To better fit a character, I'm looking to deal nonlethal damage with my kinetic blade. What options are available?
I originally planned to take Expanded Metakinesis (Merciful) only to notice that my archetype replaced it.
It's a weapon, so I would think you can always just state you're doing nonlethal and eat the -4 on your attack roll.
The Mock Gladiator trait allows you to choose one weapon. When wielding that weapon, you take no penalties to dealing Nonlethal damage with it.
Wood has a talent that allows you to deal Nonlethal damage with your wood blasts. Unfortunately because that talent exists it means you can't just choose to deal Nonlethal with your blasts. :(
I don't think blasts in general are weapons (even the ones that do b/s/p damage), whereas kinetic blade specifies that it is. Not sure about that though. But if they are, the Merciful Foliage talent gets you nonlethal with no penalty, so arguably it's just getting rid of the -4.
|
"Kinetic blasts count as a type of weapon for the purpose of feats such as Weapon Focus."
"The kinetic blade’s shape is purely cosmetic and doesn’t affect the damage dice, critical threat range, or critical multiplier of the kinetic blade, nor does it grant the kinetic blade any weapon special features."
Sadly that means you need Merciful Foliage.
Would Blade of Mercy trait apply?
While a kinetic blade isn't a slashing weapon, it can take the shape of a weapon in order to gain the benefit of feats that depend on the form of the weapon (such as a two-handed weapon for Power Attack or a light weapon for Weapon Finesse). My character is a Sarenite.
|
If you're willing to spend a feat you could get Golden Legion's Stayed Blade to reduce opponents to -1 HP. It's similar to dealing nonlethal damage.
"Kinetic blasts count as a type of weapon for the purpose of feats such as Weapon Focus."
"The kinetic blade’s shape is purely cosmetic and doesn’t affect the damage dice, critical threat range, or critical multiplier of the kinetic blade, nor does it grant the kinetic blade any weapon special features."
Sadly that means you need Merciful Foliage.
Not really. That just means that if I shape my kinetic weapon like a trip weapon, it doesn’t gain the trip property. The kinetic blade is explicitly a melee weapon, and as a melee weapon, you could choose to use it the same way you could use any other weapon. But you couldn’t just shape it as a sap to do nonlethal damage without still taking that penalty, because that would be a weapon special feature. .
“You create a non-reach, light or one-handed weapon in your hand”
“You can use a melee weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage instead, but you take a –4 penalty on your attack roll.”
That foliage talent is special because it’s nonlethal damage at range, which you can’t normally do with a ranged weapon.
Nonlethal damage is not a “type” of damage. It is just a quality of the damage you are dealing. If your “fire” is a melee weapon, then by the rules, you can choose to do nonlethal damage with it. You could houserule otherwise if you think it makes more sense, but it’d just be a house rule.
Melkiador is right. It's possible to deal and take nonlethal cold or nonlethal fire damage.
|
|
Actually, I've been going about this all wrong. A Kinetic Blade is still a Kinetic Blast, and a blast is only a weapon for the purpose of FEATS. Kinetic Blade has no wording that removes this clause.
And non-lethal is a damage type or an Invulnerable Rager barbarian's Damage Reduction wouldn't work on it by the rules.
A regular blast has that limitation, but kinetic blade specifies it is an actual weapon multiple times.
“You form a weapon using your kinetic abilities. You create a non-reach, light or one-handed weapon in your hand formed of pure energy or elemental matter”.
I think you are being confused because non-lethal could be called a type of damage but is not an actual “damage type”, as defined by the game. That’s just because the word “type” is vague though. You could just as easily say it’s a “style of damage” or a “category of damage”.
Actually, I've been going about this all wrong. A Kinetic Blade is still a Kinetic Blast, and a blast is only a weapon for the purpose of FEATS. Kinetic Blade has no wording that removes this clause.
Kinetic blade counts as a weapon for other effects. It's not exclusive to feats. Mark Seifter clarified this by pointing out that kinetic blasts benefit from the bard's inspire courage performance.
And non-lethal is a damage type or an Invulnerable Rager barbarian's Damage Reduction wouldn't work on it by the rules.
Slashing, bludgeoning, piercing, fire, cold, electricity, acid, and sonic are all damage types. Nonlethal and aligned are damage qualities. Damage reduction can be bypassed by damage of certain types or qualities. For example, good and magic are not damage types, but DR/magic and DR/good exists.
The Mock Gladiator trait allows you to choose one weapon. When wielding that weapon, you take no penalties to dealing Nonlethal damage with it.
That looks like the best trait for it. Looks like I'll have to get that book. I preferred Blade of Mercy for flavor since my character worships Sarenrae, but I can't find any other trait that completely negates the penalty to deal nonlethal damage.
Stage Combatant feat looked promising, but the prerequisites are steep for a kineticist.
Take Mock Gladiator or Stage Combatant as a Chaokineticist. Fling blobs of negative energy, literal death, nonlethally!