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RndmNumGen
2010-07-05, 10:59 AM
Alright, well I was running a game (not D&D, but it was an RPG so I figured I could post this here) were I had a magical mirror that created evil clones of themselves they had to fight. The basis of the mirror was that after the clones killed the original, the mirror ate the original's soul(thus how it gets it's power). Being the PCs however, they beat their clones after a very difficult fight and one of them shattered the mirror, which caused the corpses of all the mirror's previous victims to appear at their feet. These victims had magic items on them, useful equipment, scrolls and such and one even had a clue to finding the BBEG.

My players of course, promptly ignored these corpses and started getting ready to leave the dungeon. I guess they figured anyone who died to their clone wouldn't have any useful equipment or something, I dunno... anyway, after dropping several hints about jewlery on the bodies and such, I pretty much had to straight-out tell them to loot the corpses. I'm not sure I handled it the best way, however. What would be a more tasteful way to handle this situation in the future? Should I have just let them walk away from the dungeon without the loot? Maybe I should have been more descriptive about the items the corpses had (these same players have also looted nearly worthless trinckets off of people in the middle of the road, so I figured I corpse = loot for them and I didn't need to be that descriptive...)

CheshireCatAW
2010-07-05, 11:02 AM
A fairly quick and dirty answer may be making them roll perception checks of some type or the other. Or appraise checks. Something to tell them the items are more special than they originally judged.

Now, if they roll horribly on those challenges... well... then it's a bit murkier still.

Scorpina
2010-07-05, 11:03 AM
Generally, in a case like that, if they're ignoring hints I'd just let them go. It's not the DMs job to hold the players hands and spoon-feed them every little thing. In this case, they'll miss out on some loot and a clue, either of which they can get somewhere else later if you feel it's essential that they have it.

Kylarra
2010-07-05, 11:06 AM
Frankly, if my players aren't looting the corpses, I consider it a good thing. :smallwink:


On a more serious note, I'd just let them walk away from the loot and move the plot point elsewhere.

Shpadoinkle
2010-07-05, 11:07 AM
There is something seriously wrong with your players if checking the bodies for loot wasn't the first thing they did.

Lord Vukodlak
2010-07-05, 11:10 AM
A good way to handle it would be to have simply described some of the equipment as looking expensive. If they don't take that neon sign, they deserve to fail.

Mr.Moron
2010-07-05, 11:21 AM
DC 5 WIS Check: "[Character Name] gets a hunch that the equipment on the ground might be important to check out. Not only may it contain useful supplies, but given the circumstances there might be something bigger at work here. Maybe there is a clue to what that is in there"

hangedman1984
2010-07-05, 12:00 PM
you're players aren't looting the bodies every chance they get???
I..I don't..I don't even...wha??

Lord Vukodlak
2010-07-05, 12:01 PM
you're players aren't looting the bodies every chance they get???
I..I don't..I don't even...wha??

Not every game focuses on looting corpses for treasure, in say Legend of the Five Rings for example.

Shhalahr Windrider
2010-07-05, 12:08 PM
Generally, in a case like that, if they're ignoring hints I'd just let them go. It's not the DMs job to hold the players hands and spoon-feed them every little thing. In this case, they'll miss out on some loot and a clue, either of which they can get somewhere else later if you feel it's essential that they have it.
This.

Very much this.

For the loot, it’s simply their loss. For the hint… well, if it’s important to find, you as the DM can always lay another in-game hint somewhere along the line. It’s a hallmark of good adventure design to be ready to provide different hints, because PCs will miss at least one of them. So always make sure there’s more than one source for any necessary information. It will maintain verisimilitude and reduce the feeling of railroading.

Another_Poet
2010-07-05, 12:16 PM
Generally, in a case like that, if they're ignoring hints I'd just let them go. It's not the DMs job to hold the players hands and spoon-feed them every little thing. In this case, they'll miss out on some loot and a clue, either of which they can get somewhere else later if you feel it's essential that they have it.

This! But...

If you really, really wanted them to have the stuff, just have the corpses rise as 1 HD zombies and attack. Once the PCs kill them their normal "loot the bodies" instinct should kick in.

nedz
2010-07-05, 01:59 PM
In this sort of situation I normally wait until its too late for them to go back, and then tell them OOC :smallsmile:. You have to educate the players though remembering to loot the bodies is fairly basic.

