D&D 5E Aarakroca Carrying Capacity

[Nebulous]

So, we have a player with a birdman barbarian with an 18 Strength in the party,
and he is becoming prone to picking up other characters and shuttling them around
to various spots, which is essentially a permanent fly spell. My DM senses are tingling, and
this usually means that something is being abused and I need to take a closer
look at it. There is little to go on except that the Max carrying capacity for a PC is their
strength score (18) x 15, so he could max out at 270 pounds. The game does not
differentiate between walking and flying (although it probably should).

So basically, at what point is an 80 to 100lb birdman encumbered to the point that it
cannot lift an ally off the ground? I think the example yesterday would have included a roughly 200+ lb ally (including gear). I don't know how much gear the aarakroca himself had, and I wasn't going to stop play to have him calculate everything, but it would have to include tents, water,
weapons, and all the other stuff they need to navigate Chult.

I don't want to nitpick this too much, but I also feel like the player is assuming that his
18 Strength is a do whatever I want card, and I would like some kind of solid book rules
to make a convincing argument, OR, if I'm plain wrong, at least know that.

This is an instance where the simplification of 5e is getting in the way of logic. The birdman
weighs so little so that by design his wings are powerful enough to lift him, and not another
entire character.

 

[jasper]

variable encumbrance Str * 5 encumbered speed drops 10 feet. Str *10 Heavily encumbered speed drops 20 feet. Disadvantage on ability checks, attacks, str save, dex save, and con save.

 

[cmad1977]

I mean... it’s a sluggish mode of travel but he’s pretty strong. 1/2 speed and disadvantage on whatever you deem appropriate. I doubt it will turn out to be that crazy. It might even get them in trouble!

 

[iserith]

First, the DM determines whether what the players describe as wanting to do is successful, fails, or results in an ability check to resolve uncertainty. If you don't think the aarakocra can fly people around, then it can't, period. That's the rules for How to Play and adjudicating actions in D&D 5e. As well, how any challenges in your game are actually ruined by the aarakocra character doing this? Are you including too many such challenges in your game? It's worth examining. Maybe you just need to rethink things and present different challenges on the assumption that pits or chasms or rivers or whatever will be bypassed.

You can implement the variant encumbrance rules (which I do, but only for dungeon crawls) as recommended above, but at this point it may seem punitive. In the end, you're best off just telling your players how you feel about this and working toward a compromise.

 

[Shiroiken]

You can easily make the argument that carrying someone is the same as moving while grappling (you're just doing it in the air), which is at half speed. While this won't solve all your problems, it should help avoid extra flight in combat.

You could instead institute a rule similar to Encumbrance for flight. At Str x5 (Encumbered), you are at half speed, instead of -10 ft. At Str x10 (Heavily Encumbered) you cannot fly, landing safely. If you ever exceeded your Carry Capacity you immediately fall to the ground. If you already use Encumbrance, you just can't fly while Heavily Encumbered.

 

[Nebulous]

We don't normally pay attention to Encumbrance, and i would probably ignore it now if not for the player stating that his 18 Strength should bypass my previous ruling that for balance reasons I did not want the low level party having access to a permanent fly spell that can move characters, one by one, to areas that they would normally be restricted to reaching. I will probably continue to let him do it, but pay MUCH closer attention to being slowed down, disadvantage, etc. I was curious if anyone else had come across this by having aarakroca in their campaigns.

I mean, I know it is just a game and parallels to real world physics don't really make any sense, not in a world where you can fall off a cliff and easily survive

 

[Sadras]

The birdman weighs so little so that by design his wings are powerful enough to lift him, and not another entire character.

Just to bring some reality into this fantasy game...

The male Bald Eagle (ranging between 7-14 pounds) can carry a 15 pound mule deer.
Crown Eagles, with a wingspan of two metres, can lift a mandrill monkeys which weight 40-80 pounds. I'm guessing the 60 pound is it's cut off point if not lower. Crown Eagles can weigh up to 10-11 pounds. Note this is a lift not a carry.

In D&D you have the encumbrance rules as well as the exhaustion track for possible multiple trips.

 

[Eltab]

Away from table, ask the PC to calculate the weight of his own equipment, and point him at the encumbrance rules. Also exhaustion, when / as appropriate.

Sure, in a pinch he can lift his friends out of a pit &c, but he's going to wipe himself out trying to air-taxi them.

Let him have his Hero Moments, with the understanding that everybody else at table should be able to have spotlight-grabbing Hero Moments too.

 

[jasper]

We don't normally pay attention to Encumbrance, and i would probably ignore it now if not for the player stating that his 18 Strength should bypass my previous ruling that for balance reasons I did not want the low level party having access to a permanent fly spell that can move characters, one by one, to areas that they would normally be restricted to reaching. ....

...

Correct you are the DM. All you have to say is " I researched this. This is my currently ruling. Mr. Aarakroca please take note of the new ruling."
As a DM I always tell my players any ruling is subject to review and changing at a later time. I will not change a ruling mid flight um game. But after the session I will review, ask on forums, etc for more clarity. If MR. 18 STR wants to argue show him the door.

 

[cmad1977]

Yeah. I like ‘grapple speed’