Impossible Item Drop: Difference between revisions

[[File:elvenmoneyspider 3479.jpg|link=Elven|right|[http://www.elven.co.nz/?webcomic_post=elven-8-unidentified-longsword Who knew?]]]

 

 

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

 

Compare [[Vendor Trash]] for when enemies drop items that you can't use, but that can be sold for ones that you can. Compare [[Money Spider]] for enemies dropping money. Also see [[Randomly Drops]].

 

* 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.

** As a [[Lampshade Hanging]], ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap|The Minish Cap]]'' states that tiny little people called Picori hide useful items in random places in order to make life easier.

* 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.

* Averted with ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'', where monsters drop very... unusual items that make perfect sense for them to have. Of course, this is the game that decided to justify [[Money Spider|most monsters dropping money]] by using meat as the [[Global Currency]].

 

* 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.

 

* This trope is used by several different enemies in ''[[Diablo]]'', but the most [[Egregious]] example is the Swarms: swarms of insects able to drop items like pieces of armor.

 

* The monsters in ''[[Dungeon Siege]]'' drop money and items at random.

* ''[[EverQuest]]: Champions of Norrath'' on the [[PlayStation 2]] features Fire Beetles, which only stand about half a foot tall, but can end up dropping longbows, swords, giant war mauls, and various forms of armor along with gold.

* ''[[Monster Girl Quest Paradox]]'' has this all over the place. Admittedly all the enemies are sapient, but many of them wear [[Stripperiffic|close to nothing]] or [[Full-Frontal Assault|nothing at all]], which raises the question of where they're carrying these things.

 

* Creepers in ''[[Minecraft]]'' normally drop gunpowder, which [[Action Bomb|makes sense]], but if they're killed by a stray arrow from a skeleton, they drop a music record. Guaranteed. Killing Zombies will have a rare chance of them dropping Iron Swords, Iron Shovels, or an Iron Helmet and Zombie Pigmen may drop Golden Helmets, even though only a small percentage of these two enemy types actually use this equipment.

 

** It's even worse in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations|Revelations]],'' when bomb components are added. Why, exactly, would a halberd-wielding palace guard be carrying deadly poisonous datura powder?

** [[Fridge Brilliance|Guards tend to confiscate things from criminals they apprehend, and a pickpocket could have anything depending on who was the last person they stole from.]]

 

* Parodied in ''[[GURPS]]: Creatures of the Night'' which includes a completely immobile plant monster that comes complete with a treasure trove full of things that are useful when trying to kill plant monsters. Why? Because it enjoys murdering adventurers and taking their stuff (which it then buries somehow).

* ''[[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.