Hey there,
My group just talked about ways to share loot, so I would like to hear how you guys solve some situation.
Who gets what? do you roll for it or something else?
What about character specific items such as a recaptured heirloom?
Do you have a system or do you just decide as it comes??
Thank you for you help.
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Give to the one that has more use for it. Sure, some will get tons more for a while, but your party will be more powerful for it.
Then divide the coin from the useless stuff among those that got less than the others.
Yep, that's how we do it.
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Usually we share equally, but we do let one or another character have a bit more if she needs it more.
Also, we only sell stuff nobody needs/want, then share the resulting gold in equal parts.
Finally, we sometimes pool our cash together to buy an useful item for a character, if that'd be good for the whole party.
e.g: Having your Barbarian be mind-controlled is bad. Very, very bad. So buying him a Cloak of Resistance and/or a Wayfinder+Clear Ioun Stone is a good idea. The Cleric can wait a little more to add another +1 to his armor, and the wizard will be fine even if he doesn't get that magic ring right now.
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This is just my opinion but...
Dividing loot should be done IN CHARACTER by the PARTY. The DM should have little to no say in how the loot is handed out. The party should roleplay out who gets what, or decide in game how they split the loot up.
Now having said that. The way it usually gets sorted (in game), is the loot that can be used by party members gets handed out, and the loot that no one wants gets handed off to our face who sells it for us. The gold from that is usually split evenly unless there is a party member that has taken little to no loot.
Just my 2 coppers.
It is always somewhat different but remember that you are a party, not a group of individuals. If you find a +1 chain mail suit and the only person who can wear it is the fighter (and he wants it), but he got the +1 longsword last time, you don't just sell the suit and give the money to others. You give it to the fighter and the party gets stronger.
In my game, the wizard spends a lot of gold on scrolls and wands; far beyond his "share" of the gold, but he also rarely gets any of the magic items that are found (since he doesn't use weapons or armor and bonus AC items go to front-line fighters). Also the scrolls and wands are party-beneficial items, like a wand of Knock or a pearl of power to allow one more Mage Armor casting.
The GM should try to keep and eye on party treasure division and aim to spread the love. If there's only one heavy armor wearing character in the party, there's no good handing out three suits of plate armor in an adventure; one suit is fine, but maybe switch another to some studded leather or the like.
Owner - Johnny Scott Comics and Games
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We always split the gold/gems evenly among the party. Magic Items are typically distributed based on who can get the best use of the item. This has worked very well for us, as we almost never have two players with PCs of the same class. It's very rare that we have any issues over the division of treasure.
Eh, my party is pretty casual about loot. Most of the treasure I put in is the typical core 6 that is NPC wbl appropriate (npcs aren't stupid, they see value in the same things as PCs) Due to low NPC wealth allowances, this means there is usually piles of +1 gear that players already have or have better of. This stuff just gets sold off and the resulting profits are divided evenly amongst the party. In the case of items that are wanted by party members, the player just takes it with the consent of the party anyways, its better than losing 50 percent of value. Sure it lowers the party take, but if a party member gets better, that's good for the party. Besides, eventually there will be something for every player. The party also leaves money in the party loot fund, to pay for emergencies and wealth gates (you know, must spend x amount advance the story line, either on a required item, or a mode of travel).
1) We give the items that can be used by only one party member to them
2) If it's an item that two people or more want/can use equally everyone rolls a d20 and the highest gets it. If the person who won said item wants the next item they have to pass for someone else who wants it.
3) We also give each other items on upgrades that would be good for someone else but they wouldn't necessarily want to roll for to get. (My barbarian recently gave his +2 Belt of Constitution to the Mystic Theurge because he recently got a +2 Belt of Giant of Strength, now we are both really happy.)
