Changing the Focus from Killing to KO

[psychoticbarber]

Inspired by this thread, where the OP and I would likely very much disagree, how would I go about using the game rules to encourage KO over Killing in a Fantasy style campaign. Many monsters are simply ravenous and killing is good for them, but many antagonists don't need to die, they simply need to be knocked out and moved past.

 

Without going for a Superheroic style, how do I encourage my PCs to smack heads rather than slice them in half?

[Opal]

Re: Changing the Focus from Killing to KO

 

Are you looking for mechanical solutions, as I was, or RP solutions?

 

The mechanics already make it pretty easy. Enough resistant defense to stand up to the BOD of most attacks, an little or no normal defense on top of it means a foe will be KOd before going unconscious. So, Damage Resistance instead of layering armor on top of PD/ED is an easy mechanical answer. For isntance, you could rule that defenses simply don't stack, or you could define normal armor as Damage Resistance on up to 'X' PD/ED (and maybe 'padding' as some extra PD or something). For isntance, chainmail could be DR on 8 PD/ED, and Full Plate could be +4 PD/ED, and Damage Resistance on up to 12 total PD/ED. Or higher if you want to encourage above-human max PD/ED.

 

If you want to see normal attacks favored over KAs, you can aply the stun multiplier of the KA only to the BOD that gets through, or replace the d6-1 STNx with d3. Combined with even moderately good resistant-only defense and normal attacks become the more efficient way to defeat most foes.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Changing the Focus from Killing to KO

 

Well...you don't have to go for a "superheroic" style per se, just because you are using generalized damage. Ive run many High Fantasy campaigns using generalized damage, knockback, AP/10 END, superheroic CSL conversion, etc. Works great. Killing is still possible as well of course, its just not the most likely outcome of every single attack.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Changing the Focus from Killing to KO

 

The easy way is the inverse of what I posted in the other thread: when a foe goes unconscious, he stays unconscious. The players get to capture him for later interrogation, and he doesn't get a miraculous save from his teammates. In other words, KO = Win. When KO = Lose, that means Kill = Win.

[sbarron]

Re: Changing the Focus from Killing to KO

 

when a foe goes unconscious' date=' he stays unconscious.[/quote']I think this is the key. Most PCs just want to win battles, get the loot, and keep the story moving forward. Very few are more concerned about actually "killing" an opponent than they are just "defeating" him.

 

That said, this means as the GM you can't keep having bad guys that get knocked-out early in the fight getting back up to continuing the battle. This just encourages PCs to finish the bad guys while they're down.

 

I'd suggest having some bad guys that are getting beat-on pretty bad "yielding" to the PCs. Have some bad guys that are losing badly run away. Have some bad guys pretend to be dead. Have some bad guys, once learning the identity of the PCs, decide they don't want to fight them anymore.

 

Make it clear to the PCs that very few bad guys actually want to fight to the death, by having very few bad guys actually fighting to the death. And be consistent. Even one bad guy getting back up after a knock-out and making the PCs pay is enough for them to decide to finish people off. So be careful.