Fatality. (Ranged nonlethal)

[Ganryu]

So, question. how do you guys handle a party wanting to take a prisoner? Verbatum, only melee attacks can be declared nonlethal, but if a party really wants to try and catch a big bad, I generally go 'sure', or at least if they start healing him as soon as he goes down.

Do you guys enforce all range/magic being lethal, or not in your games? Or is it a bunch of murder hobos that that doesn't matter so much with?

[Lunali]

If someone wants to make their ranged attack 'nonlethal' I give the target death saves as if they were a PC instead of instantly dying when they go down.

[nickl_2000]

If you tell your DM that you want to question or take someone prisoner, the DM can just have someone who goes down from magic/ranged to start making death saving throws like a PC would.

That way you can drop someone from range and rush to use spare the dying or a healing kit on them. It's an easy solution within the confines of the game.

*shadowmonked (I need to type faster today)

[Ganryu]

So no one's the ungodly strict DM, or is under one?

I'm the DM in this case and I'm generally lenient, just curious if anyone wasn't.

[nickl_2000]

So no one's the ungodly strict DM, or is under one?

I'm the DM in this case and I'm generally lenient, just curious if anyone wasn't.

I mean, the SRD says the DM has the call.

Monsters and Death
Most GMs have a monster die the instant it drops to 0 hit points, rather than having it fall unconscious and make death saving throws.
Mighty villains and special nonplayer characters are common exceptions; the GM might have them fall unconscious and follow the same rules as player characters.

If a PC declares they have the desire to question someone, that makes them a special NPC (and the DM better come up with a name quickly). I don't see how that is being non-strict, since the rules state its a DMs call when it makes sense from a story point. Just get to them in 3 rounds and make sure you didn't do enough damage for instadeath.

Frankly the NPC insta-death is more a convenience thing, so the DM doesn't have to roll a bunch of death saving throws

[Kane0]

Boxing-glove arrows.

[Unoriginal]

Do you guys enforce all range/magic being lethal

Yes, if it causes damages.


but if a party really wants to try and catch a big bad, I generally go 'sure'

If they actually really wanted to try and catch a big bad, they would go melee past a certain point.

Don't see a reason for making it easier for them to succeed.

[SuperbDolphin]

I personally allow a roll with disadvantage to hit a creature in a part of their body that doesn't kill or doing something else cool like shooting an arrow through clothes and pinning a creature to the ground or wall.

[JNAProductions]

I mean, the SRD says the DM has the call.

Monsters and Death
Most GMs have a monster die the instant it drops to 0 hit points, rather than having it fall unconscious and make death saving throws.
Mighty villains and special nonplayer characters are common exceptions; the GM might have them fall unconscious and follow the same rules as player characters.

If a PC declares they have the desire to question someone, that makes them a special NPC (and the DM better come up with a name quickly). I don't see how that is being non-strict, since the rules state its a DMs call when it makes sense from a story point. Just get to them in 3 rounds and make sure you didn't do enough damage for instadeath.

Frankly the NPC insta-death is more a convenience thing, so the DM doesn't have to roll a bunch of death saving throws

Don't I know it. :P

[Zhorn]

I keep the strict melee-only ruling for non-lethal... Funny thing is there is a couple in the party who are all to readily stab happy and end up killing the prisoner before any useful information is gained from them.
I've have notes prepped each time of "things the enemy knows", but before the characters with plus modifiers to WIS and CHA get a chance to ask the question, someone else has already stabbed a kidney, or cracked open a bottle of alchemist fire.
good times

[Wizard_Lizard]

My players attacked a whiny 7 year old they found in a skeleton infested cave.
If that doesn't scream murderhobo, I don't know what does.

[Kurt Kurageous]

I personally allow a roll with disadvantage to hit a creature in a part of their body that doesn't kill or doing something else cool like shooting an arrow through clothes and pinning a creature to the ground or wall.

I allowed my sharpshooter feated ranger to take the -5 +10 option, but gave no +10 and allowed the arrow damage +DEXMOD as nonlethal. It didn't work out. They missed by less than 5, making it an ordinary shot, and she killed him. But the party didn't know until they got to the body.

CoS Burgomeister at the festival of the blazing sun. Burgomeister makes a yell to arrest. Party member firebolts the oil soaked wicker sun, which fully ignites nearly instantly. Burgomeister feels that, for once, his plans are working. He yells and fist pumps in joy even as the hair on the back of his head starts to singe. Then the Burgomeister moves off the scaffold towards his horse, preparing to drag the guard. The ranger shot him off the stairs. He falls down into the mud where he drowned/bled out from an arrow to the leg.

Fight with Stranzi and 21 of 24 guards begins, ranger goes down, sorc surrounded. Wachter's cult fanatics turn the tide in favor of the party, who mow down Stranzi and every guard in sight. When the killing ends, mud, blood and rain stain the town square red.

A wide eyed Barovian boy cried out to his parents, "WOW!!! That was the best fes-ter-val EVER! Can we do it again next week, pleeeze?"

[Laserlight]

It's quite difficult to hit someone to "cause unconsciousness" without "cause death" being a risk. I would only allow it in melee.

[MoiMagnus]

If someone wants to make their ranged attack 'nonlethal' I give the target death saves as if they were a PC instead of instantly dying when they go down.

Same. This apply to other RPGs. When the PC want to spare a target, I apply the "PC privileges" to them (so no instant death at 0, ...).

Additionally, if the target has a reason to think the PC will spare them (for example if a PC say explicitly he want to), I will roll for surrender when he is at low HP.

[Sigreid]

It has never come up.