Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Bob_no_Oni Dec 20, 2014 10:30:31	Greetings again all,   I was wondering if anyone has come up with ideas for a Pacifistic style character. I am not looking at doing true Absolute Pacifism, but trying to be non-damaging. Inflicting states, such as blindness and such, is fine, as long as the spell or ability in question doesn't deal damage. Does anyone have any suggestions as to classes or such that might fit best for this? I was thinking mainly Abjuration, Divination, Enchantment, and some Illusion style spells, or maybe an empahsis on healing. Thank you for any help.   Bob no Oni
#2 mellored Dec 20, 2014 10:36:15	Life/knowlage/trickster cleric, or lore bard.
#3 Ghost_Gallus Dec 20, 2014 12:19:29	or both
#4 Undrhil Dec 20, 2014 13:47:55	Or wizard.  Just take spells that don't do damage.  Should be fairly simple in 5e.   Edit: Oh.  Wizard doesn't do healing.  LoL
#5 BRJN Dec 20, 2014 14:19:47	The 4e book Divine Power has a discussion about Pacifist Clerics that you may find useful as background / fluff material.    Mechanically, I can tell you from experience (4e StarLock) that being a 'status-effect Striker' is fun at lower levels - you wrap the enemy in styrofoam packing peanuts and ruin his day / game plan - but gets frustrating when you face higher-level enemies who are immune / resistant to Magical Effects.  Then you become a low-DPR launcher of marshmallows and feathers.
#6 mellored Dec 20, 2014 14:22:59	I feel clerics and bards have a better selection of non-damage spells then the wizard does. Though it's possible.
#7 Ghost_Gallus Dec 20, 2014 15:09:06	A Bard/Paladin could due pretty good too. Paladin for the Aura and a few of the buff spells they can get.
#8 Ganymede425 Dec 20, 2014 15:28:08	All characters have the option to merely knock out their foe with a melee attack when they bring them to 0 HP.
(Reply to #8) Undrhil	Ganymede425 wrote:
(Reply to #9) Ganymede425	Undrhil wrote:
#11 Noon Dec 20, 2014 16:13:22	I think that's just one type of pacifism. I'm not sure I call temporarily blinding someone pure pacifism. One type, sure. But then again you could call taser use pacifism - but it's definately not the purest form of it.
#12 Coredump00 Dec 20, 2014 17:57:33	Perhaps try something different.   A skill monkey rogue could help a lot, without having to do damage.   Could still scout, deal with traps, etc.  With decent charisma could be the 'face' of the group.   Take Thief and Healing proficiency, and you can Heal as a bonus action. Could then multi-class into something with more healing if you want.
#13 BRJN Dec 20, 2014 19:03:47	Noon wrote:
#14 Jordan175 Dec 20, 2014 19:33:54	Bard might be your best bet. That has a lot of perks and spells that are either not related to combat or focused on supporting others.   Work with your DM and fellow players, the "three pillars of D&D" are combat, exploration, and social interaction. Putting more planning and forethought on the second two instead of the first could be interesting.
#15 Noon Dec 20, 2014 19:42:17	Pure pacifism being lousy doesn't == 'blind them' becomes the new pure pacifism.
#16 Llenlleawg Dec 21, 2014 1:48:35	I would certainly encourage the use of illusion, enchantment, divination, and some judicious choice of transmutation spells. Back when the world was young, when "there were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown" (i.e. in the late 1970s), I played an AD&D magic user who chose not to use damage-causing spells, but instead defeated foes with charms, holds, fear, sleep, polymorph, etc., and helped the party with detections, illusions, passwall, etc. It was lots of fun, and worked just fine. In fact, I think it would be even easier to do that in the newest edition!   So, this means most likely a wizard or a bard. You could go cleric, but as written, the cleric is meant to be at least a secondary fighter in the party, so it's harder to pull off a pacifist cleric without feeling like you are holding back. For wizards and bards, however, you are actually playing to your strengths by overcoming foes and obstacles in bypassing damage and taking out problems indirectly.
#17 Ganymede425 Dec 21, 2014 8:06:37	Actually, one doesn't need to be a pacifist to interact in a game world where harming others is frowned upon. It doesn't take a huge leap to imagine a game world where wholesale slaughter is frowned upon by the authorities and where having a reputation as a bunch of thugs and murderers would be a huge negative for a group of PCs.     How would a pacifist deal with non-sentient foes like giant insects and slimes?
#18 mellored Dec 21, 2014 8:34:16	How does a pacifist eat?
#19 BRJN Dec 21, 2014 12:58:29	mellored wrote:
#20 Yunru Dec 21, 2014 13:13:49	Plants have feelings too!
#21 mellored Dec 21, 2014 13:29:09	Chewing is a violent, destructive act.
#22 Noon Dec 21, 2014 15:38:08	mellored wrote:
#23 Undrhil Dec 21, 2014 19:50:07	That smell you smell of freshly mown grass .... is the grass expressing pain and suffering.
#24 Coredump00 Dec 21, 2014 23:36:30	Its not unheard of for a pacifist to distinguish between humans and animals....  Eating meat is often okay.
#25 Noon Dec 22, 2014 1:03:17	Undrhil wrote:
#26 LongTimeLurker Dec 27, 2014 1:19:33	mellored wrote:
#27 BRJN Dec 27, 2014 9:00:51	Noon wrote:
#28 Hibiki54 Dec 28, 2014 11:15:10	I believe some of you have gone off topic from what the OP has described.   The OP is looking for suggestions for a PC model whom, I would assume, is Lawful Neutral in which follows a personal code that they refuse to take a life, but has ho qualms in using his talents to let others do his dirty work.   While there is no background to supplement your pacifisim, you can become a Noble who does not like to get his hands dirty. You can add in a custom bond "You have sworn to never take a life. But that does not mean you cannot have other's do it. Evil." As for class, you're best bet is Bard for the Charisma primary. You can be Human variant for the skill proficiency, extra language and starting Feat. You can take the Healer feat to tend to your implements of dea--- I mean, "allies" when they are injured. Since you are a "pacifist" you would more than likely be a Lore Bard, using your cutting words to talk crap to the enemy and using the extra spells and cantrips from other classes to hinder the enemy allowing your allies to slay them.
#29 mellored Dec 28, 2014 11:18:47	The OP got his answer. Lore bard, knowlage or life cleric are the big ones. Possibly a wizard.