I've been working on writing and refining my home rules and I've come up with a simple encumbrance system that I wanted to share. This may have been done already - so please enlighten me if so.
Inventory is slot based. The amount of slots you get is static and equal to your constitution score. Write your slots down on your character sheet at creation. (I've played with the idea that dwarf characters always get a max of 18 slots regardless con as a racial trait. They can be party pack mules..)
Most equipment takes 1 slot. Heavy armor and large weapons take 2 or 3 slots. Small items can be bundled at gm discretion (500gp, 5 torches..etc) to take a single slot
Players can be fatigued at GM discretion. If the GM awards a 'point' of fatigue to a player, the player writes 'fatigue' in a vacant inventory slot. If the player had no slots left to write 'fatigue' they must save vs Paralysis or collapse in exhaustion for d12 hours. All fatigued slots can be cleared with a comfortable nights rest.
I like it, it works. I'm not sure if it's been done and if not it's going to be published eventually in my own BX inspired ruleset (which I'm calling 'Longsword' that I might publish someday..)
Thanks!
https://preview.redd.it/bfq14vy4mdb81.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=522af292e2574dcf53e3f4acce66ef6334f3e8c2
Introduction:
Encumbrance is an often ignored part of DnD. Players and DMs alike consider it a hassle due to book-keeping, an extreme trial of patience, and, at best, just not fun. I would argue that these are justified reasons. This is because the way encumbrance is ran, according to RAW, is awkward, and even immersion breaking. How is the DM supposed to know how much an owlbear pelt weighs, and more importantly, who cares?!
That being said, encumbrance is a core component of the game. It serves many important functions, and should not be ignored just because it is awkward and too much work. With that said, I would like to present my homebrew encumbrance system, both to share and for critiquing, alongside a few optional and variant rules.
Carry Weight: A Simplified Approach to Encumbrance
Instead of a max carry weight determined by your Strength score, per RAW, you will have a single number determined by Character Level and your Athletics modifier:
Passive Carry Weight: Equal to (3 + Character Level + Athletics modifier)
Passive Carry Weight represents an abstract maximum weight your character can comfortably hold.
Active Carry Weight: The current total of all item Weights your character is holding.
Active Carry Weight is an abstraction of the total weight your character is currently holding. This does not include any items that you character currently has equipped, which will fall under Free Weight, to be explained later. Active Weight is determined only by surplus items that your character has on their person, such as extra weapons, whatever is in their pack, or more. In some circumstances, Active Carry Weight may exceed your characters Passive Carry Weight.
Item Weights
Just as Carry Weight is a simplified abstraction of the max weight your character can hold, so are the Weight values of items. Each notable item your character has in their inventory will be assigned a Weight value between 1 and 5. Item weights should be marked in parentheses directly after the item in your players inventory, like so:
Longsword (2)
- A value of (1): A dagger, a single spell scroll, or an arcane focus would have a value of one. Other common items like 20ft of rope, a bundle of torches, or common trinkets would also have a value of one.
- A value of (2): A longsword, shortsword, or most simple weapons would have a Weight of 2. A heavy textbook, or a full spellbook, would also have a Weight of 2.
- A value of (3): A greatswo
The 1.3 Core Book says on page 78 that EV is subtracted from your Ref, Dex, Hex Weaving, Ritual Crafting, and Spell Casting Rolls to reflect the difficulty of casting complex magic in stiff or heavy armor. However, Witcher signs aren't very complex and don't require lots of movement.
The main problem I have with it reducing Witcher signs Spell Casting is that this ruling would mean that School of the Bear Witchers could actually cast magic easier in heavy armor than School of the Gryphon Witchers, which is total bullsh--.
My problem with having EV not affect Witcher Signs is this. It encourages a Witcher build where you slap on the heaviest armor possible and just Igni Stream all your enemies to death like a WW1 era Flamethrower Tank.
My question: What would be a better way to rule this? One player suggested maybe making it so each EV takes 1 more STA to cast at the same strength. What would y'all do?
Does anyone have a reference sheet for encumbrance? I'm trying to calculate encumbrance for items on the fly and would like to have something to reference so I'm not inconsistent or wildly off base.
So I'm relative new to the game and wanted to play a solo martial artist hive prince and wanted to train strength
I wore a backpack and had 103 weight with 74% encumbrance and gained 50% strength exp and 25% athletics.
