So for a campaign will be starting on Tuesday, will be playing a level 4 Nercro Wizard, through a series of traumatic breaks, decides to dig up her dead parents 20 years after their death and now has them in a bag she carries around with her at all times. So would one be able to stuff two human skeletons into a standard adventuring back pack or ruck sack ect?
The limiting factor is probably going to be the femurs, which are the longest bones in a human body. Look at your own thigh and think about whether that can fit in a backpack or not. It might, or it might not, depending on how tall you are.
That said, a lot of adventuring parties have access to a Bag of Holding, which would allow you to nicely sidestep the issue.
There are a bunch of variables to be considered before reaching a conclusive answer.
Were the decedents embalmed? Embalming doesn't prevent decomposition, but it does greatly extend the time needed. Were the decedents buried in a protected location? Even without embalming, placing the bodies in a crypt or in a stone sarcophagus will also prolong the time needed for decomposition. If the decedents' bodies were buried directly in the earth or left on the surface, the composition of the soil will affect the rate of decomposition. A body left in high-phosphate soil with an oxygen atmosphere will decompose very quickly, with even the skeleton experiencing significant decomposition after 20 years. But a body left in dry sand, or in a very low-oxygen environment like a bog, will remain largely intact for decades.
So if mom and dad were buried in a simple dirt grave on the family farm, after 20 years the remains of both of them combined will easily fit in a school backpack, or a briefcase if they weren't too tall. If mom and dad were interred in the family crypt, you'll need a medium sized rolling suitcase. But if mom and dad spent the last 20 years on an arid mountain top, or in a bog, you're gonna need a wheelbarrow.
So for a campaign will be starting on Tuesday, will be playing a level 4 Nercro Wizard, through a series of traumatic breaks, decides to dig up her dead parents 20 years after their death and now has them in a bag she carries around with her at all times. So would one be able to stuff two human skeletons into a standard adventuring back pack or ruck sack ect?
It is a bit much to carry around.
A Human skeleton weighs around 20-26 lb.
The bones alone is like 10-20 inches in length.
The limiting factor is probably going to be the femurs, which are the longest bones in a human body. Look at your own thigh and think about whether that can fit in a backpack or not. It might, or it might not, depending on how tall you are.
That said, a lot of adventuring parties have access to a Bag of Holding, which would allow you to nicely sidestep the issue.
pronouns: he/she/they
While I apologize profusely for the following, length isn't the issue really. Bones can be broken or cut. I'm sorry.
That's very fair, I was thinking someone might be averse to doing that to the remains of their parents, but it's certainly a possibility.
pronouns: he/she/they
There are a bunch of variables to be considered before reaching a conclusive answer.
Were the decedents embalmed? Embalming doesn't prevent decomposition, but it does greatly extend the time needed. Were the decedents buried in a protected location? Even without embalming, placing the bodies in a crypt or in a stone sarcophagus will also prolong the time needed for decomposition. If the decedents' bodies were buried directly in the earth or left on the surface, the composition of the soil will affect the rate of decomposition. A body left in high-phosphate soil with an oxygen atmosphere will decompose very quickly, with even the skeleton experiencing significant decomposition after 20 years. But a body left in dry sand, or in a very low-oxygen environment like a bog, will remain largely intact for decades.
So if mom and dad were buried in a simple dirt grave on the family farm, after 20 years the remains of both of them combined will easily fit in a school backpack, or a briefcase if they weren't too tall. If mom and dad were interred in the family crypt, you'll need a medium sized rolling suitcase. But if mom and dad spent the last 20 years on an arid mountain top, or in a bog, you're gonna need a wheelbarrow.
Anzio Faro. Protector Aasimar light cleric. Lvl 18.
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Ikram Sahir ibn-Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad. Brass dragonborn draconic sorcerer Lvl 9. Fire elemental devil.
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