How recognizable is a dead body after 30-60 days?

[Dragonwriter]

Possibly Probably Almost-certainly not accurate on the subject, but it might give a little inspiration for setting the scene.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtA1jqIJJDw&feature=related]Young Frankenstein Freshly dead - YouTube[/ame]

Anyway, as others have said, if insects and vermin have access, little-to-nothing will be left, especially after 30 days.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Thanks for the responses so far. The dead body situation is flexible enough where it could have been 30 days or 60 day or even 2 weeks.

The reason I ask is that an acquaintance of the PCs left their hometown about 3 months ago in game and journeyed to the city where they are now, but met with an untimely death. I just wanted to see about how long since the death they would have to see if the corpse was still recognizable to them. The consensus seems to be less than 30 days, but I'm sure since there was an evil ritual involved with his being slain, maybe the magic preserved his corpse a bit longer than usual?

 

[Dragonwriter]

Depending on the game/edition, there are a number of ways for the decay to be halted.

D&D3/3.5: Gentle Repose spell is the simplest answer. It actually fully stops decay... but it wouldn't be hard to tweak the spell into "Slowed Rot" or something along those lines.

4E: Make up a ritual.

Either way, if an evil ritual was involved, the body could very well bear marks of the ritual. Cuts forming symbols and runes is classic imagery.

 

[Janx]

and don't forget the temperature.

I'm from MN. By december, it's freezing. certainly below freezing by the second half. I don't know what new england is like, but it is also "farther up north". So its probably also mostly cold by then (though probably not AS cold). Google requires more reading, but does imply, it's also a cold place.

And if the body is hanging in a warehouse, the number of rats climbing down the chain/rope to eat on it is greatly diminished.

that place will probably have more in common with a refrigerator than anything else. I wouldn't want to eat him, but odds are good nothing much else has either.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Depending on the game/edition, there are a number of ways for the decay to be halted.

D&D3/3.5: Gentle Repose spell is the simplest answer. It actually fully stops decay... but it wouldn't be hard to tweak the spell into "Slowed Rot" or something along those lines.

4E: Make up a ritual.

Either way, if an evil ritual was involved, the body could very well bear marks of the ritual. Cuts forming symbols and runes is classic imagery.

Thanks - it's a 4E game. However, the bad guys got to this NPC and did their evil ritual on him, and then left his body there for reasons unknown to the PCs. So, I can just say the ritual left this NPC's body barely recognizable...

 

[NewJeffCT]

and don't forget the temperature.

I'm from MN. By december, it's freezing. certainly below freezing by the second half. I don't know what new england is like, but it is also "farther up north". So its probably also mostly cold by then (though probably not AS cold). Google requires more reading, but does imply, it's also a cold place.

And if the body is hanging in a warehouse, the number of rats climbing down the chain/rope to eat on it is greatly diminished.

that place will probably have more in common with a refrigerator than anything else. I wouldn't want to eat him, but odds are good nothing much else has either.

My wife was contacted by a company in the Minn/St. Paul area several years back and we looked into the area and the climate, and I think MN is generally colder than southern New England (where I am located), but it is also more dry in MN.

 

[amerigoV]

Appearantly in Oakland, bodies decay before they are even dead! (or they are particularly well preserved long after death - not sure which)

 

[NewJeffCT]

Appearantly in Oakland, bodies decay before they are even dead! (or they are particularly well preserved long after death - not sure which)

You got ahold of Al Davis' audition as an extra for season 2 of "The Walking Dead"!

 

[UnknownAtThisTime]

You got ahold of Al Davis' audition as an extra for season 2 of "The Walking Dead"!

I must correct you. That is the Cryptkeeper.

 

[jmucchiello]

If you want the party to be able to recognize their dead friend. Give him a ring or a necklace that they know he always wore. Just make it cheap so the cultists don't steal it. Then no matter what the state of the body, they can still identify it.