RPG Evolution: Weight, What?

Picture courtesy of Pixabay.​

This mantra echoes through the mind of any experienced backpacker, a constant negotiation between necessity and comfort, safety and speed. Extended wilderness trips demand meticulous packing, where every item is weighed, scrutinized, and often grudgingly left behind. Philmont Scout Ranch taught me some strict guidelines: carry no more than 30% of your body weight. This isn't just a suggestion; it's a foundation for endurance and injury prevention. Yet, when factoring in essential consumables like food and water, this is no easy task. Here's what I learned the hard way.

The Relentless Math of the Pack​

Achieving that ideal 30% body weight target is a constant battle against gravity and temptation. As I experienced on the hike, even with fierce discipline, sacrifices are inevitable. Getting my base pack weight down to 35 lbs. often meant leaving behind creature comforts. A lightweight, foldable chair might seem like a luxury, but after miles on the trail, the promise of a comfortable seat can become a powerful motivator (I gave up mine in favor of an inflatable pad, no regrets there). Rain pants, initially deemed optional to save ounces, were sorely missed when a sudden downpour hit, leading to the beginnings of hypothermia (a LOT of regret about that one!). Every item, from an extra pair of socks to a favorite snack, adds to the total, forcing hikers to prioritize ruthlessly. It's a stark lesson in minimalism, where every personal item must justify its existence in ounces, not just in utility.

The Consumable Conundrum​

Even after stripping down to the bare essentials, the true weight challenge emerges with food and water. Water weighs approximately 2 lb. per liter; Philmont recommended 5 liters minimum per person (10 lbs). For a ten-person crew, even with careful rationing and planning for resupply, the initial water weight is substantial. Add to that the necessary caloric intake—around 3,000 calories per day per person for high-intensity activity (approximately 5 more lbs), which for a group of ten, translated to a considerable mass of food and cooking gear that must be carried. For my Philmont trek, these essentials pushed my pack weight past a daunting 50 lbs.

The good news is that this load doesn't remain static. As food is eaten and water is consumed, the pack naturally lightens, providing a small, much-anticipated psychological boost each day. The bad news is that this reduction is temporary. Strategic resupply at streams and camps is crucial, meaning the pack weight constantly fluctuates. We'd start the day off lighter, only to refill water at a river crossing and find the weight inceased, necessitating careful planning for where and when to carry maximum load.

Carrying the Burden​

The real-world struggle of managing pack weight finds a direct parallel in D&D's encumbrance and overland travel rules. Characters in D&D aren't immune to the laws of physics, and their carrying capacity can, depending on the campaign, affect adventurers quite a bit.

In D&D 5th (2024) a creature's normal carrying capacity is its Strength score multiplied by 15 pounds. For instance, a character with a Strength of 10 can comfortably carry up to 150 lbs, while a burly Strength 16 character can manage 240 lbs. However, many Dungeon Masters opt to use the Variant Encumbrance rules from the 2014 version, which add granular penalties for progressively heavier loads. Under these optional rules, a 50 lb. pack can quickly become a significant hindrance, even if it's below the absolute maximum carrying capacity.

• If a character carries weight in excess of 5 times their Strength score, they become encumbered, reducing their speed by 10 feet. For example, a character with a Strength of 8 would become encumbered at 40 lbs, meaning a 50 lb. pack would immediately reduce their movement. Even a Strength 10 character carrying 50 lbs would find their speed reduced by 10 feet.
• Should they carry weight exceeding 10 times their Strength score, they become heavily encumbered, suffering a 20-foot speed reduction and Disadvantage on D20 Tests involving Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. While a 50 lb. pack wouldn't typically make a character heavily encumbered unless their Strength score was very low (e.g., 5 Strength makes 50 lbs heavily encumbered), the first tier of encumbrance is a common reality.

Overland travel further complicates this. Traveling at a normal pace covers 24 miles per day for 8 hours of marching, but this assumes relatively unencumbered movement. If a character is encumbered or heavily encumbered, their reduced speed translates directly to covering less ground each day, burning more resources (food, water, torches), and increasing exposure to random encounters.

We hiked 30 miles over 5 days at Philmont (not counting the first day at basecamp where we sleep over, and the fact that we spent half-days hiking on the second and last day), meaning our average daily travel was 6 miles per day. This was despite significant elevation changes (7,908' to 8,246') and the heavy 50 lb. packs. With 8 hours of travel, we were traveling at a Normal pace (4 miles per hour) of 24 miles per day, further complicated by:

• Difficult Terrain: D&D rules state that moving 1 foot in difficult terrain costs 2 feet of speed. While Philmont wasn't all difficult terrain, significant elevation changes, rocky trails, and even muddy patches due to storms certainly qualified. It effectively halved our speed for those segments, drastically reducing daily progress. The 24 miles per day became 12 miles per day.
• Elevation: We were at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level and I suffered from altitude sickness for two days: each hour such a creature spends traveling at high altitude counts as 2 hours for the purpose of determining how long that creature can travel. The 12 miles per day became 6 miles per day.

