My group doesn't share loot.

[Fogs]

Hello everyone.
I've been playing with a group of friends for about a year now, and I have a few issues with some of the players.
We usually have a fun time, but some of them... just don't want to share loot. Every time one of these players find something, they just hide it and keep it for themselves. If anyone asks them about it, they lie. The DM doesn't have them make any checks, because he believes that interactions between players should be purely roleplayed, but having my character be suspicious that something is wrong doesn't usually help a lot. The first time I had an opportunity, I went through all my teammates' stuff, found some of the gold they kept for themselves, had my character speak to the group about it, and share the gold equally among everyone. That didn't help, they keep on doing it. I think that maybe, since they're new to tabletop rpgs they don't realize that it's aggravating to work for the rewards the DM put in the world and then getting nothing because they decided to keep for themselves? MOST of them aren't really the type that would do this just to be annoying... Can anyone share some advice?

[suplee215]

Talk to them out of character about the issue. If you are the only one with this issue you might be in the wrong play group.

[furby076]

Talk to them and let them know its not fun for you. If they tell u to deal or get lost, wait until a battle where they are low on health and u arent. Kill them. When they complain, let them know that stealing is pvp. They stole from your character, and your character doesnt tolerate it. How do you trust someone with your life if said person steals from u?

Also, not allowing one player to use a skill against another player is lame. This "it must be role played cause its a player" is dumb

[Squiddish]

Talk out of character and ask them to stop.

If they don't, kill their characters and take their stuff.

[LordEntrails]

Talk out of character and ask them to stop.

If they don't, kill their characters and take their stuff.
And then find another group to play with because the next gaming session will not end well.

[the secret fire]

And then find another group to play with because the next gaming session will not end well.

At this point, who cares? If they want to act like jerks, he should murder their characters in the face.

[Talamare]

ooh ooh! I read an article about this once..

*googles*

*GOOGLES INTENSIFIES!!*

... found it!
http://theangrygm.com/dear-gms-metagaming-is-your-fault/

[Laserlight]

A couple of characters in our group tend to divide the loot unevenly...but frankly, gold isn't all that important, once your heavy armor guys get plate. Make sure magic items go to the character who needs them, sure, but if someone gets 120gp while I get 80, it's not worth getting upset about.

[ad_hoc]

1) This is an out of game issue and should be addressed with the entire table. The entire table should come to an agreement about what kind of game that you all want to play. Many groups want to turn it into a competitive/adversarial game without actually saying as much. Personally I'd rather actually play a competitive board game or the like where everyone involved is consenting to the conflict.

2) How often are there TPKs/Character deaths? How often do you fail major objectives? If they happen often enough then the players will insist on ensuring that the gear goes to the characters who can best utilize it. It doesn't matter how many toys a character has if they're dead. And if the group never fails, then it also doesn't matter how many toys they have because they aren't needed.

[CircleOfTheRock]

ooh ooh! I read an article about this once..

*googles*

*GOOGLES INTENSIFIES!!*

... found it!
http://theangrygm.com/dear-gms-metagaming-is-your-fault/
Could, I, perhaps, somewhat paraphrasedly sig that?

[Talamare]

I think this happens most often when the group doesn't feel that they actually are a group.


Could, I, perhaps, somewhat paraphrasedly sig that?

Do as your heart guides

[Boci]

At this point, who cares? If they want to act like jerks, he should murder their characters in the face.

Nothing in the OPs post indicates they are anywhere near to this burning bridges stance. What I read is "I like playing with this establish group, plus we are friends, but the loot greed is annoying" not "I am so (fruiting) done with this (hit)"

As always, OOC problem so OOC approach. Talk to them, tell them why you find it annoying and feels its unnecessary or even damaging to the group, ask them why they always do.

[Hopeless]

The closest I've got to this was running a Duck rogue in Runequest where I gave myself an extra share of treasure that I found.

