Alavatar
Baron
Standard Methods for Dividing Treasure
by Alavatar Peece et al
Greetings to any who reads this document! Know that by reading this document and utilizing the methods outlined herein makes both I and your adventuring companions breath easier. These standard methods being defined is an effort to make dividing recently acquired assets less dramatizing and breed less ill will among the your fellow adventurers.
It is important that whenever an adventure is about to take place with colleagues that are not your normal traveling companions that one of the below methods is defined before embarking.
History has shown that more often than not the subject of wealth distribution not being defined beforehand has lead to squabbling, infighting, distrust, and resentment. These are not good traits to foster in people who you are trusting with your life or who are trusting you with theirs. These feelings are often created when distribution methods were not agreed upon in the first place and, at the time of dividing loot, there is the perception, real or not, of favoritism or unfair advantages. Peoples perceptions are often skewed on this subject especially when the method for dividing the loot isn't decided until after the treasure is found.
By designating the distribution method beforehand everyone will know upfront what to expect when the chore of dividing treasure is conducted. There may still be hard feelings, but the impact of these feelings will be lessened by the initial expectations being set.
I offer the below Standard Methods, numbered and labeled for easy collaboration, for adventurers to utilize. I make no claim on any copyright or license of these methods. As such, copying this document is permitted.
Method 1: The Default (Loot Your Kill)
If items of "significant value" are found it is the author's recommendation to at least use one of the following methods.
Method 2: Random Distribution
Method 3: The Town Battle
Method 4a: Group Shares - Random Distribution version
Method 4b: Group Shares - Town Battle version
Method 5: Need before Greed
Method 6: The Auction (for items of "significant" value)
Method 6 is more of a sub-method than one that stands on it's own; Method 6 is the best way to maximize your profits especially if the community auction option is selected, but relies on the adventurers to choose one of the previous methods as the basis of loot distribution. This method is recommended for use with Method 1, 2, and 3. Method 4 can use this, but it is up to the groups to see if they would rather have more coin or come to an agreement on the ritual scroll / magic item division. Method 5 should not need to use an auction since the premise behind Method 5 is rooted in need and not personal wealth.
by Alavatar Peece et al
Greetings to any who reads this document! Know that by reading this document and utilizing the methods outlined herein makes both I and your adventuring companions breath easier. These standard methods being defined is an effort to make dividing recently acquired assets less dramatizing and breed less ill will among the your fellow adventurers.
It is important that whenever an adventure is about to take place with colleagues that are not your normal traveling companions that one of the below methods is defined before embarking.
History has shown that more often than not the subject of wealth distribution not being defined beforehand has lead to squabbling, infighting, distrust, and resentment. These are not good traits to foster in people who you are trusting with your life or who are trusting you with theirs. These feelings are often created when distribution methods were not agreed upon in the first place and, at the time of dividing loot, there is the perception, real or not, of favoritism or unfair advantages. Peoples perceptions are often skewed on this subject especially when the method for dividing the loot isn't decided until after the treasure is found.
By designating the distribution method beforehand everyone will know upfront what to expect when the chore of dividing treasure is conducted. There may still be hard feelings, but the impact of these feelings will be lessened by the initial expectations being set.
I offer the below Standard Methods, numbered and labeled for easy collaboration, for adventurers to utilize. I make no claim on any copyright or license of these methods. As such, copying this document is permitted.
Method 1: The Default (Loot Your Kill)
- Loot your own kill
- Treasure on the ground is free to grab
- Treasure in a container is divided randomly after the adventure, should it be remembered
If items of "significant value" are found it is the author's recommendation to at least use one of the following methods.
Method 2: Random Distribution
- Designate a person to be in charge of loot
- All loot is collected into a central container
- Coin and valuable objects are divided evenly
- Production items are randomly distributed before identification, drawing one or two at a time from the central container
- Ritual reagents are divided randomly
- Ritual scrolls are divided randomly before identification, often by die roll
- Magic Items are divided randomly before identification, often by die roll
Method 3: The Town Battle
- Designate a person to be in charge of loot
- All loot is collected into a central container
- The person in charge of loot does the following:
- Production items are identified and their values logged
- Illegal substances are not logged and either immediately handed over to the authorities or destroyed
- Coin is counted and noted
- Valuable objects are assessed and noted
- Assign a value to Ritual Reagents; record the number of Ritual Reagents and their value
- Magic Items are identified
- Ritual Scrolls are identified
- Buyers for the Magic Items and Ritual Scrolls are found, the items are sold, and the resulting profit is noted and put into the central container
- It is recommended to ask everyone that participated if they have interest and how much they are willing to pay before looking outside the participation group
- It is recommended to have a notebook to record who bid on what as well as validate who payed how much for what
- A central "auction" is a quick an efficient way of processing this task
- Tally the total value of the loot in the central container and divide it by the number of folks that participated in the adventure
- Distribute the resulting value to each person, generally trying to keep the coin to production ratio even
- Production items are identified and their values logged
Method 4a: Group Shares - Random Distribution version
- Designate a person to be in charge of loot
- All loot is collected into a central container
- Define the "groups", generally either by groups of friends, guilds, or official House
- Distribute the treasure per Method 2, except by defined group instead of by individual
- Bias the group distribution based on participation (i.e. if 7 people participated, 3 are of one group and 4 of another, the loot is divided (3/7) to the first group and (4/7) to the second group)
Method 4b: Group Shares - Town Battle version
- Designate a person to be in charge of loot
- All loot is collected into a central container
- Define the "groups", generally either by groups of friends, guilds, or official House
- Distribute the treasure per Method 3, except by defined group instead of by individual
- Bias the group distribution based on participation (i.e. if 7 people participated, 3 are of one group and 4 of another, the loot is divided (3/7) to the first group and (4/7) to the second group)
Method 5: Need before Greed
- Designate a person to be in charge of loot
- All loot is collected into a central container
- The person in charge of loot does the following:
- Production items are identified and their values logged
- Illegal substances are not logged and either immediately handed over to the authorities or destroyed
- Coin is counted and noted
- Valuable objects are assessed and noted
- Assign a value to Ritual Reagents; record the number of Ritual Reagents and their value
- Magic Items are identified
- Ritual Scrolls are identified
- Production items are identified and their values logged
- The loot is then divided
- The party then gathers and discusses who could use what was found
- Items are distributed to those folks with the greatest "need"
Method 6: The Auction (for items of "significant" value)
- Magic Items are identified
- Ritual Scrolls are identified
- The party decides on the method of auction:
- Auction immediately within the group; use only coin and valuables on hand
- Auction immediately within the group; use coin and valuables immediately available (i.e. at your house/cabin)
- Auction to the community at an announced time
- Add the profits to the central container for the loot
- Divide coin and production based valuables (including the profit from the auction) per one of the above listed methods
Method 6 is more of a sub-method than one that stands on it's own; Method 6 is the best way to maximize your profits especially if the community auction option is selected, but relies on the adventurers to choose one of the previous methods as the basis of loot distribution. This method is recommended for use with Method 1, 2, and 3. Method 4 can use this, but it is up to the groups to see if they would rather have more coin or come to an agreement on the ritual scroll / magic item division. Method 5 should not need to use an auction since the premise behind Method 5 is rooted in need and not personal wealth.