4) Unwanted items are sold. The party members each get equal shares of the profits, but then we also have a "party fund" that gets a small share like 10% of all gold found and items sold. From the party fund we buy things that are useful to the party like wands, potions, and other consumables. We can also take loans from it if we need to buy something for our characters and need a bit of extra gold on the spot. It's worked out wonderfully for us doing it this way.
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My party uses similar strategies to the other posters.
We start by reading out the items list. Characters name items that they want. Any uncontested items go to the characters who claim them. If there are contested items, we discuss it as a party and make the decision either based on who needs it more or on who got a bigger share of uncontested items. We then sell any unwanted items and split this equally along with gold or gems.
We kept a party fund for one game when we had a ship as a major shared asset, but normally we take collection for specific group purchases or expenses.
We once used a different system for a special hoard with two rounds of loot picking. Those who didn't get their first choice in the first round of loot picking got to choose first in the second round, and those who got high-value picks in the first round chose later in the second round.
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Some items do get taken by individual PCs; others are just kept as party property. So the barbarian front-line fighter may well be wielding a +2 greatsword that belongs to the party.
The advantage of keeping it as party property is that should the barbarian decide to leave the group (which does happen: we play at a game store, and the group makeup has changed drastically over the course of a year) the sword stays with the party. The downside (from the barbarian's viewpoint, at least) is that if the party ends are better served by having somebody else wield that greatsword that is likely to happen.
Anything we aren't keeping as party property is (conceptually, at least) put up for sale. PCs have the option of taking some of their share "in kind", by buying items themselves (for the amount we would get if we sold them to a third party).
We have a close knit group that has been together for years. Loot is easy.
The list of items is read, people discuss who wants what. If more than one person wants the item they roll d100 and highest wins. If someone decides to roll on everything (which doesn't happen anymore) then they get glared at.
The gold/gems are equally given out.
Party goes out and purchases or crafts items.
Loans are common.
Not a big deal!
I'd love to see a party use the Method of Sealed Bids. Granted the party would probably have to be lawful neutral bureaucrats run by math majors, but at least treasure division would be fair.
We just give the loot to whoever could use it most. In a few cases that doesn't work out due to a few reasons but for the most part it does.
When it's stuff that's just kind of "oh that's cool" but it doesn't benefit any one particular character, it's first come, first served on a sort of rotation (ex: We got a Necklace of Fireballs, nobody has any PARTICULAR use for it, I say I want it, it's mine, somebody else gets first pick next time).
If a specific item benefits two people equally we let 'em hash it out among themselves. We're all friends or acquaintances, so there are generally very few arguments past "well I could use it, but so could you...urgh, you take it" "But you could..." variety (ex: I'm a Monk, He's a Rogue, we found some Boots of Speed. We kinda hashed everything out and eventually went "Well Sneak Attacks hurt a lot and you move slower than I do anyway, you take it" and everything was fine.)
So far the GM has never had to get involved other than to clarify which few characters MIGHT get the most use out of it or to veto a few things (our Sorcerer seems dead set on taking things he wouldn't conceivably use, like a Masterwork Short Sword. When he's a Gnome.)
We typically give and loot to whoever wants it. d20 roll off if multiple people want something. Then if these new items are upgrades to old items, those old items go back in 'the pot'. Repeat until nobody wants anything else. The rest gets sold off and the cash divided evenly.
Though our gms have never brought up just who we are selling it to. I think it'd be funny to hear in later levels of one nation going on a conquering spree because they've bought all the +1 weapons, armors, and cloaks of resistance and +2 belts or headbands of whatever that the party has pawned off by that point.
We've never had a problem with loot distribution in my gaming group. I'm just as happy about one of the other players getting a cool piece of loot as I would be if I got it instead. I think the other folks in the group feel the same way. We just talk it out and make the best decision for the the group.
Also, when it comes to GP, we split part of the cash amongst the characters but also maintain a group pot which is used for stuff like potions, bribes, travel expenses, etc. It seems to work out pretty well for us.