When I put the backpack into my inventory my weight increased to 156 with 84% encumbrance and again 50% strength exp but only 15% athletics and making me slower
So my question is, is there any point in carrying more than you need to get to 50% strength exp? (only ofc if you don't need to carry much with you)
Im bit confused because ive seen people talking about how to maximise carry weight
Thanks
I have an assassin droid player who wants to carry a knocked out Trandoshan (with a Brawn of 4) over his shoulder. The player has an ET of 9 with current value of 4. What is his Athletics check difficulty? Also is their a difference mechanically when dragging a person versus carrying over shoulder?
Good evening! I'm hacking Knave (as one does...) in hopes of starting a new campaign soon (probably via Evils of Illmire), and I'm mulling over some alternative Encumbrance/Inventory options. I'm also hoping to crowdsource some design wisdom as I brainstorm likely effects of the rules changes.
Worth noting: I'm adding some rules-light classes back into the game, which may effect the options below. Here's the thing: especially once classes are added back in, I don't think I want to keep the inventory slot/encumbrance system (so why the heck use Knave at all, you might ask? Because of its clean unified d20 resolution system and easy compatibility with OSR resources).
I suppose we could all spend the whole week arguing over our preferences when it comes to Encumbrance/Inventory, but what I'm wondering specifically is: have you any thoughts on pros/cons using the following hacks on a Knave chassis, specifically (and probably for running Evils of Illmire)?
+ Option one: Some equipment items are Bulky (heavy armor, 2-hand weapons, large shields, big honking treasures, etc.). All PCs can carry up to 2 Bulky items before becoming Encumbered, which imposes -Disadvantage on all your d20 rolls. Caveat: Fighters don't treat Armor as Bulky.
+ Option two: your Load limit = 1/3 of your CON bonus, rounded up. That's how many Bulky items you can carry without suffering the Encumbered penalty. Caveat: Fighters don't treat Armor as Bulky.
Tyvm
I tried searching both the SWN and WWN rule books to figure out just how much salvage the party could carry at any given time. Like is it 1 or more encumbrance per unit or can multiple units be bundled? Is it not mentioned so that it can be up to GM discretion?
I've poked through and can't seem to find a solid answer, in the book or online. Npc's don't have attribute scores or modifiers, so I can't just handle it the same way as a PC. I could just assume they all have stats of 10 (and therefore 10 system strain and 15 total encumbrance if going by PC rules), but that doesn't really make sense for the familiar or a companion that's a small animal, and seems a little low if it's some huge bear or a high level creature for the beastmaster companion. Is there something in the book that explains how to handle this?
I see the section about pack animals and porters on page 50 for encumbrance, which is a useful reference if we do have to come up with that on our own, but that doesn't seem like it's the intended way to handle that, and it doesn't cover system strain either, so I feel like I must be missing something.
The scenario: Someone is going to ask my players to do some gun running. BIG gun running. Like heavy turbolasers. Its a high stakes, high money, big power game. My players have access to a variety of ships from fighters all the way to capital class light cruisers.
But how big is a turbolaser? Is there a certain size of ship that should be a minimum to ship them? How many could you get in a given encumbrance space?
Given the power level of the game, its not at all unreasonable to expect the PCs to acquire a new, larger cargo ship to do this, and the money will certainly make it viable. But is it reasonable to say, for instance a heavy turbolaser might need a silhouette 5 ship to move, and each individual turbolaser might occupy something like 50 encumbrance capacity of the cargo hold?
New player just found on my first day while encumbered if you equip or unequip a hand object the game forgets you're encumbered and let's you move at full speed for a few seconds. Is this a know bug or a feature?
Logged on, and my character is encumbered. Checked my stats screen, I am listed as "Heavy" with no debuffs, and only the Flatbread buff. I was at 88 pounds. way under my cap, 130 or so. Slow walked to my base, stripped all my items, and still had the "Heavy" debuff. Logged off and on again. did not fix the issue.
This is my offline solo character (internet is spotty at night), no mods, cheats, exploits. Anyone have a fix for this?
With #52471 merged head encumbrance now has a pretty minor effect on dodge/block rolls (eye encumbrance is a more significant factor) - it shouldn't make much of a difference for "normal" play, but those of you stacking three greathelms and four coifs or whatever the latest combo is might want to check your dodge scores. <https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/pull/52471>
What is the encumbrance of 1 bola? The books lists as 1/3 (not sure what that means). Also, if a Bola is used and the attack misses is the Bola lost (like grenades) or can the character pick it up and keep attempting use until roll succeeds?
