D&D 5E Is Anyone Using Variant Encumbrance?

[KarinsDad]

Encumbrance is something that we have not been worrying about, but I was updating the character sheets yesterday and I decided to add in the weight for equipment. The weight of an explorer's pack is 59 pounds. The weight of scale mail is 45 pounds, the weight of a shield is 6 pounds and the weight of a rapier is 2 pounds. A PC with these four items and only these four items (i.e. a typical first level Dex based PC) will be carrying 112 pounds and would be lightly encumbered at Strength 22 or less, and heavily encumbered at Strength 11 or less.

Although this seems plausible, it does seem to imply that the party should have only one explorer's pack in the entire party and an unarmored or lightly armored PC with Str 12 or higher should be carrying it. Nobody else should be carrying a pack (except possibly the lightest types like the priest's pack at 18 pounds or so) if they don't want movement seriously hampered.

It would seem like the variant encumbrance rules, if used strictly, would suck some of the fun out of the game. Half or more of the party would often be at least lightly encumbered, just to bring (above and beyond weapons and armor) mostly food, water, bedrolls, and some rope into a dungeon.

The best solution (shy of magic like Tenser's Floating Disk or a Bag of Holding) would be to get some moderately strong hirelings whose sole purpose is to be Nodwick.

 

[Prism]

I think you could go a bit lighter on the torches which weigh a pounds each but its still pretty heavy. If you were doing some overland 'exploring' I guess you would want much of this stuff but I'd assume you would often put it on a horse or mule. If you entered a dungeon wouldn't you leave most of it at the entrance? Just take a few essentials

It does seem a bit complicated but I think you have given me the incentive to give it a go as my next campaign is going to be exploration focused

 

[delericho]

Is it worth noting that the equivalent to the Explorer's Pack would have weighed 42 pounds in 3.5e? (Though for the purposes of calculations I've assumed the Mess Kit - which isn't in the SRD - weighs 1lb, and the Tinderbox is replaced with Flint & Steel.)

To be honest, it looks to me like they didn't really expect anyone to actually use the encumbrance system as written. My suspicion is that most people probably don't.

But, if using it as written, my advice would be: don't carry 10 days of rations into the dungeon! If you're down there that long, you're probably staying permanently.

 

[KarinsDad]

But, if using it as written, my advice would be: don't carry 10 days of rations into the dungeon! If you're down there that long, you're probably staying permanently.

Yeah, but if you leave the rest of your rations outside the dungeon, just like in the real world, the bears (or something worse) will have eaten them by the time you get back out.

 

[Prism]

Yeah, but if you leave the rest of your rations outside the dungeon, just like in the real world, the bears (or something worse) will have eaten them by the time you get back out.

Nah, that's what the mule is for - distraction

 

[Warmaster Horus]

My DM doesn't use it but I plan for it just for fun. My PC's fighting load is under limiting encumbrance and the rest of the gear is in a pack or tied to it. When combat looms, the pack is ditched. Once I made a few levels my character bought a couple of mules to carry stores and hired a groom to manage them.

 

[delericho]

Yeah, but if you leave the rest of your rations outside the dungeon, just like in the real world, the bears (or something worse) will have eaten them by the time you get back out.

Yeah, but that's tomorrow's problem.

More seriously, if we're looking for a 'realistic' approach, the PCs should probably set up a base camp outside of the dungeon and hire some guards and/or other assistants to man it until they get back. That way, they can ditch gear they won't need, they can run several partial delves and deposit the loot back at camp, they can set up a healing tent, and they can be sure they won't get ambushed from bandits just when they're at their most vulnerable.

 

[Li Shenron]

It would seem like the variant encumbrance rules, if used strictly, would suck some of the fun out of the game. Half or more of the party would often be at least lightly encumbered, just to bring (above and beyond weapons and armor) mostly food, water, bedrolls, and some rope into a dungeon.

Well what's the purpose of detailed encumbrance rules if everyone is unencumbered anyway?

If I played the game paying attention to equipment weights (which I don't by the way), I'd like it to have some actual effects on the game: that doesn't mean that players have to accept the penalties of heavy encumbrance (which probably aren't a particularly interesting change to the game) but maybe that they have to adjust their adventuring habits in order to avoid to be all encumbered. Your suggestion that only one PC carries provisions is an excellent example! One PC (optionally, on rotation) will be encumbered, and overall there will be 1 pack full of stuff instead of 4-5. So they have to choose more wisely what's in it. And they have to think about their maximum expected stay in the dungeon, or even off-town.

Normally I play in games where all these issues are ignored... some DMs even just assume you have all the possible non-magical Swiss-army tools with you, and let's go with it. OTOH it would be interesting to play a game with this higher level of details once in a while.

 

[Cernor]

Having played PF exactly once (with the encumbrance rules as mandatory), I've decided that I'll avoid Encumbrance rules entirely. I play D&D to explore ancient ruins, have epic battles, and interact with the world in a meaningful way (and collect loot at the same time); not to micromanage my inventory so that I'm never encumbered. It adds a layer of complexity that's against the spirit of 5e, and IMO detracts from the fun of the game.

 

[delericho]

I'd like it to have some actual effects on the game: that doesn't mean that players have to accept the penalties of heavy encumbrance (which probably aren't a particularly interesting change to the game)

IMO, encumbrance (and tracking of mundane equipment) is only interesting once you get to the point where the party have to leave something behind. More specifically, once they have to leave something potentially important behind.

That then gives them an interesting decision to make: do they take more rope or more torches? Do they really need chalk, or would a silver-backed mirror be better?

Otherwise, it's just a nuisance penalty - and one they probably won't feel anyway as they'll all drop their packs at the start of combat or have the ultra-high-Str fighter just carry everything.

(I'm actually not a fan of things like the "explorer's pack" existing at all, for much the same reason - either the detail of what the PCs carry is important, or it is not. If it is important, it's probably too important just to grab a standardised pack of gear to cover it; if it's not important, why bother at all - better just to assume they have whatever they need anyway, since it's not important.)