Tuesday 3 March 2020

What Happened to the Bodies?

PCs often end up killing big monsters, or large numbers of humanoid ones. (For example, it wouldn't be unusual to have the PCs kill a dozen orcs in a confrontation.)

This would leave a big mess. As a DM I have tended to deal with this on an ad hoc basis but I wonder if there is a more systematic way of doing so. For example, here is a table to determine what happens to the bodies (or body) after a battle with humanoids or a big monster such as a giant, dragon, manticore, etc. You would roll on this table whenever the PCs return to the scene of a battle in a dungeon.

Humanoids

1-4 - The bodies remain as they lay, but have attracted small scavengers who are now feeding on them* (roll to determine whether these are 1 - Reptiles, 2 - Mammals, 3 - Insects)
5-8 - The bodies remain as they lay, but have attracted large scavengers who are now feeding on them* (roll to determine whether these are 1 - Reptiles, 2 - Mammals, 3 - Insects, 4 - Monstrous**)
9-12 - The bodies have been disturbed and looted (the looters are still nearby on a roll of 1-2 on a d6)
13-16 - The bodies have been removed by allies (the allies are still nearby on a roll of 1-2 on a d6; they are of the same type (1-4) or a different species (5-6))
17-19 - The bodies have been mutilated and defaced by rivals (the rivals are still nearby on a roll of 1-2 on a d6; they are of the same type (1-2) or a different species (3-6))
20 - The bodies have mysteriously disappeared (they have been e.g. taken away by a necromancer to turn into undead, taken away by body snatchers for parts, taken away for food by intelligent cannibals, and so on)

Large monster

1-6 - The body remains as it lay, but has attracted small scavengers who are now feeding on it* (roll to determine whether these are 1 - Reptiles, 2 - Mammals, 3 - Insects)
7-12 - The body remains as it lay, but has attracted large scavengers who are now feeding on it* (roll to determine whether these are 1 - Reptiles, 2 - Mammals, 3 - Insects, 4-6 - Monstrous*)
13-16 - The body has attracted humanoids who are cutting it apart to obtain the skin, organs and so on for magical or religious purposes*
17-19 - The body lies pristine and untouched (because dungeon denizens are afraid of it; because it is haunted by the spirit of the original owner, etc.)
20 - The body has mysteriously disappeared (they have been e.g. taken away by a necromancer to turn into undead, taken away by a magic-user for ingredients, taken away for food by intelligent dungeon dwellers, and so on)

*If a period of time longer than 3 days has passed, the bodies/body have been eaten or picked clean and now lay as carcasses
**'Monstrous' indicates a carrion crawler, otyugh, pudding, ooze, etc.

8 comments:

  1. Something that may or may not be considered monstrous are non-hazardous fungi that grow at astounding speeds, consuming carcasses before other scavengers arrive.

    And three days may be fast or slow for a dungeon environment. In some places where there is little water, they may very well mummify. And animate on their own?

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    1. Yeah, I like those ideas a lot. You would also need something completely different for wilderness battles, where scavengers would be on the go more or less immediately.

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  2. This is news I can use! Nice one mate, added to the war chest.

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  3. Give clerics a funeral ability. Creatures with souls that are not given funerals have a chance to come back as angry undead but players don't alwaya have time to perform funerals in the middle of adventures. Provides for some old school style logistical decisions and can make more low-key clerical abilities important.

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  4. Is this purely inside the dungeon? Because birds would be a good addition the small scavengers entry if it's in the open.
    Though on the other hand, blind dungeon crows make for a nice set piece, no?

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    1. Just take your favored scavenger and add "blind cave" to its name :)

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    2. That might work with anything.

      Blind cave orc
      Blind cave giant
      Blind cave swanmway

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    3. Swanmway?

      Blind cave scarab beetle?

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