How do you feel when the DM rules that you lose all of your items?

[Malin Genie]

In fact, I've started a campaign naked before, so getting stripped in the middle shouldn't be that different.

Do your characters also go without clothing?

 

[Evilhalfling]

I had one PC who was left for dead by his fellows, and stripped of all his equipment by the triumphant villains. He was later able to regain his unique totem item - it was given back by his totem for loyalty. He also won back his handcrafted m.w. sword from the enemy, and had time to enchant it before dieing for good.
The problem was he never fully recovered. Partially beause the other players didn't give him any extra shares of loot and partially becaues I didn't give a lot of items that only he could use. Each other player had 6-11 items, and at the end he had 4

He never complained about the losses, and was very happy to have his totem item back.

 

[Corsair]

If I felt the GM was being unfair, I'd let him know, but I'd also ask if this was important to the adventure, for some reason that I couldn't see. If the GM didn't seem to care, or gave me the "We'll talk about it after the game" routine, I'd tell him I was quitting/sitting out this session, and we'd talk after the game.

And I, as a DM who makes heavy use of that line, would say:

"That's a rather childish way to respond, but that's your perogative. There is a TV in the next room, have fun."

My group plays, at most, once every other week, and sometimes fewer than that if schedule conflicts came up. If any one party demanded stoppage of play just so they could argue their way into keeping some shiny toys which they just unfortunately lost, both I and the other players would look down upon that.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Bad. Acquiring cash and magic items is one half of progression, or winning, in D&D, the other being going up levels. If you're losing magic items then you're losing the game.

It would be OK if:
a) It's temporary, say a session or less.
OR
b) My PC gains items of roughly equal value.
OR
c) My PC was overpowered to begin with.

A few sessions back my wizard PC lost her spellbook for a while and it pretty much just sucked. I was basically useless until I got it back which took about half a session.

In a 2nd ed game the party was hit by a Mordenkainen's Disjunction cause the GM felt we had too much stuff but my PC was the only one who failed his save. I lost everything, everyone else lost nothing. That pretty much just sucked too.

 

[velm]

All in all, from a players standpoint, it would have to depend on:
-the character
-the situation
as to how I handled it.

I agree with an earlier post about magic items becoming an extension of higher level characters. Items can become very important to them. I know I would be very upset if I lost ALL my magic items.
Buuuuuuut, this is where the character and situations fall in now. Rogues can usually handle it better than the rest, as they are more skill oriented. Sure magic and augment those skills, but in the end, with modifiers, and ability bonuses (hopefully) they should do all right.
The situation also warrents attention. Deck of Many Things ring a bell? If memory servers me correct, I believe one of those cards forces the player to lose all worldly possesions. If they want to mess with the Deck, then they have to be willing to put up with a few consequences.
Not withstanding the deck, what if they have a keep and have some items there? or someother hide away? did that get looted as well?
Again, there are many variables that need to be looked at. But, if there was a way to get my items back, I know I would want to.

 

[Patman21967]

Guys, I know I sound like an ass, but here is the difference between gamers. And please note, that this is not to bust anyones balls, but Doug talks about winning and losing. I'm not saying he is wrong, just a different view of the game. I see it, and the poeple I game with agree, as a group ( players and GM ) working together to tell a story. There doesn't need to be a "winner". If you lose your stuff, and it enhances the story, and your character grows and learns new things from it, that's cool. I would gladly give up my stuff, to be party to telling a great story. If your GM does this for spite, then he is an ass, and I would suggest finding a new group. As I said, this is just my opinion, and I in no way think it is better than Dougs, I just find it to be a major difference of styles of play

 

[Morpheus]

I'm pretty guilty of this.

One game, the party was working for a mysterious lady who paid them well to do odd jobs. Each party member was asked to get small components for this lady. Nobody was able to play at the same time for a month so I ran small little adventures for groups of people. Well they finally met they all talked about what they did, describing what they got for the lady. Well the bard figured out it was an evil device and they shouldn't have done that. Well the Lady had already decided it was time to end the arrangement. She attack, knocked out the whole party with drow sleep poison and sold them into slavery. They had nothing. When they got free they each had a coat, 1 scimitar, some daggers and 5 gold pieces for a 1000 mile overland journey back home in the winter. It was fun. We still talk about it fondly.

Next in the Star Wars game I started, right after character creation, I took the smugglers ship, weapons and cargo and threw him in prision. He got it all back an hour later. Does that count.

Now its happened to me. Darn dragon took all our magic items for our lives. My ranger now has a pretty good reason to have favored enemy dragon now. I didn't mind. Then again, almost every character I make I try to think of things I would do if I had nothing.

Fair exchange-all your magic items and now, Feldspar, for your life. BTW, you need to read Order of the Stick to see the amazing similarity between your halfling ranger and Belkar.

 

[scourger]

not what I have

My characters are about they do, not what they have. I like to use magic items, even if they are disposable, now rather than later. If I can't use it, I'll give it someone who can. I despise my fellow players when they hoard stuff. I enjoy it when they die with a hoard of things unused. So, it really doesn't bother me at all if all my stuff gets destroyed; especially if I live. But, even if I die, the loss of my stuff is a non-issue.

Regretably, my fellow players do not agree. The loss of magic stuff that two of them considered unfair even killed a campaign. One wasn't as much mad about being dead as about the loss of stuff. The other just couldn't play his character anymore without the precious stuff. Twisted! I was dead, and the one thing I had I used while playing another PC temporarily to drive off a significant foe.