What do you guys do with corpses?


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion

51 to 61 of 61 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>

like most i remove the mini and draw a splotch in that square, just cuz somebody will want to search the body before someone else gets a chance. i never thought of making it difficult terrain though, i like that and am gonna do that


As a DM? Medium size or smaller mobs are removed and their previous locations marked. Spaces treated as open. Large or larger mobs are removed and their previous locations marked. Spaces grant cover and count as difficult terrain.

As a Player? If the creature was an NPC humanoid with all their HD based on class levels, probably ignore it. If the creature was a monster with mostly racial hit dice, reanimate it as a bloody skeleton if it had no more hit dice then my caster level, as a fast zombie if it had slightly more hit dice then my caster level, or cast gentle repose and pop it in a bag of holding if it had too many hit dice to make into either and I needed to level up before reanimating it as one of those two.


Malisteen wrote:
As a Player ... reanimate it ... or cast gentle repose and ... level up before reanimating it as one of those two.

My Players generally harvest spell components from anything cool. Worth more than a mere skeleton. They take claws and eyes and teeth and blood and all kinds of cool things.

One dwarf has Craft, Leatherworking. After defeating a Hydra he spent a day collecting blood and skinning it. He plans to craft himself a belt of fast healing during our upcoming DT with the aid of the party wizard. Needless to say, with the expensive components in his possession from adventuring rather than having to pay retail price for them, he will get this magic item quite cheap.

FWIW,

Rez


Rezdave wrote:
healing[/i] during our upcoming DT with the aid of the party wizard. Needless to say, with the expensive components in his possession from adventuring rather than having to pay retail price for them, he will get this magic item quite cheap.

Rarely do I play in games where the DM would allow such. Even in such a game, there's fortunately rather a lot you can harvest while still leaving a corpse sufficiently intact for reanimation, especially if you're making a bloody skeleton. Even zombies need very few of their organs. Hollowing out the inside of a huge or huger flying monster to form the chassis of a necromantic airbus* leaves a lot of left over eyes, lungs, hearts, and such for all your rare component needs.

*Who needs overland fleight or teleportation circle? Animate Dead provides all the party transportation I need, especially with Haste or Remove Paralysis allowing for speedier models. Add Invisibility Circle for a stinky yet functional version of Wonder Woman's invisible jet. :D


With the new channel positive energy rules we leave them on the field. We've only had them get back up 1~2 (two different groups) due to "reckless healing" however.


Abraham spalding wrote:
With the new channel positive energy rules we leave them on the field. We've only had them get back up 1~2 (two different groups) due to "reckless healing" however.

Ah, the new channel energy rules. Yet another reason players shouldn't be penalized for CdG'ing downed monsters.


Malisteen wrote:
Abraham spalding wrote:
With the new channel positive energy rules we leave them on the field. We've only had them get back up 1~2 (two different groups) due to "reckless healing" however.
Ah, the new channel energy rules. Yet another reason players shouldn't be penalized for CdG'ing downed monsters.

Our way of thinking is "Which is better, to let them bleed out over the course of several minutes to several days, or to give them a quick death? We aren't going to save them, so at least we can speed them on their way."


Malisteen wrote:
there's fortunately rather a lot you can harvest while still leaving a corpse sufficiently intact for reanimation, especially if you're making a bloody skeleton.

That's a judgement call, IMHO, depending upon how destructive the DM feels that the harvesting process is. Personally, unless you're just skinning the thing, I'd say that getting the best parts requires enough structural disassembling that you can't reanimate it as a skeleton, much less a zombie (which probably needs skin as well.

Basically, it needs to be an either/or.

FWIW, I run a lower-magic game and definitely low-economy. I encourage adventuring for components in order to custom-make magic items by otherwise-impoverished PCs (even higher-level ones). Besides, it's fun and Players really appreciate magic items they made themselves that have that sort of depth and personal investment.

R.


Rezdave wrote:
Basically, it needs to be an either/or.

That's purely GM fiat, on top of the reduced cost of magic items made with monster parts being, afaik, entirely GM fiat to begin with, with maybe the exception of dragonhide. Unless the GM is nerfing Animate Dead with house rules, that can be done in any campaign.

But while we are ad-libbing it, if you're making a bloody skeleton, all you need is the skeleton and enough blood to dip the bones in. All the skin, fat, organs, and so on are obviously free to harvest. For zombies, that again is very much GM fiat. Zombies see without eyes. They have no metabolism so there's no reason to assume they need any internal organs. They can't speak anyway, so no need for a tongue if they don't use it for a natural attack. Likewise teeth aren't needed unless they have a bite attack. There really is no reason to think they need anything more then a skeletal structure and enough meat to hold it together.

Quote:
FWIW, I run a lower-magic game and definitely low-economy. I encourage adventuring for components in order to custom-make magic items by otherwise-impoverished PCs (even higher-level ones). Besides, it's fun and Players really appreciate magic items they made themselves that have that sort of depth and personal investment.

No problem with that, if your players are happy to play in it. On the other hand, Animate Dead already has an expensive material component cost. If you don't want your PCs creating undead monsters, just ban it. Plenty of DMs outright forbid the creation of undead creatures by PCs, so if that's your intention, then state it up front. But don't let a player make a character concept centered on animating the dead, say it's fine, and then heavily punish not only them but their party as well for playing it.


I was about to post the rhyme starting

"A Corpse is a Corpse, of course, of course"

then realised someone has done it on another thread


Loztastic wrote:
"A Corpse is a Corpse, of course, of course"

Which thread? My version was always:

A corpse is a corpse, of course, of course,
And no one can talk to a corpse of course
That is, of course, unless the corpse is the famous Mr. Dead.

Go right to the source and ask the corpse
He'll give you the answer that you'll endorse.
Yes, you'll get plenty of discourse.
When you cast Speak With Dead.

51 to 61 of 61 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / General Discussion / What do you guys do with corpses? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in General Discussion