D&D 4E Realistic Strength and Carrying Capacity for 4E

[Aust Diamondew]

Small characters already get 3/4 carrying capacity and -4 to various size related combat manuvres (grapple, trip, brullrush, overun, disarm etc) on top of lower stregnth scores.
Even a halfling commoner with a 16 strength will have -1 to grapples compared to a 10 strength human commoner's +0.

 

[Jackelope King]

For the love of all that's holy, I just hope that they finally ditch the archaic encumbrance system and do lifting/carrying as Strength checks. So much more in-line with the rest of the d20 System and so much easier to manage.

Roll a d20 + Strength. Compare the DC.

Succeed? It's a light load.
Fail? It's a medium load.
Fail by 5? It's a heavy load.
Fail by 10? It's an extreme load, and you can only take 5' steps with it.
Fail by 15? You can't budge it.

Take a bonus if you're only trying to push/pull the thing. Take a penalty if it's moving and you're trying to catch it.

Done. So much easier.

 

[Shortman McLeod]

For the love of all that's holy, I just hope that they finally ditch the archaic encumbrance system and do lifting/carrying as Strength checks. So much more in-line with the rest of the d20 System and so much easier to manage.

Roll a d20 + Strength. Compare the DC.

Succeed? It's a light load.
Fail? It's a medium load.
Fail by 5? It's a heavy load.
Fail by 10? It's an extreme load, and you can only take 5' steps with it.
Fail by 15? You can't budge it.

Take a bonus if you're only trying to push/pull the thing. Take a penalty if it's moving and you're trying to catch it.

Done. So much easier.

And how often would the DM require these strength checks?

 

[Abstraction]

My idea for 4E isn't too simple, but it would get rid of the table. A character's encumbrance score is equal to his strength modifier (maybe plus 2). All regular items weigh either 1, .1 or .01 encumbrance. Items that aren't meant to be carried around, like a statue, could be assigned on the fly. Keep under your encumbrance = light load. Up to +3 of your encumbrance = medium load. Up to +6 = heavy load. Armor sets encumbrance also, so if your encumbrance says light load and you wear medium armor, you are medium encumbered (as per 3.x rules).

Maybe not the simplest solution, but anything to get rid of charts and personally, anything to keep me from having to estimate the weight of things PCs might encounter.

 

[Jackelope King]

And how often would the DM require these strength checks?

When you try to pick something up. Make the strength check to determine how bad the load is. Done.

Or if you really want to track fatigue and the like, do it periodically throughout the day.

If you want to be a stickler for inventory, apply a -1 or -2 penalty for each additional item the character attempts to carry. (If 4e really does get rid of some of the magic item dependence, this will actually be much easier, since inventories will likely become more static, aside from the occasional load of treasure for the heroes to hoist out of the dungeon.)

Mostly, it's an easier way to handle, "You want to pick up the treasure chest?"

 

[Lord Xtheth]

Encumbrance, too - a knight in a full harness might be carrying more excess weight around than a modern infantryman in full kit, but it's better distributed, so he notices it less.

I put the encumbrance in one of those "abstract concept" zones. Sure the weight for a full suit of platemail is well distributed, but it still makes it dificult to move freely, turn fast, and even reduces your range of sight making you instinctively want to take things a little slower than normal.

At least thats how I explain it to my players who argue encumbrance with me.

 

[med stud]

Encumbrance is a rule I have never used. I warn the players when their PCs are carrying too much (like five halberds and 20000 gold pieces) and give them some penalties. I wouldn't cry if they did away with encumbrance in pounds and abstracted it.

 

[Nikosandros]

I don't think the numbers are too bad, really. Personally I'd like to see carrying capacity got rid of and replaced with a simpler system; but that's probably just me.

Another vote for getting rid of detailed encumbrance rules... many rules are being changed for the sake of making the game run faster and being more fun... why must we keep adding the weight of torches?

 

[Plane Sailing]

Sure the weight for a full suit of platemail is well distributed, but it still makes it dificult to move freely, turn fast,

Not actually true. I've seen people wearing actual full suits of platemail and they could run, jump and even kip up in their full plate. The idea of it making movement difficult or restricted is a false one; intuitively it seems likely but in practice it isn't.

(This was at the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds, UK by the way)

 

[Plane Sailing]

Have any table-top RPG's used a 'slot' system like Diablo or WoW? I wonder if that could work in a proper RPG, where each item was listed not in terms of weight, but in terms of equipment slots used.

RuneQuest used an abstract ENC (encumbrance) system from back in the late 70's.

1 Enc was roughly what you could comfortably hold in 1 hand. One handed weapons were 1 Enc, two handed weapons were 2 Enc etc. It was very easy to suss out.

Maximum Enc was average of Str and Con (I guess common house rules factored Size in too).

Worked nicely