These factors do not include exhaustion rules, which (surprisingly) do not affect overland travel in D&D but certainly could. A DM could reasonably impose levels of exhaustion for characters pushing themselves with heavy loads over multiple days without adequate rest. It's worth noting that not all of my crew suffered from altitude sickness, just me, but the crew only moves as fast as its slowest member (my to my group's consternation as I kept taking breaks and asking for them to slow down their pace).

Add all this up, and our real-world pace of 6 miles per day matched the severe reductions caused by the effects of high altitude, heavy encumbrance, and difficult terrain. A DM aiming for realism might apply these layered penalties to make the journey an accurate, grueling test of endurance, just as we experienced.

The Weight of Adventure​

DMs have a powerful tool in encumbrance, not just for realism, but for narrative impact. Characters aren't just carrying their armor and weapons; they're hauling treasure from a goblin horde, vital rations for a besieged town, or the cumbersome magical artifact needed to save the world. The difference between a well-managed load and an overloaded party can define the pace, difficulty, and ultimately, the success of a quest.

Ultimately, the burden of carried weight can transform an adventure from a simple journey into a tactical challenge. A well-prepared party, making smart choices about what to carry and when to resupply, finds the adventure an exciting test of endurance. A heedless party, weighed down by unnecessary bulk, faces an excruciating slog, constantly fighting against the very gear meant to aid them, turning every step into a monumental effort. Using these rules fosters a healthy respect for logistics, making every ounce, every pound, truly matter. It certainly did for our hike.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

for 5e style play? Nah. We're too busy trying to figure out how to get a pet owlbear.

I've been saying over and over, Animal Handling is an S-tier skillcheck in Modern 5e DnD at every table I've played or DM'd at.

 

[R_Chance]

Fighting with huge packs seems like it would be a pain. And if you've got anything you want in combat packed in your backpack, it'd be at least a full action, maybe 2 to get it out.

Now is that fun? Maybe for some groups. I'm on the fence. Not for heroic exploration and encounters like D&D. But for other games, could be it's own mini-game. Definitely trying to figure out either how to carry or how to stash found coins could be a set of adventures on their own. But again - for 5e style play? Nah. We're too busy trying to figure out how to get a pet owlbear.

Not for 5E, but back in the day...

You (or the leader / caller) have to decide "run or fight." Then, if fight, you dump the heavy / clumsy stuff on the ground (have to be an optimist ) you can pick it up afterwards. If running what can you drop to distract the enemy or increase your speed Don't plan on digging through the backpack in the middle of a fight unless you're not on the front line. Keep the really valuable stuff and anything you might need in the middle of a fight (i.e. spell components) in belt pouches etc. Keep a day's rations and a flask of water on you. Waterskins (or wine) should be on the ground. Too easy to be slashed. Have the (probably / hopefully) non-melee combatant Magic User keep track of the light source (lantern) if needed. A torch can be on the ground or on the shield / off hand. Unless you're going two handed (bow, crossbow, great sword, and so on) in which case it's on the ground. If you do have to fight without time to dump the packs etc. keep in mind the encumbrance you have. Think through the marching order and adjust it as needed. Decide who has what responsibility, before you bump into something.

It does take some thought, but it beats dying. It also "grounds" things and makes it more "real." Not realistic (dungeons, monsters?) but it gives it verisimilitude. I almost said "weight"

edit Of course if you have bearers / pack animals you have to figure out what to do with them, You do not want them either, A. Being killed, or B. Running off with necessary stuff. Pay torchbearers well, and protect them and or pack animals. Keep in mind animals often react badly to the smell / sight of monsters

 

[Horwath]

You’re right not to penalize Dex characters for the sake of realism in 5E, but 5E really should’ve found a way to nerf Dex a bit.

I just boosted non finesse/non ranged weapons by a die bump or two.

IE:
longsword is d10(V d12), with this even the hated Flex mastery has it's merit. It's then d12+str damage vs. d8+dex and Vex mastery.
greatsword/axe/maul is at 2d8
for dual wield there is d8 Light weapon, vs d6 Light/finesse weapon.
maybe add Heavy 1Handed weapon with d12 damage(V 2d6) that can have Graze mastery instead of UA's Flex.
then again you get d12+STR damage(STR damage on a miss) vs d8+dex with Vex and both viable options.

also adding min STR to every armor helps with people not dumping STR.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I don’t get how tracking equipment is a mini game. I have two lists: the stuff in my pack and the stuff I carry. In a system where there is encumbrance, I drop my pack and it gets picked up at the end of combat when people are picking up the missile weapons they dropped on the ground (like javelins and daggers n stuff) and looking for treasure.