Aroka
2010-07-05, 02:24 PM
If my players don't notice stuff, I let them not. Why wouldn't I? I avoid writing scenarios where there's a single critical clue at a single critical place that must be picked up and interpreted just right. And it's always been a dungeon-crawling RPG tradition to have a lot of treasure around that the players have to be clever and creative to even find.

That said, I also prefer running games where looting corpses isn't necessary anyway. It sets a bit of a bad precedent for running games in settings where you're not supposed to loot and murder every single thing that has interesting items on it... which I absolutely prefer over D&D-style loot-n-kill settings.

Susano-wo
2010-07-05, 03:53 PM
I think its strange if their normal routine is kill the dude, loot the corpse. If their normal routine is more character/story based, then it doesn't sound odd at all.

Also, I third or fourth the "put the reminder somewhere else" plan.

Also, assuming they are the type to loot only when they have a reason: its not "education" to tell them they screwed themselves. its just sniping at them and telling them to play differently. Now if they normally do loot, and just forgot, then that is different.

arguskos
2010-07-05, 03:59 PM
This! But...

If you really, really wanted them to have the stuff, just have the corpses rise as 1 HD zombies and attack. Once the PCs kill them their normal "loot the bodies" instinct should kick in.
Do this until they loot the damn bodies, right? Right. :smallamused:

Nah, but seriously, I tend to just let them ignore it. If they miss the hint, ok then. I'll work it in a few other times, and if they KEEP missing it, well, it's not my fault. When they get all surprised, I'll just point out the stuff they missed, and move on. As long as we're all having fun, they don't HAVE to catch all the hints. :smallwink:

stenver
2010-07-05, 04:11 PM
If my players dont search something, i let them leave. Also, my players arnt the usual loot everything. They usually loot after they have done the mission. Mostly because, time really is working against them. Almost always. So looting takes time during a mission and when you are trying to go in, do the mission and go out as fast as possible, you only loot the critical areas or when something really shiny actually stands in your way.

Aroka
2010-07-05, 04:30 PM
It's been said already, but always, always bears repeating: the most important rule of writing mystery scenarios for RPGs is redundant clues. (This is a specific version of the rule of "multiple ways to approach a problem".) If the PCs don't find the clue on the corpse, they find the clue in the book. Or the clue in the haystack. Or the clue in the chest. And so on. Alternatively they could find the thing all the clues pointed at by chance, just by saying "I search under the armpit of the statue" (or where ever the clues would have pointed).

You can also play some Schroedinger's Clue here - if a clue is absolutely critical, the PCs find it in the first place they look that could reasonably contain a clue. This is basically the same thing as above, though, because it works best if you make the clue fit the location it's found in. Once they've found clue C for subject #1, clues #1A, #1B, and #1D don't need to be found (although corroborating clues are fine; indeed, for paranoid, thoughtful, or stubborn players, corrobating clues may be essential, though some might get paranoid if everything in the adventure is pointing at the same door).

elonin
2010-07-05, 04:53 PM
I'd let them loose the loot. At the risk of saying it again; why are they not looting bodies in general? If they left the quest important item and it was just a clue maybe some other clue is available but causes them to take the "long way round". If it were some item they had better be able to get back into the horde. Another plot point is that if someone else is able to access the loot it may pop up again.

There was an adventure in Dungeon where if you didn't pick up a needed item before leaving a collapsing dimension they'd surely die. That is a bit extreme but in a way caution was given from multiple sources (a journal depicting what happened that also gives back story and watching the consequences happen to someone else). Is that a bit extreme? Not in my opinion if the players are paying attention at all.

Greenish
2010-07-05, 05:01 PM
It sets a bit of a bad precedent for running games in settings where you're not supposed to loot and murder every single thing that has interesting items on it... which I absolutely prefer over D&D-style loot-n-kill settings.Are you perhaps referring to any of the actual published settings, or to the way you think "normal" D&D is being played? :smallamused:

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-07-05, 05:05 PM
PCs are always overlooking stuff. I make sure I have at least two other clues for them to follow to the same place. (http://www.thealexandrian.net/creations/misc/three-clue-rule.html)

valadil
2010-07-05, 05:05 PM
If they miss a clue it shows up later. Usually. Depends on my mood.

If they ignore a clue it bites them in the ass. Someone else follows it. Or the enemies plans go through unmolested.

TheMeMan
2010-07-05, 05:12 PM
There is something seriously wrong with your players if checking the bodies for loot wasn't the first thing they did.

