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Encumbrance needs to be tracked. The only leeway PFS grants is that coinage weight is hand waved. It is assumed that you have enough in-game resources to manage your wealth. Only the weight of gear needs to be tracked.
That said, I do find that not everyone is good at math, and sometimes when I encounter a Strength 7 Human I'll double check to make sure they're applying the appropriate penalties for being encumbered.
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Encumbrance needs to be tracked. The only leeway PFS grants is that coinage weight is hand waved. It is assumed that you have enough in-game resources to manage your wealth. Only the weight of gear needs to be tracked.
That said, I do find that not everyone is good at math, and sometimes when I encounter a Strength 7 Human I'll double check to make sure they're applying the appropriate penalties for being encumbered.
Cool and good to hear! I know it usually doesn't come up since people are usually packed well (either not needing much or already in high grade armor) but it's good to know I can call it. Also I'm about to run some scenarios deep in the worldwound where resource management could be tight so I wanted to make sure.
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Also, somewhere it is stated, I believe that there is an assumption that you have enough bags / boxes / whatever to haul away all the loot in the scenario, and IIRC the weight of the loot does not need to be tracked unless it explicitly says so.
I have yet to encounter a GM that ever checked encumbrance, even when it is so obvious that a person is carrying much more than they ever could, yet somehow moving full normal speed while fully loaded and wearing Medium or Heavy armor. I do, however, keep careful track of it, just in case I run into a GM that actually checks.
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Encumbrance needs to be tracked. The only leeway PFS grants is that coinage weight is hand waved. It is assumed that you have enough in-game resources to manage your wealth. Only the weight of gear needs to be tracked.
That said, I do find that not everyone is good at math, and sometimes when I encounter a Strength 7 Human I'll double check to make sure they're applying the appropriate penalties for being encumbered.
This, plus:
Also, somewhere it is stated, I believe that there is an assumption that you have enough bags / boxes / whatever to haul away all the loot in the scenario
but not, this:
IIRC the weight of the loot does not need to be tracked unless it explicitly says so.
You find a set of plate? You'd better make the porter/eidolon/gnome barbarian carry it.
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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Thanks BNW, that was the part I was looking for.
the "or muscle" part is why I assume we don't have to track encumbrance on anything we are carrying out purely as loot. (Now if you are going to use it during the scenario, I expect you to add it to your encumbrance.)
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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IIRC the weight of the loot does not need to be tracked unless it explicitly says so.You find a set of plate? You'd better make the porter/eidolon/gnome barbarian carry it.
You know, I was going to say that Neil (my gnome barbarian) couldn't carry it, he was at max light load, but then I realized that was like +4 strength ago and before he had a handy haversack. Sure, hand it off to Neil
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I am pretty sure that only about half of us in my local group worry about encumbrance. I keep track for my own characters and I know a few other people who do as well. But I've also heard people openly admit that they don't bother because they think it is a silly rule. I've never seen any GM ask about it, not even from my Str 5 halfling.
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I am pretty sure that only about half of us in my local group worry about encumbrance. I keep track for my own characters and I know a few other people who do as well. But I've also heard people openly admit that they don't bother because they think it is a silly rule. I've never seen any GM ask about it, not even from my Str 5 halfling.
Lol will be a great way to check people. In my mind I'm much more forgiving for new players running 1-3rd but less so at high tables. By the time you are 4+ you should really have all your gear squared away and handled and be expected to be up on those rules.
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Venture-Captain, North Carolina—Asheville
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I assiduously track my characters' encumbrance, to the point that I turned down gear given by a superior because it would have taken my character over his light load limit. It was especially irritating when I built my investigator, who needs thieves' tools, an alchemy crafting kit, and a formula book. Most of my first chronicles feature masterwork backpack as a post-game purchase.
I also remember asking if it is assumed we have footlockers at the Lodge or some other place to stow unnecessary gear. Carrying around my 5-lb. bedroll and 4-lb. waterskin on a single-day mission in Absalom always struck me as silly.
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A handy haversack was one of my first purchases, and I sold my crossbow very early on. Hero labs does make it easy to check and adjust encumbrance.
As far as footlockers, I do store unnecessary gear at the grand lodge. It is a service the Society can easily afford, and is quite valuable to the members.
G'Darm, if you want a masterwork backpack, get one. I expect a strapping young Eagle like you probably doesn't need one, but they really do help carry things.
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I sometimes have a spare sack on the side, with things like the bedroll, rations, waterskin, etc for my weak characters. Then I ask one of the big fighter types to carry it for me. That way, my useful gear that I need to have on me stays on me, while the silly stuff is carried by someone else. Or I just get a mule or something, then leave it right outside the dungeon (to get eaten by the dragon we're looking for inside the cave when it returns from its flight around the neighborhood).
Muleback cords are a nice investment early on, even if you end up replacing them later.