My group divides up the treasure by the number of players +1 share for the group itself. If there are items that are too expensive the person that takes it 'owes' the group and thus takes less out of the next treasure pile.
Unfortunately the 'give it to whoever needs it most' method can result in one player having the most equipment and the others being under-equipped.
As a GM I do not control how players distribute loot but I will make suggestions and if players are getting an uneven share I may even tailor equipment to that player so that they get balanced out.
- Gauss
How to divide loot should be done entirely in character by the party with no suggestion, input, coercion or any other outside influence. If the party wants to draw up a contract, fine. If the party wants to divvy out loot equally, fine. If the party wants to arm wrestle for loot, fine.
This is one of the most fundamental role playing opportunities the game affords. So role play it.
I disagree AD for the reason that the in-game roleplay can spill to out of game conflicts between players.
To put it a different way: I also do not subscribe to the theory that Players should create characters that will inevitably create conflict between PCs. Roleplay could it occur? Absolutely. But if the GM sits the group down from the outset and states 'figure out a reason that the 4 of you get along' then the group has created an in-character reason to get along. Is it organic? No. But will it prevent problems? Yes.
This is no different. The players should come up with a reason where dividing treasure is not a problem but too often the players don't do that. Some players just want want want and the other players eventually get to the point where they say: 'fine, shut up already'.
- Gauss
I agree with AD, but tend to solve things like you suggested if there are issues Gauss.
I HIGHLY recommend to my groups they find a reason to "get along". But when it comes to party loot I don't take any part in it. The only time I would step in would be if there was conflict between players outside character.
It usually only occurs if the "rogue" type starts stealing loot before the party see's it. I have never seen that go well. Out of character the players know they are getting ripped off... and ultimately the character always gets caught at some point. We have one player that ALWAYS plays the shady "rogue" type no matter what actual class he is. I have had to have a side conversation with him before, asking him to keep that crap out of my game.
Interesting replies in this thread. I'm surprised to see so many different methods.
My group uses a "equal cash value no matter what" approach. So for example, say after divvying up the gold/gems everyone is getting 2000gp, now say we have a bunch of magic/mundane items to sell that would get us 10000 more gold if sold, one item in the pile is a cloak of resistance +2, which sells for 2000gp. so if person A in the group wants that, they pay the 2000 GP in to the party splitting fund so that everyone still gets their 2500 from selling 10000 gp worth of stuff, as opposed to: they get the cloak, and we sell the loot for only 8000, thus giving everyone 2000. If a person wants to buy an item from the "loot pile", and they dont have enough GP, they can take out loans from the other players. This works almost all the time, except when we have an item two players want, (most commonly rings of protection, cloaks of resistance, and amulets of natural amor), in which case we usually allow the person who needs the bonus more to buy the item out of the loot pile.
So this way, people get the items they want (cash shortages are almost non-existant), and the players who cant use the loot we come across don't feel like they are being underequipped or poor, because they still get their 1/4 share of the total gp value of our loot pile.
SkyHaussmann, that is what we do except we also have one share for party usage such as raise dead, consumables etc.
- Gauss
Step One - Does anyone need this item? If yes, give to person. If yes more than once, prepare for a game of Rock Paper Scissors to decide who is the victor with said item and who shall be a rushed and ruined looser, wailing and bemoaning the fate of loosing that +1 Keen Longsword.
Step Two - Does anyone WANT the item. Subtly different to Step 1 - The fighter might want a Headband to boost Charisma, but the Sorcerer needs it more. Need always trumps.
Step Three - Divide out potions, scrolls and other limited use items. Try and be as equal as possible, but obviously make sure that the character can use the item too.
Step Four - Throw anything left over on the back of the Party Loot Wagon and roll it into town for sale when required (or when the oxen can no longer bull the thing without the aid of the large half-orc fighter).
Step Five - Sell old gear and add to the party fund (unless someone else could benefit).
Yeah, we're pretty much the Communist Adventuring Party.
