Does the enemy still need to save?
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Suppose it would depend on how much nonlethal damage you do. Any amount that goes over the targets normal maximum would turn into lethal damage so they'd need to save. Saps can totally cave in people's skulls now.
Though why would you coup de'grace someone with nonleathal damage in the first place.
non lethal cdg=knockout punch. i'd let it work
Me too. Save or get knocked out cold for at least an hour in addition to the subdual damage.
So I'm wondering how this is happening. To CDG someone they have to be helpless, which means held (i.e. hold person) or already sleeping/unconscious. Just something I've never seen, in the case of a held person it would be interesting.
I've allowed it before, in the case of held targets that the party wished to take alive. If the damage was enough to drop a target to 0 hp, then it was unconscious. If it failed its save, hp dropped to 0 and it fell unconscious. However, I maintained the usual rules for recovery of hp from nonlethal damage...still left the PCs plenty of time to secure the prisoner.
It seems to me that using nonlethal damage no longer makes it a coup de grace.
It would depend on what your definition is.
1) Slit their throat/stab them in the heart/etc.2) Finish them off/make sure that they are out of the fight.
If you use the second version, knocking them out will still fall under the definition. Think of all the movies where the hero is tied up and a bad guy winds up and hits them, knocking them out. You have plenty of time to line up the perfect hit with your fist/gauntlet/sword pummel/etc..