D&D 5E Encumbrance

[PinkRose]

If using Variant Encumbrance, how does the dwarvish racial trait interact?
I'm inclined to not count the armour weight when figuring the weight carried.

 

[not-so-newguy]

Eta: here's a link to a download for an inventory sheet
http://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTh.../5e_inventory_tracking_sheet_with_simplified/

 

[not-so-newguy]

If you follow the instructions on the inventory sheet, it'll make things pretty simple, IMO.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I would say that for dwarves using the variant encumbrance, weight still counts, but the penalty is reduced by 10 feet:

encumbered, no penalty
heavily encumbered, speed drops by 10 feet.

 

[Shiroiken]

I would say that for dwarves using the variant encumbrance, weight still counts, but the penalty is reduced by 10 feet:

encumbered, no penalty
heavily encumbered, speed drops by 10 feet.

This was how I was going to do it when I thought about using the variant. However, none of my players wanted to do it, and after playing in the session for a while, I realized that it's probably better to use the simple setup.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I really like the idea of the variant encumbrance, but I find the implementation is just too restrictive. I do like the thought of there being a mechanic that encouraged not letting strength be a dump stat, however. In most cases, wizards and sorcerers won't come up against the limit. But because there's no straightforward way of reducing weight for small-sized armour, I find that halflings and gnomes regularly end up encumbered, regardless of build.

I don't mind that tendency, but it shouldn't be inevitable. It's not that I as a player want to be keeping track of weight throughout, but I do like the incentive not to overload one's characters.

 

[redrick]

I really like the idea of the variant encumbrance, but I find the implementation is just too restrictive. I do like the thought of there being a mechanic that encouraged not letting strength be a dump stat, however. In most cases, wizards and sorcerers won't come up against the limit. But because there's no straightforward way of reducing weight for small-sized armour, I find that halflings and gnomes regularly end up encumbered, regardless of build.

I don't mind that tendency, but it shouldn't be inevitable. It's not that I as a player want to be keeping track of weight throughout, but I do like the incentive not to overload one's characters.

Why can't you just reduce weight for small-sized armor?

Also, I don't see any penalties to the carrying capacity of small creatures. There's a penalty for tiny creatures, and a bonus for large creatures, but small and medium are treated as pretty much interchangeable. The little guys seem to be able to carry a greater percentage of their body weight than the big guys.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Why can't you just reduce weight for small-sized armour?

As a DM? Sure. As a player? no, or not without negotiations. How much would you reduce weight? by half? by a quarter? It's easier just to use the basic encumbrance rules.

Also, I don't see any penalties to the carrying capacity of small creatures. There's a penalty for tiny creatures, and a bonus for large creatures, but small and medium are treated as pretty much interchangeable. The little guys seem to be able to carry a greater percentage of their body weight than the big guys.

Yup, but many concepts involving small races, for me at least, have low-strength builds (I have suspension of disbelief issues with high-strength gnomes and halflings; that's my issue, admittedly). I like the idea of a small dex-based fighter, but it doesn't work well (conceptually) with the variant encumbrance rules.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

In one of my upcoming campaigns where I really want the characters to have that fresh off the farm feeling at low-levels, I'm going to use variant encumbrance at the beginning (along with having them track every ration and arrow). I'll also describe how unpleasant it gets for the city folk to have to walk 20+ miles and sleep in tents every day. I might have them make Con checks to avoid exhaustion after a normal day's walk.

Several sessions in, after they've got the idea of what this would actually be like, I'll phase all of that stuff out, as we assume the characters have toughened up, and they can afford to pay sufficient upkeep that I can assume it includes rations and ammo.

 

[Unwise]

Not trying to poopoo on the OPs preference, but can I get a show of hands on who actually enjoys working out encumbrance and feels it adds to their game? I'm yet to meet anybody who enjoys it. We just have not seen what it adds mechanically.

The only exception being in GURPS, where you kind of need to do that, as the weight you can carry is the gatekeeper for what armor you can wear.