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Selectively-Lethal Weapon (view source)

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{{trope}}
Sometimes a character has one weapon, that, regardless of howhows it's used, and how improbable it would be, can be either lethal or nonlethal. They throw one, and it cuts through a steel cable,; next throw, it knocks someone out without even drawing blood. This is the "selectively'''Selectively lethalLethal weapon"Weapon''', a weapon that should be either always lethal, or always [[Non-Lethal Warfare|nonlethal]], but somehow manages to be a bit of both, usually with no, or[[Hand Wave|an extremely tenuous explanation]] (if one is provided at all).
 
Contrast with [[Stun Guns]], which are something a bit different.
 
{{examples}}
 
* Batarangs qualify, at times sharp enough to cut steel, other times they only knock you out. Occasionally they blow up in your face.▼
==Anime and Manga==
** Batman probably does have more than one type.
* In ''[[One Piece]]'', Zoro's sensei isdemonstrates ablethe ability to not cutleave paper intact with his sword slices.▼
*** ''[[Batman Arkham Asylum]]'' does give you multiple types of Batarang, one of which will short circuit the electronic collars the goons are wearing.▼
 
** A diagram in one book showed that the front "round part" is hard and blunt, perfect for knocking thugs out. The back part with all the spiky bits is razor sharp. Batman can throw it so that whichever end he wants strikes the target.▼
==Comic Books==
* Sokka's Boomerang in ''<nowiki>~Avatar: The Last Airbender~</nowiki>'' is similar to the above Batman example. While it is used to cut and knock out, Sokka is often shown to be sharpening one edge of it while leaving the other edge dull. It can be assumed he chooses which side to throw it on.▼
▲* [[Batman|Batarangs]] qualify, - at times they're sharp enough to cut steel, and other times they only knock you out. Occasionally, they blow up in your face. This being Batman, he usually explicitly has more than one type on hand.
* [[Xena: Warrior Princess|Xena's]] Chakram: it often went from blunt enough to KO gangs of mooks to being able to slice through armor... occasionally in the same episode. Occasionally in the same ''throw.''▼
▲** A diagram in one book{{context|Which book?}} showed that the front "round part" is hard and blunt, perfect for knocking thugs out. The back part with all the spiky bits is razor sharp. Batman can throw it so that whichever end he wants strikes the target.
* [[Samurai Jack]] has a magical sword which will not harm those pure of heart - on the occasion where it was used against him, it merely bounced off, and when stolen and used against others, the best it can do is knock people away.▼
 
* [[Dungeons and Dragons]] has merciful weapons that are enchanted to deal an extra 1d6 damage, but have all the damage nonlethal. This ability can be switched on and off as a free action, and KO'd enemies can be killed at your leisure, so there's not even a drawback. Other weapons can be used to deal nonlethal damage, but at a penalty to accuracy. And just to round out the trope, normally nonlethal weapons can take this same accuracy penalty to deal lethal damage.▼
==Literature==
* The titular sword of the ''[[Sword of Truth]]'' series works this way - the sword can only cut if the wielder believes the target is an enemy {{spoiler|except in its super-mode that he unlocks near the end of the first book}}. The [[A Wizard Did It|wizard]] who gave Richard the sword stresses that the user doesn't have to be ''right'' in their beliefs, they merely have to believe... Whichwhich is why wizards agonize over who gets the title that the sword goes with.▼
 
==Live-Action TV==
▲* ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess|Xena's]]'' has her Chakram: it often went from blunt enough to KO gangs of mooks to being able to slice through armor... occasionally in the same episode. Occasionally inon the same ''throw.''
* ''[[Star Trek]]'' phasers justify this with having multiple intensities, including a stun setting. Although(you could probably also call this trope "Had it Set to Stun"). someSome have noticed a tendency, regardless of other circumstances, for the lethality of phasers to be inversely proportional to the importance of the character they're being fired at.▼
 
==Tabletop Games==
▲* ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' has merciful weapons that are enchanted to deal an extra 1d6 damage, but have all the damage nonlethal. This ability can be switched on and off as a free action, and KO'd enemies can be killed at your leisure, so there's not even a drawback. Other weapons can be used to deal nonlethal damage, but at a penalty to accuracy. And just to round out the trope, normally nonlethal weapons can take this same accuracy penalty to deal lethal damage.
** In the [[Base Breaker|4th Edition]] you can declare any attack to be retroactively non-lethal, up to and including a ''disintegrate'' spell.
* In ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Tabletop Game)|Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'', the Children of Gaia, a tribe of pacifists, have a spell that somehow turns their teeth and claws into nonlethal damage, allowing them to take down enemies with full force but avoid killing them.▼
▲* ''[[Star Trek]]'' phasers justify this with having multiple intensities, including a stun setting. Although some have noticed a tendency, regardless of other circumstances, for the lethality of phasers to be inversely proportional to the importance of the character they're being fired at.
 
