PF: Nonlethal damage + bleeding?

[Scarlet-Devil]

Say you've got a Merciful Wounding weapon; does it work? How does someone bleed in a nonlethal way?

[Larpus]

I don't see why it shouldn't.

As for how it works, internal bleeding, which is how I'd rule it.

That said, it's also sensible to consider both enchantments incompatible and unable to be active at the same time, even though there's no RAW (that I can find) supporting this.

[ericgrau]

Wounding only says when you hit not when you deal damage (unlike spell storing for example), so I imagine even a whip incapable of dealing damage to most creatures could use wounding to open up a wound. You could craft a soft sponge of wounding. It's a magical effect. As for merciful's nonlethal effect I believe it only applies to the weapon's base damage plus strength damage; other damage is not nonlethal. Otherwise it is also incompatible with flaming, shocking, and just about everything else in the world.

As for PF's other mundane bleed abilities, I can't say.

That said it looks like wounding got shafted in PF. In 3.5 you could average 5 HP easy from con loss, maybe 10. 1 per round is a pretty shoddy trade down. Considering most foes drop in 2-3 rounds, I'd take just about anything else instead.

[Fouredged Sword]

Also funny, dip sorcerer and take frost ray. Now use touch attacks and deal cold "bleed" damage

[Slipperychicken]

It opens a horrible-looking, but actually not-that-bad cut. The nonlethal damage comes from he shock and pain from the wound, which sent a lot of blood flying with the first swipe, but the bleeding wasn't enough to matter after the initial incision

[Keneth]

There's actually no such thing as "nonlethal bleeding". Wounding causes the target to take 1 bleed damage, this damage has nothing to do with the type of damage the weapon does, just as a mace doesn't deal 1 point of bludgeoning bleed.

This is especially funny when using the critical hit deck, since one of cards deals as much bleed damage as your normal damage. Explain how a merciful sword opens someone's gut. :smallbiggrin:

[Larpus]

There's actually no such thing as "nonlethal bleeding". Wounding causes the target to take 1 bleed damage, this damage has nothing to do with the type of damage the weapon does, just as a mace doesn't deal 1 point of bludgeoning bleed.

This is especially funny when using the critical hit deck, since one of cards deals as much bleed damage as your normal damage. Explain how a merciful sword opens someone's gut. :smallbiggrin:
Hm...it opens it...metaphorically...?

[ericgrau]

That way leads to a dark path of puns so painful they send you to the hospital.