When characters loot the bodies of other characters

JacktheRabbit · Apr 16, 2003

How do you handle this?

I have noticed that if you let a party loot the bodies of every PC that dies you start to have a problem. The party becomes overloaded in equipment for their level.

One example. I started a campaign and I was generous. Each character started with +2 worth of items. Some went with a +2 weapon, some with +2 armor, and a few with +1 weapon and +1 armor.

Now here is the rub. In the very first session the party cleric croaked. Boom the party fighter looted his +2 breastplate and how he has a +2 weapon and +2 armor.

So what to do? Personally I think good parties at least should return a dead characters belongings to his family or bury him with his beloved weapons. Of course greedy characters do not understand this and since I am the DM I cannot do anything directly since this is player interaction.

Suggestions?

Mathew_Freeman · Apr 16, 2003

If they get famous, have other people start noticing.

"Hey! Isn't that breastplate the one that your old pal Redgar used to wear? What happened to him, anyway?"

"Uh, he got killed."

"And left you the breastplate in his will? Wow, you guys must have been really close."

"Yeah, something like that..." *shuffles feet*

Of course, if the characters aren't embarrassed by this, then shrug and don't give out quite so much equipment.

Arnwyn · Apr 16, 2003

I let them loot. There's nothing I can do about it, nor is there anything that I *want* to do about it. They are free to take their comrade's equipment to continue with their "greater goal" or "fight the good fight".

*However*, when new characters enter, they only come in with starting equipment and gold. That's it. Voila, problem solved for my group - the characters re-divvy up the equipment with the new guy (keeps the new guy alive, fosters teamwork, etc.) and the group still maintains the appropriate equipment-to-level ratio. If the characters return the equipment to the dead character's family/church/whatever, then the new character comes in with the value of what was given away (but no more than what the new character's equipment should be based on his level).

Works for our group.

Wraithdrit · Apr 16, 2003

Well, the problem as I see it is that you value a +2 item the same as 2 +1 items. The value is actually very different, and armor is worth less than weapons (magic weapons add to hit and damage, armor only to ac). So anyone who took a +2 weapon originally has gotten the most out of their pick (8000 gp worth). Where someone who took a +1 shield, and +1 armor would be least benefited (2000 gp). The person who took +2 armor gets around 4000 gp worth. What is done is done though, so what to do now? Suck it up, minimize the magic treasure that would have been there until you reach an equilibrium you are happy with.

Should characters loot their fallen comrades? Depends completely on the character, alignment, and history. Is it evil to loot? No. Many would argue that it is for the better good that a fallen good comrade's weapons be carried into battle by his good replacements rather than not be used.

You would never see an modern KIA soldier returned with his weaponry. It is redistributed and used.

In the end your campaign will reach a level where everyone has all the +2 equipment they could ever use. Then you can start doling out +3 magic treasure. Keep track of what is out there and you can control the flow of magic items fairly easily.

Mustrum_Ridcully · Apr 16, 2003

I encountered the same problems, and though I do not think there is a perfect option, here are two:

Don`t let the characters die. At least, not forever, if there is Raise Dead / Resourrection / True Resourection in the PHB, use it. No lost character, no equipment surplus.

Don`t give replacement characters full equipment. In many adventures, replacing a character in the middle isn`t easy. It becomes easier if he is just a prisoner that the group finds in the next part of the dungeon (if its an dungeon adventure).
Or you can make the character a sole survivor of another group, who was looted when he was unconcious, and is now trying to find another group.

If you do so, it becomes difficult if the replacement character is a completely other type, like, say, a Fighter dies and the player decides to create a Wizard as replacement. The equipment is, more or less, incompatible.
Consider giving the new character equipment in value equal to the NPC chart, and let the missing rest (compared to the PC chart) fill up with selling the old equipment.

Mustrum Ridcully

Dr. Strangemonkey · Apr 16, 2003

Party contracts and charters are a nice way to solve this.

Breaks the illusion for some, but these sort of legal artifacts were a common feature of real adventuring parties such as Conquistadors.

An important part of these contracts deals with the redivisioning of the shares of prior members to the whole party.

So that the fighter in your above example might be allowed to use the breastplate during the current mission, but as soon as he returned to civilization he would be required to either pay the value of the items he took back to the party or sell it and split the reward.

If he is willing to pay for it, then all the best to him he 'bought' a magic item fair and square. If he isn't then everyone in the party is a little bit wealthier, but not so much that it becomes unbalancing.

JacktheRabbit · Apr 16, 2003

Wraithdrit said:
Well, the problem as I see it is that you value a +2 item the same as 2 +1 items. The value is actually very different, and armor is worth less than weapons

It was a one time deal for character creation. For everything else in the campaign the normal values applied.

Hand of Evil · Apr 16, 2003

What gets me is they loot it and leave it there to rot! Not a few words, not a rock to cover the body, just I take his sword!

I use undead, hauntings that is. I tell the player of the dead character that he can become the little voice in the night, the whisper of you done me wrong. I also allow them a d12 dice of effect character if they want it.

Then there is the after-life. Getting there is defined in my game, a short journey then a river and a boatman to take you to your place. As the journey can be dangerous, you need your weapons or some weapon/items or your soul will be taken by beast that wander there.

I have noted a marked improvement to how my players view my games now.

jasper · Apr 16, 2003

after dming my first few sessions of loot the dead. My rule, if you bring in a new character NO magic items at all. So either the group would gift the new character with some of their magic, or the new character got first dibs.

Bran Blackbyrd · Apr 16, 2003

In a world where bad guys routinely dig up bodies and use them for nefarious purposes, you'd better believe I'm not going to bury my friend with his +5 Holy Crapping Bastard Sword and his Rod of Unimpeded Global Domination. It's just not going to happen.
Grave robbing in D&D is infinitely more profitable than in the real world. It's a no-brainer for anyone who wants a leg up in world, whether it's wealth, power, or just cheap and mindless labor that they seek.

If the PCs are too greedy to gie the extra equipment to the new replacement PC, they may soon find themselves without his services when they need it most.

"Duh. Well, I guess we should have given Cambraal's old cloak of resistance to Jolavan. Without his magic these shocker lizards have us totally outclassed. Grab his corpse and we'll make a run for it."