Unconsciousness from Nonlethal Electrical Damage? (Stun Guns, TASERs, Neurolashes)

The consensus I've seen about Tasers, including a report from a former police officer, is that it causes temporary paralysis, but it would be a one in a million shot, from the back, that got the barbs in the right place, and the current was applied long enough to lower the target's blood pressure and render him unconscious. Like a multi-minute jolt, instead of the usual 5 seconds.

Most instances of unconsciousness from Taser use come as a side effect of the fall - striking the head on the ground or a nearby object and knocking themselves out.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Fez

The consensus I've seen about Tasers, including a report from a former police officer, is that it causes temporary paralysis, but it would be a one in a million shot, from the back, that got the barbs in the right place, and the current was applied long enough to lower the target's blood pressure and render him unconscious. Like a multi-minute jolt, instead of the usual 5 seconds.

Most instances of unconsciousness from Taser use come as a side effect of the fall - striking the head on the ground or a nearby object and knocking themselves out.

What about Stun Guns or Taser's Drive Stun? Or one of the non-Unconsciousness incapacitating conditions of a Neurolash?

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

What about Stun Guns or Taser's Drive Stun?

If you mean "stun gun" in the sense of the hand-held device with the two electrodes on it, little or no chance of unconsciousness as the electrodes are too close together to do anything more than cause a localized effect.

Drive Stun is explicitly not used as an incapacitation tool but for what they euphemistically call "pain compliance." Even that is frowned upon most of the time, but given the will to use it, I can't see it having even as much chance of causing unconsciousness as well-placed darts would.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

What about Stun Guns or Taser's Drive Stun? Or one of the non-Unconsciousness incapacitating conditions of a Neurolash?

A neurolash should probably have the same ^ as the neural disrupter, at least for settings other than Agony and Seizure.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Realistically, electricity is only going to knock you unconscious if it goes through the brain; a tazer affects those tissues near the electrodes and the path between them. Mechanics-wise, do those attacks cause fatigue damage? (I don't have HT immediately accessible).

The possibility of non-lethal shock causing fatigue damage is mentioned in Campaigns but never carried through on in any 4e tech book after that.

The mechanic was used n 3e for the "neiural blaster". That hasn't come forward to 4e though. Everything uses the inherently unrelaible HT Roll mechanic (and usually with only small penalties in non mounted weapons).

The exception to this is the stun wepons in Vorkosigan. You get hit with those and unless you have armor that stops it entirely you go down.