I always found the idea of nonlethal damage silly, any damage can be lethal. Nonlethal damage is it's own damage type too. Anyway, my idea is to remove it and instead using Pathfinder's combat maneuver system to knock people out. Since the only reason nonlethal damage is there is to knock people out without killing them. Basically a character uses their CMB (-4 if they're using their chosen weapon in an unusual way) to try and knock the other person out. The other character makes a fortitude save to avoid being knocked out.
I however see potential abuse of this by someone knocking out a character and then using a coup de grace to finish them off. I guess I could counter it by having it so that they can only be knocked out if the final hit takes their hp to or below 0 (Then it starts to get complicated and I might as well be using nonlethal damage). However, high hp characters tend to have good Combat Maneuver Defense or Fortitude Saves, right? So it wouldn't be as overpowered as it first seems, right?
I like the idea, but I need help with this one.
Without nonlethal damage, weather conditions / forced marches / etc., rather than putting you out of commission, kill you. This is what you want?
Without nonlethal damage, weather conditions / forced marches / etc., rather than putting you out of commission, kill you. This is what you want?
Actually, I was planning on using a Wounds/Vitality system with it anyway.