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Gothic RPG's with non lethal options

Blutwurstritter

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Are there other games that feature non lethal fights like the Gothic games ? I find it adds a realistic touch the game and is a nice alternative to the mass murdering route that many games take. Some feature this via triggers at special fights but that's not the same. The mechanic opens up interesting alternatives to quests and interactions so I'd like to see more of it but it is a rarity. Are there other games that have this integrated as full mechanic ?
 

V_K

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Expeditions: Viking has this as a fundamental mechanic - you can switch between lethal and non-lethal modes. It affects story outcomes and you get thralls from some fights if you go non-lethal.
 

Dodo1610

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Alpha Protocoll and Deus Ex prequels: have lots of reactivity when you go non lethal. Also Cyberpunk 2077 but only within quests.
Main Story dialogue allways asumes you are a mass murderer though.
 
Last edited:

Nano

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Grab the Codex by the pussy Strap Yourselves In
Unarmed hits in Baldur's Gate are supposed to be non-lethal, but you'll never use it for anything except robbing people's homes.
 

Darth Roxor

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Expeditions: Viking has this as a fundamental mechanic - you can switch between lethal and non-lethal modes. It affects story outcomes and you get thralls from some fights if you go non-lethal.

Viking doesn't get nearly enough credit for this.
 

Blutwurstritter

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Expeditions: Viking has this as a fundamental mechanic - you can switch between lethal and non-lethal modes. It affects story outcomes and you get thralls from some fights if you go non-lethal.
Wouldn't have thought to look there. The game looks more like a turn based combat strategy, does it have many rpg elements ?
 

V_K

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Expeditions: Viking has this as a fundamental mechanic - you can switch between lethal and non-lethal modes. It affects story outcomes and you get thralls from some fights if you go non-lethal.
Wouldn't have thought to look there. The game looks more like a turn based combat strategy, does it have many rpg elements ?
It's actually the other way around - it's a fairly classic turn-based RPG, with quests, exploration, NPCs and everything else that entails. The strategic layer is mostly limited to base-building and resource management. My memory is fuzzy so don't quote me on that, but I think you can even ignore it as there other ways to win.
 

Morpheus Kitami

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Supposedly Dwarf Fortress has the option, but I've never actually seen a non-lethal fight happen.
 

V_K

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Realms of Arkania HD
Was this introduced in the HD version ? If my memory doesn't fail me, the original did not feature non lethal options.
Well, technically it does. An enemy incapacitated by a non-lethal spell (sleep, dance) is considered defeated for the duration of the spell. And the combat ends when no enemy can act, not when they all are dead. So in principle you can put everyone to sleep and win a battle without actually killing anyone. The game doesn't distinguish it from lethal combat though.
 

Kruyurk

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In Kenshi characters fall unconscious when they took too much damage. If they are bleeding they will eventually die, unless still conscious characters patch them up in time. The neat thing is that is works the same way for your party or the enemies, so you can heal the unconscious opponents after the fight and capture them. You can also walk away after a fight with the enemies unconscious but still alive, and you can loot them while unconscious. The enemies can do the exact same things, beat you unconscious, then loot you, let you bleed to death, or patch you and capture you.
 

octavius

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Surely there must be an RPG game where you can play a cheerleader who defeats the other cheerleaders in a non-lethal pillow fight?
 
Self-Ejected

Thac0

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I'm very into cock and ball torture
Expeditions Vikings has a toggle for dealing nonlethal damage with certain weapons, but I can't remember a single fight where it makes a difference beyond the enemies squirming on the ground instead of laying there dead.
 

Blutwurstritter

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Realms of Arkania HD
Was this introduced in the HD version ? If my memory doesn't fail me, the original did not feature non lethal options.
Well, technically it does. An enemy incapacitated by a non-lethal spell (sleep, dance) is considered defeated for the duration of the spell. And the combat ends when no enemy can act, not when they all are dead. So in principle you can put everyone to sleep and win a battle without actually killing anyone. The game doesn't distinguish it from lethal combat though.
Technically correct is the best kind of correct as we all know. Now that you mention it, I think I have used a spell that made enemies run away and leave the battle.
 

