Similarly, I know how it is to be in a town in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, but to only be concerned with looting the treasury.
I also know how such a view usually gets you killed, arrested, hung, lit on fire, eaten, or some other horrible fate.
It's quite different when you're outside the loot goggles affect. My current party- of which I am, in fact, not the DM, is suffering from Loot Goggles.
I'll list them.
Blades (The Paladin):
Blades views any shiny cool magic item (such as the swords the BBEG minions are wielding) as the DM mocking him, toying with him, and meaning for him to have them. He then gets considerably annoyed when the minions just won't hand over the weapons without a fight.
We've got enemies to kill, and he wants to go steal a suit of armour from the dwarves, or from BBEG minions, or the like. It's slow work convincing him that, I don't care if it's in his backstory, it's a CAPITAL B Bad Idea, and that he should worry about such things when the threat of zombie apocalypse has been averted.
Mongoose (The Ranger):
This is the chief offender. Mongoose the Ranger (The Elf Ranger, descended from a long line of Keebler Elves, apparently) is, apparently, Chaotic Good.
So, naturally, he spends his time stealing everything that's not bolted down, everything he can carry, and attacking random passerby for their loot. He has the most severe case of loot goggles I've ever seen. He refuses to do the smart thing, the good thing, or even the crazy random thing, in preference of stealing everything he can.
I've tried to talk him out of it. I've tried to use logic to illustrate why this is a CAPITAL B Bad Idea, and will get him arrested and/or immersed in boiling magma.
Nothing works. We're currently on a mission to avert Zombie Doom, and he wants to go loot some rich evil guy's house, even though that sideplot will probably result in the village giving us all that guy's stuff for free, after we have averted zombie apocalypse.
But noooo. Mongoose needs to loot. He shouldn't have taken Elf. He should have taken Kender. He's that bad.
Vlad (The Cleric):
Chaotic Good. As a cleric, he doesn't really need to loot, rather playing the diplomacy angle like I have. However, he's also of the view that anything the less savory members of our party do to advance 'the party' *Cough*Themselves*Cough* should be allowed because "Heyyyy, it's all good"
That said, he's a cleric, and there really isn't much I can do to him.
The casters don't need to steal loot, they can make their own. And they're casters- why the hell do they care that we found a chest of gold when they can go salt a cow.
Kerrus (The Monk) AKA ME:
I like looting. Especially when it's looting loot from killing an enemy, or from the reward the town gives you for saving their bacon. I'm not as big into robbing every passerby blind when I'm not playing a CN/CE character.
I'm similarly not that big into beating the **** out of people who won't surrender said goods, in order to obtain said goods.
I'll be happy to steal stuff when I'm running a character that's neutral or evil AND nonlawful. But Good? Really? Are you bloody well sure?
So I want suggestions on how to deal with this. The current suggestion is that I decide to deal with those most affected by the loot goggles (of which the Ranger is the top contender- the Paladin's goggles seem mostly harmless, and he's a paladin. The DM will punish him worse then I ever can if he gives into his looting urges)
This means stunning fists to the face, taking their ****, and reporting them to the bloody law. This means splitting the *******ed party because, while sure, it'd be easier to look the other way, that's not the character I'm playing.
I've warned them. It's going to get ugly if things continue on, I suspect.
they'll be in jail, they will need to make new pc's.
who will have to not be loot goggles
or if they are, then chaotic neutral
but Chaotic Good?
They Sound Like Chaotic Stupid.
Chaotic Good seems to be the new Chaotic Stupid, as most DM's have been banning chaotic neutral in addition to the evil alignments
The literal loot goggle.
Anyways, Greedy MFer Syndrome is not an uncommon issue. If it's really as bad as you say, however, you have on your hands a more extreme case than I've ever experienced, myself.
The cure is wholly in the hands of the DM, and involves a stretch of the campaign where NOTHING is valuable. NO loot. NO treasure. NO income. With this, there should also be a lack of NEED for these things, and a catch-up period afterwards (or beforehand). The length of time needed, as well as the in-game circumstances behind it, are totally up to the DM's judgement.
As far as what YOU can do? Yeah, stunning fist sure will put a damper on their immediate looting activities, but it's unlikely to solve anything in the long-run. The most long-term solution I can think of that's totally in your control is to roll up a character that doesn't mind. Beyond that, talk to your DM about the health benefits of a looting fast.
If everyone is playing one kind of game, and they are happy with it, then why try to ruin it all if you could make a different character who would also be happy with it?
Your character is a good guy. None of the others in the party are. Your character should leave or accommodate. As you say, there is no real reason for him to be there.
The only real consequences for erratic or overly greedy behavior is when the DM actually has something bad happen as a result. If that never happens then he/she's fine with that kind of game as well.
The best way to handle game disputes is out of character though. You have a problem with a way a player is making his character act, talk to the player about it, not the character -- unless your goal is just to strike up an RP conversation without really changing anything.