Note I still shared it out but kept an extra portion using it to upgrade my equipment and even bought stuff for the others because it was in my interest to help them!

Magic items especially but I did come out because I roleplayed being worried about the ramifications about an item I recovered even passing an item over because yes I felt it was in my interest they had it!

Are they really not sharing anything?

[DeShurland]

Generic rewards are split between the party - could the DM maybe interject by saying "group x gold = gold each"

Individual loot (i.e. looting a dead body) is a free for all, generally if you kill something you get first look (we have a rogue who is very good at remembering if you don't check)

Also, depending what your character is, you can mess around with them - prestidigitation for example, just keep making them smell like poo when talking to npcs etc. offer to clean their clothes for additional gold. Use mage hand to haunt them, or just pickpocket them.

[Corsair14]

Loot and loot division is always a party deal to figure out. As a DM I regularly would have the thief who usually sat next to me on purpose pass me a note on what he was doing and I would have him pass a slight of hands check to see if he could steal something without anyone noticing. If they noticed I would pass a note to a random player to let them know they noticed it happen. At that point it was up to them to figure it out.

One thing I would say is out of game ask the player if he is doing this as part of the character and is it something that character would do. If I see it greatly hindering the party I will say something as well or simply make the difficulties harder for the checks as the party starts to become suspicious.

If the players do end up going PvP and one killing another, one thing I will not allow is the new character to oddly hate members of the previous character's killer's race or whatever excuse they have to start fights with the other guy as a revenge thing.

[BobZan]

I like killing thieves in D&D. If he think it's ok to steal loot from me, I think it's ok to steal his life from him.

[JellyPooga]

I like killing thieves in D&D. If he think it's ok to steal loot from me, I think it's ok to steal his life from him.

Theft is, after all, the only true crime...

[GreyBlack]

Hello everyone.
I've been playing with a group of friends for about a year now, and I have a few issues with some of the players.
We usually have a fun time, but some of them... just don't want to share loot. Every time one of these players find something, they just hide it and keep it for themselves. If anyone asks them about it, they lie. The DM doesn't have them make any checks, because he believes that interactions between players should be purely roleplayed, but having my character be suspicious that something is wrong doesn't usually help a lot. The first time I had an opportunity, I went through all my teammates' stuff, found some of the gold they kept for themselves, had my character speak to the group about it, and share the gold equally among everyone. That didn't help, they keep on doing it. I think that maybe, since they're new to tabletop rpgs they don't realize that it's aggravating to work for the rewards the DM put in the world and then getting nothing because they decided to keep for themselves? MOST of them aren't really the type that would do this just to be annoying... Can anyone share some advice?

Steal it back from them. They can't complain you stole something because they never admitted to having it in the first place.

Alternatively, start leaving them out of splitting the loot, or at least become an advocate for it. Reason that you believe they have not been completely forthcoming and, unless these characters become more forthcoming, they do not deserve their cut. They already got their cut.

[Boci]

Steal it back from them. They can't complain you stole something because they never admitted to having it in the first place.

Alternatively, start leaving them out of splitting the loot, or at least become an advocate for it. Reason that you believe they have not been completely forthcoming and, unless these characters become more forthcoming, they do not deserve their cut. They already got their cut.

I'd reccommend against this, its escelation, and that can often produce a similar response. This is an OOC problem, so try to solve it OOC too.

[johnbragg]

On the one hand, this is an OOC problem. Talk to your group OOC, that if loot doesn't get divided equally, it's going to ruin the campaign. The PCs are a team, who bear equal risks, and should get an equal share of the rewards.

Then if they don't cut this nonsense out, and the DM says "handle this in character" or something, then go ahead and "handle it in character." This will ruin the campaign, but it's already kinda ruined for you.


Every time one of these players find something, they just hide it and keep it for themselves. If anyone asks them about it, they lie. The DM doesn't have them make any checks, because he believes that interactions between players should be purely roleplayed, but having my character be suspicious that something is wrong doesn't usually help a lot.

