Encumbrance Points (3.5/DnDSAGA)

[raitalin]

Alright, we all know tracking Encumbrance sucks and it's boring, so a alot of DMs handwave it until a problem comes up.

These problems generally take one of two forms:

1. Awkward items with reasonable weight.
Sure a ladder is only 10 pounds, but how exactly do you carry it?

2. Too much weight
"I realize rope is important, but I'm unlikely to throw a challenge at you that requires a quarter mile of it."

In keeping with my DnDSAGA system's general simplification I thought I might try to tackle this problem by making the encumbrance rules simpler and a bit more realistic, without all the book keeping.

Encumbrance Points

Characters have a number of EP equal to ½ their Str score.

Containers take up EP, but allow the bearer to carry a number of small items without them taking up EP.

Small items (those marked with a *) do not take EP if they are in an appropriate container. When they are not stowed they take up 1 EP.

Negligible items (those marked with a -) mass is insignificant individually. 5 Negligible items count as a single small item.

50 GP is equal to one small item.

Light Load = ½ Str score, Medium Load = ¾ Str. Score, Heavy Load = Str. Score

Characters bearing a medium load are moved -1 CT and have their speed reduced by 1, characters bearing a heavy load are moved -3 CT, have their speed reduced to ½ and may not run or charge.

Containers
{TABLE=head]Container|Cost|EP
Backpack|2 gp|2 (20)
Backpacks may contain up to 20 small items.
Barrel| 2 gp |4 (100)
Barrels may contain 100 small items.

Case, map or scroll | 1 gp | 1 (50)
Map or Scroll cases may contain 50 sheets of paper, maps or scrolls.

Chest (empty) | 2 gp | 4 (50)
Chest may contain 50 small items.

Pouch, belt (empty) | 1 gp | 1 (5)
Belt pouches may contain 5 small items.

Quiver | 1 gp | 1 (30)
Quivers may contain 30 arrows or bolts.

Sack (empty) | 1 sp |2 (50)
Sacks may contain 50 small items. Folded sacks are *[/TABLE]

{TABLE=head]Item | Cost | EP
Basket (empty) | 4 sp | 1
Bedroll | 1 sp | 1
Bell | 1 gp | *
Blanket, winter | 5 sp | 1
Block and tackle | 5 gp | 1
Bottle, wine, glass | 2 gp | 1
Bucket (empty) | 5 sp | 1
Caltrops | 1 gp | *
Candle | 1 cp | -
Canvas (5 sq. yds.) | 1 sp| 1
Chain (10 ft.) | 30 gp | 1
Chalk, 1 piece | 1 cp | -
Crowbar | 2 gp | 1
Firewood (per day) | 1 cp | 4
Fishhook | 1 sp | -
Fishing net, 25 sq. ft. | 4 gp | 1
Flask (empty) | 3 cp | *
Flint and steel | 1 gp | -
Grappling hook | 1 gp | 1
Hammer | 5 sp | 1
Ink (1 oz. vial) | 8 gp | *
Inkpen | 1 sp | -
Jug, clay | 3 cp | 1
Ladder, 10-foot | 5 cp | 4
Lamp, common | 1 sp | 1
Lantern, bullseye | 12 gp | 1
Lantern, hooded | 7 gp | 1
Lock (very simple) | 20 gp | *
Lock (average) | 40 gp | *
Lock (good) | 80 gp | *
Lock (amazing) | 150 gp | *
Manacles | 15 gp | 1
Manacles, masterwork | 50 gp | 1
Mirror, small steel | 10 gp | *
Mug/Tankard, clay | 2 cp | *
Oil (1-pint flask) | 1 sp | *
Paper ( 10 sheets) | 1 gp | —
Pick, miner’s | 3 gp | 2
Pitcher, clay | 2 cp | 1
Piton | 1 sp | *
Pole, 10-foot | 2 sp | 3
Pot, iron | 5 sp | 2
Ram, portable | 10 gp | 4
Rations, trail (per day) | 5 sp | *
Rope, hempen (50 ft.) | 1 gp | 2
Rope, silk (50 ft.) | 10 gp | 1
Sealing wax | 1 gp | *
Sewing needle | 5 sp | —
Signal whistle | 8 sp| —
Signet ring | 5 gp | —
Sledge | 1 gp | 2
Soap (per lb.) | 5 sp | *
Spade or shovel | 2 gp | 2
Spyglass | 100 gp | 1
Tent | 10 gp | 4
Torch | 1 cp | 1
Vial, ink or potion | 1 gp | -
Waterskin | 1 gp | 1
Whetstone | 2 cp | *

Light Weapons | X | *
One-handed Weapons | X | 1
Two-handed Weapons |X | 2
Polearms |X | 3

Light Armor |X | 1
Medium Armor |X | 2
Heavy armor |X | 3
[/TABLE]

[Ziegander]

I had actually attempted to come up with rules like this myself for a non-D&D system I was working on a while back, but I was doing something wonky with mine that wasn't coming out exactly right. This on the other hand is very nice.

My only issues are that you're saying that anyone, even a weakling with Str 8, can carry around a Barrel filled with 100 small items on their backs, as a light load. There are a few other issues similar to that, which I won't list. I'm also not sold on your listings of which items are considered "small items" and which aren't.

But the base ideas and mechanics here are really nice.

[raitalin]

Yeah, I'm sure there are a number of weirdnesses like that that will get worked out in the field. Then again, in many situations like that character wouldn't have much left over for it's armor and weapons, so it's unlikely to be a practical concern.

But yeah, Barrels (and possibly chests) in particular might need to be 5 or 6 EP.

I'm totally open to criticism on why a given item should be more or less EP.

[jvluso]

Items in containers should have some ep, rather than zero. As is, a barrel filled to the top with caltrops would cost just as much ep as an empty barrel.

[raitalin]

Items in containers should have some ep, rather than zero. As is, a barrel filled to the top with caltrops would cost just as much ep as an empty barrel.

It seems like going doing this might counteract the "reduced bookeeping" objective.

[Ziegander]

Items in containers should have some ep, rather than zero. As is, a barrel filled to the top with caltrops would cost just as much ep as an empty barrel.

The idea isn't total realism. As I see it, or at least why I like it, this EP system allows encumbrance to actually matter beyond DM handwaving, while drastically cutting down on bookkeeping. If encumbrance can be quickly and easily tracked via non-realistic carrying rules, then realism can take a hike, in my opinion. At least in this instance.

[Draz74]

This is pretty close to what I was planning to do with the encumbrance system in my CRE8 system. Thanks for writing it -- it will be nice to have something to base my rules off of when I get around to writing them up.