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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Xaelvaen" data-source="post: 7245923" data-attributes="member: 6681906">Absolutely - you should customize these rules for your players and your own desires.  In fact, you mentioning the ranged attack thing - that's a rule I've ignored for so long I had completely forgotten about it haha.  Just like you said, if my players want to take someone alive, I have no problem with the archer doing it with a well-aimed shot to a non-vital area.A rule I use with my older game group (I've had it since the early 90s), is that to 'pull your punch' you have to declare it before the attack, and depending on the weapon type, you have to wield it like an Improvised Weapon.  In example, you may be trained to slash with a scimitar, but you're definitely not going to use that same training to bang into the back of someone's head.  With that in mind, I use the 'bloodied' rules from 4e so my players have a rough estimate of when a creature is falling.  If they want to take the foe alive, they'll have to roll without proficiency, and drop the damage dice (1d4 for one-handed, and I do 1d6 for two-handed improvised) to pommel strike.  Alternatively, I give the bad guy 'Superior Cover' for ranged attackers trying to take them alive, representing the accuracy difficulty of a 'called shot.'That could possibly be something you use to help you alleviate the sneak attack issue you're having.  I personally don't really have an issue with Sneak Attack doing 'non-lethal' because most of the time, we play a very goodly group and my rogues like re-flavoring their sneak attack away from 'ambush' and more toward 'finding an opening', especially since you can get that extra damage just from having an ally adjacent to your target.  Like in reality, how something hurts a lot worse when you aren't expecting it - step on a lego bare-foot and had no idea legos were on the floor, just always seems to hurt worse than when you're trying to avoid them, but screw up.  *glares at son's bedroom floor*So long-post-short, you're definitely in the right to make it make sense for you and your group.  I don't have a similar issue with sneak attack, but making the player declare it before the blow is struck is a good start.  For ramifications, you could say that if the rogue is trying to 'sap' the target, but fails to deliver enough damage to knock the foe out, it only does half damage instead.  Could make for some interesting strategy.</blockquote>

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