D&D 4E Encumbrance in 4e

[Plane Sailing]

So much else is abstracted, this should be too.

RuneQuest had the right idea. You could carry your STR in Encumbrance (a simplification), and anything you could carry in 1H was ENC1, if you needed 2H it was ENC2. If you could easily carry two in one hand it was ENC 1/2.

Simple enough to be worth tracking.

 

[Gargoyle]

there is already an identical thread.

Sorry, didn't see it, and still can't seem to find it.

 

[an_idol_mind]

In any role-playing game throughout history, I have never seen an encumbrance system I liked. Therefore, I don't care at all what they do with encumbrance, as I will probably ignore whatever rule they come up with.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

This was my question, incidentally - I caught them with their pants down, as it were.

I hope that encumbrance stays, but I want it to be simplified. The slot system Zarathustran mentioned would be fine. Another might be based on the Donjon RPG, in which only weapons and armor really matter when calculating encumbrance (and only a weapon's ability to do damage or armor's ability to resist damage matter). If you use a weapon that's damage rating is higher than your Strength ("Virility" in that game), then you suffer a penalty to your roll.

One idea that was bandied about the True20 forum, which uses a "Take 5" option. Basically, each item would be rated a certain value that adds to the "carry DC." As long as the carry DC is below 10, then you don't suffer a penalty. It was tough to determine how best to implement this in D&D, but using some kind of "check" is an interesting idea IMO.

 

[Jackelope King]

Just make it a Strength check. Seriously. It's not that hard. If something is potentially too heavy for a PC to lift and carry, roll a strength check! No tracking of weights, no trying to shave of 3 lbs. to get down to a light load. Just make a strength check any time the PC tries to add anything big to his or her load.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Maybe an even simpler system (for both equipment and encumbrance) is to list pre-packaged "packs".

Sort of like the outfit system. Previous editions listed different weights for hats, pants, and so on, while 3E just listed a single weight for "explorer's outfit" and described what sorts of things such a clothing package would include.

So, you could have a "dungeoneer's pack" with rope, flint & steel, lantern, oil, 2 candles, 4 pitons, hammer/hatchet, chalk, and 2 sunrods. Or a "healer's pack" with antivenom, healer's kits, bandages, water, sewing kit, and such. "Explorer's pack" with compass, tent, bedroll, rope, pitons, flint & steel, 2 torches, hatchet. Each pack could have "+2 small items of the player's choice" what for to allow some easy customization.

Ideally, neither clothing outfit nor pack count towards encumbrance if worn. Such an assumption would ensure that every character would 1) have clothes, and 2) have basic (but specific!) equipment. I've found that players look at the long list of equipment and all the little weight values, and just don't bother with writing it all down. It'd be a lot better if they could just write one entry ("Climber's pack") and have those two words equal seven or eight actual items.

 

[Gargoyle]

I've been thinking about it, and my vote is "simpler/faster". The following is something like I would want to see:

IMO, for gear that is carried all the time, I'd like to see a paper doll system that corresponds to the magic item "slots" that players can use (head, chest, legs, wrists, etc.)

For equipment that is not carried all the time, or items like treasure, I'd like to see something abstract like simply comparing Str to the number of items carried, not counting small items (things that fit in your palm).

I do not want to see weights for items, and I wouldn't want to worry about which bag contains my iron spikes or whatever.

Like many people, I just ignore most encumbrance rules because they get in the way of fun. However, I still want some guidelines because it is difficult to have suspension of disbelief when the fighter is carrying the rogue's body, a treasure chest (that the rogue failed to disarm), three polearms, and a 10' pole.

 

[Gargoyle]

Maybe an even simpler system (for both equipment and encumbrance) is to list pre-packaged "packs".

I think that would help.

 

[Szatany]

Sorry, didn't see it, and still can't seem to find it.

find "heroes vs. gravity", under equipment.

 

[Gargoyle]

find "heroes vs. gravity", under equipment.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=205472

There it is.