Hello everyone. I've been wondering about the highest encumbrance heavy armor set. The only thing that I can come up with is the regular heavy armor, with the addition of legendary war mammoth boots that give +3 to encumbrance. Obviously when done with named Armorer this setup would get you 11 extra encumbrance from armor. Is there any way to get more only from armor? I am playing on Exiled Lands, not on Siptah. Thanks everyone in advance! Cheers
You guys count worn armor and weapons towards encumbrance? I haven’t found a ruling in the book to suggest one way or the other.
Can someone summarize dnd5e encumbrance rules for me or tell me about a better alternitve please?
I felt it was necessary to spread the word of Encumbrance Potions. I only found them at lvl 41 and wanted to slap myself, as I've dropped loads of ore and wood before just to recall or pick up another rare item. No more!
So I know narratively it would prevent it hinder me from doing since things that would require edge such as running or dodging, but does it have any mechanical effect like wounded does? Considering taking the ironclad asset, but would like to exactly what the consequences of being "geared for war" are.
The encumbrance system in WWN is very good. Offers a lot of tactical options. But that comes with a need to consider what you are carrying!
My elementalist always likes to have wrathful detonation and sanctified healing elixirs ready. Cheap, reliable AoE and emergency healing, you know. She wears plate and shield. That means that I have 5 readied encumbrace already. I actually raised her strength from 11 to 12 to be able to have something else at hand, such as a calyx, a hand hurlant or a short sword in case I run out of effort.
Archer characters need strength just to be able to have readied stuff. Longbow+quiver is 3. Heavy armor is 2 or 3. A long hurlant is 2. A backup melee weapon is 1 or 2. We are talking 8 to 10. That's 16 strength for the lower end. Sure, you probably can carry that long hurlant or the bow stowed since you have deadeye 1. But once you draw it, it is now readied, so, are you willing to throw your 4k silver long hurlant to the ground after the opening salvo in order to not be overburdened? I hope you don't need to run from that fight! You need 12 strength just to be a minimally prepared armored archer (3 longbow, 2 armor, 1 backup weapon for 6 encumbrance). And that leaves no space for potions, calyxes, etc.
A melee character, oddly enough, has more latitude. Let's assume 3 encumbrance in armor. You need only 2 more for either weapon+shield or a two handed weapon. You probably have Armsmaster. So that means you don't need that much strength for anything else, since you can grab throwing spears from your backpack, and, well, you are throwing them. Let's say, 14 strength for having 2 readied emergency items.
Encumbrance is important enough that it should be an important consideration for most characters. Impervious defense can be a huge deal just for the encumbrance, let alone the stealth and exert penalties!
I've been really enjoying this game but I ran into a really stupid design flaw in my opinion regarding over encumbrance that could only be solved with the help of a kind stranger. I was crafting to reach 100 engineering, and to do so I crafted 1000s of iron cartridges. I don't understand why they designed it that when over a certain amount of weight you can't move AND that you can only drop a certain amount of weight in one spot. I was stuck in one position until I mentioned in chat and someone came and traded me over and over again until I had enough of the cartridges out of my inventory to move again. I know I could've dropped and waited for the discard pile to despawn, but that would've taken around 10 minutes of literally just waiting in 1 spot and watching all of my mats disappear just to be able to play again.
Can anyone please help me to easily determine the difference between these three when it is based on situational cases already?
Introduction:
Encumbrance is an often ignored part of DnD. Players and DMs alike consider it a hassle due to book-keeping, an extreme trial of patience, and, at best, just not fun. I would argue that these are justified reasons. This is because the way encumbrance is ran, according to RAW, is awkward, and even immersion breaking. How is the DM supposed to know how much an owlbear pelt weighs, and more importantly, who cares?!
That being said, encumbrance is a core component of the game. It serves many important functions, and should not be ignored just because it is awkward and too much work. With that said, I would like to present my homebrew encumbrance system, both to share and for critiquing, alongside a few optional and variant rules.
Carry Weight: A Simplified Approach to Encumbrance
Instead of a max carry weight determined by your Strength score, per RAW, you will have a single number determined by Character Level and your Athletics modifier:
Passive Carry Weight: Equal to (3 + Character Level + Athletics modifier)
Passive Carry Weight represents an abstract maximum weight your character can comfortably hold.
