Stealing Sams questions to post ideas-

What are the authorities doing about these people that are murdering and looting?

Nemisis Cop/Agent with Imperial resources to back him and a tendency to find the players yet again at the worst possible moment (you finally defeat the pirates at their base and begin to loot when you hear a Lambda shuttle with familiar sinister markings come in for a landing).

What are the families of these people doing?

Hiring bounty hunters of course. Oh you didn't know that girl was the niece of the President of CyberCorp?

What about the bystanders that see these things occur?

Witnesses that provide clues to the bounty hunters or police above, allowing the PCs to more easily be tracked down. That or mob attack while the PCs are trying to loot. Massacre the mob? Options above just got kicked up a level.

If you've got a problem with them murdering everything and looting it like it was a Zelda game, throw in just a tad more realism and consequence to their actions.

Agreed. There should be dire circumstances. You could keep dialing it up from fines and being hounded to temporary confinement while losing hard earned gains. If that isn't enough the worst offending PC in the suffers long term imprisonment forcing him to roll up another character or play a weak sidekick (previous NPC) until you think he's learned his lesson. If they still haven't figured it out by then, the worst offender suffers permanent character death through lethal injection while sleeping by the nurse sister of one of his innocent victims.

There's room enough in Star Wars for those that enjoy killing and looting. Pirates are a big thing. I suggest consequences that fit, but being overly punitive--especially when it strains credibility--just seems ugly to me. Why would the best investigators in the Galaxy be hounding the PCs for relatively small scale acts when there are so many bigger fish to fry?

There's room enough in Star Wars for those that enjoy killing and looting. Pirates are a big thing. I suggest consequences that fit, but being overly punitive--especially when it strains credibility--just seems ugly to me. Why would the best investigators in the Galaxy be hounding the PCs for relatively small scale acts when there are so many bigger fish to fry?

I agree with your first point but disagree with the second. The PCs are the stars of this story regardless of how seemingly inconsequential their actions may be on the Galaxy. Sure off screen stuff will follow what would be considered normal, minor smuggling jobs going off without indecent, clients effectively protected, low level bounties collected etc. but if it happens on screen all bets are off. That smuggling job ain't what we thought it was, this client has a dangerous secret that should have been mentioned before you went into the job, or maybe you just stole from the wrong guy...

Being the stars of the show doesn't depend upon being the center of galactic attention. In fact, with the themes of Edge, it's often quite the opposite.

Being the stars of the show doesn't depend upon being the center of galactic attention. In fact, with the themes of Edge, it's often quite the opposite.

I think I may not have made my point well. They don't have to be the centre of Galactic attention but they have to be the centre of your universe . Nothing the PCs do on screen should be mundane. I'm not suggesting that every time they go into a shop to buy something it's earth shattering but the consequences of their actions should be. If it's routine it's boring.

I got my players mad at me Monday. one of them is all Jedi, and has a training saber. well, he got his hands in a dark side acylolites saber (no idea of spelling). he was so happy he could actually do damage. first battle he goes to turn it on, nothing happens. gene locked.

Oh man - I forgot about that! Ages and ages ago, I had a Jedi Impersonator NPC - robes, stuck up attitudes and everything - with a "lightsaber" that was really a thermal detonator that went off when you turned the saber on.

So I have a question...my PC's are always looting everyone they kill to obtain better weapons/armor and it's gotten to the point where their items are a bit too good for where they are in the storyline.

I was wondering if anyone can think of a way to either deter them from looting every time, or to make it harder so they can't magically pickup a stormtroopers blaster rifle and instantly have a gun that is tons better than a holdout blaster.

Since we just finished Escape Mos Shuuta from the EotE BG and are starting The Long Arm of the Hutt, I figured I could have an explosion occur in a sealed cargobay that they set their weapons in after they boarded the Krayt Fang...or does anyone have any other good ideas?

Had that problem also until i did like this:

They stole something unique from a dead body. It looked valuable and of course their greed could not stop them. Then later in a cantina i let someone recognize this unique piece and this belonged to a bad dude brother. Since players had it they were into a huge **** of problems for this man was a Rival with many connections to the underworld and he made their life rely suck for a long time.

He blamed them for his brothers death and did everything to make their life suck and even try to kill the players. And his guys always turned up in a rely bad time. And it was very frustrating to them.

.

Whether the players borrow credits to buy something, or they ask to borrow something, or they steal something, these are all examples of acquiring more Obligation. Debt, criminal, bounty, betrayal, any of these these could apply.