Indeed. In my games, we loot everything that isn't nailed down. Then we pull the nails out and loot the rest. I once looted a brick, for godsake.

Kaun
2010-07-05, 05:58 PM
I love when my players miss loot,

I used to keep a running tally of how many magical items they had missed just to taunt then when they were ****ting me.

I wouldnt even hide it in overly hard to reach places.

Some times they would even pick the stuff up then disregard it as worthless.

nargbop
2010-07-05, 07:29 PM
They lose loot? They lose. Don't care. As mentioned above, keep a taunt list.
...
They lose Plot? You lose.
There are a variety of ways to reintroduce clues to your plotline later. One way is to have someone else lower-level loot the bodies and come and gloat about it. Or come to a horrible end, with reports circulating around town as the PCs relax. Etc, etc. Dreams are also good, if the story is mystical in the slightest (and I'm guessing it is, by the mirror McGuffin).

Another_Poet
2010-07-05, 07:34 PM
Do this until they loot the damn bodies, right? Right. :smallamused:

Of course! Clearly one of those bodies is wearing a Necklace of Zone of Undead and until you strip their gear it's going to keep going off. :smallwink:

But seriously, I just meant the once. The idea being they might not think of checking random corpses they find as decoration but they are so used to checking the bodies of those they kill that it might prod their instincts a bit :)

Evard
2010-07-05, 08:24 PM
Alright, well I was running a game (not D&D, but it was an RPG so I figured I could post this here) were I had a magical mirror that created evil clones of themselves they had to fight. The basis of the mirror was that after the clones killed the original, the mirror ate the original's soul(thus how it gets it's power). Being the PCs however, they beat their clones after a very difficult fight and one of them shattered the mirror, which caused the corpses of all the mirror's previous victims to appear at their feet. These victims had magic items on them, useful equipment, scrolls and such and one even had a clue to finding the BBEG.

My players of course, promptly ignored these corpses and started getting ready to leave the dungeon. I guess they figured anyone who died to their clone wouldn't have any useful equipment or something, I dunno... anyway, after dropping several hints about jewlery on the bodies and such, I pretty much had to straight-out tell them to loot the corpses. I'm not sure I handled it the best way, however. What would be a more tasteful way to handle this situation in the future? Should I have just let them walk away from the dungeon without the loot? Maybe I should have been more descriptive about the items the corpses had (these same players have also looted nearly worthless trinckets off of people in the middle of the road, so I figured I corpse = loot for them and I didn't need to be that descriptive...)


Ok I read this and just had to respond (i will read the rest later.. maybe)... I've never played with a single person that didn't automatically go with "i loot" when they see anything that may be able to loot (bodies, chests, patch of grass >.>) seriously i had one person that would take the pants off a dead zombie >.<;;;

Warlock Odin
2010-07-05, 09:04 PM
Indeed. In my games, we loot everything that isn't nailed down. Then we pull the nails out and loot the rest. I once looted a brick, for godsake.

This is the rais en datre (hope thats right) in DnD regardless of value, my first DnD game i looted a silk pillow.

I also agree with everyone who says players who don't loot a corpse of his corpse is mad.

also maybe try the magpie approach and hint that there are sparkly objects to be had.

PairO'Dice Lost
2010-07-05, 09:11 PM
I usually take whatever it was they missed, subtly emphasize its importance, and reintroduce it later. For instance, in one of the PbP games I'm running here, there's a prophecy that the PCs should have gotten their hands on by now. Despite the fact that it was waved in their faces that it was stolen by one of the bad guys (literally waved in their faces--"Oh no, the prophecy's gone, we only have the last two fragments here!" *wave wave*) they decided to pursue other priorities. So a teleport mishap gave them a chance to run into an allied priestess who offhandedly mentioned something about the bad guy and the prophecy, and they'll be running into it again soon-ish.

Greenish
2010-07-05, 09:12 PM
This is the rais en datre (hope thats right) in DnD regardless of value, my first DnD game i looted a silk pillow. "Raison d'être". Besides, silk is valuable, and you don't see good pillows too often even IRL.

Warlock Odin
2010-07-05, 09:39 PM
"Raison d'être". Besides, silk is valuable, and you don't see good pillows too often even IRL.

Truly it was my simple orcs lucky day :smallsmile:

Also when the BBEG murders them all for not picking up the Kryptonite remind them of this with-

Remember guys, give a hoot always loot.

