D&D 5E Banshees: Can they take valuables through walls?

[Baldurs_Underdark]

So, in the MM (5E), it says Banshees covet beautiful items (it actually does not say "collect", covet is a synonym of "crave/desire").
A banshee also has incorporeal movement, and can basically move through walls.

Assuming that the Banshee actually collect valuables, would they be able to take these valuables through a wall if carried on their person when they use their incorporeal movement (just like a different monster takes all its carried items with it when it teleports), or would the valuables drop to the floor next to the wall when the banshee tries to take it through the wall, because tangible objects cannot travel through a wall?

And would you say that a banshee would actually collect valuables? Or do they merely kill people and leave the valuables on the corpses?

(Of course I can choose whatever fits my story - I'm the DM - and I may have already made up my mind. Just curious to hear what the hivemind has to say on the topic!)

 

[Lyxen]

That's a really interesting question. For me, banshees are purely incorporeal spirit. Their touch is not physical, just necrotic. So I would say that their collection is displayed on the remains of the people who brought it with them, the banshee cannot even interact physically with it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Under normal circumstances, I would say no, a banshee is a type of ghost, and normally they cannot interact with physical objects at all.

You might find an individual banshee that has a poltergeist's ability to move physical objects, and even rarer one that can make physical objects ethereal.

 

[Asisreo]

Strictly RAW, no since she has no such ability. As a DM, though, you could make it so and the players probably wouldn't mind.

Otherwise, she'd need to use the door to collect her shiny treasures.

 

[GuyBoy]

I tried to tell a banshee that she couldn't; she screamed and screamed and screamed till I was sick......very sick!
I'll show myself out.

 

[aco175]

I would allow moving objects like mage hand, but not through walls. I would not want to set up a situation where the items are hidden in a place that the PCs could not find them, say in the floorboards with not access save using an ax where there would be no reason to chop up the floor and walls.

I would rather have the PCs walk into a decorated room that is more an art museum over a scattering of bodies. It could say a lot about the personality of the banshee depending on the lair trappings.

 

[Weiley31]

Insert scene where a Banshee grabs a necklace, tries to go through the wall, only for the necklace to not go through. Repeat for several rounds as the Banshee tries to keep on bringing the Necklace through the wall and failing several times before getting bored and giving up completely.

 

[steeldragons]

Question is, as they are incorporeal, how are you thinking they can "grab/take/move" tangible/corporeal objects in the first place?

No, they can't take anything with them through a wall.

Similarly, no, they can not grab/hold/carry physical objects. They could...I suppose I would rule, "take" an object that was ethereal/on the ethereal plane at the time....then the object, as the banshee, just continue to exist in a state of perpetual intangibility.

But they couldn't "gather up" treasures or pretty shinies they see...part of their misery and curse of their existence... the frustration at which makes them wanna scream.

 

[Shiroiken]

That's a really interesting question. For me, banshees are purely incorporeal spirit. Their touch is not physical, just necrotic. So I would say that their collection is displayed on the remains of the people who brought it with them, the banshee cannot even interact physically with it.

If a banshee could collect treasures, I'd describe them as "tarnished," "soiled," or "corroded" to indicate the necrotic impact (serving as a good warning to the players). While technically this is impossible, since "necrotic" means "flesh eating," it's basically become the default replacement for unholy damage (just like radiant for holy damage).