I had created a thread asking players about what should be in a Code of Conduct for players playing at the gaming table. Now I want to know what sorts of things should be included in a Code of Conduct for the characters in an adventuring party.
How to handle prisoners. How loot is to be divided. Some sort of no betrayal clause. Possibly a noncompeting clause. Basically, handle this as if you were writing up a charter for a mercenary group. Certain details will depend greatly on the nature of the group.
If this is some sort of in character contract here are some topics that I would expect to be covered:
Division of loot/ spoils/ payment, importantly how magic items are divided.
Division of labor, such as night watch, camp site preparation
Shared expenses, like who pays for the cleric's spell components to heal party members, or provisions
A party fund to cover shared expenses, how much goes in, who decides how to spend it.
Can a member be expelled or otherwise punished? How is this decided? Can it be appealed?
New members of the crew, how do they join?
What, if anything, can one member charge another for? Healing? Crafting items beyond the material cost?
Is there a leader? How are they selected and what authority do they have?
Treatment of prisoners?
Outside ethical rules, is it okay to steal from the public for example?