Level Up (A5E) Purchasing, Carrying, and Expiring Supply

[RocjawCypher]

While going through the explanation of how exploration and supplies work, I got to thinking about a few things:
According to the Adventurer's Guide, "You can carry a number of days’ Supply equal to your Strength score, in addition to your equipment, weapons, and armor." Which would mean that for most players, you can stock up for a 10+ day journey without issue, at the expense of 5 or so gold. However, in the Example of Play section in the Trials and Treasures book on pg 116, it says

"Varskyle asks if the group has enough Supply for two days of travel. Krarg claims he can carry for more than just himself, but that the group should stock up before journeying out so each adventurer buys rations and filled waterskins together each is worth 1 Supply). When they head out every member of the party has 3 Supply, except for Krarg who carries 6 Supply."

It feels like that's a big feat for Krag! He has the capability to carry twice as much as everyone else- except that even a fairly weak wizard with a strength score of 8 can carry more than that without issue. In fact, it feels as though 8 supply pretty much negates the need to worry about losing supply for any journey that takes less than a week. That said, I did see the entry for Barrow Bread: "it perfectly preserves and maintains the temperature of any food tucked inside it for up to a week, protecting and preserving 1 Supply." This could just be resistance to losing supply, but it also could be interpreted as supply spoils in less time than a week. If supply lasts until used, there's no reason for my players not to have way more supply than I can threaten. However, if it spoils in a few days, that seems a little too punishing- what's y'all's interpretation of the rules here? How do keep supply management relevant for a low level party?

 

[This Effin’ GM]

While going through the explanation of how exploration and supplies work, I got to thinking about a few things:
According to the Adventurer's Guide, "You can carry a number of days’ Supply equal to your Strength score, in addition to your equipment, weapons, and armor." Which would mean that for most players, you can stock up for a 10+ day journey without issue, at the expense of 5 or so gold. However, in the Example of Play section in the Trials and Treasures book on pg 116, it says

"Varskyle asks if the group has enough Supply for two days of travel. Krarg claims he can carry for more than just himself, but that the group should stock up before journeying out so each adventurer buys rations and filled waterskins together each is worth 1 Supply). When they head out every member of the party has 3 Supply, except for Krarg who carries 6 Supply."

It feels like that's a big feat for Krag! He has the capability to carry twice as much as everyone else- except that even a fairly weak wizard with a strength score of 8 can carry more than that without issue. In fact, it feels as though 8 supply pretty much negates the need to worry about losing supply for any journey that takes less than a week. That said, I did see the entry for Barrow Bread: "it perfectly preserves and maintains the temperature of any food tucked inside it for up to a week, protecting and preserving 1 Supply." This could just be resistance to losing supply, but it also could be interpreted as supply spoils in less time than a week. If supply lasts until used, there's no reason for my players not to have way more supply than I can threaten. However, if it spoils in a few days, that seems a little too punishing- what's y'all's interpretation of the rules here? How do keep supply management relevant for a low level party?

Sort of like the rules for a ranger not being able to get lost even though journey mechanics don’t let you get lost. My plan in these cases is to wait for when (during a journey) a critical failure or failure mentions spoiling supply or getting lost. If the player(s) have barrow bread or ranger never lost ability, I will say they don’t suffer those particular effects.

 

[tetrasodium]

While going through the explanation of how exploration and supplies work, I got to thinking about a few things:
According to the Adventurer's Guide, "You can carry a number of days’ Supply equal to your Strength score, in addition to your equipment, weapons, and armor." Which would mean that for most players, you can stock up for a 10+ day journey without issue, at the expense of 5 or so gold. However, in the Example of Play section in the Trials and Treasures book on pg 116, it says

"Varskyle asks if the group has enough Supply for two days of travel. Krarg claims he can carry for more than just himself, but that the group should stock up before journeying out so each adventurer buys rations and filled waterskins together each is worth 1 Supply). When they head out every member of the party has 3 Supply, except for Krarg who carries 6 Supply."

It feels like that's a big feat for Krag! He has the capability to carry twice as much as everyone else- except that even a fairly weak wizard with a strength score of 8 can carry more than that without issue. In fact, it feels as though 8 supply pretty much negates the need to worry about losing supply for any journey that takes less than a week. That said, I did see the entry for Barrow Bread: "it perfectly preserves and maintains the temperature of any food tucked inside it for up to a week, protecting and preserving 1 Supply." This could just be resistance to losing supply, but it also could be interpreted as supply spoils in less time than a week. If supply lasts until used, there's no reason for my players not to have way more supply than I can threaten. However, if it spoils in a few days, that seems a little too punishing- what's y'all's interpretation of the rules here? How do keep supply management relevant for a low level party?