Active Carry Weight: The current total of all item Weights your character is holding.
Active Carry Weight is an abstraction of the total weight your character is currently holding. This does not include any items that you character currently has equipped, which will fall under Free Weight, to be explained later. Active Weight is determined only by surplus items that your character has on their person, such as extra weapons, whatever is in their pack, or more. In some circumstances, Active Carry Weight may exceed your characters Passive Carry Weight.
Item Weights
Just as Carry Weight is a simplified abstraction of the max weight your character can hold, so are the Weight values of items. Each notable item your character has in their inventory will be assigned a Weight value between 1 and 5. Item weights should be marked in parentheses directly after the item in your players inventory, like so:
Longsword (2)
- A value of (1): A dagger, a single spell scroll, or an arcane focus would have a value of one. Other common items like 20ft of rope, a bundle of torches, or common trinkets would also have a value of one.
- A value of (2): A longsword, shortsword, or most simple weapons would have a Weight of 2. A heavy textbook, or a full spellbook, would also have a Weight of 2.
- A value of (3): A greatswo
Introduction:
Encumbrance is an often ignored part of DnD. Players and DMs alike consider it a hassle due to book-keeping, an extreme trial of patience, and, at best, just not fun. I would argue that these are justified reasons. This is because the way encumbrance is ran, according to RAW, is awkward, and even immersion breaking. How is the DM supposed to know how much an owlbear pelt weighs, and more importantly, who cares?!
That being said, encumbrance is a core component of the game. It serves many important functions, and should not be ignored just because it is awkward and too much work. With that said, I would like to present my homebrew encumbrance system, both to share and for critiquing, alongside a few optional and variant rules.
Carry Weight: A Simplified Approach to Encumbrance
Instead of a max carry weight determined by your Strength score, per RAW, you will have a single number determined by Character Level and your Athletics modifier:
Passive Carry Weight: Equal to (3 + Character Level + Athletics modifier)
Passive Carry Weight represents an abstract maximum weight your character can comfortably hold.
Active Carry Weight: The current total of all item Weights your character is holding.
Active Carry Weight is an abstraction of the total weight your character is currently holding. This does not include any items that you character currently has equipped, which will fall under Free Weight, to be explained later. Active Weight is determined only by surplus items that your character has on their person, such as extra weapons, whatever is in their pack, or more. In some circumstances, Active Carry Weight may exceed your characters Passive Carry Weight.
Item Weights
Just as Carry Weight is a simplified abstraction of the max weight your character can hold, so are the Weight values of items. Each notable item your character has in their inventory will be assigned a Weight value between 1 and 5. Item weights should be marked in parentheses directly after the item in your players inventory, like so:
Longsword (2)
- A value of (1): A dagger, a single spell scroll, or an arcane focus would have a value of one. Other common items like 20ft of rope, a bundle of torches, or common trinkets would also have a value of one.
- A value of (2): A longsword, shortsword, or most simple weapons would have a Weight of 2. A heavy textbook, or a full spellbook, would also have a Weight of 2.
- A value of (3): A greatswo
I'm interested to know how you handle encumbrance for your games? Do you play by the book? Ignore it altogether? Some alternate rule set?
Currently in my game I just go off of what I call "reasonable definition of encumbrance", where I as DM can ask them to justify how they are going to carry whatever they're wanting to take along, and I reserve the right to say "you can't carry anymore" either for weight reasons or space reasons. But I can see how there are aspects of gameplay that I'm losing that could be interesting.
How do you handle it, and why do you choose that way?
Is weight encumbrance really a problem..??
I starting a new campaign soon and I wanted to use variant encumbrance because I'm going for a more realistic vibe. However, I was looking over my players characters (we use dndbeyond) and realized that most of them were Encumbered by just their starting equipment. The only player unencumbered is the one with Powerful Build (one size larger for calculating carry weight). So how are they supposed to carry anything without losing combat efficiency and travel speed? Should I just not bother using the variant rules at all?
For example, if my weight is 5 and therefore my encumbrance level is light, would there be any difference to someone with a weight score of 0 and therefore also encumbrance level of light
Does dodge speed or stamina usage change at all dependant on the weight number, or only the encumbrance level?
I know that weight directly correlates to the encumbrance level but I don't know if the weight has any specific changes itself i.e slightly faster dodge speed, more I-frames depending on specific weight score.
