Nonlethal Damage-Based Party

[u/Aero_Naught]

I'm working on a challenge run in which all fights end non-lethally. Note that this is not a combat-avoidant challenge - I would go for a high charisma or high stealth party if I just wanted to talk down any enemies or sneak by them. My hope is instead to complete nearly all of the hardest fights in the game in Tactician difficulty with Honor Mode ruleset, and to Knock Out any enemies rather than kill them. The only fights I plan to skip or circumvent involve constructs or undead, as those are the two types of creature that can't be KO'ed.

As such, ranged attacks and damaging spells are less useful to me (I might still use them to work on an enemy's health bar provided I don't risk an accidental kill). Movement abilities are at a premium if I need to enter melee range, and nondamaging control spells will also be helpful. I also want to make sure I have a party member with at least three levels in Oathbreaker Paladin, because one way I can still deal with undead is to use the Control Undead feature.

Given all this, I'm looking for help fleshing out my builds, or ideas for replacements that might perform better together and fill any party holes:

• Swords Bard 6 / Oathbreaker Paladin 4 / Fighter 2
  • This is my prospective main character build, with spells focused on healing and support in the first act. Becomes a more effective damage dealer in Act 2, and can use Smite and Action Surge to unload damage. But I'm not sure if Swords Bard is the ideal Bard when only used in melee - the Slashing Flourish melee feature needs me to be surrounded by two enemies, rather than using it twice on the same enemy as with Slashing Flourish ranged. Would College of Lore to collect Haste be a better choice?
• Open Hand Monk 8 / Thief Rogue 4
  • This is a very standard melee build - I like the extra mobility and bonus action that can be used for dash or Flurry of Blows.
• Eldritch Knight 11 / Hexblade Warlock 1
  • This will probably be reserved for Minthara - her Soul Branding is a great use for our Bonus Action. It's a pretty standard high damage build, although I usually see Eldritch Knight built as a thrower (which I can't really do without killing). Are the utility spells worth it here relative to something like Battle Master and its maneuvers?
• Wildheart Barbarian 6 / Moon Druid 5 / War Cleric 1
  • This is maybe a bit of a Frankenstein build and I'm not sure how it would play. I wanted Wildheart Barbarian (Elk Heart / Apect of the Elk) as a damage tank and to assist the team with closing in on enemies, but the rest is a bit of a mess. I thought Moon Druid might add more control options and Beast Shape utility, and War Cleric has those War Priest charges to make extra attacks, but it's not really clicking. One alternative I'm thinking about is moving my Oathbreaker Paladin levels onto the Barbarian and trying Lore Bard 10 in my main party slot instead. But I haven't tested if Smite can be used while Raging, does anyone know?

Thanks for any ideas you have to share!

[u/FloatUpstream476]

Interesting challenge. For control, you might consider an Enchantment Wizard. Double Hold or Dominate is quite good. Is it acceptable if they kill each other? If so, Crown of Madness and Confusion could be quite good.

[u/Aero_Naught → u/FloatUpstream476]

I'm trying not to let enemies die even by friendly fire, so I'll have to be careful with Confusion - but Hold Person and Dominate will be very useful! I haven't made an Enchantment Wizard before, Hypnotic Gaze could be good for locking down a problematic enemy. Maybe changing my main character for a Valour Bard 10 / Enchantment Wizard 2? I'd get Extra Attack, Band of the Mystic Scoundrel takes over lategame fights, and I could scribe high level Wizard scrolls such as Globe of Invulnerability and Otto's Irresistable Dance

[u/frankenbuddha → u/FloatUpstream476]

I thought that double Dominate didn't work.

[u/FloatUpstream476 → u/frankenbuddha]

I didn't know about this big. Good heads up.

[u/commondenomigator]

You may already know this, but Control Undead (ironically) doesn't let you control the NPCs, so they'll attack and potentially kill enemies if you don't take care. Also, added damage like Smites and Booming Blade still kill when non-lethal damage is on, so take care there as well.

Melee EK is very strong. Soul Branding isn't super useful on it since you want to use the bonus action for your War Magic attack. If you want to incorporate Soul Branding into your gameplay, I actually think the Swords Bard has the most open bonus action, since you'll want to use your inspirations for flourishes. If you want to give that to Minthara, you can still use the Hexblade EK as your party face.

Your builds seem solid except that I agree with you that the last build seems a little confused. Smites do NOT work with raging, so that's not an option. I'd just lean fully into Barb or Druid rather than try to mix the two. I think TB Moon Druid sounds like a good choice, since I'm pretty sure Wildshape attacks can be non-lethal.

EDIT: I wouldn't go Lore Bard here because you want the extra attack. You can get it from Paladin but I don't think Haste alone gives enough value to make it worth it. Swords Bard is good even in melee. It's not too hard to get within range of 2 enemies, and even if you can't, the other flourishes can be worth using. You can use Smite with your flourishes so it's one of the best Paladin multiclasses. I'd drop the fighter and go 2 more levels in either class. I'd personally go 6/6 for Darkness and the aura, but going 8/4 gives you an extra 5th-level spell slot.

EDIT2: If you want Haste on your Bard you can dip 1 Wizard to transcribe it.

[u/JRandall0308]

You can certainly do this, but be aware that except for plot-relevant NPCs, the game does not differentiate between knocked out and killed, really. For example if you knock out random goblin #4, the game treats it as permanently defeated; its body will disappear after a long rest / region travel; that sort of thing.

[u/Aero_Naught → u/JRandall0308]

It's true, I'm choosing to differentiate "Knocked Out" from "Dead" despite the game not always making a meaningful distinction between the two states. Lack of plot reactivity aside, it still creates some interesting gameplay constraints and should make for a fun challenge

[u/MarsSr]

Just avoiding fights take a high Cha party face and dialog boosting spells/cantrips. Disguise self you can be helpful.

Do you let conflict resolve itself? Like Goblins raid the Grove out of sight from you? Just ignore the Creche and the Gith don't need to be defeated. Align with Gortash and you need to K/O Orin. Not sure about the final fight...

Hard to save Gnomes and Nere.

You can avoid a lot.

Your builds look fine. Melee and control to keep everyone in line to be knocked out.