Looting

[ConcreteBuddha]

I am curious how other DMs handle parties that insist on looting everything out of a dungeon that is not nailed down? My group has just started doing this and I am not sure how or even if I should do something to stop this trend.

To me, looting every scrap of gear (good example is the 52 spears they picked up) doesn't seem heroic.

Thought?

I'll give you many:

1) I've found that PCs only do this when other items such as masterwork items and magic items are not given regularly, and the PCs are starved for equipment. PCs will leave the normal long swords if you give them masterwork ones. (This tends to happen more often in low-magic campaigns.)

Example: If you give 5 masterwork long swords, 10 potions, 10 scrolls and a magical cloak, they will be less inclined to take nonmagical, unexceptional daggers.

2) Play up the fact that the equipment they find is not generic.

Example: Drow equipment has runes and markings that clearly designate the equipment as of drow manufacture. These markings cannot be removed without destroying or mutilating the equipment, and no self-respecting human would buy them because they'd have no hope to sell them.

3) We have a minimal focus on encumbrance in my campaign. It seems to slow down gameplay more than it adds to the fun. We rely on the DBS Rule (Don't Be Stupid) and the Adventurer's Kit (TM).

With an Adventurer's Kit (TM), a PC pays a certain amount of gold that contains generic adventuring equipment (rope, pitons, chalk). The DM says what's in the kit when a situation occurs in which an item is needed based on the amount a PC spends. This rule was put in place because we were sick of buying flint and steel every time we rolled up a new character. This puts less of an emphasis on nonmagical equipment, and more on the expensive, magical stuff.

4) DnD is not DM vs. players. Some people think this is the case. If the players or the DM act as if this is the case, then some out-of-game chats are in order.

5) And finally, culture can dictate whether or not PCs should loot corpses.

Example: Rokugan's Celestial Order dictates than only non-humans can touch corpses. This is more than just the samarai saying "Okay, I'll turn my back while you guys loot that corpse." A samarai is dishonored by using the equipment of a fallen foe. Honor is more important than experience in that world. Something like this could occur within your campaign.

 

[Darkness]

52 spears, eh? Well, maybe the PCs just needed some ammo...

 

[elbandit]

Well, the looting started with the addition of two new players. The new players like looting everything nailed down.

The indication I get from my players is that they always get enough treasure from the game sessions. I have had them actually stop exploring a dungeon halfway through and say "We have enough cool stuff, let's quite exploring" and they left the dungeon. I was confused to say the least.

I do appriacte all the suggestions, they have given me a lot of new ideas on ways to approach the situation

 

[-Ekimus-]

well our party are loot monsters to. we kill someone / something, almost immediately a Detect Magic goes up, and we take whats magic or anything good. sometimes we would take stuff nailed down, like a small statue (that 1 guy would carry with nothing else on him) for a hideout or place they owned. its pretty funny, but people become less inclined to loot stuff when the DM pits party members with different agendas and leaves us all in an untrustworthy state, although it is fun

 

[Hejdun]

Well, selling looted weapons are armor is worth good gold. Depending on who you fight, the enemy's gear is worth more than the actual gold on them.

We used to loot every monster we found, and we ended up with about 500-1,000 gold after every encounter, which is far from bad.

 

[Kichwas]

I actually prefer to give out most of the treasure this way.

Putting the PCs on a sort of barter economy.

Cut the value of the "treasure" by the value of the gear and possessions of the victims.

If they break into an Orcs home and kill him and his family, consider the value of the pots and pans.

If the Orc would have had 20 GP, cut that by the value of his dinnerware, clothing, beddings, weapons, bedpan, or whatever else he and the family owned.

Now watch the PCs try to carry it all out.

If you think they've got too much on them set them on fire. Fireballs, Alchemist's Flasks, and so on are good for making them make item save checks...

Then hit them with NPCs who try to sunder their weapons.

The on their faces the first time you burn up the Wizard's spellbooks 5 levels deep into the dungeon will be something to remember. The look on the face of the player next to him with the Sorcerer though will be even better.

Pretty soon they won't be selling shoddy made spears to the fronteir general store; they'll be selling spearheads to the blacksmith.

There are a lot of tactics to take a group's wealth. You can use them to excess or you can use them to keep the group right at the point of wealth you want them.

Likewise you can make the looting work for you if you take it into account when first assigning treasure to your NPCs.

 

[mmadsen]

To me, looting every scrap of gear (good example is the 52 spears they picked up) doesn't seem heroic.

Have you ever tried to carry 52 brooms? Have you ever tried to carry 52 broomsticks through a mile of winding corridors and stairways? And then tried to carry them for a few days to get back to town?

Are our heroes bringing a farmer's cart along for loot? Is the dungeon just off a major trade route?

Who is buying spears? Who's buying 52 spears?

 

[rounser]

I am curious how other DMs handle parties that insist on looting everything out of a dungeon that is not nailed down? My group has just started doing this and I am not sure how or even if I should do something to stop this trend.

The phenomenon is as old as D&D. I think I remember reading somewhere about Dave Arneson expressing surprise at just how thoroughly the dungeons below Castle Blackmoor were cleaned out and looted by the PCs.

 

[Rashak Mani]

What About Monster Parts ?!

I cant beleive no one mentioned the carrying the exotic/rare monster parts to sell !!

I do it all the time to my DMs eternal irritation... back in town I take my mucky collection and sell it off to any wierdo research mage. Low value rusted swords arent worth carrying around. More than once we sold Displacer Beast Coats... Manticore Needles... Wings... eyes and usually the most valuable thing that special creature has.

 

[Kichwas]

Re: Re: Looting

Who is buying spears? Who's buying 52 spears?

That is actually the question with the easy answer:

Any local militia or blacksmith would love to get their hands on 52 spearheads.

The shafts aren't worth much. They'd rot in a few years anyway.

But metals mining and production is not an easy manner in a 'medieval technology' base. It's one of the primary limiting factors on the size of an army.

Those 52 spear heads are 52 less in the hands of the local humanoids and 52 more in the hands of your community's defense or your nation's war effort.