Also remember that once a party has too much Oblation, they can't spend XP.

So I have a question...my PC's are always looting everyone they kill to obtain better weapons/armor and it's gotten to the point where their items are a bit too good for where they are in the storyline.

I was wondering if anyone can think of a way to either deter them from looting every time, or to make it harder so they can't magically pickup a stormtroopers blaster rifle and instantly have a gun that is tons better than a holdout blaster.

Since we just finished Escape Mos Shuuta from the EotE BG and are starting The Long Arm of the Hutt, I figured I could have an explosion occur in a sealed cargobay that they set their weapons in after they boarded the Krayt Fang...or does anyone have any other good ideas?

I have the same problem and I do a few things-

a. Hurt a lot more to their belonging. Usually repair or replacement is needed, for many reasons.

b. I make it a bit more difficult for all aspects. If a published difficulty in an adventure is Hard, I'll consider it to up it to Daunting. And the above ideas about making the character's life hard, in relations to looting and improved gear exceeding wanted amount...

Causing more damage than usual to PC gear won't stop looting. It will justify it.

Causing more damage than usual to PC gear won't stop looting. It will justify it.

It can be a vicious cycle.

D&D 5e follows the paradigm altering D&D 4e such that looting is pointless. For me, as a player, it completely destroys the verisimilitude of the game. It makes absolutely no sense that equipment good enough for palace guards or militia watchmen to use during the fight in which I kill them immediately become worthless once they're dead. Gear is gear and combat damage can be (in most cases) easily repaired -- especially in a magic-heavy environment such as D&D.

It's not that the equipment becomes worthless it's just very difficult to extract it's retail value out of it. If your PC can use it then it's worth the full cost to purchase it but if you're trying to sell it then it's value drops because no one is going to pay retail for a looted item when they can buy a new one down the street. How much it drops depends on what it is, where you sell it, how in demand it is, who's willing to buy it and how much they are willing to pay. Thats a lot of factors that aren't easy to calculate in a RPG economy (RPG economies are notoriously screwy to begin with), so we guestimate and the going consensus is around 25% of the listed value. Now if you want a more accurate price feel free to do all the extra work figuring out individual rates of exchange in a fantasy setting but as a GM I'm fine with a base of 25% plus or minus some Adv. and Threat.

Also, D&D 5e does not say that gear becomes worthless in general, only 'monster' gear. The weapons that a palace guard or militia watchman has is worth approx. 50% of the purchase cost, but the sword you picked up off of the Goblin is rubbish.

There are a lot of great points in here about looting. I have a little bit different perspective on the whole deal, though. Many players find looting as an exciting part of the game. They even advance their characters towards being good at it. As a GM, the point might not be to prevent the players from looting, but to make it a fun part of the adventure. Don't make it easy, and require lots of the relvant skills and talents to be used in the process. The sense of accomplishment the characters may get out of success is all part of the game.

What skills and talents do they develop to make looting work? Are we talking about Streetwise for resale, or something more?

What skills and talents do they develop to make looting work? Are we talking about Streetwise for resale, or something more?

Skills? Streetwise, Negotiation, perhaps Mechanic or Computer to alter or mask stolen items. Skullduggery to loot without being noticed by NPCs.

Mundane actions could also be taken. Purchase of a speeder truck and a couple labor droids tasked with swooping in to gather up loot at the end of a fire fight, for example.

What skills and talents do they develop to make looting work? Are we talking about Streetwise for resale, or something more?

Skills? Streetwise, Negotiation, perhaps Mechanic or Computer to alter or mask stolen items. Skullduggery to loot without being noticed by NPCs.

Mundane actions could also be taken. Purchase of a speeder truck and a couple labor droids tasked with swooping in to gather up loot at the end of a fire fight, for example.

If you have a speeder truck, then stop playing nice and start "playing Nice" so you don't even need to bother with the fire fight.

If you have a speeder truck, then stop playing nice and start "playing Nice" so you don't even need to bother with the fire fight.

Too soon.

What skills and talents do they develop to make looting work? Are we talking about Streetwise for resale, or something more?

Skills? Streetwise, Negotiation, perhaps Mechanic or Computer to alter or mask stolen items. Skullduggery to loot without being noticed by NPCs.

Mundane actions could also be taken. Purchase of a speeder truck and a couple labor droids tasked with swooping in to gather up loot at the end of a fire fight, for example.

If you have a speeder truck, then stop playing nice and start "playing Nice" so you don't even need to bother with the fire fight.