DracoDei
2010-07-05, 10:31 PM
I concur about the loss of loot being both not your problem and something that it might be perfectly appropriate to rub their noses in either OOC or IC, and that the clue should be available in some other form (but don't be afraid to put them through some IC grief to get it... like maybe a bandit king ends up with it and tries to sell it to him, but the exchange is actually an ambush to do what both bandits and adventurers do best: "Kill them and take their stuff".).

This may be a bit off target as a solution, but I couldn't help thinking that you should throw my Acorn Folly (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98448) at them... that should teach them the value of careful thought... adjust its HD, DR, and Energy resistances to where EVERYONE in the party will need to use the solution on it for MULTIPLE rounds. Otherwise... well if they are at all smart they will run away a second time to do further research BEFORE the first PC dies.

Eorran
2010-07-05, 10:35 PM
For the loot, I'd have some NPC cross paths with the PCs a suitable time later, loaded with all the treasure they missed.

Actually, that would be a hilarious recurring character - a sort of human vulture, who enters the dungeon just as soon as the PCs leave, then comes back with any loot they missed.

As long as they don't use him as a pack mule shortcut...

DracoDei
2010-07-05, 10:51 PM
For the loot, I'd have some NPC cross paths with the PCs a suitable time later, loaded with all the treasure they missed.
Absolutely not... that treasure should be gone forever, never to be recovered. To do anything else makes a mockery of encouraging good strategy and tactics.

Tiki Snakes
2010-07-05, 10:54 PM
Absolutely not... that treasure should be gone forever, never to be recovered. To do anything else makes a mockery of encouraging good strategy and tactics.

Or, as a half-way house...

The Human Loot Vulture finds and collects it all, and will sell it to the PC's. For reasonable prices. Although, obviously, there are costs involved... and he's got to look out for his margins... would you believe he's got five kids? They all need shoes you know.

Malificus
2010-07-05, 11:01 PM
Or, as a half-way house...

The Human Loot Vulture finds and collects it all, and will sell it to the PC's. For reasonable prices. Although, obviously, there are costs involved... and he's got to look out for his margins... would you believe he's got five kids? They all need shoes you know.
He does not need shoes. I can sell him reasonably priced, better than new, used camels and camel based accessories at crazy low prices.

His kids will not need shoes as they will no longer need to walk.

if food is a problem, simply eat the camel. There is no problem they can not fix!


On a more related note, I would add the plot hook again later, and leave the loot as lost. I have a person in my group who will tear down the enemy building so he can sell the lumber though, so i doubt this will happen to me.

Skorj
2010-07-05, 11:13 PM
This problem and many others like it is why I always arrange for some DM-voiced NPC to join the party. Not a true DMPC, necessarily, but some sort of hireling, bearer, guide, person being escorted, whatever. There's ususally something that fits the gameworld.

Having an NPC around who can say "hey, mind if I take this stuff? You don't seem to want it" cuts through all the hinting and whatnot.

HunterOfJello
2010-07-06, 12:09 AM
1.loudly roll some dice where they can't see them
2. hand one of the players a slip of paper that says something along the lines of, "you see a glint of golden light shine off of something in one of the corpse's pockets


3. either that one player will check it out alone, or tell the group to go pay attention to everything

Ajadea
2010-07-06, 12:34 AM
Let them leave. I've got enough dimension to my campaign worlds that they'll likely hit SOMETHING that gives them a hint sooner or later. They're not the only ones in the campaign setting, and the BBEG will continue with his/her plan whether or not the PC's are there to find it.

It probably helps that I always am running at least 4, usually 5-6, plot threads simultaneously, at least one of which has personal significance to one, if not all, of the PCs. My current game has 9 plotlines running. I may will add more at some point. If they can't find a single one, that's their problem, no?

Thajocoth
2010-07-06, 12:37 AM
There are several things you can do.

#1 - Boomerang - Let them go for now. Then they find out somewhere that someone knows where the BBEG is (or whatever was on that note). But this person went to that dungeon they just came from, and never came back. Bodies are still there when they return to look for the guy.

#2 - Doesn't Matter - What I would do - Let them go. I've got two other clues in the world that point to this, and invariably, they're headed to another one. (Never make a single clue or event game breaking if it does not occur.)

#3 - Shroedinger's DM - Anything the PCs don't know is fair game to change. Therefore, the clue was where they're going, not where they just were.

