Mind you, I am one of the players in our campaign, not the GM. And yet...well, with every single monster that we kill, we basically dismember it for items. Once, an elk attacked us and after it was dead calls of, "I pry out its eyes" and "I take its lungs and heart" were abound...When everyone was done, there was absolutely nothing left of the poor creature. The blood-stained dirt was literally taken away. Its getting to the point of rediculousness. One time our DM was mad and simply said, "You know what? It disappears and one of those little gravestones from video games appears where it was". Needless to say, we took the gravestone and an ample amount of gravesoil.

This whole situation is getting kind of stupid. As a paladin, I take none myself, but attempts to stop my party from destroying every trace of existance of any creature we face has been rebuffed. Anyway to try and get them to stop?

Hmm you're a paladin eh? Well if you lucked out and picked a diety that likes nature you could start going ape-shit when they tear apart dead animals. That might not work too well but worth a try :P

What classes are in your party?

Perhaps you should begin to take a closer look at how much 'ample amount of dirt' weighs.  Or maybe Elk head's weight or what size of backpack you need for this.  This would stop some of the silliness.

Others can be stopped by some logical wandering monsters, packs of something smelling the dead elk being carried in the party.

Or my personal favorite for all these long years as a DM, the NPC Fireball or Acid breath, destroying the cumbersome and the useful items at the same time.

Being a player not much that you can really do except always force march the party, encumberance and force march are an unhappy couple.

Just some ideas that entered the old dome right away.

Hope it helps.

Thanks man, I will relay this to the DM while trying to do what I can as a player to keep everyone toned down

Great ideas Istivan!

Your DM should also keep track of alignment shifts. Mutilation is definately not a lawful or good act. And if you are a paladin(assuming you are a good one), just being in that kind of company can cause you to loose grace.

Maybe the DM can have the townspeople act aggressively towards them because some kids playing saw the whole thing.

Also, a nice visit from a VERY powerful druid or ranger might make them think twice.

So what's wrong with taking apart a dead animal? A druid should not have a problem with it as long as the items are being used with respect... making bone needles and knives and such, tanning the hide for leather bags and clothing, or armor... The Native Americans used everything, they where not evil (some where, but you get that in every race) now if this shredding is being done for the sake of shredding, with no actual goal in mind, or for the sake of greed, then a paladin or ranger or druid should step in.

Tell them to stop, and if (when) they don't shape up, with hold "Lay on Hands" (accept in emergencies) and other paladin abilities/spells. I like the force marching idea. Pray for divine guidance. If they are mercenary, bargain with them… Find something they care about and use it against them (politely… you’re a paladin after all).

If what they are doing is actually evil (again, taking apart an animal corps is not in and of itself bad) then you will eventually have two choices... lose your paladin status, or leave the party.

Any thing else, the DM would have to do... if you work with him, they could kill an elk that had some sort of disease (annoying, but not crippling), then when all the players get covered in it's blood by taking it apart, you are the only one left with out the disease. If this happens after you tell them you are with holding your abilities... Then they have incentive to listen to you. (Assuming you are high enough level to cure disease)

Again, anything else I could come up with would be the responsibility of the DM. Such as what happens when they kill and tear apart the pet of… (insert vengeful good guy here… or perhaps town leader or maybe a small child)

  I just wouldnt play with people like that, just up and stop playing till they shape up, and have a serious game, if they are mutalating the animals for no reason, don't really see how thye could use it eyes?

First off, encumbrance has to count - if the player can't carry the stuff themselves then they need donkeys or a wagon, which can lead to hostile encounters.

If the players have gathered too many magic items and it's getting ridiculous, you could engineer a capture scenario where the players have no hope of success and get imprisoned. Give them the means to escape - maybe throw them down a pit/ dungeon after their stuff has been stripped off them or kick them out of the fort naked . When they eventually get out, return to civilisation, somehow gear up again and go back to reclaim their valuable property, they find that the place is deserted and the captors must have moved on, probably selling all the loot from the players and retiring!

That happened to me once, after we'd got over the anger and despair we realised that it was ultimately necessary.