A Fighter Who Forswears Killing?

[mattcolville]

One of my players wants to play a character who fought in a war, knows how to fight, but has sworn never to kill again. Both he and I are wondering what to do about this.

Obviously he can't be a monk. He's in a dark-ages, European fantasy setting that has no notion of "ki." We're also not assuming that "non-lethal" means "no weapons." He could belong or start a monastic order devoted to nonlethal combat. Is there anything like this?

This might be the wrong forum for this. I trust the mods or admins will move it, if so.

It occurs to me, reading this, that the solution might be:

1) Take a few levels of fighter with feats that make using lethal weapons non-lethally viable.

2) Design a PrC for this that makes doing so cool and effective, possibly with some help from a patron god.

3) Be the first dude to take levels in that PrC.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

There's no reason why the guy couldn't use a quarterstaff that was padded at both ends. Or you could make up some wacky "exotic" weapon and make him take a feat for it.

 

[gtJormungand]

There is a feat in the Book of Exalted Deeds that allows no penalty when using nonlethal damage. Or the character could just use a sap.

 

[Nightfall]

Just have him practice using a quarterstaff and he always deals non-lethal damage with it. (Might need a feat for it but still)

I think a fighter that forswore killing is rather neat.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

He and his companions, the wizard with an Int of 9 and the athiest cleric, will make for fun adventuring.

Seriously, though, he could specialize in wrestling or boxing, only inflicting subdual damage.

 

[mattcolville]

I'm presuming he wants to be able to use any weapon a fighter can, fight normally when he's fighting Carrion Crawlers and stuff like that, but just choose not to kill when fighting sapient entities.

And I imagine he'd like some options when it came to this.

 

[ecliptic]

Re:

Wouldn't he need to take a few levels in fighter normally, as he didn't till later forswear killing.

 

[VirgilCaine]

It's an interesting idea.

You could introduce a feat (Improved Subdual) that lets you deal subdual damage with no penalty for one weapon (or all weapons). He could also use nets, lassos, tanglefoot bags, etc.

It's easier for a spellcaster (esp. a wizard or a cleric) than a fighter to fight without killing...

 

[shilsen]

If you want to come up with a PrC focused on doing non-lethal damage, a modified Justiciar (Complete Warrior) chould work well.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Book of Exalted Deeds is your non-lethal fighter's friend. Take a hard look at Vow of Peace, as well as the feats that make non-lethal damage more viable. One of the more interesting of the latter allows a rogue to sneak attack for non-lethal damage -- a good way to simulate knocking people out, maybe.