No checks? Fine. Then you don't have to make a check either to say you saw him take it.


The first time I had an opportunity, I went through all my teammates' stuff, found some of the gold they kept for themselves, had my character speak to the group about it, and share the gold equally among everyone.

So your character isn't just SUSPICIOUS that the other PCs are thieving bastards, he KNOWS the other PCs are thieving bastards. Roleplay your PC--they stole his money.


That didn't help, they keep on doing it. I think that maybe, since they're new to tabletop rpgs they don't realize that it's aggravating to work for the rewards the DM put in the world and then getting nothing because they decided to keep for themselves? MOST of them aren't really the type that would do this just to be annoying... Can anyone share some advice?

Next time it happens, declare that your character saw it happen. IF your DM says no, then demand to roll an opposed check. I'm guessing your DM won't let you roll an opposed check.

"Your story about what really happened is quite persuasive. But so is my rebuttal--I hit him with my greataxe. I don't have to roll, I just hit because players don't have to roll against each other. My average damage is (X), so he takes X points of damage."

OK, don't DO this. But you could print out this thread and show it to them.

[the secret fire]

Theft of anything valuable was a capital crime in most medieval societies (including England...our legal forefathers). Why not write a contract, gather evidence, get the law involved, and watch them wriggle at the end of a noose?

[DragonBaneDM]

I'm gonna take the unpopular stance here and say...don't kill them? Or turn the campaign into the death spiral that is one PC trying to get even with the rest of the party. I've seen that show before, a lot of feelings get hurt. (Not that yours aren't valid, this situation sucks!)

You described them as friends. If you talk to them out of character about it and they all say that this is how they prefer to play, just bow out. Or if you really enjoy other aspects of the game, create a new character who can be a little more roguish/unconcerned with wealth.

I'm just worried if you do follow the "you took my gp I took your hp" advice that's been dished out, you might be remembered as the guy who went nuclear over what they seem to see as a more casual game, and I dunno if you want that next time the group gets together for a board game or goes out to lunch or something.

I've seen a lot of people on these forums go straight into edgelordy Hammurabi's Code mode over theft in game lately. Communication is important in group storytelling, but so is finding the right crew.

[KorvinStarmast]

Hello everyone.
I've been playing with a group of friends for about a year now, and I have a few issues with some of the players. We usually have a fun time, but some of them... just don't want to share loot.
Every time one of these players find something, they just hide it and keep it for themselves.
If anyone asks them about it, they lie.
The DM doesn't have them make any checks, because he believes that interactions between players should be purely roleplayed, but having my character be suspicious that something is wrong doesn't usually help a lot.

The first time I had an opportunity, I went through all my teammates' stuff, found some of the gold they kept for themselves, had my character speak to the group about it, and share the gold equally among everyone.
That didn't help, they keep on doing it.

I think that maybe, since they're new to tabletop rpgs they don't realize that it's aggravating to work for the rewards the DM put in the world and then getting nothing because they decided to keep for themselves? MOST of them aren't really the type that would do this just to be annoying... Can anyone share some advice?
Don't feel so all alone. There's an interesting article remnant from a Dave Arneson interview where he discovered the PvP and back stabbing nature of his players. Players screwing each other over is older than published D&D. I'll get you a link and edit it in. (HMM, I am suffering from link breakage. http://www.jovianclouds.com/blackmoor/index.php )
Here's the article fragment I was talking about (http://jovianclouds.com/blackmoor/Archive_OLD/rpg2.html).

See also this article. (http://jovianclouds.com/blackmoor/Archive_OLD/rpg.html)

OK, history lesson aside, what do you do about it?

