Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Non-lethal attacks

What are non-lethal attacks for?
Сan using a non-lethal attack affect the plot compared to a lethal one?

Afaik nothing and no, respectively. The game treats knocking out enemies with non-lethal attacks the same as killing them.

The exception is merchants...maybe. If you somehow make a merchant hostile and knock them out non-lethally, you can *maybe* trade with them again. However, from the one time I encountered this (many patches ago), they would after some time (seconds to minutes) become hostile again.

There's a possibility that the game's handling of non-lethal attacks will be more sophisticated in the full release, but I don't think we have any confirmation on that one way or another. This is a topic we've discussed a few times here before, so I'd expect Larian have seen feedback, but whether they've wanted to or had time to do anything about it is anyone's guess.

There is, btw, at least one NPC who has some "surrender" dialogue that will be triggered if you use non-lethal attacks and knock him out (or just reduce his HP to a low enough level, so non-lethal attacks aren't necessary but make it easier not to kill him by accident). But generally, as mrfuji says, early access treats knock-out like death for plot purposes.

I wouldn't say "nothing," because there are times when from a role- play perspective, you're being forced to fight someone you'd rather not kill. In terms of game mechanics, yeah, from what we've seen in EA, they're functionally equivalent, but I always use non-leathal attacks against enemies who aren't acting under their own power.

In the Auntie Ethel boss fight, if you get her below 20 health, on her next turn, she will try to bargain with you to safe her life, and you can get a powerful item, that you do not get if you just murder her.

So this is useful for bringing her down, without risking killing her on an accidental crit or just being careless

But if you accidentally get her to zero nonlethally, will she get up and negotiate with you? Or will she just lay there forever and/or immediately resume hostilities to the death?

In other words, what's the difference between using non-lethal attacks vs using attacks that just don't do a lot of damage?

Ah, I assumed it worked like False Swipe in Pokemon, always leaving the enemy at 1 HP. So she is unconscious afterwards?

I guess then it is just for roleplaying purposses. If you are a holy Paladin, maybe you don't want to go around murdering people just because they are in the way...

Well, as RQ points out, that could well change in 1.0. Stick it in the "we'll have an answer in a few weeks" cubby with everything else.

There certainly are some effects in Early Acess ...
Like when you meet those three Absolute Siblings ... and you blow your cover and fight them ...
If you have Non Lethal Attack turned on ... after Long Rest, they run to Goblin Camp ... and as you get there, they recognize you and everyone attack you.

Sadly, there is many other situations whtere person would expect something deeper, but nothing happens ...

I believe thatif you decide to continue fight Crusher after he yield ... its concidered hostile action, no matter if you kill him or not ...
Im also quite sure that if you manage to knock out that Goblin leader by Windmill, Wyll conciders him to be dead and is pissed at you ... not sure if this will still be relevant since his story has changed tho ...
And there are ofc countless times mentioned Marina brothers, whom the game conciders dead even if you knock them out ... also, if you Long rest afterwards, you can find their corpses in the swamp ...

I've never actually tried this with Ethel, but I guess she might work the same as Fezzerk (sp?), the lead goblin at the windmill, if you fight him with Wyll. If you hit him with a melee attack that would have killed him without the non-lethal toggle on, it will trigger his surrender dialogue (ie the same dialogue that you'd get if you reduced his HP below a certain threshold without killing him).

In D&D non-lethal attacks can be used to ensure NPCs don't die when reduced to 0HP, and only fall unconscious...this can be used to protect mind controlled civilians when going after a villain, capture an enemy alive either to turn in for some form of quest where he's wanted alive or for interrogation, etc. There can be extensive uses for them in D&D. Not sure how relevant or useful this will be in BG3.