OotS 408...

[Tsillanabor]

"YOU KILLED THE WACKY OLD DUDE WITH THE CAT?"

What I love about this is that it seems like what Belkar's PLAYER would say. You know that guy doesn't keep up with NPC names.

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

You mean to enjoy the opportunity to knock her around with the intent of killing her. Roy ain't striking to subdue.

Hey, he totally skewered her in a subdual fashion.

 

[Nifft]

Hey, he totally skewered her in a subdual fashion.

Diamond dust, cleric,
yup: it's with clear conscience, I'm
killing to subdue.

-- N

 

[Pbartender]

Hey, he totally skewered her in a subdual fashion.

Right, but before that, he smacked her in the face and then clonked her armor... Arguably, those two hits could have been non-lethal damage (though it also could have been a successful disarm and an attempted sunder on her armor, respectively). You don't need all the damage to be non-lethal to knock her out, so long as you get one or two good non-lethal hits in to ensure that your lethal damage doesn't kill her right out.

Or you lethal damage her down to almost no hit points, and then switch to non-lethal damage to finish her off with a KO.

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

Right, but before that, he smacked her in the face and then clonked her armor... Arguably, those two hits could have been non-lethal damage (though it also could have been a successful disarm and an attempted sunder on her armor, respectively). You don't need all the damage to be non-lethal to knock her out, so long as you get one or two good non-lethal hits in to ensure that your lethal damage doesn't kill her right out.

Or you lethal damage her down to almost no hit points, and then switch to non-lethal damage to finish her off with a KO.

Okay, I agree with your words, but they don't necessarily match up with three feet of steel entering one side and exiting the other. In other words, Roy either decided to just kill her OR Rich didn't do a good job of portraying a subdual attempt (of course, it is funnier that way - "What? I lightly slapped her before perferating her body.").

Either way, my comment was light-hearted...

 

[Pbartender]

Okay, I agree with your words, but they don't necessarily match up with three feet of steel entering one side and exiting the other. In other words, Roy either decided to just kill her OR Rich didn't do a good job of portraying a subdual attempt (of course, it is funnier that way - "What? I lightly slapped her before perferating her body.").

Either way, my comment was light-hearted...

Oh, no problem... I took it as such. Others were hemming and hawing about the way Roy was attacking.

But yeah... That skewer was definitely lethal, and probably a critical hit to boot.

It's just something I've seen in games before: "We've already done 30 points of non-lethal damage to this guy who we want to capture, so why are we still purposefully taking a -4 penalty to hit? Time for lethal damage!" From Rich's point of view and stylistically speaking for this particular comic (meta-game thinking in-game, that is), it'd make sense as a rationalization from Roy's perspective.

 

[Voadam]

(though it also could have been a successful disarm and an attempted sunder on her armor, respectively).

I don't think you can sunder armor.

 

[Pbartender]

I don't think you can sunder armor.

You are correct...

You can’t sunder armor worn by another character.

Which lends credence to the supposition that it may have been a non-lethal attack. Of course, it may also have simply been an attack that failed to hit due to Miko's armor.

 

[D.Shaffer]

Okay, I agree with your words, but they don't necessarily match up with three feet of steel entering one side and exiting the other. In other words, Roy either decided to just kill her OR Rich didn't do a good job of portraying a subdual attempt.

I dont know. Considering it's DnD, and her possible HP total, it could be she could take 5 of those and still be right as rain.

 

[Gez]

It's just something I've seen in games before: "We've already done 30 points of non-lethal damage to this guy who we want to capture, so why are we still purposefully taking a -4 penalty to hit? Time for lethal damage!" From Rich's point of view and stylistically speaking for this particular comic (meta-game thinking in-game, that is), it'd make sense as a rationalization from Roy's perspective.

True. It's funny that the game mechanics are making it so that the best way to knock someone out is to start by punching a bit, and then follow by stabbing 'till he drops.