Well, what do you do in any social situation? (besides kvetch about it on the internet, as we all do from time to time). Ask the following questions:

1. Why do you lie to me about loot in a game?
2. Why do you hide pretend loot in a game when we are all in this adventure together?
also

MOST of them aren't really the type that would do this just to be annoying...
Yes they are, because they are doing it. Their character isn't doing it, the player is. I suggest that you read up on Rich's article about tough decisions (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/tll307KmEm4H9k6efFP.html). Weave those points into your conversation with the players at your table. Also ask them direct questions like this:

3. Why should I play in this game with you, my friends, when you lie to me?
4. Do you get a kick out of lying to me and deceiving me?
5. Are you my friend(s), or are we operating under a false premise in our interpersonal relationship?

See what answers you get.

After that, decide if you want to keep on hanging with this group of (alleged) friends, or if you have other uses of your free time that might be less frustrating.

[jollydm]

ooh ooh! I read an article about this once..

*googles*

*GOOGLES INTENSIFIES!!*

... found it!


Thank you for posting this, that was an insightful read.

[Boci]

After that, decide if you want to keep on hanging with this group of (alleged) friends, or if you have other uses of your free time that might be less frustrating.

Might want to tone it down there. They hogging loot, not doing anything to justify your interrogational aproach. I'm also pretty sure the "If anyone asks them about it, they lie" is IC, not OOC, and even if it is, when we played we regularly screwed each other over, killed eachother characters, one guy lied out of character about a die result because he didn't want me to do something. I was annoyed sure, but alledged friends? No, we were friends. Friends are sometimes a-holes to eachother.

THe OP says "We usually have a fun time, but some of them... just don't want to share loot" That doesn't sound like someone close to quitting a group. But maybe I'm misreading it.

[Demonslayer666]

Neither did mine. I stopped playing in that game after I talked to my DM and players, and it fell on deaf ears.

The paladin had 2 legendary items, a couple very rare, and several rare ones. The fighter had several very rare items, and a couple rare. My character had a few uncommon items that he bought from his own share of equal party split, and never once got an item from treasure.

After asking the DM if he hated casters and thought they were OP and he said no, I asked why he never have out caster items. I even confronted the other players that were hoarding items and they shrugged it off - making me pretty mad. Friends would not treat each other that way.

The party should split treasure, and roleplay it out. But, the DM should give out items that can be used by each party member, or allow items to be traded/sold so no one goes without.

It's an age-old tradition to give the items to those that benefit most from using it, but when those aren't given out equally, it can really sour a gaming experience.

[KorvinStarmast]

Might want to tone it down there. They hogging loot, not doing anything to justify your interrogational aproach. I'm also pretty sure the "If anyone asks them about it, they lie" is IC, not OOC, and even if it is, when we played we regularly screwed each other over, killed eachother characters, one guy lied out of character about a die result because he didn't want me to do something. I was annoyed sure, but alledged friends? No, we were friends. Friends are sometimes a-holes to eachother.

THe OP says "We usually have a fun time, but some of them... just don't want to share loot" That doesn't sound like someone close to quitting a group. But maybe I'm misreading it. For sure, I can't mind read over the internet, and I've been in groups similar to what you describe.
There still needs to be an OOC conversation because we don't know what the pecking order in this "friends" heirarchy is. (Small group dymanics, 101). If this person is annoyed enough at being screwed over in play to kvetch about it on the internet, maybe there's some self deception going on.
Maybe there's a bully or two in the group.
Maybe this person expects something out of the game that the others don't.

No, I am not going to tone it down.
Sometimes, you need to clear the air with your social group by finding out just what's going on if something is bugging you.
If this annoyance is a deal breaker, maybe this isn't the right activity for this group, while bowling would be. See the Five Geek Social Fallacies (http://plausiblydeniable.com/opinion/gsf.html), some of that may be at work here as well.

It depends. (And yeah, backstabbery/PvP groups can be fun).