It does seem like lose half the party supply is the primary threat without involving trans continental type distances.

 

[Stalker0]

While going through the explanation of how exploration and supplies work, I got to thinking about a few things:
According to the Adventurer's Guide, "You can carry a number of days’ Supply equal to your Strength score, in addition to your equipment, weapons, and armor." Which would mean that for most players, you can stock up for a 10+ day journey without issue, at the expense of 5 or so gold. However, in the Example of Play section in the Trials and Treasures book on pg 116, it says

"Varskyle asks if the group has enough Supply for two days of travel. Krarg claims he can carry for more than just himself, but that the group should stock up before journeying out so each adventurer buys rations and filled waterskins together each is worth 1 Supply). When they head out every member of the party has 3 Supply, except for Krarg who carries 6 Supply."

It feels like that's a big feat for Krag! He has the capability to carry twice as much as everyone else- except that even a fairly weak wizard with a strength score of 8 can carry more than that without issue. In fact, it feels as though 8 supply pretty much negates the need to worry about losing supply for any journey that takes less than a week. That said, I did see the entry for Barrow Bread: "it perfectly preserves and maintains the temperature of any food tucked inside it for up to a week, protecting and preserving 1 Supply." This could just be resistance to losing supply, but it also could be interpreted as supply spoils in less time than a week. If supply lasts until used, there's no reason for my players not to have way more supply than I can threaten. However, if it spoils in a few days, that seems a little too punishing- what's y'all's interpretation of the rules here? How do keep supply management relevant for a low level party?

I do agree with you on the T and T example being confusing (it may have just been a cheap party not wanting to buy supplies, but as a core example it is confusing. I will report it on the bug list.

 

[Faolyn]

My assumption is that most Supply is rations--dried meats, hardtack, and other bleh stuff that isn't going to go bad except in unusual circumstances (failed exploration challenge stuff, mostly). But the barrow bread can be used to preserve fresh meats, cheeses, and vegetables which would spoil without refrigeration.

All in all, I think the barrow bread is mostly there for RP stuff ("enjoy your granola, guys; I've got a nice fresh BLT here!") unless you decide to homebrew some rules for scurvy or constipation. Which... that's a bit too much realism for me.

(I have no idea why the pregen characters don't start with as much Supply as they can carry.)

 

[MarkB]

Given how thoroughly the concept of Supply has been abstracted from the normal rules for carrying capacity (to the extent that you can carry the same amount whether you're otherwise naked and unequipped, or you're in full plate and carrying enough equipment to be skirting just under Encumbered), I'd be tempted to unlink it from Strength entirely. Instead, you can carry a number of Supply equal to your Wisdom score, and that represents how long you're able to keep your food and water properly preserved before it starts to go off.

 

[Stalker0]

Instead, you can carry a number of Supply equal to your Wisdom score, and that represents how long you're able to keep your food and water properly preserved before it starts to go off.

Just a small change, use the word "preserve" instead of "carry".... that should reinforce the new flavor you are going with and make it much more palatable to be wisdom instead of strength.

 

[tetrasodium]

Given how thoroughly the concept of Supply has been abstracted from the normal rules for carrying capacity (to the extent that you can carry the same amount whether you're otherwise naked and unequipped, or you're in full plate and carrying enough equipment to be skirting just under Encumbered), I'd be tempted to unlink it from Strength entirely. Instead, you can carry a number of Supply equal to your Wisdom score, and that represents how long you're able to keep your food and water properly preserved before it starts to go off.

That might actually be pretty logical. A character with a higher wisdom is less likely to bring extraneous "well we might need x" that won't be needed for anyone going where they are going. Few arctic explorers & Iditarod racers need bug spray & mosquito netting while few jungle explorers are going to be successful with taking things vulnerable to heat & humidity. It's also quite a bit more rare to have a bunch of high wis PCs in a party than high strength ones.

 

[VelvetHobo]

I assumed what the writers intended was "You can carry a number of days’ Supply equal to your Strength modifier score ...."

Otherwise, it just makes no sense that everyone can carry 10 days food and water without any encumbrance penalties; and many martial toons will be carrying 14-18 days food without any issue. It makes the entire system moot if you use the raw strength score, rather than the modifier.

 

[MarkB]

I assumed what the writers intended was "You can carry a number of days’ Supply equal to your Strength modifier score ...."

Otherwise, it just makes no sense that everyone can carry 10 days food and water without any encumbrance penalties; and many martial toons will be carrying 14-18 days food without any issue. It makes the entire system moot if you use the raw strength score, rather than the modifier.

What, so someone with an 8 in their Strength score can carry -1 Supply, and you need strength 12 to carry a packed lunch?