Harvesting monsters for fun and fashion.

Occasionally, a gentle party of scholars, priests and musicians will be diverted from their quest for
knowledge by the sudden urge to become bloodthirsty big game hunters. This often occurs if they
encounter a creature known for its thick hide, petrifying gaze, or urine that acts as a universal panacea. But the seemingly harmless question of “what can I harvest from this corpse and how much is it worth?” can lead to a host of issues, so it’s helpful to be ready ahead of time.

Some campaigns might require special substances and resources for certain spells, scroll inks, potion ingredients or rituals. A few monster hunts might prove fun, but these could quickly turn into a chore. It may be best to save them for only the rarest of ingredients, or the inclusion of monster-harvesting can prove to be a tax rather than a bonus.

If you do allow it, be aware that it will require more work in monster ecology design. You’ll need to keep the rules of your world consistent. It’s not an MMO in which most of the monsters suddenly prove to be skinless mutants missing their ears, half their claws and one eye as soon as you pull a hunting bow on them. Metagame rules should also be considered, with the value and use of materials dictated to some degree by the challenge rating of the creature as well as its unique abilities. But beware of breaking this down into an abstract scale that might go against common sense, and make sure that characters still have sufficient motivation for questing rather than suddenly providing them with near-infinite exotic fur and
organ trading opportunities.

The moral issues of monster-hunting and corpse-harvesting might also prove a potential problem, depending on players’ real-world perspectives, their characters’ beliefs, and the rarity, intelligence and alignment of the prey in question. Harvesting a horn from a hostile demon might be more acceptable than from a frolicking unicorn, or the purest hart at the heart of the holy druid grove. But there are plenty of gray areas in between that might require some cautious negotiation.

The issue of harvesting can affect even supposedly common spell components. Traditionally, wizards have been swallowing spiders, squeezing bats for droppings and plucking owls bald since the dawn of the
D20. This escalated quickly into hunting basilisks and will-o’-wisps for eyes and essence, and some of the most popular systems still abide by these somewhat arbitrary rules. But it might not be appropriate for
your campaign, so be ready to substitute required components when necessary. (If you waive them for wizards altogether, throw your sorcerers an extra feat for balance.)

Even the furs and pelts of foxes and pine martens are likely to fetch a gold coin or four, though your characters might find them more valuable as familiars. So by all means allow your characters the occasional wyvern claw trophy necklace or suit of dragonhide formal wear. Just try to avoid distracting them too much from their heroic destinies with the temptation of a lucrative black market business in fae organ smuggling.