Encumbrance
Encumbrance describes the weight that characters and working animals can carry or pull, which in turn affects their movement and daily travel capabilities. The total weight borne determines a character's available action points (AP), which are derived from their strength, weight, and any exceptional capacity. The greater the burden—whether carried personally, loaded onto a cart or wagon, or even drawn along a canal by a barge—the fewer AP remain for use.
While tracking encumbrance may seem like an onerous task, it is no more demanding than the real-life management of possessions. If characters were truly required to stow, count, protect, clean, and retrieve their belongings, it would be far more troublesome than merely recording weight values. Carefully tracking these details encourages players to remain aware of their inventory and facilitates strategic planning, such as reducing burdens before combat or hiring porters to carry excess gear while keeping it within reach. Though players may dislike the inconvenience of managing "stuff," the DM must remain steadfast. Arithmetic is not an insurmountable obstacle, and players are expected to organize their inventories in a logical, easily referenced manner.
Maintaining separate lists for “person,” “backpack,” “mule,” “hireling,” or “home” simplifies the process considerably. Abandoning outdated reliance on pencil and paper in favour of widely available digital tools is an approach worth considering. Should a player object to the necessity of record-keeping, it is their own difficulty to overcome. DMs are not responsible for indulging those who grumble at the unavoidable tedium that comes with carrying worldly possessions.
Determining Encumbrance
The determination is made using a straightforward Excel calculator, which can be accessed HERE (and then opened with Google Sheets). Separate tabs allow for calculations specific to "humanoid" and "cartage," with the latter detailing how much an animal or team of animals can pull or carry. At the bottom of this page is an image showing the cell formulas for the humanoid Excel sheet, making it easy to replicate.
| Penalty per range of weight carried in lbs. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | -1 AP | -2 AP | -3 AP | -4 AP |
| up to 10 | 11-21 | 22-32 | 33-43 | 44-54 |
In the example provided, a halfling weighing 60 lbs. with a strength of 13 enters these values into the designated fields for "insert weight" and "insert strength." The resulting figures are displayed in the table.
As a humanoid, the character inherently has 5 AP. The table indicates that carrying up to 10 lbs. incurs no penalty to movement. However, the next column, labeled "11-21" (where any fraction above ten counts as "11"), shows that carrying up to 21 lbs. reduces the halfling's AP by 1, lowering it to 4. The table further reveals that the maximum weight the halfling can carry is 54 lbs.
The Campaign
Encumbrance extends beyond mere movement reduction, shaping strategic decisions and emphasizing logistical challenges in a campaign. A character's burden affects fatigue, combat efficiency and reaction speed. Heavily laden adventurers may struggle with sudden actions such as dodging, climbing or swimming, making weight management essential when navigating tight corridors, treacherous terrain or unstable surfaces.
One effective tactic characters can adopt is to carry backpacks in a manner that allows for them to be dropped instantly should combat erupt. By shedding these loads, they immediately redefined their encumbrance, regaining agility and maximising their effectiveness in battle. Afterward, they could retrieve their packs if circumstances allowed or abandon them if necessary. This required careful inventory management — valuable items were never stored in a pack that might be left behind. The strategy proved vital in ambushes, where even a few extra pounds could make the difference between survival and disaster.
Environmental factors further complicate encumbrance. Desert treks, swamp crossings and mountainous climbs force players to ration supplies and prioritise essentials. Extreme temperatures can exacerbate the effects, with heavy loads leading to exhaustion, dehydration or hypothermia. In such conditions, managing encumbrance becomes a matter of endurance rather than convenience.
Pack animals, carts and other means of transportation alleviate the burden but introduce vulnerabilities. A horse might bolt in a panic, a cart could become a liability in dense forests, and a barge might require additional crew. Enemies who understand these weaknesses may target supplies rather than risk direct combat, forcing players to defend their resources or suffer the consequences.
Magic and technology offer solutions, but they should remain costly, rare or finite to preserve balance. Bags of holding, levitation or unseen servants can bypass encumbrance limitations, yet overreliance on such tools diminishes the immersive challenge. Likewise, while digital tracking simplifies bookkeeping, encumbrance should remain a factor players actively engage with rather than a passive number they update.
Ultimately, encumbrance is not just a mechanical constraint but a vital aspect of decision-making. The true challenge is not just how much a character can carry but how they manage their resources under pressure. When properly implemented, encumbrance shifts from a bookkeeping nuisance into an immersive, strategic element that enhances the adventure.
Excel Formulas
See also,
Player Characters
Submersion in Water
The Adventure
