Subdual Feat

[Felnar]

Name: Improved Weapon Subdual
Prereqs: none? or some BAB?
Benefit: You may deal nonlethal damage with a weapon that deals lethal damage, at no penalty.
Normal: "Nonlethal Damage with a Weapon that Deals Lethal Damage: You can use a melee weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage instead, but you take a –4 penalty on your attack roll."

thoughts?
underpowered? overpowered?
possible abuses?

i'm thinking this would be useful for town guards, etc. And it'd help PCs avoid using "Speak with Dead"

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I'd include a specific ability to make precision based damage (such as sneak attack) subdual even from a lethal damage weapon.

 

[FireLance]

The Subduing Strike feat from the Book of Exalted Deeds does exactly what has been proposed above, including the ability to deal nonlethal damage with a sneak attack using a weapon that normally deals lethal damage.