ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

Whenever I drown people in town or use my rod of asphyxiation none of the townsfolk give any exp or drop any loot except rares which only drop a rare item and nothing else. Am I doing it wrong like a dumbo or did something change? I'm new to this drowning thing so any help is welcomed.

Normal townspeople have an incredibly small chance to drop anything. Only the rares drop things. That's why drowning people is a common tactic on insane+, where the game forces many rares to spawn.

Ohhhhh ok. Also do rares only give exp in towns or do they give no exp?