Looting bodies. Eww.

[Hand of Evil]

I don't think it is that big of a deal, people today are more concerned about it, if you ever see GRAVEROBBERS on the History Channel you will know what I mean; people use to see death everyday, they had to go to the market, they went to public executions, death was the release of the spirit/soul, the body was no longer important, graverobbing common, mummies being burned in trains by the thousands. In history it was only when the body became worth something that taboos were created to protect them, some examples is the need for bodies for medical reseach, people paying for them.

 

[Shades of Green]

Back after atleast two years of absence. The forum lists my last visit at 04-02-2002. And even then, I was ostly a lurker. Oh well, back to the topic.

Looting is character and world related. I once had a cleric who wouldn't steal directly from the dead, even if she was the reason for their death; she would go to great lengthes to bury the corpses of her enemies. She had less problems with taking possesions from the dead's lair, but not from a body.

Other characters didnot always had this outlook. A dwarf priest one mine had no problem from stealing from Infidels - especially Goblinoids - but he wouldn't take their idols even if they were of pure gold, and would destroy them instead.

And remember, that while most characters might be after a corpse's treasure - some won't care about the gold. Only the corpse.

 

[Ottergame]

You're talking about adventurers who deal with death every day. If you DON'T loot the items from a dead body, chances are good that the next living thing to come accross the items will be evil. Every sword, every scrap of armor, and every copper coin you leave behind become the arms and resources of the next evil group to come along.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Oh, you want to hear about indignation, have one of your players die and not one of the other party members do anything with the body! No right of passage, no words of farewell, no looting, a player can get irate to the rest of the group for that.

 

[Janx]

So get to the point, which is, do you want looting in your game?

The 3e Oriental Adventures book covers looting. In essence, the noble classes won't touch a body. The lesser classes might. In effect, there's no looting. To compensate the players for the lack of treasure (since the base D&D game assumes looting), the PC's bosses will reward the PCs with treasure instead. "You have honored us with your actions. Take this sword and go."

You can use that mentality in non-oriental games as well. Lords will hand out nice treasures and gear to reward their followers, of which the PCs may be.

Build it into the religious code of the land. Good folks don't loot. Bad guys do.

You'd also differentiate between personal effects and cargo. Capture an enemy ship, and you'll try to return personal effects. But the cargo is split up among your crew.


So to make your campaign NOT encourage body looting:

make it religious taboo to mess with the dead (real game effects for it...magic curses..etc)
document burial customs for the popular religion of the land (that PCs follow)
bosses reward PCs with good gear
Magic stuff gets better with time (no need to loot bodies, my sword will get better when I get better)
Don't keep your players destitute, poverty leads to doing what it takes to survive

Janx

 

[WayneLigon]

Do you want them to first use Prestidigitation to clean the corpses and their stuff?

We do exactly that. Usually one of the first items we'll pay a mage to make for us is a wand or amulet that can do that spell.

 

[Thanee]

Amulet of Disinfection

Bye
Thanee

 

[the Jester]

As an aside, just imagine what a typical party of mid-level adventurers looks and smells like when they troop back into town at the end of a day in a dungeon: burnt, smelling of blood and ozone, with ripped up clothes covered in blood and weird dungeon substances... smelling of death, sweat and undeath... ugh! >holds nose<

 

[Felix]

The hell with these guys... buzzards got to eat, same as the worms.

Are buzzards not one of God's creatures? Then why are you depriving them of this rich source of nutrition? I'll kill 'em for you, but I'll be damned if I'm going to sweat over them for you.

I've always liked Clint Eastwood's characters for this kind of reasoning. Very practical "adventurer" he was. And money rotting in the pocket of a corpse who lately would have killed you isn't doing anyone any good, so you might as well claim it.

Besides, some of you make it sound like adventurers have to go rooting around inside body cavities to find gold or such. Nonsense. If I'm going to search a body for its wallet, I'll first look in their coat pockets, and then flip them over to search their backside pants pocket. If nothing is there, then I'll probably think the guy wasn't carrying his wallet.

Similarly, rings, earrings, neclaces, bracelets and money pouches, all of which could be loot in a DnD game, are easily seen, and easily removed. Backpacks are easily removed as well. It's not as if you're performing an autopsy when you strip a corpse of valuables. Besides, if someone tried to kill me with a damn spear, then I'd consider it just recompense for me to a) kill him, and b) take his stuff. Discourages other folks with spears from attacking, eh?

 

[Umbran]

It's justified because the victims are evil.

Thew problem isn't moral justification. The problem is having the stomach to deal with blood and guts and gore. How evil the guy was before you rammed him through with a polearm isn't hte question. The question is whether you lose your lunch cutting one of the fingers off his still-twitching dead hand to get at the diamond ring that won't come off.