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The magnificent mansion spell states:

When the spell ends, any creatures inside the extradimensional space are expelled into the open spaces nearest to the entrance.

Based on these two questions, it was determined that corpses are objects and that objects could be 'given' to the mansion (though I'm not sure I'm satisfied with that conclusion):

Regardless, if we take that conclusion as given, suppose I provided the servants poison for the entire banquet and had them use it to massacre a 100-person dinner party. When others attempt to find the deceased using divination magic, what sort of reading would they get? Assuming they could figure out where the bodies were, how could they go about recovering them?

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    \$\begingroup\$ I haven't actually tried this in-game. But it could either be a great scheme for an evil character I have to get get a lot of bodies quickly or an interesting plot hook. \$\endgroup\$
    – Pyrotechnical
    Oct 21, 2016 at 23:52
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    \$\begingroup\$ Sorry to break the inmersion but the servants, as the spell states, cannot do something that would harm a creature directly. Yup, I'm that fun at parties. \$\endgroup\$
    – Chepelink
    Oct 22, 2016 at 11:42
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    \$\begingroup\$ I don't think poisoning is a direct harm as described. I could have a servant bar the door then summon a monster to kill everyone, while the servant's actions may have contributed to the harm of others, it did not happen directly. Similarly, in my initial statement the servants simply put poison in the food, they didn't directly cause 6d8 poison damage, the poison did. \$\endgroup\$
    – Pyrotechnical
    Oct 22, 2016 at 15:36
  • \$\begingroup\$ "Direct" in the 5e sense refers more to the intended action and interaction rather than the way that action is delivered. Example: a wizard will cast a fireball to an empty space without hurting anyone in the apparent immediate future. The servant push a PC into the path of the fireball; in 5e the wizard did not harm directly the PC (is an indirect harm), but the servant did harm directly the PC even if he didn't cast the fireball. \$\endgroup\$
    – Chepelink
    Oct 22, 2016 at 16:15
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    \$\begingroup\$ We interpret the direct harm aspect differently. Regardless the original question's intent I think remains intact because my character could just massacre the party himself and lock the door on his way out and I would still like to know how someone else finds the bodies. \$\endgroup\$
    – Pyrotechnical
    Oct 22, 2016 at 16:42

2 Answers 2

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Objects are Ejected When the Spell Ends

As of October 2020, the latest Sage Advice Compendium now says:

What happens to objects brought inside and left inside Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion when the spell ends?

The intent is that the objects are ejected from the mansion when the spell ends and appear in unoccupied spaces closest to where the door was. This intent will be reflected in future printings of the Player’s Handbook.

Some additional points (for DM’s wishing for more context):

  • There doesn't appear to be a solid reason to assume that the spell can dispose of undesired objects by "giving" them to the Mansion
  • In previous editions, the description of the magnificent mansion spell did not address what happened to occupants when the spell ended, but we wouldn't have assumed that occupants could be "given to the mansion" and forever lost (just because the spell did not say otherwise).
  • 5e added what happens to occupants when the spell ends for clarity, but it doesn’t seem like the writers were intentionally trying to exclude objects.
  • The description of rope trick (a similar spell) says “Anything inside the extradimensional space drops out when the spell ends.”
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    \$\begingroup\$ Looks good now! \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Oct 7, 2020 at 2:41
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It is up to the DM

As anticlimactic the answer is, at this point, it is not possible to accurately answer this question as RAW or RAI. The main problem are the spells at this point in time and the information about them.

The first problem that arise is about the plane that the mansion from Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion ends after the spell expire. As far as the spell description indicate there is no indication that it even continue existing on a particular plane, much less a reachable one, after the spells ends. Furthermore, even the mansion cannot be said that it is Mordenkainen’s as a form of keeping some sort of continuity. The spell description talk about summoning an extradimensional dwelling not the extradimensional dwelling. Therefore, the first thing is to establish if the mansion keeps existing somewhere after the spells ends and that is up to the DM (in what plane exists, can it be reached by a spell, it keeps the same layout, etc).

You conjure an extradimensional dwelling in range that lasts for the duration.

The second problem is which divination spell, or which spell, can be used to locate an object. The low level spell Locate Object needs to be within 1000 feet range of the object, and that indicates that have to be in the same plane. The other spells, like Scrying require to be in the same plane and, in particular with this spell, that is a creature.

Detect Object Describe or name an object that is familiar to you. You sense the direction to the object’s location, as long as that object is within 1,000 feet of you

Scrying You can see and hear a particular creature you choose that is on the same plane of existence as you.

Even if the mansion still exist, you know the plane, have a mean to reach it and end within a 1000 feet radius of the mansion (or that Scrying also works on no-longer-living-creatures because DM) there is a third problem: where is the entrance? The caster decide where the entrance is at moment of casting and who can enter. Again, is up to the DM to determine if the "entrance" still exist in the mansion and can be open form outside while being in the mansion's plane.

And a bigger even is the behavior of the servants. It is true that they were given corpses and they brought these with them (they have to fulfill all the wishes of the master/caster the best they can), but nothing state what they do with them after. They can throw them into another plane or even burn them. Speaking of servant, since you weren't the "guests" are they going to be hostile for invading their property without the master/caster permission? Again, all of these things are up to the DM.

Finally, about the readings of divination magic; if everything is taken care of the reading would not be different from their normal reading. e.g. "The objects/bodies are outside of range", "the corpses no longer exist in this plane", and a list of reading that correspond to the moment, situation, place and spell used.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ The issue of what happens to added objects when the spell ends is now explicitly addressed in the latest Sage Advice Compendium: "What happens to objects brought inside and left inside Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion when the spell ends? The intent is that the objects are ejected from the mansion when the spell ends and appear in unoccupied spaces closest to where the door was. This intent will be reflected in future printings of the Player’s Handbook." You may want to update your answer accordingly. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Oct 6, 2020 at 8:44

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