Has any thought been given in the AL rules about monsters looting player's equipment? I just played in a game where the DM's kobolds started looting my character's unconscious body - they started running off with my holy symbol and my melee weapon, 22 gold and my explorer's pack. The rest of my party killed the kobold and the only thing I lost were the 22 gold and the rapier before the session ended. (We were all ranged characters - a cleric, a ranger and a bard - and had been kiting them the whole battle before they caught up with me. they knocked me out and started looting my body.)
If they had managed to take my bow and my holy symbol - I would have been completely ineffective and I may as well scrap the character (Archer cleric - bow and holy symbol are kind of important) Since I planned on playing this character on Wednesday at a different table, I would have be going into that session without these things.
Similarily - I can see potential griefing if a monster manages to loot and run off with magic items.
Looting IS totally in character with the monsters we were facing (Kobolds in the first episode of HotDQ who are looting Greenrest) and for a home game I would have had no issue with it - however for a campaign like AL I'm not sure it's entirely kosher.
I don't think the ALPG covers it - but maybe it should.
(And before anyone goes off on the DM being a dick - he actually probably did it to save the party, as the kobolds probably would have swarmed the (1st leve) ranger and bard and took them out too. There were about 6 kobolds and 2 cultists left when they started looting me.)
I wouldn't recommend that the AL go so far as to create rules about this. It's hard to create rules that address nuance.
Instead, I'd refer to the "golden" rule of AL (emphasis in the original):
"Make decisions and adjudications that enhance the
fun of the adventure when possible."
It sounds like your DM was at least trying to do that in your case. After all, the first Kobold could have easily cut your bowstring (replacement bowstrings aren't available in the PHB 
) and stolen your holy symbol. But instead, your party was saved and (I think) the players ended up having fun.
The ranger and bard should consider hanging raw meat on the outside of your backpack so other monsters can be attracted like this and wiped out, too. ;o)
how come you lost your rapier and 22gp? the kobolt who stole those ran away and the team didn't catch it?
Personnaly like TheBreen said, the DM job is to make sure the party have fun.
Looting you was to avoid a TPK, so that was a great idea from him
If the kobolt would have stoled a magical item, I would have made sure that the item come back (if you find the den of the kobolt, the magical item will be waiting there for you or that same kobolt come back next encounter etc... and as a DM when you kill the monster I would say that you reconize your magical item and take it back.
Sorxores wrote:
It's weird how people want to adventure in a world - until their effectiveness gets undermined.
The game world doesn't care about your effectiveness (unless the GM is adding meta game elements to the game world)
Do you want certain parts of the game world blocked out, like blocking out looting kobolds, so as to protect the meta game quality which is effectiveness?
If you want to play in the game world as is, you can't have that AND have your effectiveness protected.
If you don't mind blocking out/severing parts of the game world and want that to happen, okay, just pitch it that you don't want a 100% authentic game world.
Actually, your Ranger without a bow is still a Ranger. Go track down the Kobolds that stole your stuff! Take the fight to them. The DM might be hesitant to make another all-out fight, but you might catch up to just the two before they reach their den. Or, if not, then they can be the only ones there when you get there. Either way, stealth in and grab your loot (and possibly any you guys missed from them getting away) or just go in and kill the Kobolds.
A DM can make that into a fun "mini-adventure" to end off the mod or the DM can just handwave it say that you guys tracked down their lair, found your stuff and no Kobolds and you guys got away with your stuff. A DM that takes your things and doesn't give you a chance or method to get your things back is *Doing It Wrong*.
I'm perfectly fine with monsters looting PCs, if it makes sense based on their personalities and intelligence. But as far as I consider, it's fair game - anything the PCs can do to an NPC, the NPCs can do to a PC. And if the NPC makes off with a magic item? Score one for the NPC. The PCs can try to hunt the NPC down later, that's perfect fair as well.
Noon wrote:
Oddly enough it's come up. At one session of HotDQ (not official AL, though), the party did all drop late in the 'Seek the Keep' mission, but most of them stabilized and woke up later. I had the kobolds loot the loot they'd taken from other looters they'd defeated but not their basic gear (they all already had weapons and such, and general 1st level adventuring gear is hardly hoard-apropriate).
I always find it very problematic when the PC's go around slitting the throats of sleeping goblins, but if the goblins knock the PC's to zero they merely loot them. To me, that makes the goblins more heroic than the PC's (though I guess if you're running an evil campaign, that could be an interesting reversal)
Tashiro wrote:
Noon wrote:
Tashiro wrote:
I've been in a few rodeos in terms of OP campaigns. Let me throw this out there. One of the AL rules is that you can only have/use a limited number of permanent magic item. If you already have a magic item and other players don't, they get first dibs on magic items in the game. So let's say Greedy Player takes item in very first adventure and writes it on his log. Then later he knows that another item is in an adventure he is about to play, and he wants that one instead. He gets together with his home DM and says, "I don't want this item anymore, I want the new item. So in this adventure you have the goblins knock me unconscious and take the item so that I can get the new item in the next adventure."
I have nothing to add to the question of looting PCs except that I would never do it in an OP campaign. I would do it in a home campaign, as long as I gave the PCs a chance to get it back in a later session. I do not know that I will have that chance in an OP campaign.
Oraibi wrote:
Interestingly, in Lost Mine of Phandelver, at one point it mentions that if the monsters defeat the PCs, they leave them unconscious, but loot them. And it says the PCs can purchase replacement gear when they get to town. How, exactly they're supposed to do that when they've been looted, and therefore have no money, I'm not certain?
and this topic is hilarious. Im seeing a bunch of players around a table playing characters and a bunch of kobolds rush in the room stab each player in the back and then make off with their ipads, androids, iphones , wallets, and dice.
In this case, Id call the cops.
In terms of characters though, if its within the scope of your monsters to do this go for it. If they are likely to get even MORE money from trying to sell an unconcious party member into slavery, well no point killing them then. Just tie them up with the other prisoners.
TheGimper wrote:
Oraibi wrote:
I would note that DMs that are overtly fond of having the NPCs take the PCs equipment and supplies over and over again may end up with players who refuse to play at their table.
In smaller venues where there are limited tables, this can directly affect a store's numbers. So in a very real sense, players who refuse to play because of a DM can impact a store's bottom line.
And I wonder who the store will favor, the one DM indulging their sense of "realism" or a whole group of players who refuse to come in to play with him and potentially spend money?
Tashiro wrote: