I'm thinking about how to apply Shadow gain to actions the PCs take against adversaries who have a Resolve rating. (As opposed to Hate.) A simple example. The PCs have tracked down a group of bandits (Evil Men) without being discovered themselves. These bandits have robbed innocent people, but not killed anyone as far as the PCs know. The safest way to deal with them would be to ambush and kill them. Problem solved. But I think this would be considered a misdeed?
How many Shadow Points should the PCs gain if they carry out this plan? The rules say Murder should gain 4 Shadow and 1 Shadow Scar. This seems like a lot in the scenario above. I think of Murder as a premeditated act carried out for some personal gain or cold-blooded revenge. The heroes in the books tend to give adversaries a chance to surrender and be shown to the borders before resorting to violence. On the other hand, letting the bad guys go free might mean further harm to innocents in the future.
Are the PCs obligated to attempt to capture the bandits and give them a trial of some kind?
If the foes refuse to surrender, can they be slain with a clear conscience?
What if the PCs don't think they can defeat the bandits in a fair fight, but an ambush would be successful?
How would the penalty change if the aforementioned bandits were known to have killed innocent people?
I like the idea of the PCs operating at a disadvantage because they have a higher moral code. I think hard moral choices are nicely consistent with the world. (Bilbo and Frodo sparing Gollum, etc.) However, players being players, I'm sure they will want to handle problems the old-fashioned way sooner or later. I want to think it through before it comes up. Thoughts?