Is it a it weird that people are IDing ears? I suppose - but diviners exist, magic exists, there's been IC explanations thought up for far weirder things happening. That is not to say it's a perfect system. I fully believe rethinking the trophy system, would create more oppurtunity to encourage better faith roleplay and more engaging, nuanced scenes (see ideas below).
I firmly believe that removing ears (or should I say a trophy in general) will do absolutely zero to improve RP quality, because removing mechanics does not somehow miraculously make a bad actor somehow stop being a bad actor. Removing the beast belt did not somehow reprogram Paladin players who were skirting the rules to gain a mechanical advantage against the RP of their class - It just gave them less oppurtunity to out themselves - which I personally think should have been leant into.
The elephant in the room in this discussion IMHO is that there is varying tolerance around evidence of defeat existing within a RP setting. People don't like to lose and they especially don't like to be reminded of it. The idea that a trophy may exist, in someone's chest, or quarters, or pinned to wall for eternity? Even less so - this to me is the main problem with trophies - but instead of pushing to remove a perfectly useful and benefitial IC arbitration mechanic, perhaps we should instead be finding an elegant solution to solve the above problem - that still allows for scenes to end cleanly on both sides.
Foreseeable Problem 1
Without a trophy mechanic, you have no access to definitive passive proof. Without definitive passive proof, you need active proof, which means an audience that can back up your claims. So, do people start to bring more numbers? Do they try and now prioritise public acts? Even these are still not definitive. Let us put aside that there is actually zero IC reason why a trophy cannot be taken from a body and extrapolate that a system that does not allow an individual to achieve proof, is going to have the opposite effect in terms of encouraging gank squards and zergs, even to kill one singular person - if they are specifically being asked IC to provide such.
Foreseeable Problem 2
Bad faith actors will actively try to rewrite the RP record, to try to protect their ego OOC and without definitive IC proof, players are only left with OOC proof - logs, videos, screenshots and we all know how quickly that RP scene is going to descend into OOC hostility, DM reports and more work.
The more unbelievable the event and the more certain players have to lose, the more likely IC will be targeted for retconning and pressure will be exerted OOC for this to happen. I've seen this happen personally in conflict I've been part of, its a real thing. People aren't happy with a result and suddenly the "Hey let's do this again - or organise something that fits better with how I wanted this to go" OOC starts coming. Literally the only thing that proves something actually happened IC, is a trophy of some kind. RPing out IC that you killed someone without proof you actually did, only works if they actually stay dead - because that's your undeniable proof. When someone pops up the next day and claims ignorance that the event even happened (And in the current rules they wouldn't remember anyway), you're trying to RP the old "If a tree falls but noone is there to see it, did it happen" debate.
Foreseeable Problem 3
Opting out. Players (rightfully) have the ability to simply opt out of whatever trophy/proof gathering RP they don't want to be part of. Don't like the way a scene is unfolding and you're subdued? Simply give up and exit. Don't want to be taken prisoner, or be part of RP you're not comfortable with? You don't need to be - take the light, you no longer need to have any connection to whats going on around your characters body at all, if you do not wish to - they take an ear, or whatever trophy and we all move on. End scene.
So what happens when an irresistable force meets an immovable object sans trophies and you have one side that are desperate to get their proof (For whatever IC reason) and the other that is determined to opt out at any cost and doesn't fancy being subdualled and then taken prisoner to be dragged back to "insert ringleader paying for a message to be sent"? - you get increasing hostility and frustration on both sides OOC, both who believe they are within their own right to follow the relevant choices they are taking (and they both are) and yet, the chance of this being resolved without a whole load of OOC drama and back and forth is practically zero.
A trophy ends the above dilemma & scene immediately. One side gets to remove themselves, the other gets their definitive proof. There is no need for a neverending manhunt where both sides are fighting a battle of OOC will - either (I don't want this situation to happen) vs (I want this situation to happen). We already have enough of this with wars that break out and have no mechanical way of resolution, we don't also need it on the everyday level also, with simple conflicts between characters.
So some ideas:
- Link divination to being able to identify the ear and who it came from
- Increase DC to be able to identify, the longer the trophy has been seperate from the host
- Perhaps have something less physical? Dogtags? Papers?
- Biodegradable objects. Who wants to keep a trophy forever anyway?
- Why can't you simply leave a mark, or get some proof, without having to outright murder someone? The head issue was always weird that it was literally your head being parading in front of you. Ears are less weird, but still weird - why not find ways to encourage death to mean more, by making "being seriously injured" the norm in PvP instead of -dead-.