Looting Bodies

[HeapThaumaturgist]

If there was a REASON for them to not loot, then fine.

If it was the last fight of the day and they had nothing in particular to do, then I'd give them the money.

The game's about having fun. If the only fun being had here is that you get to be a butthead and you enjoy denying them the cash, then it's not good gaming. I've had groups that forgot to loot and said: "Aw, we were in a hurry to get back to town and stop the invasion." then they don't get the goods (though I usually sneak that much in over the next few encounters). If it was an oversight, I've never found it that much fun to tell them they can't have the stuff because they weren't thinking about it.

--fje

 

[Kae'Yoss]

It could be. A wizard's spells are similar to a fighter's sword, and I can envision the following:
Player: oops, I didn't say I was prepping spells this morning.

That's not the Question-able situation. That is: "you didn't say you were preparing spells, so now you don't have any prepared.

I guess in the end, it depends on whether the players usually have to say that they're looting. If the DM usually just tells them what they find, it's okay. If they usually have to state that they loot, they're out of luck, unless the DM is in a generous mood.

I doubt that there are many DMs who force you to state that you pack your sword when you go doing swordery, or prepare spells every day.

I'm curious: how would players react if the DM said: "Some of the loot on the bodies in the previous room was cursed. Who's carrying it?"... anyone think they would say "We never said we looted those bodies!"?

Well, the smart DM would find out about who has what before saying anything about cursed.

 

[Question]

If you have that problem with your group, I'd recommend a fantastic invention called

The Character Record Sheet!​

With just a small amount of writing and honest bookkeeping, you too can have the gear you've fought long and hard for! 1000's of varieties are available for uncountable RPG systems.

Oh but under this campaign system you must meticulously say specifically everything you take with you and do down to the finest details or you may be bitten in the arse. Bean counting FTW!

 

[frankthedm]

It could be. A wizard's spells are similar to a fighter's sword, and I can envision the following:
Player: oops, I didn't say I was prepping spells this morning. Were we going to have any encounters today in town?
DM: Yes.
Player: Can I have my spells then? I'm certain my character would have remembered to prep them.

See: the player ask for the (reasonable) ret-con only after realizing it was going to be important.

In my experience a prepared player has a default spell list on his character sheet for when the wizard wakes up with time to spare. Plus the DM could just as reasonbly say.

"Well since no one is under attack at the moment, you don't think there would be any problem getting some reading and remembering done right now."

In my experience, ret-conning hurts the game setting's plausability and hurts honest players who are willing to accept thier mistakes and the concequences there of. Usually nothing stops a character from trying to correct the mistake in game. There are many divintation and transportation spells that make correcting the problem easier. This is specificly why I felt it was a mistake for the OP-DM to give a GP amount to the players.

Unless a character's life hinges on the ret-con, I usually feel they are a bad idea. Like while trying to flee, being blind sided by Darkness no longer blocking line of sight after it doing so for 3 decades is an example of something that woud deserve a ret con. PC or NPC, in that situation, i'd let the spell be switched over to one of the mist spells that DO block line of sight.

 

[0-hr]

I agree with you Frank. This isn't a MMORPG where you just have to click on the bag of lewtzors before it sinks into the ground. The much gear takes up space and wieght (even in a Bag of Holding) and could be cursed or game altering. If no-one picked it up, then no-one picked it up.

Once you let a player get away with "yea, but my character would have..." once, you are on a very slippery slope. It's a game and mistakes can be made. Not every round, or session, has to be fully optimized for xp and gp.

Now I'd be all for the characters trying to get back to the bodies once they realized their mistake.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I think retconning the loot depends on the gaming style, which itself might change from time to time.

Not every round, or session, has to be fully optimized for xp and gp.

By not allowing the retcon of looting, you in fact encourage 'optimizing for xp and gp'. The players will suddenly be much less focused on anything BUT the loot. As the DM tries to wrap up a feisty battle with some dialogue or whatever, the players will interrupt with, "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever, but before we forget, we're looting him." That's not an attitude you want to foster.

 

[frankthedm]

I think retconning the loot depends on the gaming style, which itself might change from time to time.
By not allowing the retcon of looting, you in fact encourage 'optimizing for xp and gp'. The players will suddenly be much less focused on anything BUT the loot. As the DM tries to wrap up a feisty battle with some dialogue or whatever, the players will interrupt with, "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever, but before we forget, we're looting him." That's not an attitude you want to foster.

If one has players that disrespectful, there are other issues to be addresed.

 

[Dracorat]

Yeah, like getting a DM that doesn't force them to call out LOOT every time or lose it all.

Definitely needs addressed.

 

[Ceska]

Well, this game is only fun to play when there is communication. Theit might be some things in routine and IMC the player comes to me and says "Until I tell you otherwise i will do this, this and this every morning" and thats okay. But in actual play, when things are running and the plot´s evolving I surely want to know what everyone is doing. And I do not count "looting" as routine, especially not after a fight. Well, in most cases the groups rogue or fighter is looting anyway, while other characters secure the area or plan the next steps. There were moments when the characters normaly looting died in the fight and the group forgot about it (the looting) and moved on or tried to ressurect the fallen comrads. I think it´s all abut priority. And no one ever complained about it.

 

[Dracorat]

That's all and well, but what would your response be if one of them said "We didn't get loot for that last battle. What was it?"

IMC, I usually just give them the list, they modify their sheets and we move on.