Somehow, I expect we'll be doing a different method during our Way of the Wicked playthrough...
We often argue who is to get what item, but the argument is nearly always
"no no, you take it if you can use it, I will grab the next X, Y, or Z"
"but it looks like YOU could use it more, i mean, look at the piece of garbage you are swinging/wearing/carrying"
"please, this thing has gotten us out of more jams that you have deaths, and that is a LOT of jams! YOU take it, we all know you could use it!"
"Bite me."
"..... So you are tak-"
"yeah, yeah.. but you get the next one."
Sounds like one of my groups... Though that group has 10 players.
My normal method is have most things as Party Property. Usually Armor is the only thing the Character will own alongside some magic items. And usually when a character leaves they leave the magical gear and instead receive masterwork armor and a weapon. If they die usually the party gets the magical gear burying the PC with a masterwork weapon ifnthe preference. This is usually rp'd as a pseudo will.
So the Fighter might only own his Full Plate and his Ring of Sustenance. Though he uses the Party's magical warhammer, sword, spear, & bow. When he dies the party bury him with a masterwork long sword.
Yeah, we're pretty much the Communist Adventuring Party.Somehow, I expect we'll be doing a different method during our Way of the Wicked playthrough...
Funny, my Way of the Wicked group is one of the most cooperative I've ever been a part of. Loot divide is always completely painless.
We might all be remorseless psychopaths with no regard for life, but we're pretty nice to each other.
@Doomed_Hero: all I can think of is 7 Psychopaths.
@JonGarrett: you think you are the Communist adventuring party? You ain't got nothing on mine. They make Stalin and Hitler look nice!
@JonGarrett: you think you are the Communist adventuring party? You ain't got nothing on mine. They make Stalin and Hitler look nice!
Oh no, I mean like Communism that works...not based on corruption, greed and control through terror. Why, we've barely murdered anyone who couldn't defend themselves at all.
We use add up value of all loot and divide evenly. Similar to most others.
Loans are common though, and I think those who give them get screwed. The typical interest is just 5%, 5% total, not compounded or anything. The rate that we take in loot rises exponentially, so getting the use out of a 1k item at 2nd or 3rd level, then paying back at 4th or 5th level is gross. You'd need 10% per day i'd think.
We look at like this "Need before Greed".
1) Magic item go to who they are best suited for.
2) We bring who ever is the weekest up before tank out on one guy.
ie Cloak of Res +2 look around table who have lowest save total. Wizard k you get it. but I already have Cloack of res +1. K that goes back in the pot. AC is done the same way.
Doing this keep the gap between high AC on low AC or saves narow so all have risk making and all have the risk failing. Skill is same same as well. It way better to have Perception score for a party of 15, 10, 10 and 5 than 20, 10, 10, 0. Both total 40 but first has good chance of all hit DC 20.
3) Coins go to the pot and stay there till we get to town to buy some thing. Then take every one's magic wealth add it up figure what the average is. Those adove average get 1 share or 1/2 share those below get 2 shares party fund get 2 shares and any remainder.
4) Party fund pay mundan cost and cost of doing adventureing. Ie Rooms, Boat fees, Taxs, Bribes, healing, Rasie ect.
5) Party fund trys keep minum of 5k+ 1k for every party member past 4.
6) Hired NPC get put in item magic pool get last pick and only get 1/2 share.
7) Party fund buys wands of buff/ and healing. It not un common for us to have 2 or 3 wands cure light, 1 wand of bless, wand of fly, wand haste, wand of lessor restoration. Other than fly we say away form buying single buff. But 95% of all buff type wand go to party ownership not PC. If you can cast it you own scroll of Remover Fear, Remove Paralysis, Suppress Charms and Compulsions, and dispell magic. This stuff dose not count agains you wealth total since it will be use to save the party. Also it will be refilled out of party fund when used ASSP. Same gose with anit-toxin and anti-plague every one get 1 or 2.
