How do you handle loot from enemies with mighty or evil weapons?

[iserith]

Case-by-case. Most treasure in my games is gained through exploration, not combat. Even so, if I don't for some reason want a particular item to becomes part of the PCs' inventory, then I just render it changed or useless and come up with an appropriate explanation for why it is so. Perhaps the violent death of the villain changes the item in some way.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

The weapon works for the PC as it did for the flind, no problems, until the first time the PC kills something with it, and then they hear "Yeenoghu thanks you for your sacrifice."

And since in my setting Yeenoghu is the demon lord of desecrating the dead*, when the PC completes a long rest, he/she finds a finger from the dead enemy in his/her pocket. If the flail is the instrument of death by the PC's hands again, the PC will find him/herself adorned with a totem that has pieces of everyone they killed with the flail.

* and he totally 1000% agrees that what your necromancer is doing isn't evil at all, no way and no how, and if you can't trust Yeenoghu, who can you trust?

 

[The Thrasson]

P. S.

Like others have said, it can be a great opportunity. I would set up a quest for item destruction. Maybe involve possession or a curse. Each of which could involve a time constraint that provides pressure and or tension. Afterwards, they have enmity with a demon lord! When the group gets a little over confident, here comes a demon hit squad. Things get a little boring, a pack of flinds surround you. How about a campaign closing showdown with Yeenoghu's avatar? Could be a lot of fun.

How much can happen from a single random die roll? It's one of the elements of D&D since I started playing. Almost anything can happen.

 

[Jer]

I tend to look at them with one eyebrow raised and say something like "So you're saying you want to take the demon flail from the dead gnoll?"

When they agree that yes, that's what they do, I say something like "OK", and then write a note to myself that they're now carrying a flail that contains a fragment of power from a demonic entity who likely either wants to corrupt them or wants to destroy them in revenge for killing a beloved follower.

When they go to use it I would probably remind them of where it came from and ask if they're sure. If they say yes I absolutely let them do it, cackle maniacally about it, roll a few dice, make a few notes and thank the Gaming Gods that my players like to give me so much adventure fodder to work with. Pretty soon they'll notice that the item brings a price with its power, as all good "cursed" items to in our campaigns. And that's pretty much how I'd treat any powerful magic item like that from a monster in the game - for the monster it's a magic item that carries no real downside to its use, but for a player character it's a cursed magic item that give power for a price.

(This is not a hypothetical either. In my current campaign one of the players picked up a "wicked looking dagger" from an orc when they were around 2nd level. It detects as magic and he's utterly convinced that this dagger has some malevolent purpose and has agonized over using it on a number of occasions when the party's fat was in the fire but he hasn't yet. He keeps thinking about taking it to a scholar to be examined but hasn't for reasons I haven't figured out. It was originally just an ugly looking dagger that I threw in for color, with a bit of minor necromantic magic around it because the orcs were working for a necromancer, but at this point I feel like I've got to come up with something truly awful for it to be because he's invested so much story into it over the years. IMO, when players willingly give you that kind of fodder you've got to use it.)

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Recently had this come up with Hoard of the Dragon Queen, and Hazirawn (an intelligent, NE greatsword). The only person that could use it was the LG paladin. Just knowing that it was evil and talking to him was enough for him to never use it. The funny thing is, the blade never even did anything evil at all.

That being said, the options I normally go with for enemy magic items are to either make an item inert unless certain conditions are met (like getting it blessed by a priest, using water taken from some far-off sacred site) or usable, but with drawbacks - I love cursed items that make the PC weigh the exercise of its power.

 

[Matthew P.]

What I did was when a player touched it the player took damage and saw horrible visions from Yeenoghu's realm. My players ended up pushing the flail into a chasm. But your suggestions is a lot more fun, and I will use some of them the next time something like this comes up!

 

[SkidAce]

Nobody mentioned attunement?

Several weapons in the DMG give the example of only being able to be attuned by specific class or race.


Granted, that path is kinda a flat "No", and I do like many of the RP ideas posted above. But attunement has its place.

 

[The Thrasson]

Nobody mentioned attunement?

Several weapons in the DMG give the example of only being able to be attuned by specific class or race.


Granted, that path is kinda a flat "No", and I do like many of the RP ideas posted above. But attunement has its place.

Agreed. I believe this has been overlooked and unenforced in all the editions. Of course, I speak from MY overall experience.

 

[lonelynoose]

Let the PC use it. The demon calls the most powerful gnoll around to retrieve the artifact. Constant night ambushes ruin long rests, etc. I'd try to run it so the PC didn't know the flail was calling in gnolls constantly and at the worst moments. Finally get to the BBEG, well, a small pack of gnolls attack from the rear. Save a small village, well, a group of gnolls ransack it when you leave... always. Mess with the PCs reputation. See how long it takes for them to figure it out.

 

[Jer]

What I did was when a player touched it the player took damage and saw horrible visions from Yeenoghu's realm. My players ended up pushing the flail into a chasm. But your suggestions is a lot more fun, and I will use some of them the next time something like this comes up!

If you decide you'd like to make something more out of it, keep in mind that it can always show up again because they didn't destroy it. They're fighting a group of orcs and one of them has a familiar looking flail - is it really the same one? And if so, why did it come back to them? If they get rid of it again or just leave it behind it can show up in the hands of an even more dangerous opponent. Until they actually decide to do something to "unmake" the item it'll keep showing up in the hands of foes who are trying to kill them. That kind of curse can make for a nice running subplot, or even plot if one of the players feels like picking up the ball and doing something with it.