To loot or not to loot?

[warmachine]

Belkar finds morality amusing and Haley is more interested in escaping. Nonetheless, my question is: Is it morally acceptable for them to loot?

Looting is theft. On the other hand, with the local economy about to crash, buying anything legitimately may be impossible. Can't figure out an answer yet.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Yes, it is ethical to loot for necessary supplies during a disaster, natural or otherwise. It is NOT ethical to loot for personal gain.

Meaning that if you steal food or clothing, you're OK, but if you're breaking into a jewelry store vault or backing a moving truck up to steal the entire store, you can be shot. Stealing booze from a liquor store also falls under the unethical status.

However, in D&D terms, stealing diamonds to revive a fallen team member would be ethical, as was Elan taking the lute, since he needs it to cast spells.

[Ammar]

Belkar finds morality amusing and Haley is more interested in escaping. Nonetheless, my question is: Is it morally acceptable for them to loot?

Looting is theft. On the other hand, with the local economy about to crash, buying anything legitimately may be impossible. Can't figure out an answer yet.

After a catastrophy like an earthquake or hurricane looting is IMO only acceptable for survival-stuff like food or medicine. In this case, however, what the OOTS won't loot will be looted by the goblins. So it doesn't really make any difference.

[Quezovercoatl]

I think it would be (in this case) not right but most likely not wrong. In that you ask yourself “Am I hurting someone?” in this case probably “no” because anything they don’t take will be looted by the hobgoblins so it is lost anyway. Of course there are complications to this.
Selfishness and greed themselves are not evil, they are just “not good” and only become evil when you act on them to the determent of others.

[Radar]

Hmm... apart from what was writen allready, both Belkar and Haley would likely loot any nearby store, bank or richman's house - that's what they said. Their own morality wouldn't be against it: Belkar is too egoistic, to have any sort of morality and Haley is a rogue - she steals for living.

[chibibar]

Hmm... apart from what was writen allready, both Belkar and Haley would likely loot any nearby store, bank or richman's house - that's what they said. Their own morality wouldn't be against it: Belkar is too egoistic, to have any sort of morality and Haley is a rogue - she steals for living.

Also considering the situation that the hobgoblin will probably loot the place, Haley may loot to save her father.

[John Campbell]

Under the circumstances - city thoroughly conquered by hobgoblins who are probably not interested in letting the original inhabitants stay around, with no short-term prospect of liberation - Haley and Belkar looting anything they can get their hands on is not merely justifiable but actually good, in that it deprives the enemy of resources. Sort of a scorched-earth policy, but more profitable. Extra points if they burn anything they can't carry.

[Kish]

Haley is a rogue - she steals for living.
*cough* This should be "Haley is a thief - she steals for a living." Rogues, the class, usually kill things in dungeons for a living.

[Squark]

Depends. Some rouges (Mostly the NPC ones) are Con (wo)men, some are second story men, and some are simply people with some... shady talents. Stil others are detectives who use their skills to bring less noble rouges to justice.

[BobTheDog]

Other Rogues are pre-NPC-class era nobles and aristocrats who (wisely) chose not to trade their rogue lvls for aristocrat lvls. :smallbiggrin:

[KillerCardinal]

Hmm... apart from what was writen allready, both Belkar and Haley would likely loot any nearby store, bank or richman's house - that's what they said. Their own morality wouldn't be against it: Belkar is too egoistic, to have any sort of morality and Haley is a rogue - she steals for living.

Hey, my spymaster rogue takes offense at that statement! He is a completely upright man! "Hey, look over there!" Uh oh, my wallets gone now! What happened to it?!?!:smallbiggrin:

Seriously though, most of my rogues are neutral/chaotic good, and they pretty much never have pick pockets and their disable device and open lock abilities are almost always used in a dungeon. I have to admit though, that I have just started my very first amoral rogue. See my opening comment. :smallcool: He acts like a good person but is a CN spymaster, currently building a spy network. He confines any stealing to situations where nobody is going to be able to connect the crime to him.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that rogues don't always think that stealing is a good idea, even when they are CN. It can be at cross purposes at times.