In a game like 5e, where you can juggle multiple weapons in a single round, everyone has the same movement and everyone can carry a pony on their back, I still have two lists so I can remember what items require one round to remove from my backpack.

 

[TiQuinn]

This comment right here is part of why I struggle with 5E

It’s a different game from 1e/2e. The encumbrance system makes a lot more sense in the earlier editions than it does in 5e which is focused on more heroic characters and fantastic results.

 

[AlViking]

...
edit Of course if you have bearers / pack animals you have to figure out what to do with them, You do not want them either, A. Being killed, or B. Running off with necessary stuff. Pay torchbearers well, and protect them and or pack animals. Keep in mind animals often react badly to the smell / sight of monsters

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[Willie the Duck]

The 15 minute per mile pace of road marching is hard to keep for more than a couple hours. 20 minutes is more the average for normal people and 30 minutes is more under load with people of mixed abilities to keep together. The Army standard was 3 hours to march 12 miles with 35lb pack. People were tired at the end. I do not know how the Romans would march and then build a fort at the end of each day.

Ever since I heard the whole Roman independent soldier ethos thing, I've wondered exactly when they conformed to this norm and when they didn't.

This . . . looks like a typo. But it's probably not.

The term 'comfortably' was added and might be throwing you. That's their max-load encumbrance.

I don’t get how tracking equipment is a mini game.

It really isn't in the modern context. When you were making hard decisions about what to bring into the dungeon vs how much loot (aka XP) you could cart out of the dungeon, then it was a subroutine in the game decisions. It's been vestigial for quite some time.

And that, I think, is the real crux. Many-to-most gamers don't bother with it because it hasn't been made important, and when it has been important, it hasn't been done in a way they found fun, exciting, and with useful and important decisions to be made on their part.

 

[Micah Sweet]

View attachment 416557
Picture courtesy of Pixabay.​

This mantra echoes through the mind of any experienced backpacker, a constant negotiation between necessity and comfort, safety and speed. Extended wilderness trips demand meticulous packing, where every item is weighed, scrutinized, and often grudgingly left behind. Philmont Scout Ranch taught me some strict guidelines: carry no more than 30% of your body weight. This isn't just a suggestion; it's a foundation for endurance and injury prevention. Yet, when factoring in essential consumables like food and water, this is no easy task. Here's what I learned the hard way.

The Relentless Math of the Pack​

Achieving that ideal 30% body weight target is a constant battle against gravity and temptation. As I experienced on the hike, even with fierce discipline, sacrifices are inevitable. Getting my base pack weight down to 35 lbs. often meant leaving behind creature comforts. A lightweight, foldable chair might seem like a luxury, but after miles on the trail, the promise of a comfortable seat can become a powerful motivator (I gave up mine in favor of an inflatable pad, no regrets there). Rain pants, initially deemed optional to save ounces, were sorely missed when a sudden downpour hit, leading to the beginnings of hypothermia (a LOT of regret about that one!). Every item, from an extra pair of socks to a favorite snack, adds to the total, forcing hikers to prioritize ruthlessly. It's a stark lesson in minimalism, where every personal item must justify its existence in ounces, not just in utility.

The Consumable Conundrum​

Even after stripping down to the bare essentials, the true weight challenge emerges with food and water. Water weighs approximately 2 lb. per liter; Philmont recommended 5 liters minimum per person (10 lbs). For a ten-person crew, even with careful rationing and planning for resupply, the initial water weight is substantial. Add to that the necessary caloric intake—around 3,000 calories per day per person for high-intensity activity (approximately 5 more lbs), which for a group of ten, translated to a considerable mass of food and cooking gear that must be carried. For my Philmont trek, these essentials pushed my pack weight past a daunting 50 lbs.

The good news is that this load doesn't remain static. As food is eaten and water is consumed, the pack naturally lightens, providing a small, much-anticipated psychological boost each day. The bad news is that this reduction is temporary. Strategic resupply at streams and camps is crucial, meaning the pack weight constantly fluctuates. We'd start the day off lighter, only to refill water at a river crossing and find the weight inceased, necessitating careful planning for where and when to carry maximum load.

Carrying the Burden​

The real-world struggle of managing pack weight finds a direct parallel in D&D's encumbrance and overland travel rules. Characters in D&D aren't immune to the laws of physics, and their carrying capacity can, depending on the campaign, affect adventurers quite a bit.

