary, you must immediately make an Intimidate check against them, and you cannot elect to fail it.

Desperation

If a frightened or panicked creature is unable to flee from or surrender to the source of their fear by any means, they become desperate. A desperate creature attempts to fight past whatever it is that prevents them from fleeing. Once the option to flee directly away from the source of their fear is available, they become frightened. A desperate creature gains a +2 bonus to all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Creatures immune to fear cannot become desperate, even if they have become frightened through some other means.

Bushido

Bushido [Combat]

+0: You gain an extra +2 bonus to attack rolls when desperate.
+1: You are desperate in every combat, even if immune to other fear effects. You remain desperate until the combat has finished.
+6: If you are reduced to zero or fewer hit points when desperate, you may continue fighting at no penalty, however you automatically lose one hit point each round. You immediately fall unconscious and begin bleeding out once you are no longer desperate, and you may fall unconscious of your own volition at any time.
+11: If you are desperate and your opponent is not, you always have the Edge on them.
+16: You may ignore the first death effect used against you when desperate. You may not ignore another death effect unless you cease being desperate and then become desperate again.