Mister-Kent
Explorer
*Is there a P-word for "worn"?
Put-on? Maybe use Prepared or Personal to go with Pouch and Pack - I like your system of organization!
*Is there a P-word for "worn"?
I agree on the math partAny encumbrance system that I would even consider using, would need to eliminate the need to do math on the exact weight of what you are carrying. I lean more towards a system of slots based on your strength, although there are obviously loopholes for any such system if you look closely.
I enforce all of the bolded ones & replace the underlined ones. The problem with weight is that 5e goes so far out of its way to make it an ignored thing that the system fights you as soon as you start changing that. I can assure you that my players feel awesome when they get $rarecomponent needed for that spell they've been itching to cast, they feel so awesome that there have been cases where the whole party went off doing a quest of some form i order to get said component to someone willing to pay them with it much like they do when they go off getting that +5 holy avenger or whatever for bob the paladin. Free hand? when did you grow a third arm bro?....I'd say: the game should remove the rules that will be ignored. No need to waste page count for useless stuff.
- Weight
- Focus vs no cost components
- Free hand/items juggling
- Alignment
- Ammo
- Travel pace
Instead, focus on detailing the rules that will be used. I can find a bunch of ways to make the above more abstract and make them easier/funnier to handle, but if A5E is to be a more detailed and crunchier version of 5e, I dont think more abstract is the way to go. And let's be honest: there's not amount of detail and crunch that could be added to the above rules to make them funnier. More difficult to handwave? Maybe? Less boring? Probably not.
Ammo? The default rule is needlessly specific & pointlessly punitive. I replace it with an ammo die similar to the psionic die. Players might get:
Tracking equipment isn't fun until the situation arises were it adds a new element of drama. What equipment will I ditch so I can carry enough water to get across the desert? Will I drop my sword so I can drag my friend to safety?
Of you ignore minutiae of the weight of potions or coins, that could fluctuate regularly, how often does a characters loadout change? It's not terribly onerous to track just the big ticket items.
I've long been using a modified version of Matt Rundle's anti-hammerspace item tracker (I find it slightly stingy and add in a couple of other factors), with carrying capacity being based on bulk not mass as it leads to both a faster and a more visual and interesting game.
...The math part is why the core rule fails so hard, not one of them even mentions their weight but they are massive. Here's the mathed up bit I pulled from google that looks right...