In D&D 5th (2024) a creature's normal carrying capacity is its Strength score multiplied by 15 pounds. For instance, a character with a Strength of 10 can comfortably carry up to 150 lbs, while a burly Strength 16 character can manage 240 lbs. However, many Dungeon Masters opt to use the Variant Encumbrance rules from the 2014 version, which add granular penalties for progressively heavier loads. Under these optional rules, a 50 lb. pack can quickly become a significant hindrance, even if it's below the absolute maximum carrying capacity.

• If a character carries weight in excess of 5 times their Strength score, they become encumbered, reducing their speed by 10 feet. For example, a character with a Strength of 8 would become encumbered at 40 lbs, meaning a 50 lb. pack would immediately reduce their movement. Even a Strength 10 character carrying 50 lbs would find their speed reduced by 10 feet.
• Should they carry weight exceeding 10 times their Strength score, they become heavily encumbered, suffering a 20-foot speed reduction and Disadvantage on D20 Tests involving Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. While a 50 lb. pack wouldn't typically make a character heavily encumbered unless their Strength score was very low (e.g., 5 Strength makes 50 lbs heavily encumbered), the first tier of encumbrance is a common reality.

Overland travel further complicates this. Traveling at a normal pace covers 24 miles per day for 8 hours of marching, but this assumes relatively unencumbered movement. If a character is encumbered or heavily encumbered, their reduced speed translates directly to covering less ground each day, burning more resources (food, water, torches), and increasing exposure to random encounters.

We hiked 30 miles over 5 days at Philmont (not counting the first day at basecamp where we sleep over, and the fact that we spent half-days hiking on the second and last day), meaning our average daily travel was 6 miles per day. This was despite significant elevation changes (7,908' to 8,246') and the heavy 50 lb. packs. With 8 hours of travel, we were traveling at a Normal pace (4 miles per hour) of 24 miles per day, further complicated by:

• Difficult Terrain: D&D rules state that moving 1 foot in difficult terrain costs 2 feet of speed. While Philmont wasn't all difficult terrain, significant elevation changes, rocky trails, and even muddy patches due to storms certainly qualified. It effectively halved our speed for those segments, drastically reducing daily progress. The 24 miles per day became 12 miles per day.
• Elevation: We were at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level and I suffered from altitude sickness for two days: each hour such a creature spends traveling at high altitude counts as 2 hours for the purpose of determining how long that creature can travel. The 12 miles per day became 6 miles per day.

These factors do not include exhaustion rules, which (surprisingly) do not affect overland travel in D&D but certainly could. A DM could reasonably impose levels of exhaustion for characters pushing themselves with heavy loads over multiple days without adequate rest. It's worth noting that not all of my crew suffered from altitude sickness, just me, but the crew only moves as fast as its slowest member (my to my group's consternation as I kept taking breaks and asking for them to slow down their pace).

Add all this up, and our real-world pace of 6 miles per day matched the severe reductions caused by the effects of high altitude, heavy encumbrance, and difficult terrain. A DM aiming for realism might apply these layered penalties to make the journey an accurate, grueling test of endurance, just as we experienced.

The Weight of Adventure​

DMs have a powerful tool in encumbrance, not just for realism, but for narrative impact. Characters aren't just carrying their armor and weapons; they're hauling treasure from a goblin horde, vital rations for a besieged town, or the cumbersome magical artifact needed to save the world. The difference between a well-managed load and an overloaded party can define the pace, difficulty, and ultimately, the success of a quest.

Ultimately, the burden of carried weight can transform an adventure from a simple journey into a tactical challenge. A well-prepared party, making smart choices about what to carry and when to resupply, finds the adventure an exciting test of endurance. A heedless party, weighed down by unnecessary bulk, faces an excruciating slog, constantly fighting against the very gear meant to aid them, turning every step into a monumental effort. Using these rules fosters a healthy respect for logistics, making every ounce, every pound, truly matter. It certainly did for our hike.

If only more RPG designers (not to mention players) had a healthy respect for logistics. I relish taking these things into account.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That's the thing cap, I don't want to respect logistics.

Well, there ought to be games for those holding either preference.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I love this logistical stuff but it definitely seems unpopular with players, who prefer the fantastical heroism of carrying everything without ever worrying about it. (Nevermind that even wearing a backpack would interfere with combat in ways players arent prepared for.)

The solution is easy: Bring back hirelings! Squires and packrats to carry your stuff for money. All the logisitics without the realistic combat setbacks, for the low price of some coins!

Players IME generally don't want to deal with anything that impacts their PCs negatively that isn't immediately solvable with their superpowers or a few combat rolls. I've spent a long time finding a group willing to accept logistics as a challenge, because I really don't want to play without it.