Is kicking a helpless offender unconscious brutal?

[rushlight]

Beating a helpless opponent is a hallmark, an absolute and irrefutible sign that one is a vicious, brutal, and heartless bully. Definitely an evil act, definitely brutal. Defending such acts is likewise nearly as brutal and evil.

He wasn't helpless. He was armed with a basket of scorpions!

Unfortunatly, he was disarmed and suffered some non-lethal reprisals!

 

[Henry]

Beating a helpless opponent is a hallmark, an absolute and irrefutible sign that one is a vicious, brutal, and heartless bully. Definitely an evil act, definitely brutal. Defending such acts is likewise nearly as brutal and evil.

In other words, you played a Lawful Evil character quite well.

 

[sellars]

Same question as Pielorinho: Why was that guy helpless? It sounds like he attacked you. Did someone cast Hold Person on him? Even Tashas Laughter does not cause helplessness.

Sorry, missed that bit!

He was pinned by my brother during the time I "subdued" him, so I guess he was only helpless in retrospect.

By D&D terms, anyone who attacks you is usually dead meat... so yeah, I'm surprised as well to hear some groups still try to subdue opponents

Those are the really vile kinds of group that were descibed in the BoVD

 

[Li Shenron]

We, at least my brother and I think this guy is the assassin the Knives have sent after us. We overpowered him and I am kicking the guy unconscious (2 combat rounds of unarmed attacks at his head).

If you grab someone on the run with such an ease (2 vs 1 = overpowering?) you could have probably kept him prisoner just as easily. You decided to knock him until he fell unconscious, and that's certainly more acceptable than straight killing him, but it sounds like you did it in a quite brutal way. I don't say that this is enough to be evil, but if you were using a reputation system, your deed would have definitely affected that.

If you kept kicking him when he was already unconscious, that is just evil.

 

[sellars]

That said, perhaps you could've describe the unarmed attacks in less brutal-sounding terms.
Daniel

of course! but beating someone silly is not a pretty thing to do. If you don't describe how and what you do, you'll lose some of that nastiness. Not that that nastiness is something nice, but IMHO it is essential to get a good feel for the game (btw this holds not only for nasty things, also for good things)

 

[robberbaron]

Give an assassin a good shoeing? Sounds like a plan to me.

Did you wake him up and question him later? Perhaps, with a little persuasion?

Totally in character, lose the bard, get a proper evil bard and carry on.

 

[sellars]

If you grab someone on the run with such an ease (2 vs 1 = overpowering?) you could have probably kept him prisoner just as easily.

remember the part about him possibly being a high level assassin? for all we know he had a DEX of 22, and we just got lucky with our dice rolls.

 

[billd91]

One thing to realize, pinned does not equal helpless. You did fine even for a non-LE alignment because you didn't cause excessive mayhem even if you did beat the snot out of the guy. Even the town guard probably wouldn't bat an eye at what you did other than levy a fine for public brawling.

The bard's protesting way too much. I can see a player doing that in order to do some good role-playing of the conflict between the two characters. But for the player to adhere to that position out of character? That's kind of odd.

 

[Arnix]

I don't consider what you did evil. Had you then methodically removed random appendages to make him talk, that would be evil. Kicking an assassin while he is down? Nah, thats a lot nicer than I would have done.

I had a LG Cleric of Heironeous in the party give me (CN dwarf Cleric of Taii /Creator aspect) some junk about "that guy radiates evil so he cant travel with us" crap, even though I pointed out said individual was trying to reform and become more good (RP align change). Cleric kept talking until I threatened to kill him. He then left the party.

I say the bard was useless and should be "handled" if he tries to do anything against the party. There are amazing spells in some of the d20 books that will let you off someone and them not be able to be brought back...


I would have knocked the assassin unconscious and maybe cut his fingers off. Depends on if the party let me get away with it or not. I don't conser that evil, just practical. "You are an assassin trying to kill me. I will exact punishment for your crime. Fingerless, you won't be trying to kill anyone again anytime soon."

 

[diaglo]

remember the part about him possibly being a high level assassin? for all we know he had a DEX of 22, and we just got lucky with our dice rolls.

hold up...

you can describe kicking a guy unconscious.. but you can't figure out from looking at him if he has a Dex of 22?