Randel
2008-12-25, 09:55 PM
Okay, on page 295 of the players handbook it says that upon reducing a creature to zero hit points you can decide to knock them unconscious rather than kill them. Then, after a short rest (about five minutes) they awaken with 1 hit point.
So really, there doesn't seem to be any disadvantage to knocking opponents unconscious in combat. The only problem is 'cleanup' afterward. So, my question is how can that cleanup be handled in a way that doesn't bog down gameplay or sound unrealistic in the setting?
Possible answers:
1). Batman Justice - In a civilized area it is standard practice to take people in alive. Heros (or crimefighters) knock their opponents unconscious and then have the cops show up to haul them away. Bad guys might opt to kill their victims (that instantly labels them as Evil, if not in the arbitrary DnD alignment grid then certainly in the eyes of law enforcement). Heros usually carry rope or manacles to bind the knocked out opponents while they are unconcious. Undead, constructs, or other monsterous things might not be subject to the no-kill policy though this could open up other questions (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatMeasureIsANonHuman).
2). Mooks aren't nailed down or on fire (usually) - The adventurers are even greedier than usual and realize that a dead monster is just a corpse while a live one could be sold or exploited in some way. Adventurers with this philosophy might employ a variety of methods to get work out of their conquered foes and other methods to control and move them. Note that the same methods a properly equipped prisoner-taking team would employ are the same as orc raiders coming in to raze villages and take the women and children off in chains. Works best with evil-aligned groups or better yet the Bad Guys. Pokeballs may be useful if they have been invented in this universe.
3). Nuke first ask questions later - If it turns out that the kobolds you just beat up were in fact a perfectly legitimate mining crew then you can rest easy knowing that you didn't actually kill any of them. Similarly, area attacks properly set up may be used to handle hostage situations. Blow everyone up using non-lethal damage and sort through the cor... I mean knocked out bodies at your leisure. If they were hostages then heal them up and set them on their way, if they were villains then either send them to jail or kill them then and there. ("they were resisting arrest... honest").
Any other thoughts on how the regular use of non-lethal damage could fit in with a setting or a character? One thought I get is that since the majority of a PCs experience points come from defeating oppenents in combat, having beaten enemies go to jail for a while and then come back to fight again might make it easier for adventurers to level up without depopulating entire countries.
So really, there doesn't seem to be any disadvantage to knocking opponents unconscious in combat. The only problem is 'cleanup' afterward. So, my question is how can that cleanup be handled in a way that doesn't bog down gameplay or sound unrealistic in the setting?
Possible answers:
1). Batman Justice - In a civilized area it is standard practice to take people in alive. Heros (or crimefighters) knock their opponents unconscious and then have the cops show up to haul them away. Bad guys might opt to kill their victims (that instantly labels them as Evil, if not in the arbitrary DnD alignment grid then certainly in the eyes of law enforcement). Heros usually carry rope or manacles to bind the knocked out opponents while they are unconcious. Undead, constructs, or other monsterous things might not be subject to the no-kill policy though this could open up other questions (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatMeasureIsANonHuman).
2). Mooks aren't nailed down or on fire (usually) - The adventurers are even greedier than usual and realize that a dead monster is just a corpse while a live one could be sold or exploited in some way. Adventurers with this philosophy might employ a variety of methods to get work out of their conquered foes and other methods to control and move them. Note that the same methods a properly equipped prisoner-taking team would employ are the same as orc raiders coming in to raze villages and take the women and children off in chains. Works best with evil-aligned groups or better yet the Bad Guys. Pokeballs may be useful if they have been invented in this universe.
3). Nuke first ask questions later - If it turns out that the kobolds you just beat up were in fact a perfectly legitimate mining crew then you can rest easy knowing that you didn't actually kill any of them. Similarly, area attacks properly set up may be used to handle hostage situations. Blow everyone up using non-lethal damage and sort through the cor... I mean knocked out bodies at your leisure. If they were hostages then heal them up and set them on their way, if they were villains then either send them to jail or kill them then and there. ("they were resisting arrest... honest").
Any other thoughts on how the regular use of non-lethal damage could fit in with a setting or a character? One thought I get is that since the majority of a PCs experience points come from defeating oppenents in combat, having beaten enemies go to jail for a while and then come back to fight again might make it easier for adventurers to level up without depopulating entire countries.