Blutwurstritter

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Surely there must be an RPG game where you can play a cheerleader who defeats the other cheerleaders in a non-lethal pillow fight?

Isn't that part of the Octavius Midnight Fantasies franchise which is unavailable in Germany. You may think it was deemed too depraved and foul for the German public, but no, it was banned because of high-impact gory violence. I've heard copies are very hard to come by.
 

Lemming42

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All Fallout games:
- Fallout: no kills required. enemies can be KO'd by hand-to-hand, or beaten until they flee
- Fallout 2: no kills required, but fuck knows how you're gonna get through the tanker basement. same non-lethal method as above
- Fallout 3: one kill required, a radroach in the tutorial. you also have to clear the super mutants from the water thing, but you can do that indirectly. no way to KO enemies, so you have to use stealth
- Fallout: New Vegas: no kills required, but you typically do have to incapacitate Mr House. same as above, stealth required. there is actually a knockout mechanic, but it's fucking terrible

All Elder Scrolls games:
- Arena: one indirect kill required right at the end, otherwise you can get through the whole game with spell reflection and calm humanoid. the start of the game will be insanely, unbelievably tough though, since your only method of gaining XP will be to make a very weak reflect spell that you can cast at level 1, and grind against uncommonly-spawning magic using enemies like the snow wolves
- Daggerfall: you have to kill a werewolf and a zombie messenger, but I think that's all. both can theoretically be killed indirectly. otherwise, calm and reflect spells. there are also linguistics skills which sometimes let you automatically talk enemies down, either pacifying them or making them join you and defend you
- Morrowind: several kills needed, but they can all be indirect (or you can just cast Levitate 30 seconds on yourself, Levitate Other for 29 seconds on the target, then walk directly upwards into the sky while they chase you until their spell wears off and they fall to their death). you could probably get quite far using reflect and calm spells again, or Command Creature/Command Humanoid
- Oblivion: can't remember, I don't think there's any mandated kills. same as above, you'll have to use non-lethal spells
- Skyrim: forgot how the main plot works, but most sidequests and dungeons can be completed without actually killing anyone, especially if you abuse the borked stealth system

Deus Ex games:
- Deus Ex: one non-combat kill needed ("take your best shot, flatlander woman"). The game really doesn't care what you do after the UNATCO missions, though. non-lethal methods are baton, prod and tranq bow
- Deus Ex HR: one kill needed, the Rihanna cyborg. You have to fight the big mech guy too but he technically kills himself, though there's no difference from a gameplay standpoint. non-lethal methods are stun gun and tranq rifle, but also running up to people and pressing Q to watch a 3-hour takedown cutscene

Age of Decadence: no kills needed, but everyone's a bastard so you'll probably lead to someone else's death, either by your actions or by your failure to act. combat is avoided through skill checks in dialogue

Alpha Protocol: no kills needed right up until the stupid final level, which requires you to shoot down a helicopter and kill one guy. combat is avoided by stealth and non-lethal knockouts

Mount & Blade: you can use blunt weapons to KO enemies. You can theoretically do the whole game like this, but you'd have to make an army entirely out of Manhunters/Slave Drivers (the only two units to use blunt IIRC) and somehow take on hundreds of heavily armoured, highly trained elite knights with them.

I liked Expeditions Vikings but I seem to remember the non-lethal stuff being very half-implemented. You'd KO a group of people and the game would consider them dead, for example, and your choice was very very rarely commented on, if ever.
 

Beggar

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Dec 7, 2014
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Viking doesn't get nearly enough credit for this.

I didn't even knew you can play this way. I was just killing those white asses with my arrows
 

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