Question about gouging strike and killing your own party members

[Ouroboros226]

1) Will "killing" your own party members in combat count as a "kill" despite them just being knocked out? Or do you need to literally kill someone to get the bonus?

Example: You are in a losing battle. It's you and a critically wounded ally against 3 enemies. You are a barbarian, the kill bonus would turn the tide. Could you then down your critically wounded ally to trigger barb on kill buffs? 

2) If you are a barbarian using blunderbusses and you use gouging strike, will EVERY enemy hit get gouging strike applied putting them all on the doom clock? If yes - does the friendly fire of blunderbuss then also apply gouging strike doom clock to your party members who are hit? And as with question 1 - will party members downed by your gouging strike trigger barb on kill effects?

[Boeroer]

4 hours ago, Ouroboros226 said:

1) Will "killing" your own party members in combat count as a "kill" despite them just being knocked out? Or do you need to literally kill someone to get the bonus?

It should count.

4 hours ago, Ouroboros226 said:

2) If you are a barbarian using blunderbusses and you use gouging strike, will EVERY enemy hit get gouging strike applied putting them all on the doom clock? If yes - does the friendly fire of blunderbuss then also apply gouging strike doom clock to your party members who are hit? And as with question 1 - will party members downed by your gouging strike trigger barb on kill effects?

I guess you mean mortars (have AoE) and not normal blunderbusses (don't have AoE)? And then (confused) Berserker and not Barbarian (because mortar AoE has no friendly fire as long as not confused)?

A confused Berserker/Rogue who's firing a Gouging Strike into his party will apply Gouging Strike to everybody in the AoE.
Powder Burns (blunderbuss modal) doesn't transport any ability/weapon effects such as Gouging Strike. It's "only" a spell-like AoE that comes on top of the weapon attack. 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Boeroer

[Ouroboros226]

Thanks for explaining. Kinda funny that killing your own low life party members can in some situations be beneficial. This was the same trick you used IIRC from some post, just with skeletons from chanter. I meant mortars yes, whops!