#4 - The Railroad - A doorway that previously had no door, that the PCs need to move through to escape, seems to have had a door closed in it. There's a very odd sort of locking mechanism on it, which is high up. Because you have to climb the door to unlock it, it's too difficult to take 20. The door is also covered in grease. Not the musical. The key is in one of the body's pockets.

#5 - The Puppeteer - Before you go, while searching the bodies for loot, you find...

#6 - The Passive Roll - "What's the highest Perception/Spot modifier among you?" Add a flat +10 bonus to the number. They passively took 10 and noticed something. Turns out, the highest person's spot+10 was precisely the DC needed.

#7 - The Metagame - "Guys, there's a plot critical item in one of these guy's pockets, and they're wearing the session's loot..."

#8 - The Refocus - Well, they never get to see my awesome BBEG then.

#9 - The Sudden Roll - Hey, everyone, roll a spot check! (They're thinking, "Oh crap! Incoming enemies!") To the highest roller: "You notice one of the bodies has gold coins falling out of his pocket onto the floor." If you are any vaguer than that, the PCs will stab the bodies or run away, not search them.

Mastikator
2010-07-06, 12:44 AM
Not everyone feels comfortable looting corpses, dude. Unless the PC's are sociopaths then they are probably just disgusted by the pile of rotting corpses and want to get away from them. Or perhaps bury them.
You really, really shouldn't force them to do stuff that makes them feel uneasy.
Instead go with Thajocoth's #3. I like that one.

Kylarra
2010-07-06, 12:45 AM
To be perfectly fair though, as a paranoid player, if my DM started trying to shove loot in my face, I'd be very suspicious of a trap. I mean a cursed item is what got us these doppelgangers to begin with...

Ajadea
2010-07-06, 12:46 AM
In the games I DM, the only plot-critical encounter is the first one. The one that replaces the tavern and draws everyone together. It tends to be crazy, plot-relevant, and really a big non-sequitor compared to the occurances that follow.

Skorj
2010-07-06, 02:03 AM
...#9 - The Sudden Roll - Hey, everyone, roll a spot check! (They're thinking, "Oh crap! Incoming enemies!") To the highest roller: "You notice one of the bodies has gold coins falling out of his pocket onto the floor." If you are any vaguer than that, the PCs will stab the bodies or run away, not search them.

I see you've done this before. :smallbiggrin: Of course, with players like Kylarra they might stab the bodies, then run away, just on general paranoia, but players of that quality don't usually need to be reminded to loot the bodies. :smallamused:

Thajocoth
2010-07-06, 02:21 AM
I see you've done this before. :smallbiggrin: Of course, with players like Kylarra they might stab the bodies, then run away, just on general paranoia, but players of that quality don't usually need to be reminded to loot the bodies. :smallamused:

I haven't done that before. I was just thinking from a players perspective. I'd stab the bodies.

veovius
2010-07-06, 03:03 AM
Heh. I actually have players that whine about being below WBL, but after they kill anything bigger than a CR1 or 2 goblin or orc, they forget to loot! At level 4, they're down a Handy Haversack, a +2 rapier, a couple +1 weapons, and I forget what else..... It's sad because they loot the crap out of the 12 goblins they kill, taking their crappy swords and piling it in a cart!

Earthwalker
2010-07-06, 03:39 AM
If the players miss a clue then they miss it. I am sure you can work something in later if you want them to find the clue.

As this wasn't DnD then perhaps not looting corpses is the way things are done. I know a few systems where the effort of looting a corpse isn't worth it normally or where it appears unprofessional.

If they normally do loot all corpses then maybe going for a perception check to notice some loot is fine, I can't say as I don't know the operating procedures for the group in questions.

Ingus
2010-07-06, 05:15 AM
Please do not feel offended by the paragon, but in some way and with less, less, less importance, beeing a DM is quite like to be a parent.

You have to make your players learn how to play (especially if they're new on it), trying in the same way not to let 'em derail and go rogue and, on the other hand, let 'em free to develop their style of playing.
You can't be too paternalistic, you can't be too much of an external arbiter.

Back to the example, did they not loot the corpses for roleplaying purpose (i.e. "respect for the deceased") or just for distraction?
Moreover, was the hint on the mirror essential to the developing of the adventure plot? If not, you should let them pass by with no clue.
If yes, you should learn a stern DM lession: your party is likely not to do what you expected, despite how obvious and clear it is: put them on a huge, huge X couldn't be enough. Seriously.
So, have a backup plan to give them the hint they need or let them just fail a mission: best way is not to have win/lose outcome till the end of the campaign, but instead advantage/disadvantage situations. This would not end the game and in the same time hurt the PCs in a way that they would like to avoid, next time.

