When you need to be absolutely certain that an enemy isn’t going to get back up again, you can deliver a coup de grace to ensure they are properly dead.

To execute a target, place your weapon on a creature that is Bleeding Out or otherwise lying helpless on the ground (the Stunned condition does not count). Then begin five seconds of appropriate roleplaying to deliver a fatal blow to the target; after your roleplaying is complete, call out “Execute!” to finish them off.

Note that enemy NPCs may return to the battlefield after being executed, but this should only occur when they are respawning, at which point you can consider them a different character from the one you executed.