8) If 2 or more PC's want same item they all make there case and party votes. Winner gets item. Losser's get extra vote for next item they want. GM vote NPC's in case of ties.
9) If a party member die's party fund is used to rasie them but it cost the party member on of this tie extra vote to do so. same oges for any big spell cost fix.
10) If party member has a extra vote he must use it. When he is in a dispute with an other player over an time that can not save them up.
Oh no, I mean like Communism that works...not based on corruption, greed and control through terror. Why, we've barely murdered anyone who couldn't defend themselves at all.
@JonGarrett: you think you are the Communist adventuring party? You ain't got nothing on mine. They make Stalin and Hitler look nice!
This is what I mean too! Though my wording was bad.
They are so methodical it makes my normal BBEGs seem like they slapped their plan together out of Wile E. Coyote's trash.
In my current game, the PCs decided to split the monetary treasure evenly, and let the party member who can get the most use out of an item have it.
As a GM, I try my best to dole out items targeted to specific characters evenly. If I decide to hand out a +1 holy longsword that the paladin will love, I make sure to give roughly equivalent items to the archer, wizard, cleric, etc over the course of an adventure. It doesn't always work out exactly evenly, but life isn't always exactly fair. If players are mature, they'll deal. For example, my players decided to pool party resources to buy/craft a specific item for a PC that came up a bit short.
In practical terms, I have a shared Google doc, called "Loot List" where I list what was found. The players then use the doc to tell me who gets what, and what items are going to be sold.
We split gold evenly, and let people just ask for items. The only time people "hog" items from the loot are those rare times where all the items are stuff they really need.
Less headaches this way.
Cheapy's option seems like it would work out well... Though how would you handle the situation if say everyone needed/wanted the only ring of sustenance in the treasure pile?
My least favorite method is the old every piece of treasure was coin method.
Our party started out using the 'goes to best use' method. Very communal to the point of the group deciding where that best use would be - as the tank I never actually asked for anything, the party just kept deciding that I should have certain things. Problem was, by 3rd level the archer and the sorcerer were WAY behind the 2 frontline fighters. We talked about it and decided to try out the 'equal cash value' or 'pay the party' method described above.
Ended up causing MORE trouble......we find a +1 handaxe. Everyone has an enchanted melee weapon except the archer so we offer it to her. "I'll never use it, so no reason for me to take it. Besides, I need the gold for an enchanted composite longbow". Not being able to hit certain things in melee (we are in Carrion Crown so undead all over the place) could hurt out 'best position' but how do you make her take something?
Next room we find a +1 keen longsword and they all want me to have it. I'm built to be fighting 2-handed w a Falchion but am already using the +1 longsword we found previously so I say no thanks. Party all wants me to have it since Im 'best use', I say I want enchanted armor so would prefer the cash. They still want me to take it so I will until I can sell it in town to buy something more 'me'.....which started a whole discussion of "dont sell something for 1/2 price that another party member might want later, what a waste of money if they have to pay full price". Which led to a conversation around how selling it was hurting ME since I had to pay the party full price to be able to sell it.......
In the end we came to a consensus and are back to 'goes to best use' without the cash value piece. For our group the communal system is simply working better (I guess we're all just Communists at heart). One difference is that we are keeping better track of everything so we can also take character wealth into account when we make those decisions if possible and have even pooled cash to buy the right item for a character when able.
Was quite a chain of emails there for a while though!
One thing I always try to do is get a quality of Magic Items from my players. If the player isn't sure of what they want I will help them build the list.
What my group does is the following:
1) We get an item
2) Anyone can ask for it
3) The one who get it "buys" the item
4) Lets say I buy a Pearl of Power I
5) I will pay 1000 / 4 players at the moment for the item, including the winner.
That way everyone gets rewarded and everyone eventually has a share of the loot.
Hmm, a lot of different But similar methods...