Also, as pointed out, I found very useful to talk to the players in the aftermath of a cycle, expecially to those unexperienced. I told them what I was expecting, what they did and we (cheerfully) confront on the outcome, so everyone knows what eventually went bad and weather was for misfortune (bad rolls, bad timing) or for players' sake.
Also, having a party composed of a wide range between almost first timer and 1st, 2nd, Advanced, 3.0, 3.5, 4th optimizer, I've found useful to do after session breafing with the newbies. We exchange opinions and feelings and I put up some suggestion.

Yes, it is difficult to be a DM :smalltongue:

Amiel
2010-07-06, 05:18 AM
You possibly may need to develop the ability to improvise and think on your feet. This, in turn, may ultimately lead to some thrilling and memorable adventures.

Aroka
2010-07-06, 06:30 AM
Are you perhaps referring to any of the actual published settings, or to the way you think "normal" D&D is being played? :smallamused:

Not sure what you're asking exactly, but in D&D, your enemies usually have gold, jewels, and magical items on them, or hidden nearby; indeed, in 3.5, the system breaks down if there's not tons of such things to loot.

In say, HeroQuest, there's essentially no items, and if you do find a special item, you develop its use as an ability.

In the RuneQuest games I run, players are certainly free to loot enemies if they get greedy, but they're going to have to find someone to actually barter the things to, and it's usually not worth the trouble. Scavenging at need may happen, though. Treasures are more likely to be actual objects of quests - you enter the Hero Plane to acquire the Magical Sword of Jimmijammi, and only dare to do it because you need the power of Jimmijammi to defeat the dragon of Phoney. What mundane items you need, you get from your clan and family; when you're rewarded, it's with cattle or land, and that goes to your family.

In Conan d20, you do loot everything, but only as a sort of compulsory activity, and what exactly you loot doesn't matter, unless it's a plot-important item. Everything you get will be gone by the start of the next adventure anyway - usually along with your personal arms and armor - either lost through misfortune or spent on alcohol and carnal pleasures.

In Legend of Five Rings, touching the dead is impure, so you don't even think about that. And taking a dead man's possessions would just be dishonorable. The things you need will be bestowed unto you by your daimyo. Rewards are even more social - often nothing more than glory and commendations, but those are very important.

And so on... different settings have different paradigms.

RndmNumGen
2010-07-06, 10:09 AM
Hmm... Well, thanks for your advice everyone. It is a little late for this session I guess, but in the future I can do better by probably relocating the clue somewhere else (I also like the idea of a scavenger running in after them and looting everything they miss, then selling it at horribly inflated prices).

Amphetryon
2010-07-06, 10:27 AM
For the loot, it’s simply their loss. For the hint… well, if it’s important to find, you as the DM can always lay another in-game hint somewhere along the line. It’s a hallmark of good adventure design to be ready to provide different hints, because PCs will miss at least one of them. So always make sure there’s more than one source for any necessary information. It will maintain verisimilitude and reduce the feeling of railroading.
Just to chime in with a different perspective, I've had players that complained about the 'All Roads Lead to Rome' feel that can crop up when this tactic comes up. Rather than reducing the feeling of railroading, it increased their perception that they were on the train tracks, since the main plot appeared to follow them regardless of their choices. YMMV.

Theodoxus
2010-07-06, 10:31 AM
In my first session of my latest campaign the party were all coming online after being mothballed in a creation forge. So, naked and confused, they stumbled around as klaxons were blaring. They fell down a hole into a small pool where the corpses of four adventurers were piled up. They immediately looted the bodies, gaining a few mundane articles of arms and armor. And then the corpses rose up an attacked them.

No one died... ruining my joke: In Russia, Corpses Loot You!

Fun times though.

Zen Master
2010-07-06, 10:37 AM
For the denser type of players - which is, sooner or later, pretty much all players myself included - it sometimes pays off to be quite specific in descriptions.

'As you break the mirror, it explodes in a cloud of glass shards. As the shards crash against the marble floor, a thick mist clouds the room - and from the mist drops numerous dead bodies. The corpses of former adventurers, who didn't manage to defeat the magic clone the mirror created. You notice several items that look interesting - swords, armor, amulets and rings.'

Hell, they might even recognise someone - a noble (and adventurer, of course) who was reported missing earlier in the game.