Renata Maclean wrote:
"When the cavalier makes use of this ability, he must attempt
to subdue his target without killing it; dealing lethal
damage after using this ability, or allowing his allies to
kill the target, is considered a violation of his edicts."
If he uses the ability on the target at any point in the fight, he must from that point forward ensure that neither he nor his allies kill the target, or he loses his abilities.
I'd say it's a bit more nuanced than that. Once he uses Flat of the Blade,
A.) The Samurai/Cavalier cannot attack with the intention to cause lethal damage. (If I were the GM, and the Samurai critted using non lethal, knocking his enemy down beyond his full HP and therefore converting some to lethal or even killing the enemy, I wouldn't make him fall. Combat is dangerous, and the Samurai was "trying to subdue the target without killing it" in good faith, but accidents happen and you can't choose to _not_ confirm a crit.)
B.) His allies can't kill the target. That means they can still do lethal damage, but if they go overboard and kill the target, then the Samurai loses his abilities (even if it's due to an accidental crit.) Also, even if they don't kill the enemy right away, but capture him, the Samurai cannot let his allies coup de gras or otherwise kill the defeated opponent at a later time. (Again, I would be lenient with accidental crits while doing non lethal damage because that's in the spirit of the order. Also, turning the enemy over to authorities where he'll get executed after due process of law _probably_ wouldn't cause the Samurai to fall, but I could see situations where it would.)
So, Samurai cannot attack with lethal damage. Allies _can_ do lethal damage, but cannot be allowed to kill the enemy.