In my group, all treasure is recorded during the session, and if we get something that someone really wants, they take it on the spot. Afterwards, all magic items, art objects, and total value of coin goes into a spreadsheet, which calculates a total value of treasure bases on the "sell" prices of magic items, and assigns each character a GP budget for treasure from that session based on whether they claimed anything during the session, as well as their wealth relative to recommended WBL and WBL+1 (since all treasure is done through the spreadsheet, it can calculate based on exactly how much treasure each character has gotten throughout the campaign). Players can then claim any other items from the spreadsheet, which deducts the "sell" value of these from their treasure budget. This encourages using the magic items we actually find, as opposed to buying new ones, since one "buys" items from the loot pool at the price we could sell them for, which is half the price of buying them new. Once everyone is finished claiming items, any remaining ones are sold (once we return to a large enough city), and each character then gets any GP worth of treasure budget that they didn't "spend" on claiming items as their share of the cash. This system allows us to not only keep the treasure levels of each character very close, but to keep very close to WBL expectations as well. It is also handy (or maybe just interesting) to have an exact record of who got what treasure and coin when.
We tend to roleplay claiming treasure when people take items we find on the spot for immediate use, or if we just find something interesting even if no one wants it right away, but for much of the misc treasure we end up selling, that gets glossed over a bit. For us, though, there is not much roleplaying value in discussing the fact that we got a 14th masterwork longsword to stash in the portable hole until we find ourselves back in a city.
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Wow, my groups are weird apparently.
First, if we find the loot while in a dungeon or in the wilderness we give it to whoever can use it best. IF that is overlapping then they argue it out in character.
But once we get back to town, if you want to keep the item then it is coming out of your share. We total up the value of everything we got, divide it by the number in the group and thats how much you get, but you can keep the item by giving up that much loot. If the item is worth more that the share then you will owe the group.
But if an Item is deemed to be useful to the group, even if it is used by one specific character then it doesn't come out of anyone's share. This often includes: Wands of healing, potions, scrolls of useful spells, Special use magic items (like hats of disguise and lens of true seeing) etc.
So out party really evenly spreads the wealth.
Edit: We are actually very similar to Danny except no computer and after the loots been sold the list is chucked so no history.
I like the method proposed in 3.5's PHB. It always strikes me as fair and realistic.
Because we role play our loot distribution, I've been a member of parties that do it several different ways. Here are some examples of how my groups have done it:
1. Adventuring contract. Yes, signed by the adventurers.
2. Free for all. Whoever gets it first, decides what to do with it. Usually it's fairly divvied up, but not always.
3. Party pool and then divvied up when we get to town. In this case if a particularly useful item is discovered, it is "temporarily owned" by a party member for further adventuring, but it is put back in the party pool when we get back to town and then a distribution is worked out.
4. Treasure points. Similar to how MMORPG guilds do loot distribution. The longer you go without an item, the more points you rack up, and whoever has the most points gets to decide whether to spend and what to spend them on.
They have all worked. Even in the case where we ended up with party conflict, it still "worked." Party conflict over loot is totally realistic in many cases.
We tend to have fewer magic items available in our campaigns (for sale OR purchase), and when we come across one, its usually pretty obvious who its for... when not, if someone really wants it they can have it, if someone doesn't it goes into the 'group fund' for barter or trade later.
Because we don't have Ye Olde Magic Shoppe's on every corner, who gets how much becomes much less of an issue for most players/characters and we generally just pool our funds to spend as circumstances warrant, with big purchases or expenditures requiring a vote.
Cheapy's option seems like it would work out well... Though how would you handle the situation if say everyone needed/wanted the only ring of sustenance in the treasure pile?
In times where multiple people want something, and it's happened often enough, we just figure out who needs it more. If it's cloak of resistance, the guy with lower saves will get it. So it's based on need in the end.
Yea, it causes wonky things with WBL, but in the group we do this in, we're so far past WBL that it doesn't matter.