Old-School Essentials presents two options for determining characters’ movement rates based on the amount of gear and treasure carried. This article presents a third option for groups wishing to use a more abstract approach based on tracking the number of items carried.
Instead of tracking the weight (in coins) of items carried, players using this alternative encumbrance system track the number of significant items carried.
General guideline: An object that can be carried in one hand counts as 1 item and an object that requires two hands to carry counts as 2 items. Very heavy or bulky objects may count as 3 or more items, per referee judgement.
Each item carried is classified as equipped or packed.
Equipped items: Anything the character is holding, actively using, or has ready to use at short notice: armour worn, shields or weapons held, sheathed weapons, items worn on the belt.
Packed items: All other equipment, packed into pockets, sacks, backpacks, etc. In combat, retrieving a packed item optionally takes one round.
Weapons: One-handed weapons count as 1 item; two-handed weapons count as 2 items.
Ammunition: The encumbrance of missile weapons already includes the ammunition and its container.
Armour: Shields count as 1 item; light armour (e.g. leather) counts as 1 item; heavy armour (e.g. chainmail) counts as 2 items. Clothing (i.e. unarmoured) does not count as encumbering.
The item weights of standard adventuring gear are listed in the Adventuring Gear Item-Based Encumbrance table, opposite.
Bundled items: Some items (e.g. torches, rations) are usually purchased and carried in bundles. Up to 3 such items (e.g. individual torches or days’ rations) bundled together count as 1 item.
Tiny items: Some very small items (e.g. necklaces, rings) are not treated as encumbering unless carried in large numbers (referee’s judgement).
Storage: Containers (e.g. backpacks, sacks) only count as an item when not in use. The referee must judge how much can be stored in a container.
Coins and gems: Up to 100 coins or gems count as 1 item.
Jewellery: Tiny pieces (e.g. necklaces, rings) do not count as encumbering; larger pieces count as 1 item.
Magic items: Staves count as 2 items; others count as 1 item.
Movement rate is determined by the number of items carried, shown in the
Item-Based Encumbrance table. A character’s equipped and packed items should both be looked up in the table and the slower movement rate used.
| Item-Based Encumbrance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Equip. Items | Packed Items | Move. Rate |
| 0–3 | 0–10 | 120’ (40’) |
| 4–5 | 11–12 | 90’ (30’) |
| 6–7 | 13–14 | 60’ (20’) |
| 8–9 | 15–16 | 30’ (10’) |
Maximum load: A character carrying more than 9 equipped items or more than 16 packed items cannot move.
The number of items that mounts or vehicles can carry is calculated by dividing their coin capacity (defined in Old-School Essentials) by 100. The distinction between packed and equipped items does not apply to mounts and vehicles.
Example: A riding horse can to carry up to 30 items (3,000 coins) unencumbered and a maximum of 60 items (6,000 coins).
| Adventuring Gear Item-Based Encumbrance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Item | Encumbrance | |
| Backpack | 1 (storage) | |
| Crowbar | 1 | |
| Garlic | 0 (tiny) | |
| Grappling hook | 1 | |
| Hammer (small) | 1 | |
| Holy symbol | 0 (tiny) | |
| Holy water (vial) | 1 | |
| Iron spikes (12) | 1 | |
| Lantern | 1 | |
| Mirror (hand-sized, steel) | 1 | |
| Oil (1 flask) | 1 | |
| Pole (10’ long, wooden) | 2 | |
| Rations (iron, 7 days) | 3 (bundle) | |
| Rations (standard, 7 days) | 3 (bundle) | |
| Rope (50’) | 1 | |
| Sack (large) | 1 (storage) | |
| Sack (small) | 1 (storage) | |
| Stakes (3) and mallet | 2 (bundle) | |
| Thieves | tools | 1 |
| Tinder box (flint & steel) | 1 | |
| Torches (6) | 2 (bundle) | |
| Waterskin | 1 | |
| Wine | (2 pints) 1 | |
| Wolfsbane | (1 bunch) 1 | |
Bundle: Lists the item weight of the number of individual items in the bundle when bought (e.g. 7 rations = 3 items).
Storage: Only counts as an item when not in use. The referee must judge how much can be stored in a container.
Tiny: Not encumbering unless carried in large numbers.