[lperkins2]

So, how to handle this depends a lot on the nature of the campaign. The first question is if they are actually stealing from other PCs. If they are taking stuff out of other PCs' backpacks, that's a big problem, either a problem that the DM is letting them get away with it, or a problem that the DM let a destructive PC into an heroic party. This, of course, is assuming you're not playing an evil campaign. Nothing in the OP suggests they are actually looting other PCs, so I'm going to assume they are not.

Why is the party working together? The answer to this determines what the appropriate response is. If they have common goals and have simply fallen in together, any PC is under no obligation to share loot they acquire with any other PC. As long as the DM isn't also heavily favouring one PC with finding all the loot, it also should roughly balance out over time.

If the party is part of some sort of official adventuring group, it is reasonable to assume they would have some sort of contract (written or verbal) for the terms of their association. This is likely to include details such as who cooks in camp, and how loot is divided. OOC, the players need to decide what sort of charter their group has, and then the PCs need to honour it, even the thief, since these aren't random strangers, they're his friends.

Assuming it's the former case, not an official adventuring group, the solution is to make a pact with the other amenable PCs, to work together for acquisition of loot, essentially turn the former group into the latter. This should let you bring in more than you could as individuals, since you'll work together to reach things and what not. When it comes time to divvy up this loot, don't share it with any PCs who refused to sign the loot sharing pact.

Also note that there is no reason to assume the loot should be divided equally by monetary value. Some characters have a higher 'gold tax' in costly equipment than others, and it benefits the whole party to devote a larger amount of funds to their advance. It also makes more sense to ensure the +2 greatsword goes to the GWM fighter, than the wizard, even if it puts the fighter way ahead on the value of acquired loot. For dividing up magic items, auctioning them within the party is not a terrible idea, if you can't figure out a good scheme for it otherwise.

[Fogs]

Thank you everyone for the advice!

I probably won't be trying to kill any of them... If I do, not only would it be bad for me in game, since there are characters that don't do anything wrong but would be pretty angry that I killed our teammates and might just kill me back or abandon me, but it would probably hurt the player's feelings... (One of them specifically was mad at us because we decided to move on from a city when we had to stop the bad guys from grabbing one of the mcguffins, since he wanted to stay for another week and work for money so he could buy a magical item... he ended up doing something privately with the dm, got the money anyway and came with us, but he was ready to stay behind and let us go. He hasn't used the item since.)
But, two of the other players don't grab stuff for themselves, so I think I'll talk to them about it first... Unfortunately they're the ones I'm the least intimate with so I'll have to fight that social anxiety haha. If they agree we could try to ask them to share the loot equally together. If that doesn't work either... I guess I'll try to make another character that doesn't really care about being in a group, and try to play the game their way... I'd like to avoid that tho since I kinda really like the way my current character turned out, haha
Something that I just thought about is that only my character and one other seem to care about the group as a whole, the others just seem to care about themselves. They refuse to put themselves in danger for the group, and even charge us for help in mundane stuff, like helping me haggle for better prices when selling my old stuff (My character has a -3 charisma modifier...)
Is there any way I can try to build trust in the group?

[XmonkTad]

http://theangrygm.com/dear-gms-metagaming-is-your-fault/

I kind of agree with angry here, the DM is definitely enabling the thief in doing this. That being said, if your DM wants you to role play and not roll dice, you could just intimidate the thief. Something along the lines of "and why would you steal from a bunch of highly trained murder-specialists who are actively trying to get you more loot?" Any unsatisfactory response to that is most certainly grounds for a demonstration of murdering prowess.

[KorvinStarmast]

Something that I just thought about is that only my character and one other seem to care about the group as a whole, the others just seem to care about themselves. They refuse to put themselves in danger for the group, and even charge us for help in mundane stuff, like helping me haggle for better prices when selling my old stuff (My character has a -3 charisma modifier...)

Is there any way I can try to build trust in the group?
Leadership is a matter of events where someone having the idea to "do this" or "to do it this way" and others agreeing and getting on board. (In a nutshell. See Dr Warren Blank (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Blank), some of the most useful leadership teaching I ran into over the years).

