Encumbrance

Encumbrance is a practical measure of how awkwardly loaded a character is. The notes use a descriptive scale first, then convert that into bonuses for attackers and movement loss.

Encumbrance Scale

Rating	State	Effect
1-3	No penalty	No encumbrance penalty
4	Light encumbrance	Attackers get +1 to hit you
5	Moderate encumbrance	Attackers get +2 to hit you
6	Heavy encumbrance	Attackers get +3 to hit you
7	Severe encumbrance	Attackers get +4 to hit you
8	Immobile	Attackers get +5 to hit you

Encumbrance Contributors

Gear	Encumbrance
Medium armour	+1
Heavy armour	+2
Bunch of items, roughly 10 different things	+1
Bunch of weapons	+1
Lots of food and water	+1
Weapon and shield	1
Light armour	0.5
Medium armour	1
Heavy armour	2
50 feet of rope	0.5
Brace	0.5
Bundle	1
Collection / mess	0.5

Descriptive Bands

Description	Meaning
That's fine; no problem	No encumbrance
I see you are wearing mail and carrying a bunch of weapons and gear	Light encumbrance
Plate armour and a full backpack	Moderate encumbrance
Months of supplies or overloaded pack	Heavy encumbrance
You cannot move with that	Over-encumbered or immobile

Pack Volumes

Pack	Encumbrance
20 L pack	+0
40 L pack	+1
60 L pack	+2
80 L pack	+3

Roughly 20 arrows equal 1 litre. One week of dry rations equals 1 litre. Two hundred coins equal 1 litre.

Volume Used	Encumbrance
First 10 L	Free
Second 10 L	+1
Third 10 L	+2

Movement Draft

Encumbrance	State	Movement
0	Not encumbered	40 ft
1-2	Lightly encumbered	30 ft
3-4	Heavily encumbered	-

Combat Note

If you are fighting an encumbered opponent, they are easier to hit and slower to move. Treat them as Impaired where appropriate.

It should usually be assumed that a character dumps their pack at the start of combat.