-j
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I am pretty sure that only about half of us in my local group worry about encumbrance. I keep track for my own characters and I know a few other people who do as well. But I've also heard people openly admit that they don't bother because they think it is a silly rule. I've never seen any GM ask about it, not even from my Str 5 halfling.
i know jon keeps track of encumberance with strength and enlarge person when he gms usually.
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I might be weak - but that doesn't mean I have to incur a penalty even if I go above my light encumbrance.
When I started my carreer years ago I packed carefully. All important and light stuff I had with me. Other items I felt useful I placed in a sack.
Once a Venture Captain asingned us to a task I looked around for adware or strong fighter. I then approached him and asked - comrade - you look strong. Would you mind taking this sack and carry it with your own items for me.
I never had anyone refuse - albeit Walter - my preferred pack mule - a young and naive lad - no longe was that keen to carry stuff for me after I fireballed the BBEG and apparently some paperwork he was told to retrieve.
Not that the lad could read - or told me before I let lose my magic.
Good times, good times
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Venture-Captain, North Carolina—Asheville
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Encumbrance by Weight: If you want to determine whether your character's gear is heavy enough to slow him down more than his armor already does, total the weight of all the character's items, including armor, weapons, and gear. Compare this total to the character's Strength on Table: Carrying Capacity. Depending on the character's carrying capacity, he or she may be carrying a light, medium, or heavy load. Like armor, a character's load affects his maximum Dexterity bonus to AC, carries a check penalty (which works like an armor check penalty), reduces the character's speed, and affects how fast the character can run, as shown on Table: Encumbrance Effects. A medium or heavy load counts as medium or heavy armor for the purpose of abilities or skills that are restricted by armor. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character.
At low levels (where short-range spells can be an issue), I'm not sure I'd be okay with the reduced speed for positioning purposes.
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A handy haversack doesn't provide any kind of bonus; it is simply an extra-dimensional storage container, so stacking isn't really an applicable term.
Also, slotless.
So, muleback cords, masterwork backpack, and a handy haversack (or two). I think my sorcerer may now have more carrying capacity than the barbarian.
Then again, even without the MW backpack, I think that may be true, since I won't dump Strength under 10, and he already had muleback cords...
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Don't forget the efficient quiver. I makes the pain of those 5-pound each rods much less. Also, for the obscenely wealthy, staves.
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lol i constantly worry about encumberance, so i tend to try to keep things on the light side, with characters with low stg like my trickster scout kitsune at 12 stg i picked up a master work packback, wich treats my stg as 2 higher and a trait that treats my stg as 1 higher and when i can afford it i plan on getting those muleback cords lol i always worry about the little stuff XD
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I've found it's small casters(excluding wayangs) who'll have the most trouble. They start with the least strength, have very little inclination to distribute points into it, rods weigh 5 lbs. each, etc.
Ant haul and a 1k pearl of power to get back the 1 level spell lost are usually pretty easy choices for casters.
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But most of their gear is half weight. Weapons, armor etc. Since pfs lets you handwave found loot, small characters actually have more carrying capacity than medium ones.
Of course. But you have other useful items which do not vary in weight, and they tend to add up. Torches, sunrods, Alchemist's fires, a grappling hook, a rope...
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I've found it's small casters(excluding wayangs) who'll have the most trouble. They start with the least strength, have very little inclination to distribute points into it, rods weigh 5 lbs. each, etc.Ant haul and a 1k pearl of power to get back the 1 level spell lost are usually pretty easy choices for casters.
I wish, being a Gnome Oracle.
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I wish, being a Gnome Oracle.I've found it's small casters(excluding wayangs) who'll have the most trouble. They start with the least strength, have very little inclination to distribute points into it, rods weigh 5 lbs. each, etc.Ant haul and a 1k pearl of power to get back the 1 level spell lost are usually pretty easy choices for casters.
Runestones are only 2k. Picking ant haul for one of your ever so precious spells known slots however...
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Possibly a silly suggestion, but why not get a combat trained pony? It's far better at carrying things that my weak wizard is and it's a lot cheaper than anything else, and also comes with all the tricks you need?
I have a mule for one of my PCs, until I can get a handy haversack around level 3 or 4. After that, a non-leveling animal would die quickly in any dungeon. For instance, there's one scenario where the BBEG fireballs the group at sub-tier 3-4.
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My strength 6 gnome sorceror always just does puppy eyes at one of the tanks until they agree to carry my extra stuff. And how much stuff does a gnome sorceror need to be combat effective? (light mithril shield which also lets me threaten and...???) It might be a bigger deal when I get to higher levels and I want rods etc, but by then I'll just get a handy haversack.
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Ah, t'is not the equipment I worry about for I get by with very little. My...birthright clads me in ossific armor, my shield is a wee little thing et cetera. Rather, when everyone else is dead or dying, I have not the strength to bear them home.
I wish the regulations would not prohibit retaining undea...departed bodyguards between field assigments. There's strength in dead bone, dead sinew. Ay, strength beyond the living. And sometimes that's all that stands between them and us.