Dwarf with 145 lb. pack--absurd??

[candidus_cogitens]

I just couldn't leave my portable ram at home!

My character ended up with 145 lb. of total gear. I made him a 150 lb. dwarf (a bit heavy!) just so that his gear wouldn't outweigh him. He wears medium armor anyway, so the medium encumbrance doesn't slow him down any more than he would be anyway. With an 18 STR, he could actually carry up to 200 lbs. and still be only medium encumbered.

I think it's funny, but it is certainly pushing the limits, I admit.

Is this absurd, or should i go with it?

 

[Privateer]

Maybe dwarves are like ants.

Think about it.

They can carry loads almost equal to their weight without much problem, they are lawful (and ants would be, too, if they were intellegent) and they are hard-working. Their stings/axes can annoy even the biggest creatures (be they human or dragon). They both live underground.

This is just making more and more sense...

 

[Mark]

Weighty issue..

By the book, is by the book. If the DM allows it, and it fits your concept, go for it. Just to be on the safe side, you'd better eat light.

 

[Crothian]

Portable rams are important.

I think it's realistic. If I was dungeon Delveing I'd want equipment to handle anything I came across to stay alive.

 

[the Jester]

Er, don't most dwarves carry their weight in gear??

 

[darkbard]

the average weight for a male dwarf [according to PH table 6-6] is 154 lbs, so your fella isn't so heavy. if it makes you feel better, advance his weight to the maximum value for his height (you could advance that to its maximum too). a tall dwarf (4 ft 5 in) can weigh as much as 226 lbs! now consider that the average human [str 11] can carry 76 lbs. of gear at the same encumbrance but your dwarf is nearly one and two-thirds as strong (64% stronger [str 18-11=7/11]) as the average human, so it's not as bizarre as it seems!

 

[mkletch]

Maybe dwarves are like ants.

Think about it.

They can carry loads almost equal to their weight without much problem, they are lawful (and ants would be, too, if they were intellegent) and they are hard-working. Their stings/axes can annoy even the biggest creatures (be they human or dragon). They both live underground.

This is just making more and more sense...

That was pretty slick.

-Fletch!

 

[Tonguez]

Remember that dwarfs aren't just short humans they are physically different - I'd guess that they have much denser muscle (with lots of short twitch fibres) and greater overall muscle mass.

So the are Tough and Strong but slow and sink like a rock in water ...

PS Gnomes are more ant-like than dwarfs. But an even better model is the East African Mole Rat...

 

[darkbard]

alright, you've got me. what's with the east african mole rat?

 

[mmadsen]

I don't see anything absurd about a dwarf carrying his weight in gear. If I recall correctly, a wiry Roman legionary (one of "Marius's mules") was expected to carry 100 lbs of gear at a body weight of, say, 135 lbs. A dwarf is short and stout, with body mechanics ideal for carrying heavy burdens. Carrying his own body weight doesn't sound absurd at all.