The Cleric isn't really so bad, and the other casters don't like it, but have kind of been silent on the subject.
Mostly, this is probably me overreacting as a character- I'm running lawful good. Most of the party is running lawful or chaotic good. There's maybe one chaotic neutral, and he's never around.
I really just consider it to be a character fact- and even then, my character wouldn't have as much a problem if the ranger would only invest some time to come up with reasonably reasons for looting, and do some roleplaying to that respect.
I'll even, OOC, help him come up with such reasons, maybe get him to take advantage of those ranks he's been putting in bluff.
I mean, I know what the goggles are like- I've been there myself. It's just that this one guy (The paladin is infinitely more sensible) has issues. And I'm going to try and resolve things, but at the moment it's getting kind of ridiculous.
Most of the party is running lawful or chaotic good.
That may be what's on their character sheet, but I don't really think that's what they're running ...
Mr. Kleptomaniac elf, especially, seems to be leaning to the evil. Well, more like falling headfirst into it.
His view is that his character is good-ish and will do good, sometimes selfless acts, but at the same time, he will take any opportunity to steal anything he can.
So eh... Anyways, I've talked to the DM about it, and he's assured me that if loot goggles doesn't shape up, it's going to bite him in the rear.
I get the idea that his 'idea' of chaotic good and everyone else's is fairly different.
His view is that his character is good-ish and will do good, sometimes selfless acts, but at the same time, he will take any opportunity to steal anything he can.
So eh... Anyways, I've talked to the DM about it, and he's assured me that if loot goggles doesn't shape up, it's going to bite him in the rear.
Which is about all you can do, really. Please, when it happens, let us know. I'm morbidly interested in the fallout from this one. :D
That said, it sounds like the other players need to grow up a bit and stop worrying so much about their pretend shiny objects. I'd be in the same boat as you in your situation, despite my advice above.
Turn them in. OR, give them a taste of their own medicine and steal from them. If they try to specifically search through your stuff, then tell them that is metagaming.
Beat them up and take their loot.
Wait till one of them is down and vulnerable; beat them to death, and take their stuff. If they protest, point out that they did it to other people, who were presumably at least as innocent as them.
If the DM hasn't had any repercussions for a Good character who attacks people and steals their stuff, then either:
There will be no repercussions for you.
or
The DM is a jerk and you should quit this game. He's being inconsistent and arbitrary, and singling you out for punishment that others did not receive.
For fun, you may wish to point out that you are going to do this. Perhaps this will get either the "loot goggles" taken off, or the DM to pay attention to what is happening in his game. If it isn't OK to beat people up and take their stuff, there needs to be consequences.
Wait till one of them is down and vulnerable; beat them to death, and take their stuff. If they protest, point out that they did it to other people, who were presumably at least as innocent as them.
If the DM hasn't had any repercussions for a Good character who attacks people and steals their stuff
The DM is a jerk and you should quit this game. He's being inconsistent and arbitrary, and singling you out for punishment that others did not receive.
Many DMs don't punish players for playing whatever alignment they want, but do decide to step in whe it comes to inter party fighting. That doesn't make them a jerk, it makes them someone who wants their game to run smoothly.
Many DMs don't bother looking at the alignment written on the character sheet, and keep their own notes on the subject (I know I do). So while the sheets may say LG, a troop of paladins might be questing to save this town from the evil bandits that have been terrorizing them.
I have to say this sort of action on the OPs part will basically get him yelledat, hurt peoples feelings, and probably ruin the game.
My advice is for the OP to remake his character into someone who will fit with the party, might I recomend NE, CE, CN, or TN. OR bring it up to the dm, and ask for some sort of in game consiquence for their actions, if he feels none is coming. I wouldn't be suprised though, if the DM's response was "heh, yeah don't worry. I wanted to give them time to dig their hole nice and deep before the good guys show up."
If the DM decides that you should remake your character, not them, consider the following character exit.
_the other PCs find out that your PC is going to turn them in for what they have been doing. Not only that, but he might even be planning to kill them at night and return their stolen stuff. They have to take him down before he does._ At this point give your sheet to the DM, who can then say that your character has vanished during the night, and they ought to track him down. They can do this side quest, while you are rolling a new guy.
are they getting XP? (they shouldn't be)
eventually thier bags will get too full to carry.
1 pound for every 50 coins
equipment has weight too.
no one will want to trade for thier trash.
thier faces will probably be posted on the nearest tavern doors.
adventuring parties will eventually go after them, (dm should really optimize said parties. each deadlier and larger than the last. and spammed to prevent thier recovery, betray your chaotic stupid enemies you hate, and join these uber parties.)
or, theres "Rocks Fall, Everyone dies!"
...
*runs*As for XP, we're running on a nonstandard XP per Encounter/useful action system. So rewards for roleplaying, humour, and killing stuff. Keeps the party fairly balanced, and killing random peasants has no reward at all.