▲* In ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Tabletop Game)|Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'', the Children of Gaia, a tribe of pacifists, have a spell that somehow turns their teeth and claws into nonlethal damage, allowing them to take down enemies with full force but avoid killing them.
==Video Games==
▲* In [[One Piece]], Zoro's sensei is able to not cut paper.
* The Medic Crossbow in ''[[Team Fortress 2 (Video Game)|Team Fortress 2]]'' heals allies and damages enemies., Whichwhich makes it hilarious to fire into the melee on the 3rd point in Medieval Mode.▼
* ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (Animation)|Galaxy Rangers]]'' did a ''nice'' [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|dodge]] on this trope. Early on, [[The Captain|Zachary]] would sometimes explicitly order his team to "set blasters for stun." Later in the series, when they were trying to score a toy deal, they had a crook say that Ranger blasters didn't have a kill setting. Now, seeing as the source of the information was a ''very'' [[Unreliable Narrator|dumb crook]], the writers could both have the kid-friendly "stun only" mention on camera and a wink to the more likely prospect that there was a kill setting. Likewise, Crown blasters also had stun and kill settings, but it was justified in that the Queen wanted humans (or other compatable species) as fodder for [[Fate Worse Than Death|the Psychocrypt]], and you couldn't drain [[Life Energy]] from dead enemies.▼
▲***The ''[[Batman (Arkham Asylum]]series)|''Batman doesArkham'' games]] give you multiple types of Batarang, as early as ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum|Arkham Asylum]]''; one of whichthem willcan short circuit the electronic collars some of the goons are wearing.
▲* The titular sword of the [[Sword of Truth]] works this way - the sword can only cut if the wielder believes the target is an enemy {{spoiler|except in its super-mode that he unlocks near the end of the first book}}. The [[A Wizard Did It|wizard]] who gave Richard the sword stresses that the user doesn't have to be ''right'' in their beliefs, they merely have to believe. Which is why wizards agonize over who gets the title that the sword goes with.
* ''[[NetHack]]'' invokes this ([[Violation of Common Sense|a bit counter-intuitively]]) with nurses - they will hit and damage you like any other enemy ''unless'' you're disrobed and are not wielding anything... at which point they still attack, but every "hit" heals you. Using #chat on one [[Enemy Chatter|gives you hints to that end]], but you're not likely to render yourself armorless for no good reason...
▲* The Medic Crossbow in [[Team Fortress 2 (Video Game)|Team Fortress 2]] heals allies and damages enemies. Which makes it hilarious to fire into the melee on the 3rd point in Medieval Mode.
** ...at least until you've made sure it's safe first. {{spoiler|Nurses also have a chance to raise your maximum HP by one with each hit if you're at full health. "Nurse dancing" involves finding a secure area (such as a completed Sokoban level), disrobing and reading a cursed scroll of genocide to generate several of them around you for a significant HP boost.}}
 
==Western Animation==
▲* Sokka's Boomerangboomerang in ''<nowiki>~'[[Avatar: The Last Airbender~</nowiki>]]''' is similar to the above Batman example. While it is used to cut and knock out, Sokka is often shown to be sharpening one edge of it while leaving the other edge dull. It can be assumed he chooses which side to throw itstrike onwith.
▲* ''[[Samurai Jack]]'': has aThe magical sword whichthe title character wields will not harm those pure of heart - on the occasion where it was used against him, it merely bounced off, and when stolen and used against others, the best it can do is knock people away.
▲* ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (Animation)|Galaxy Rangers]]'' did a ''nice'' [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|dodge]] on this trope. Early on, [[The Captain|Zachary]] would sometimes explicitly order his team to "set blasters for stun." Later in the series, when they were trying to score a toy deal, they had a crook say that Ranger blasters didn't have a kill setting. Now, seeing as the source of the information was a ''very'' [[Unreliable Narrator|dumb crook]], the writers could both have the kid-friendly "stun only" mention on camera and a wink to the more likely prospect that there was a kill setting. Likewise, Crown blasters also had stun and kill settings, but it was justified in that the Queen wanted humans (or other compatablecompatible species) as fodder for [[Fate Worse Than Death|the Psychocrypt]], and you couldn't drain [[Life Energy]] from dead enemies.
 
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Weapons and Wielding Tropes]]
[[Category:Selectively -Lethal Weapon]]
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