PC Scavengers

[Ghendar]

This causes a few problems. For starters, characters get more wealthy than the DMG guidelines suggest by plundering their fellow adventurers.

It's only a guide.
Not all PCs should have exactly the same amount of stuff and coin and magic items.

Of course if it really bugs you then have the dead pc's four epic level brothers pay the group a visit looking for their dead siblings stuff.

The wealth guidelines are supposed to mark the general trend, not exactly what the group has at a given moment. So, as others have noted, if they wander above the line, you hold off treasure for a while. If they wind up losing some major items, you increase rewards for a while, and things get corrected.

At the risk of starting an argument, I really wish more people would ignore these rules. I despise the sameness it creates. There should be more variety in what PC's have. It shouldn't be determined by some arbitrary rule.
DM's of course have ultimate control and please don't take this as a vilification of anyboby's particular DM game style. Just ranting

 

[werk]

Just remove the PC's valuables. When you search the body, it has normal gear.

I'm currently playing with a party that I think may possibly let characters die so they can inflate their wealth.

Don't allow this behavior...odds are most of the party doesn't know the specifics about another characters gear anyway, it's all meta.

 

[RFisher]

Firstly, in all the group's I've played in there's been the notion of "party treasure". Most stuff, no matter who is actually carrying it, goes into a common pool unless/until it should go to a specific character.

Secondly, if a character is dead & not being rez'd, why wouldn't his companions take his stuff?

Thirdly, every group I've played with has considered whether some of a dead PC's possessions should be returned to his next-of-kin, even when the NoK wasn't a PC.

 

[shilsen]

I'd say you're in a great position. You can actually use all the equipment destroying magic and effects that exist in the game without having to worry about hamstringing your PCs by making them far too equipment-light for their level.

Bring out your rust monsters, your Shatter spells, your NPCs with Improved Sunder yearning to be free!

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

My personal preference:

PC's are very attached to thier gear and often die a tragic death...which occasionally results in the characters return as a revenant/ghost.

IMC, a Ghost retains all the gear they are buried with...and will hunt down grave robbers.

Dead PC's may end up as a Ghost who is looking for the guy who looted thier bodies

Add in Family or organizational ties and thier may be someone expecting the return of the PC and thier gear....

Its usually best to respect the dead and bury them...with there gear...why else would you find so many buried dead people with gear to loot?

. A Will and Testament allows caring characters to pass on equipment willingly, which avoids any player vs player arguments.