Arelith

This isn't exactly a bug so much as an unintentionally abusable mechanic with the new [Take possession] option on unclaimed/unowned items which allows anyone to change the names/descriptions of items without dweomercrafting them first.

It is now possible to create 100% authentic-looking counterfeit skull objects, with absolutely no way for anyone to figure out ICly that the item is a fake. For example, anyone can bash a body of someone who died, take their head, and rename it to "Elminster (Male Human)" or whatever else they'd like. Previously you had to enchant the head with weight reduction to do this, which provided a clue that the object had been tampered with.

This allows the potential for PCs parading heads around of people who never actually died, or claiming bounties on PCs who they haven't actually killed - and there's no IC countermeasure against this.

I think this is pretty cheesy and while I would probably report anyone I suspected of doing this, by the time any such report could be filed, the damage to the story is already done. If we can't forge people's signatures on written notes we probably shouldn't be able to counterfeit people's severed heads with basically zero effort. Perhaps the [Take possession] option could simply be disabled for PC skulls?

You would need to also disable it for the skulls that occasionally drop from monster spawns too, wouldn't you?

I can look into disabling it for PC skulls but I'm not really sure it'll curb the issue. If someone wants to rename a skull to be someone elses, they'll put the (little) money in to do it.
I'd rather disable renaming skulls entirely if we were going this route. I'd rather this than just disabling [Take Possession] for PC skulls only.

After some testing it looks like I was mistaken (or this was changed recently); [Take possession] is not actually possible on PC skulls. But it is an option for the random loot drop Skull objects that some monsters drop, which look identical, so it is still possible to create a 100% authentic-looking fake by modifying a loot-drop skull (and I have seen this happen IG recently).

I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of being able to make 'fakes' but I think there needs to be some IC clue that it's a fake. Previously the 10%/20% weight reduction on it was a hint that the head had been tampered with.

But removing all renaming for all skull objects also wouldn't be a bad idea either (PC heads and random loot drops included)

we use it for generic naming for things to use in rp but not obvious fakes like those listed above.

Elf skull, gnome thighbone those such things shouldnt be restricted just because we have one or two total cheese heads and no not the ones who cheer for the packers

Eliminating the naming of skulls would be devastating to the burgeoning Gnomish science of Phrenology.

The main reason that bashed corpses leave player heads is so that they can be identified for rped bounties

If we want to allow heads to be so easily forged, that basically removes their usefulness.

So either we remove pcs leaving heads after bashing - as it serves no puprose other than a sick ooc ego boost, not even as proof as it can be easily forged.

Or we remove the ability to forge player heads.

To be honest I'm happy with either outcome.

Removing heads might be pretty neat if assassins instead could collect like a 'certificate of successful completion' but then again this would edge out all contract killing that isn't done through the guild.

What bugged me about head collecting is that most everyone survives it and it's just awkward to work around. I don't think there's an easy solution.

It's also the corpses you can rename, then bash to create an authentic looking head. Other than disabling it for these types of items.. it depends what people do with it whether it will be an issue or not.

Suggestion forum.