Step 4: If Damage Remains, Reduce the Target’s Stamina

After applying the target’s immunities, resistances and vulnerabilities to the damage, the damage reduces the target’s Stamina on a 1-to-1 basis. More information about Stamina can be found in Stamina, Healing and Dying.

Non-Lethal Attacks

You can make a nonlethal attack in an effort to knock someone out instead of killing them (see Knocked Out and Dying). Weapons with the non-lethal trait (including fists) do this automatically. All improvised weapons have the non-lethal property if they deal bludgeoning damage.

Although all melee weapons may be used to make non-lethal attacks, when they do so their damage type changes to bludgeoning damage and the damage dealt is reduced to 1 (+ your Strength modifier). Only weapons with the non-lethal property deal their full damage with a non-lethal attack. Additionally, you take a -1d circumstance penalty to the attack roll when you make a non-lethal attack using a weapon that doesn’t have the non-lethal property. This attack penalty also applies to making a lethal attack using a non-lethal weapon.

Spells and other effects with the non-lethal trait that reduce a creature to 0 Stamina knock the creature out instead of killing them.

Describing The Effects Of Damage

Game Masters describe stamina loss in different ways. When your current stamina total is half or more of your stamina maximum, you typically show no signs of injury. When you drop below half your stamina maximum, you show signs of wear, such as cuts and bruises. An attack that reduces you to 0 stamina strikes you directly, leaving a bleeding injury, or knocking you unconscious.