Set Swords to Stun: Difference between revisions

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** The 1st edition Monster Manual had a rule specifically for dragons that allowed players to try subduing them rather than killing them.

** 2nd edition featured an optional rule that allowed standard weapons to do nonlethal damage (normally the province of unarmed combat and a few particular weapons) in exchange for an attack penalty, since you're purposely using your weapon wrong in order to ''not'' seriously harm your enemy.

** 3rd edition topped that by including feats that allowed casters to do non-lethal damage with their spells, allowing them to knock out enemies with fire, showers of blades, or contortions of gravity. [[Justified Trope|Justified]] because, y'know... [[A Wizard Did It|magic]].

** 3rd edition made the optional rule a normal one, included a magic property that let any enchanted weapon do it without penalty (and deal extra damage) and topped that by including feats that allowed casters to do non-lethal damage with their spells, allowing them to knock out enemies with fire, showers of blades, or contortions of gravity. [[Justified Trope|Justified]] because, y'know... [[A Wizard Did It|magic]].

*** Most "d20 system" based games retained the non-lethal rules, but ''[[D20 Modern]]'' changed to a system where non-lethal damage either KOed an enemy instantly or did nothing (most likely nothing), and was so unworkable most supplements forgot it existed and .

*** In fact, players are allowed to choose whether to deal normal or "subdual" damage, also called nonlethal damage, ''on every attack''. If you have subdual damage equal to your ''current'' HP, you are stunned, and if you have subdual damage equal to your maximum HP, you're KO'd. However, you take a penalty to attack rolls if you choose to deal subdual damage with any weapon except your bare fists or a sap. Weapons with the Merciful enchantment always deal subdual damage, and creatures with the [[Healing Factor|Regeneration]] ability (eg. [[All Trolls Are Different|Trolls]]) always take nonlethal damage from attacks that do not bypass Regeneration (eg. [[Kill It with Fire|fire]] and acid.)

*** The sole spinoffs to do away with it were the ''[[Star Wars]]'' based ones, since that universe has plenty of dedicated less-lethal stun weapons and stun settings on most (but not all) blasters. Rather than a reduced to-hit chance and easier healing, stun damage does reduced damage but inflict greater penalties for (temporary) injuries inflicted.

** 4th edition finally simplified it all by allowing a player to declare whether a monster is killed or unconscious when reducing its hit points to zero. [[MST3K Mantra|Just let the players make up a reason for why it works]].

** 4th edition finally simplified it all by allowing a player to declare whether a monster is killed or unconscious when reducing its hit points to zero. [[MST3K Mantra|Just let the players make up a reason for why it works]]. 5th edition maintains this change.

* Alchemical ''[[Exalted]]'' can install a Charm that allows them to keep all members of their unit alive in a war, despite damage done to a unit. An upgrade - the ''Riot-Dispersion Attack'' submodule - allows them to extend this benefit to the enemy unit they're attacking.

* Mayfair Games' ''DC Heroes'' RPG featured two styles of gaming, one "gritty and realistic", and the other more in keeping with [[Silver Age]] mentality where nobody dies. This is spoofed in one of the modules where the characters are left at ground zero of a nuclear explosion, but it's all okay because of the game mode!

* ''[[Hero Clix]]'' characters are KOd at the end of their dials. It doesn't matter what you're using on them, from powers named "Blades/Claws/Fangs" or "Big Uzi" or even "Death Comes Swiftly", whatever it is that hits you, it just knocks you out.

* [[wikipedia:Cheapass Games|Cheapass Games]] features ''Spree'', a game where looters with guns raid a mall for the best presents this Christmas. Being shot only makes you "fall down." You get up shortly thereafter. There are no health meters or character wounds.

* ''[[Mutants & Masterminds]]'', like the ''DC Heroes'' RPG example above, makes ''every'' form of attack (be it fists, sword, energy beams, guns, fire, electricity, ice, dropping them from a ledge, or crashing a car into them) function this way by default. In-fact, the only way to kill a "heroic" (not necessarily good aligned) character is to intentionally finish them off while they're unconscious, or to reduce their con score to zero. "Non-heroic" characters are slightly less protected, and can be killed by simply declaring the attacks to be lethal.

== Video Games ==