Toggle Non-Lethal Attacks

Toggle Non-Lethal Attacks is a common toggleable passive feature that allows users to knock targets out instead of killing them. Toggling on/off will apply to the entire party of playable characters, but not to summons such as familiars.

While this passive is turned on, when an Unarmed Strike or melee weapon attack reduces a creatures hit points to zero or one, it becomes  Knocked Out or  Knocked Out (Temporary).

Description

Knock someone  Unconscious instead of killing them.

Must be unarmed or using a melee weapon. Does not work undead, constructs or oozes.

Details

Toggleable

Condition: Non-Lethal Damage

 Non-Lethal Damage

• Non-lethal damage does not kill creatures if it reduces their hit points to 0, it instead leaves them unconscious.

How to learn

Used by creatures:

• Amphol, Augur Harxkellan, Drybeldiyx, Fallen Bhaalspawn, Gaheid Slickjaw, Klarrvox, Pritt Yellowbreath, Pythonicus, Surixana, Thomas C. Quirkilious, Zgorrellik

Notes

• While in combat with a creature, if they have the condition  Temporarily Hostile, they become  Knocked Out (Temporary); after a long rest they regain consciousness. If the creature does not have this condition, it disappears permanently after a long rest, and in some cases may be treated as dead by the game. Healing a knocked-out character does not restore them to consciousness; only a long rest does so.
• It is still possible to loot most things from a  Knocked Out except tadpoles, heads, etc.
• The feature can be found under the "Passives" section of the hotbar (or by expanding the action radial if using a controller). The icon that shows "Toggle Non-Lethal Attacks" must be pressed.
• Curiously enough, some non-melee attacks, like Monk's Deflect Missiles: Redirect are capable of taking benefit from this passive, knocking targets out instead of killing them.
• Most forms of damage caused by a melee attack still knock the creature out instead of killing it (Smite, thunder damage from Cacophony, etc); but all spell damage kills it.
• Damage boosts that are directly added to the melee weapon or unarmed attack damage will knock the entity unconcious but any boosts that add to the damage calculation are not considered non-lethal and will still kill the damaged entity.
• Under most circumstances, the game treats  Knocked Out characters as if they are  Dead. However, there are a couple of instances where the game treats knocking out characters as a legitimate outcome.
  • Normally, while playing as the  Dark Urge,  Alfira is to be unwittingly murdered upon Long Resting, after she she arrived at the camp. If Alfira is killed or knocked out before,  Quil Grootslang appears in her stead. If Alfira survives until the end of the game, which is only possible by knocking her out before the murder event, she recognizes that the Dark Urge has stayed their hand and is grateful to them for sparing her.
  • In both circumstances where  Auntie Ethel is fought, her Mask servants can be knocked out and after a Long Rest after Ethel is killed, they are shown to be free from her control.
  • It is possible to recruit  Minthara while siding with the tiefling refugees by knocking her out. This allows her to show up in Moonrise Towers where she can be recruited, while the party can still complete ⁠Save the Refugees.
  • If demanded by  Kethk to kill  Varrl, the player character can spare him by knocking him out, allowing him to be healed after he is dragged out of the classroom.
  •  Marcus and his Imps always try to knock out  Isobel when attempting to capture her in the Last Light Inn. Helping them kidnap her makes  Ketheric grateful for bringing her back to him, and allows the player character to be rewarded by the Absolute. Should Isobel be killed, however, Ketheric instead is greatly upset, and sends the party to the Absolute as punishment.
  • When fought in the sewers,  Minsc must be knocked out in order to recruit him as well as to prevent  Jaheira from permanently leaving the party.
  • As long as  Auntie Ethel has  Vanra in her stomach, killing her leads to Vanra's death as well, unless the player character threw a  Hag's Bane on her beforehand. Alternatively, Vanra can still be freed by knocking Ethel out, which allows the player character to cut her stomach open to release the child from her confinement.
  • If  Korilla is knocked out rather than killed during the fight against  Raphael in the House of Hope,  Hope is grateful to the player character for sparing her.