What you are asking is "can this group benefit from leadership" and my answer is yes.
Here's the kicker.
Peer leadership is about the toughest kind I've seen to get right and be effective, but it's doable.

In your group, who has the strongest personality, and who is listened to most often? (not necessarily the same person).
Apparently, you are not.
You need an ally, and it needs to be someone the others will listen to, even if that person rarely speaks up.
All you can do on your own is lead by example: show by doing how you feel a party member ought to behave.
The persuasion part gets down to getting one or more allies to move in the same direction.
Then we get to "this is how we ought to do this, normally, and here's why."

You can't change something like this in one session, nor with a magic wand.
Team building takes buy in, and it takes time.

And that ends what I can suggest to you. Since I don't know any of you IRL, I can't give you pointers on how to deal with each person.
That's for you to figure out since these are people you know and interact with a lot.

[johnbragg]

Thank you everyone for the advice!

I probably won't be trying to kill any of them... If I do, not only would it be bad for me in game, since there are characters that don't do anything wrong but would be pretty angry that I killed our teammates and might just kill me back or abandon me,

I respect the idea that there are neutral parties who would be screwed over by nuking the game.


but it would probably hurt the player's feelings... (One of them specifically was mad at us because we decided to move on from a city when we had to stop the bad guys from grabbing one of the mcguffins, since he wanted to stay for another week and work for money so he could buy a magical item... he ended up doing something privately with the dm, got the money anyway and came with us, but he was ready to stay behind and let us go. He hasn't used the item since.)

Why do his feelings matter and not yours? Because, my dude, your feelings are hurt.

I'll tell you why--his feelings matter because he's willing to throw a tantrum and derail the plot to get his way. Normally, I could defend that PC's behavior--this item is really important to them because roleplaying, etc etc. But this is a player who steals party loot, so I'm pretty sure it's just him being a turdburger again.


But, two of the other players don't grab stuff for themselves, so I think I'll talk to them about it first... Unfortunately they're the ones I'm the least intimate with so I'll have to fight that social anxiety haha.

Yes, I would say you should make a connection with the players at the table who can play a game without seeming like huge jerks. Out of game. They are better friends.


Is there any way I can try to build trust in the group?

If two of the players, maybe three including the GM, are alternately bullies and crybabies, then probably not.

EDIT: KorvinStarmast is giving better advice than I am.

[Boci]

No, I am not going to tone it down.
Sometimes, you need to clear the air with your social group by finding out just what's going on if something is bugging you.

Yeah, you clear the air. You don't go on the war path and accuse them of being aledged friends. That's not clearling the air, that dousing the fire in gasoline.

[KorvinStarmast]

Yeah, you clear the air. You don't go on the war path and accuse them of being aledged friends. That's not clearling the air, that dousing the fire in gasoline. Is this because friends let friends abuse them?
Are you sure that's a relationship that includes the word 'friend' rather than something else?
It's hard to say.
Ever been in a social situation where you thought someone was a friend, and over time found out otherwise? (yeah, it hurts, doesn't it? )

That may be part of this dynamic, and it may not.
You won't find out unless you ask.

[Joe dirt]

Cast zone of truth periodically and have a mandatory confessional sessions for the entire group.... anyone that doesnt participate has to pay a tax of not getting treasure when the group does.... if they continue stealing lock them out of any found treasure or ask them to leave

[Mitth'raw'nuruo]

My group tends to look down on things being stolen.

By look down on, I mean blood feud. We would destroy an entire kingdom and end the world by causing a cataclysm because a King's Sergeant stole from us. After of course, more reasonable means, like an appeal for justice from lawful authority was unsuccessful.


Familicide would be a warning shot.

They would have been gutted in their sleep.

On the off chance we had a traditional LG paladin, they would have been smote out of existence, after being awoken and confronted with their unspeakable betrayal. If the DM wants player vs player role play. Give it to him.

