D&D 5E Simple Encumbrance system (to make Strength matter)?

[Laurefindel]

I'm looking for feedback from those who've found an encumbrance system they like (the simpler the better!). We play at the table, so having a computer figure encumbrance is not viable. I've looked at slot systems but have no idea in actual play if people find they work.

Ultimately, simple is the goal. I don't want to hold up the game with micromanagement, but on the other hand, I do aim to reward high STR characters by making that STR matter more than just in combat damage. And, I'd like to hammer home more effectively how little an 8-STR character can actually carry before becoming burdened.

Characters can carry a burden equal to Str score. If your burden is higher than Str, you are encumbered as described in the rules. You can’t carry more than twice your Str score worth of burden.

light armour, light weapons, small objects = 1 burden

heavy armour, heavy weapons, large or cumbersome object = 3 burden

everything in between = 2 burden

so your 8 Str wizard can carry their spellbook (1 burden), their spell component pouch (1 burden) their quarter staff (2 burden), a day worth of water (1 burden), a pack full of blankets, spare socks and diverse adventuring gear (2 burden), and a purse of shiny gold pieces (1 burden). Anything else and they are encumbered. Hopefully someone else carries rations.

[edit] didn’t see @Salamandyr ‘s post. So, that.

 

[Coroc]

I just keep it like that:

A player can carry around his armor, a ranged weapon on his back, a two handed weapon or a one weapon and a shield in his hands and a sidearm and a dagger and a quiver at his belt. Besides that he can carry a knappsack with food torches sleeping back etc.

That's it. If someone wants to loot every set of armor from the slain enemy and tug that around I suggest he rather play a mule. So in other words: Does not happen. If they find another magic weapon and carry that around until they can identify it then I hand wave that of course, but if someone starts needing a golf bag for his swords I intervene.

 

[Coroc]

Characters can carry a burden equal to Str score. If over burden, characters are encumbered as rules. Can’t carry more than twice your Str score of burden.

light armour, light weapons, small objects etc = 1 burden

heavy armour, heavy weapons, large or cumbersome object = 3 burden

everything in between = 2 burden

so your 8 Str wizard can carry their spellbook (1 burden), their spell component pouch (1 burden) their quarter staff (2 burden), a day worth of water (1 burden), a pack full of blankets, spare socks and diverse adventuring gear (2 burden), and a purse of shiny gold pieces (1 burden). Anything else and they are encumbered. Hopefully someone else carries rations.

[edit] didn’t see @Salamandyr ‘s post. So, that.

So your Str 20 fighter can carry around several sets of heavy armor?
No factoring in of bulkiness?
Can he continue to carry that during combat?

No offense but I do not like your system, it seems highly unrealistic.

 

[Horwath]

I find the core system the best, with added common sense from everyone.

with X strength you can carry Y lbs of gear.

Use common sense for items that are fairly light in comparison to their volume.
I.E. even if you have 20 str it is impossible for you to carry 6 200L empty barrels.
or 20kg of aerogel that is probably size of a decent house.

 

[Laurefindel]

So your Str 20 fighter can carry around several sets of heavy armor?
No factoring in of bulkiness?
Can he continue to carry that during combat?

No offense but I do not like your system, it seems highly unrealistic.

Realism is not the goal.

However, by RAW, a 20 Str character already can carry several sets of heavy armours. Specifically, a 20 Str character can carry 4 complete sets of full plate (heaviest of heavy armour), or 7 sets of ring mail (lightest of heavy armour), before starting to be hindered in combat.

My simplified rules allow 6 heavy items interchageable between armour, weapons, and objects, for a 20 Str character. That's not far off from RAW but if necessary, one could change the load of armour to base AC - 10. So a 8 Str character could carry only one set of heavy armour (8 burden) without being encumbered (but will still have reduced speed because Str<15).

With RAW or my rules, bulkiness is not factored in; the DM needs to rule-in some common sense.

your system is not without merits, but the OP did ask for simple rules and the title states “to make STR matter”.

[edit] I didn't mean to make the last part sound so condescending. I like how you keep things simple and within reason. It doesn't really showcase high Str however, and that seems to be one of the OP's concerns.

 

[toucanbuzz]

We don't use D&D Beyond (well, one player does, but it went down last week and he didn't have his character sheet for half the game...fortunately it was a high role-play session), so any system could work.

Has anyone actually used the proposed ones? Had players give input (e.g. it helps me, I keep forgetting this and that, etc.)?

 

[Laurefindel]

We don't use D&D Beyond (well, one player does, but it went down last week and he didn't have his character sheet for half the game...fortunately it was a high role-play session), so any system could work.

Has anyone actually used the proposed ones? Had players give input (e.g. it helps me, I keep forgetting this and that, etc.)?

As a player, I played with a slot system before
As a DM, I went through a few variations of the item/burden system @Salamandyr and I mentioned.

Both worked really well but to be honest, we've been hand-waving encumbrance recently (both as a player and DM). Neither really frequently forced players to make "hard choices" with their equipment, but it did gave us an idea of what the character could carry at character creation, then played within those parametres. The 8 Str character couldn't carry much, so from the start we knew that that character would never be carrying anything but its own stuff. It became obvious a pack mule (or bear in our case) was necessary in the long run, so basically we had a "with pack mule" and a "without pack mule" scenario.

This is probably not what you came here to hear but the intermediary between stupidly simple and stupidly complicated isn't worth it IMO. If you don't want to track equipment precisely (and I wouldn't take it against you), then track it really rough. At least this is my (admittedly anecdotal) experience.

 

[tetrasodium]

We don't use D&D Beyond (well, one player does, but it went down last week and he didn't have his character sheet for half the game...fortunately it was a high role-play session), so any system could work.

Has anyone actually used the proposed ones? Had players give input (e.g. it helps me, I keep forgetting this and that, etc.)?

I've been using the slot based system I linked earlier for several months in my current game and it works well. Players need to think about what and how much they want to be carrying of anything in particular but it's not too harsh or overly generous. With almost everything being 0.2 or 1-9slots it makes the math of keeping track easier than the default for the players and easier for me to makeup meaningful weight to gp on valuable baubles in play.

 

[Umbran]

That's it. If someone wants to loot every set of armor from the slain enemy and tug that around I suggest he rather play a mule. So in other words: Does not happen.

The party is travelling on an adventure. There are four of them, and the trip is expected to take one week each way - requiring 8 person-weeks of food. Rations are 2 lbs per person per day. That's a total of 112 lbs of rations...

 

[DND_Reborn]

When it comes to heavy loads, this is why the game includes pack animals, magical items of holding, etc. If the PCs are carrying around several suits of armor and other loot, or a hundred pounds of food, etc. they might want to consider their options.

As an aside, we play with armor and items "worn" where the weight is well distributed counts only half its weight. The weight of a breastplate when worn is much less encumbering than if you are carrying it around in your hands or slung on your back.