Investigating the corpses is the only part of Descent which requires the mod folder to be removed. (When removing mod folder, remember to change package.mft in your patch folder to match the patch number in the mod folder you removed, so you can load your saves, and change it back when you're going to put your mod folder back).
However, some mods will cause crashes in Descent when doing things like interacting with the tables at camp. It's best to stay away from things like face textures (or anything cosmetic, just to be safe). Things which just change game mechanics don't seem to be a problem (or, they weren't for me).
If you don't use mods and you're having a crash issue, changing the patch number in package.mft is not going to help. That should only be changed so you can load your saves after removing the mod folder (which has a package.mft with a higher patch number in it, meaning your saves rely on that number). It's a separate issue which will have a different solution. Also remember, the current patch is patch 10, which is patch 11 in the package.mft file (so a mod folder would make it 12).
Also, those who use mods, it's always a good idea to keep a copy of your 'vanilla' patch (before merging any mods) so you can copy paste it back in if you have a problem, saves a bunch of downloading. 😉