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Hi, I have recently been playing a character whom I feel it would be against his nature to scalp anything let alone another humanoid. As I thought about it I am sure there are many other characters who should be against it too. While i understand that it is useful for the bounty, and that you could just rp dropping the scalp. I just think it would be simpler having it set of where you could turn it off in the config. While i am also aware there is no penalty for using it, i just think it detracts from roleplay. By seeing a Paladin or other good character taking off the scalps of someone who has just died, or standing there with it in their hands then dropping or burying it. Anyways just a thought. Thanks for reading.

This is a topic that has been raised recently, but is still a viable one (viewtopic.php?f=77&t=9415).

On a practical level - making it a toggle wouldn't be a terribly easy or ICly sensible (not that auto-scalping is sensible, mind you ) way of implementing this into code. As the previous discussion rightly says, the scalping is a bit of area code connected to various bandit mobs in the game, and not a hard code function.

My suggestion, which should be quite straight forward to do, would be to change the program from loading the scalp and giving it to the killer, to instead load the scalp into the corpse's contents on death. This would allow other people to pick them up in necessary, and means the kill wasn't necessarily in vain

Now there may be a reason for the code being currently as it is (it will only load a scalp if the mob is killed by a player character, and will always give it directly to that person), but I'm not aware of one so would be quite happy to see this change.

Thanks for the link, I really should use search more often.

The simplest solution would actually be to replace the "scalp" object with something less gory that would still prove that you have killed a bandit. If you have a suggestion, feel free to sent it to the builders address (or start a discussion on the forum then send the results to the builders address).

What about a bandits mask! a simple piece of cloth worn over the face?

A cheap necklace with bandit insignia? Worth a copper to sell but traded in at the gate perhaps?

Hmm. Now I'm wondering if the different bandit camps would have different insignia...

It has to be something you can only get from a bandit, otherwise those that kill the bandits themselves would be icly abusing the policy of Waterdeep. I've always found it strange, to be honest that the guards knew the scalps were from bandits and not from random people you may have scalped elsewhere. There are two suggestions I can think of.

1. Thief takers and bail bondsmen in the real world often hunted down bounties and escaped criminals for rewards. I'd suggest replacing scalps items with "stunned bandits' as an item that is heavy, cannot be placed in a container, but can be turned in at the gates for a more substantial reward like one platinum instead of the current reward. If you still choose to kill the bandit, you scalp him, but if you stun and return him you get a greater reward depending on if you can lift or carry them home.

2. The other I can think of is replacing the scalp with bags of loot that can be turned over to the guards or sold independantly to merchant outposts, since bandits more than likely stole it from the merchant caravan's on the road.

you know the bandit could just drop 1 gold, bypassing all the unnecessary work and giving you basically the same result (requiring only slightly less work on the player's part)

It has to be something you can only get from a bandit

I always thought it'd be cool to code a village full of nobodies with the same bandit scalp command, so evils can reap the benefit without having to fight someone who is able to defend themselves.

Like way back when localities use to give money for indian scalps, banditos would ride into mexican villages and scalp them all because they had the same skin color.

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I think scalp is the appropriate item to use, and I agree with Lathlain that it should be inventory dropped instead of given, so you can smote the deed if you take it...or when you take it you get the same echo as we get currently.

It used to be a plant program I think, where you did not see the bandit hand it to you, I'd welcome the return to that.

How about a "stolen goods" object, to be turned in at the gates for a reward, or sold on the market (with a alignment impact)? Value and weight random?

I like the bandit insignia idea, as well, or keeping the scalp in inventory (on death, so it can't be stolen).

Wouldn't Waterdeep only bother paying for scalps from bandits in the areas they control? Kind of pointless to spend money on scalps coming all the way from Cormyr.

What about an organization or guild with chapter houses / offices in different parts of Faerun that pay bounties on the item? If the desire to take it a step further is there make each office only accept certain insignias from the bandit groups preying in each area. Waterdeep Office only takes proof of bounties for slaying members of the Sword Coast Sword Boys, Sembia only takes proof of capture/death of members who belonged to the Fancy Pantsy Misanthropes, etc.