[MadBear]

1. Talk with them out of game. (always should be step 1)

2. If they insist on that just being them "playing their character" give them this article by Rich Burlew (author of Order of the Stick)

http://www.giantitp.com/articles/tll307KmEm4H9k6efFP.html

Particularly:
"Have you ever had a party break down into fighting over the actions of one of their members? Has a character ever threatened repeatedly to leave the party? Often, intraparty fighting boils down to one player declaring, "That's how my character would react." Heck, often you'll be the one saying it; it's a common reaction when alignments or codes of ethics clash.

However, it also creates a logjam where neither side wants to back down. The key to resolving this problem is to decide to react differently. You are not your character, and your character is not a separate entity with reactions that you cannot control. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a player state that their character's actions are not under their control. Every decision your character makes is your decision first. It is possible and even preferable for you to craft a personality that is consistent but also accommodating of the characters the other players wish to play.

When you think about a situation, ask yourself, "Is this the only way my character can react to this?" Chances are, the answer is, "No." Try to refine your character so that you can deal with situations that conflict with your alignment/ethos without resorting to ultimatums, threats, etc. This will often mean thinking in terms of compromise and concession to your fellow players, or at the very least an agreement to disagree.

Here's another example: In a campaign I DM'd, the party's bard lifted a magical sword behind the back of the party's Lawful Good monk. The monk had basically decided that the bodies of several fallen knights would be buried without looting, and rather than argue, the bard just grabbed the sword. The bad news was, the sword was cursed; it was the blade that had belonged to a ghost that roamed the castle, and whenever the bard drew it, the ghost materialized and attacked him (and only him). Eventually, the bard 'fessed up that he had stolen the sword. The monk (and the monk's player) became furious, and declared that he could no longer travel with the bard. Either the bard had to leave, or he would. It became a huge argument between characters and players, and it was entirely unnecessary. The monk did not have to react with an ultimatum; the monk did not even have to be angry, no matter what his alignment was. The bard had already suffered the misfortune of having his Charisma drained by the ghost repeatedly; the monk could have chosen (for example) to lecture the bard on how his theft had brought him nothing but misery. He chose to create player conflict when it was just as easy to not."

3. If they insist on playing their character that way, play yours, your way. How does your character feel about theft? Are they actually ok, with someone whose supposed to watch their back, steal from them? If not, react accordingly.

[johnbragg]

Also consider showing your gaming group this thread. Tons of veteran gamers would gut their PCs like fish for their conduct. That should tell them something--including the two other non-stealing players.

[GlenSmash!]

When my group finds coin or other valuables. I tell them something like "You each get 50gp worth of coin and/or valuables". Most of my players just write down the coin and we don't worry about finding a place to sell there valuables. Spending in game time on that just wouldn't add to our fun.

It also cuts out on any bickering or thievery, which as I DM I don't find fun. I'd rather the group just move..

I did have one player opt for valuables over coin once. It was from a farm community the had helped, and as he was a Dragonborn Paladin, he ended up with a homemade blanket with a dragon embroidered on it. I was going to turn it into a Macguffin later, but the campaign fizzled out.

[smcmike]

I’m not saying that the following idea is the right solution to your problem. It’s just an idea, and it sometimes works for me.

Sometimes it’s useful to take a step back, and remember that you are not your character. Considering that gold is only minimally useful past a certain point in 5e, your interests as a player are not necessarily the same as the material interests of your character (if they were, maybe you wouldn’t constantly risk death, even for relatively weak plot points).

So Jerky McJerkface the no-good Rogue grabs the loot before you notice it. This is annoying to you, because of your out-of-game expectations, but would it actually bother your character? Is your character invading the dungeon to steal stuff, or to be the hero and rescue the princess? If it’s the latter, there may be room for both Jerky McJerkface and Hero PrincessSaver in the same party - Jerky enjoys sneaking around and grabbing the loot, while you get your big reward when the princess gives you her magic diamond of healing or whatever.