Do you know what taste is? Because that statement wasn't it.

My humor tends to run dark, and I believe, as Anthony Jeselnik says, there is no such thing as "too soon" so when there's nothing funny about a situation, then make something funny out of it. Of course, this style of humor isn't for everyone.

My humor tends to run dark, and I believe, as Anthony Jeselnik says, there is no such thing as "too soon" so when there's nothing funny about a situation, then make something funny out of it. Of course, this style of humor isn't for everyone.

I have in-laws in both France and Germany. Imagine what the last couple of weeks have been like. Hint: Lots of texting and calls going on every couple days with anxious waiting for a response. I like dark humor also, but it's sensible to know your audience and what they have experienced before proceeding. You might tell a dark Hitler joke to your Jewish best friend, but I doubt you would pipe off with such when visiting a public synagogue.

I've laid on the ground holding the hand of a young girl while her and her mother were trapped under a large SUV that had just run over and parked on top of them. So yes, for me at least, it's still "too soon". I personally don't think it will ever be enough time to joke about real children being killed by ripping off and smashing of body parts as happened in Nice.

Aye, as said one of the things worst about a masscure is the phones going off afterwards; calls from relatives that will never be answered. I dare say terror in the UK is part of the reason why British people generally wanted out of Europe as unfortunately if these fellas don't know who the terrorists are, we don't know who we will be taking in either*.

*This is despite the fact I think that anyone who partook in the bombing of seryia or arming of the rebels (One American secret service did do that to spark civil unrest to allow the citisians to overthrow the dictator, the last time they did that? Afghanistan when the Russians came. Explosives given to them during this period is still being used in IED's today.). I am still quite bitter over both points.

Rapidly leaving that subject behind, simply make the weapons effectively worthless as sell items, people typically aren't that interested in stolen items.and often encumbrance (which should be enforced) would prevent the characters taking too much anyway. The most a character can comfortably carry is usually between 7 to 10 encumbrance anyway unless they are loaded down like backpackers with rucksacks. Keeping in mind their personal processions, I imagine a party remember might earn a couple of hunderd to sell them on quickly to a black marketeer, who actually has the contacts to make sure the wrong people get them for a silly price! XD

The other thing my group typically enforces is that unless a character has something they need to order for a particular task, shopping lists are compiled outside of setting time, and transactions are usually conducted sparingly. Nothing broke a session down quite like "shopping time" where people flicked through all the books. That way people come to sessions prepared and shopping sessions take half a hour at the absolute longest.

Really though it depends what your doing. We are playing a cross campiagn that is generally focused on the civil war itself, thus opptunistic looting is limited to the really key items, speeder bikes, fighter aircrafts and the like. Our unit, the Predator squad, have a reputation for coming back with a stolen imperial vessel almost every sortie! So far we have a HWK-290, 2 tie prototypes, a interceptor**, a HWK-1000** and probably 3 Lander Shuttles.

** This was actually stolen from a Hutt by my PC, Tobin Stryder. So strictly speaking they weren't expecting those lot.

The only time you see shoot & loot is on Ep IV (correct me if I'm wrong) - Luke and Han loot the stormtroopers for PLOT... so, next time the troupe try to loot simply state 'This is SW not d20 D&D/PFRPG.. I've allowed it up to now, but let's get into the STORY & SETTING of the game and let scavengers loot the bodies.

If the players do not co-operate, send in the clowns, goons, stormtroopers, espos, corsec, security droids etc etc.. whatever....

Or... do a camera sweep: The camera now cuts to you back in the ship (or where-ever they need to be), nursing wounds and bruised egos, with the sound of sirens coming from the streets....

The only time you see shoot & loot is on Ep IV (correct me if I'm wrong) - Luke and Han loot the stormtroopers for PLOT... so, next time the troupe try to loot simply state 'This is SW not d20 D&D/PFRPG.. I've allowed it up to now, but let's get into the STORY & SETTING of the game and let scavengers loot the bodies.

If the players do not co-operate, send in the clowns, goons, stormtroopers, espos, corsec, security droids etc etc.. whatever....

Or... do a camera sweep: The camera now cuts to you back in the ship (or where-ever they need to be), nursing wounds and bruised egos, with the sound of sirens coming from the streets....

The game can go into situations far beyond what is shown on the screen. Consider the desires of everyone at the table. There are occasions where looting can be useful (and even interesting), but there are times where it might be tiresome too. Where it is found along that scale is likely to vary greatly from group to group.