Nonlethal combat houserule options?

[chokfull]

In real life, being knocked out isn't as simple as attacking with the butt of your weapon, and can cause death or brain damage. So, in 3.5, I believe the rule for nonlethal damage was that you took a -4 penalty to the attack. In this edition, I suppose I could impose disadvantage or the same -4 penalty, but I was wondering what other people thought. I feel like simply choosing between lethal and nonlethal is too easy, and bringing combat to a close without killing your opponent should be more challenging. Maybe a CON check to prevent death? Additional grapple rules to restrain a subdued opponent? Requiring a medicine check to stabilize?

[JackPhoenix]

If you don't like it, simply ignore the "you can choose to knock the target unconscious in melee" and make NPCs roll death saves just like PCs.

[Ganymede]

What's the problem? Are the PCs screwing up your campaign by not killing them? Has nonlethal combat created some powerful wombo-combos that are trivializing your challenges? Is the tone of your campaign bloody and murderous, and nonlethal takedowns are ruining the theme?

What problem are you trying to fix here?

[Mellack]

Why would you want to make it harder to not kill? There is generally enough trouble trying to keep the PCs from being murder-hobos already, I don't see why you would want to make that harder.

[Tiadoppler]

If my players want to interrogate someone after a battle/capture someone during battle there are a few methods I offer:


Charisma checks/wordy stuff. If you can force somebody to surrender (easiest when it's the last person standing) you get a conscious captive NPC.

Spells like Sleep and other disabling spells/abilities that can last a while: you have time to tie them up or whatever. You get a conscious captive NPC eventually.

If you've defeated an enemy in combat, they have a chance to be not instantly dead. At the end of the battle, each enemy combatant has to make a death save (if the PCs want to interrogate them). If the PCs are willing to expend healing resources, each enemy combatant who makes their save can be stabilized. You get an unconscious captive NPC.


This means that combat isn't always fought until one group is completely dead, but you can't do special nonlethal damage with a spiked magical flaming maul.