Loot Distribution Policy

v1
Jan 13, 2026 · 2.2 KB · 1 min read · by Aldric Brightshield

Loot Distribution Policy v1

Loot Distribution Policy

Overview

Loot distribution is the leading cause of party disputes, party dissolution, and party-on-party violence. This policy exists because adventurers cannot be trusted to divide treasure fairly on their own.

Standard Distribution Models

Equal Split

All loot is divided equally among surviving party members. Simple, fair, and the source of complaints like "but I did all the work" from the barbarian who hit things while the healer kept everyone alive.

Need Before Greed

Items go to the party member who can use them most effectively.

  • A magic sword goes to the fighter, not the wizard
  • A spellbook goes to the wizard, not the fighter
  • Gold is split equally
  • Disputes over who "needs" an item are resolved by party vote
  • If the vote is tied, the item is sold and the gold is split

Known issue: The rogue will argue they "need" everything. This is expected behavior.

DKP (Dragon Kill Points)

Points are awarded for participation in combat, scouting, healing, and support activities. Points are spent to bid on loot. Unused points carry over between quests.

This system is fair but requires bookkeeping. Questboard provides a DKP tracking tool in the party management dashboard.

Cursed Items

Cursed items are not loot. They are liabilities. The party member who picks up a cursed item owns it. Do not attempt to redistribute cursed items through the loot system.

If a cursed item has monetary value after the curse is removed, it enters the loot pool at that point. The cost of curse removal is deducted from the item's value.

Questboard's Cut

Questboard takes 15% of all monetary loot and 10% of appraised item value. This covers:

  • Quest matching and administration
  • Dispute arbitration
  • Insurance premiums
  • Resurrection services (Gold tier and above)
  • Maintaining the Tavern API infrastructure

Disputes

If a party cannot agree on loot distribution:

  1. Questboard arbitration panel reviews the case
  2. Each party member submits a written claim
  3. The panel decides based on contribution, need, and who is being the most unreasonable
  4. Decisions are magically binding
  5. Attempting to circumvent a binding decision results in a curse (administered by the arbitration cleric, non-negotiable)