Of course, this requires DM help. If the only way to get meaningful rewards is to loot the bodies before anyone else does, that’s a problem.

[RazorChain]

@OP

This is perfectly understandable, you dont get on top by sharing equally.

So I recommend you do like me and set yourself up as the leader of the group and run it like a corporation.

I remember that one guy who was a guest player and challenged my authority, he wasnt allowed into my tiny hut and I did not leave my rope trick dangling for him.

At last he was getting desperate because of lack of HP in our dungeon crawl so in one fight I offered to polymorph him and he accepted. So I polymorphed him into a frog and grabbed him and threw him into a lava pit. "Swim in this frog boy!"

Every group needs a leader that profits from the toils of others. Bad uppity workers should be disposed of.

[Mitth'raw'nuruo]

Also consider showing your gaming group this thread. Tons of veteran gamers would gut their PCs like fish for their conduct. That should tell them something--including the two other non-stealing players.

I wouldn't gut them like fish. I have no reason to wish the fish to suffer.

[Drache64]

When players were new, we had a friend try to play a Halfling thief (granted this was 3.5). During combat encounters he chose to sneak around picking chests and looting corpses while everyone else did the fighting. His defense was that his character was trash in combat and so he shouldn't fight.

He was forced to reroll different character after 2 sessions because all the other players got grumpy with him.

The solution to that one was that it was the party vs a player. Perhaps you should talk to the other players who don't act this way and as a group you can address this instead of as an individual?

[the secret fire]

When players were new, we had a friend try to play a Halfling thief (granted this was 3.5). During combat encounters he chose to sneak around picking chests and looting corpses while everyone else did the fighting. His defense was that his character was trash in combat and so he shouldn't fight.

For a 3.5 Rogue, this is a depressingly reasonable tactic.

[RazorChain]

When players were new, we had a friend try to play a Halfling thief (granted this was 3.5). During combat encounters he chose to sneak around picking chests and looting corpses while everyone else did the fighting. His defense was that his character was trash in combat and so he shouldn't fight.

He was forced to reroll different character after 2 sessions because all the other players got grumpy with him.

The solution to that one was that it was the party vs a player. Perhaps you should talk to the other players who don't act this way and as a group you can address this instead of as an individual?

Good thing you did, you found out like so many groups that halflings are useless.

Halflings eat up all your supplies so when you run out in the middle of the wilderness you'll be forced to eat him.

The only thing halflings have amounted to is dragonbait. Due to their poison resistance and gluttonous habits it's best to feed them poisoned food and send them to scout the dragon's lair. In the hope of course that the dragon eats them and dies of the poison.

[GreyBlack]

Good thing you did, you found out like so many groups that halflings are useless.

Halflings eat up all your supplies so when you run out in the middle of the wilderness you'll be forced to eat him.

The only thing halflings have amounted to is dragonbait. Due to their poison resistance and gluttonous habits it's best to feed them poisoned food and send them to scout the dragon's lair. In the hope of course that the dragon eats them and dies of the poison.

Wasn't that literally the plot of The Hobbit?

[the secret fire]

The only thing halflings have amounted to is dragonbait. Due to their poison resistance and gluttonous habits it's best to feed them poisoned food and send them to scout the dragon's lair. In the hope of course that the dragon eats them and dies of the poison.

Mummified halfling feet make good dusters. Nothing beats natural hair.

[FabulousFizban]

find a new group

[RazorChain]

find a new group

I so agree with you. My girlfriend played a kender so I had to dump her. We didn't even try to reconcile our differences OOC. Some transgressions just can't be forgiven.

[MadBear]

I so agree with you. My girlfriend played a kender so I had to dump her. We didn't even try to reconcile our differences OOC. Some transgressions just can't be forgiven.

You might want to have checked her pockets on the way out. :smallbiggrin: