Impossible Item Drop: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

[[Random Drop|Plenty of enemies in games drop items]] when they are defeated.

 

{{examples|suf=s}}

=== Action Adventure ===

* In ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' series, most enemies (and [[Die, Chair, Die!|random objects like pots or bushes]]) drop rupees, arrows, bombs, magic potion vials, and hearts at random. Also, anytime you get a new item that requires ammunition (bow, bomb bag, slingshot, etc...), the ammunition that never dropped before suddenly starts appearing everywhere.

* If you can kill it in ''[[Cave Story]]'', it will either drop [[Evolving Weapon|experience crystals]], [[Heal Thyself|hearts]], or (if you have the missile launcher) rockets.

 

* In the ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' MMORPG, most non-humanoid opponents drop items instead of, or in addition to, money. While there is some attempt to make the items dropped match the creatures in question, it is often forced, such as making the bodies of most types of carnivorous animals - including things such as harpies and giant spiders - edible delicacies and/or requisite components for items the players can make or trade for. These are often also [[Plot Coupon]]s for one or more quests as well. Even so, it is not unusual for a deceased opponent to leave behind something that makes no sense at all for them to have had.

** Raid boss class enemies, however, typically [[Money Spider|hoard both gold]] and 2 to 6 pieces of equipment [[Randomly Drops|(out of a total loot table of 8-12 specific items)]], regardless of what they are. Sometimes the equipment is mildly appropriate, such as a weapon the enemy was seen to use, a dragon's jawbone one may wear as a helmet, or something thematically linked to the enemy's lore. Most items, however, have no reason whatsoever to be upon this particular boss. One may wonder why exactly does Ragnaros, a massive fire elemental lord, have a vast collection of pants for every class in the game.

* The enemies in ''[[Warhammer 40,000]] [[Dawn of War]] 2'' randomly drop various articles of [[Space Marine]] weaponry, armor, attribute-enhancing Purity Seals and other stuff. While it could be justified for the Orks, who are notable plunderers and looters, and even for the Eldar who might just happen to be carrying these things back to their base to study, but it is entirely confusing for the [[Horde of Alien Locusts|Tyranids]], who have no need for such things and no means to ''carry'' them. And there is still a question of why and, most importantly, how would they lug around armor plates from a [[Mini-Mecha]] Dreadnought?

** Tyranids eat literally everything, and have no internal digestive system—they instead leap into digestion pools created by Tyrannoforming so the Hive Fleet can reclaim the raw materials. Presumably, the items they drop are whatever made it through being eaten intact enough to salvage.

** Mostly averted in the earlier ''[[Warhammer Dark Omen]]''. Your enemies are humanoids or, occasionally, huge monster spiders/scorpions, so if they drop a treasure chest or a potion now and then, it doesn't look too conspicuous. Moreover, if an enemy group carries an artifact (like a banner that invokes lighting bolts), they will actually have sense to ''use'' this artifact against you! And every enemy keeps their eyes open for some unattended goodies and will not hesitate to pocket them.

 

* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' usually attempts to justify monster treasure in their Monster Manuals; the more savage varieties of monster tend to have the gear of previous attempts at killing it strewn in their lair, while more intelligent ones like how it looks. The ''really'' dumb or bizarre monsters don't have treasure listed for them at all.

 

* Spoofed by ''[[Penny Arcade (Webcomic)|Penny Arcade]]'' in [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/12/6/ this comic].

* ''[[Dragon Mango]]'': Parodied; Mango receives a suit of [[Breast Plate|fashion plate mail]] for swatting a mosquito, then wonders how killing a bug made armor appear. (Answer: it was a [[Incredibly Lame Pun|drop bug.]]) She later has to assure her mother that she didn't hack anyone for it.

* ''[[Undertow]]'' came up with an interesting explanation on [http://undertow.dreamshards.org/1/u1_16.html this page]. The author's idea was the loot came out of the stomach of the monsters from unlucky adventurers they had eaten. [[Squick|Ew]].

* This trope in action gave Ardam a [[Heroic BSOD]] in ''[[Adventurers!]]'', when a small fly somehow dropped a piano.