[imthedci]

Making an unarmed melee attack with bone lacing means that your unarmed melee attacks do physical damage. Is there anyway for you to pull your punches and only do Stun damage (other than the Knockout Blow edge action) or are you now stuck doing Physical damage only?

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Not by RAW, but house rules are always an option.

If it's important to stick to RAW, or your GM won't accommodate, you can still deal strum damage via grapple.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

And as an aside, remember that the distinction between Stun and Physical damage is meaningless anyway vs most NPCs.  (Grunts only have 1 CM track, rather than separate Physical and Stun CM tracks)

[imthedci]

And as an aside, remember that the distinction between Stun and Physical damage is meaningless anyway vs most NPCs.  (Grunts only have 1 CM track, rather than separate Physical and Stun CM tracks)

So what do you do if you're trying not to kill a grunt (for whatever reason)?

[Hobbes]

Don't blow through all their boxes and overflow?

Shadowrun has a plethora of non-lethal options, including the Social skills like Intimidation.  If the GM says the Titanium bars in your bones are always going to be Lethal damage, use something else.  Or Grapple them, should be about the same dice pools.

Despite what you see in movies and TV, hitting someone in the head with a monkey wrench or frying pan can easily be fatal.  That fine line between concussed and unconscious and subdural hematoma is a tough one to judge.

Also, Med-kit, Trauma Patch, Healing Magic, and First Aid Skill for if you do cross that line and need someone to talk to after the dust settles.

But mostly just talk to your GM.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

And as an aside, remember that the distinction between Stun and Physical damage is meaningless anyway vs most NPCs.  (Grunts only have 1 CM track, rather than separate Physical and Stun CM tracks)

So what do you do if you're trying not to kill a grunt (for whatever reason)?

Reference, page 203:

Grunts suffer
wound modifiers for every 2 full boxes of damage.
Since they only have one track, life and death is determined
by whatever hit them last. If they were hit
by Physical Damage last, they’re bleeding out or
dead. If they were hit by Stun Damage last, they’re
just unconscious and could be available for questioning.

And since we're running down into tangent-ville, also note that Grunts suffer wound penalties every 2 boxes, not every 3 boxes like PCs and named NPCs...

[BeCareful]

...you can still deal strum damage via grapple.

Hmm, anyone got a good house rule on the damage code for a guitar?

[skalchemist]

...you can still deal strum damage via grapple.

Hmm, anyone got a good house rule on the damage code for a guitar?

5P for this one...

[Xenon]

By a strict reading of RAW the damage code of your unarmed attacks is now changed and they will now deal physical damage rather than stun damage.

By a strict reading of RAW you can choose to deal stun damage rather than physical damage if you have the Killing Hands adept power.

SR6 p. 157 Killing Hands
When fighting unarmed, you can choose to deal Stun or Physical damage