I run a down & dirty campaign. After battles, archers are searching for unbroken arrows, large battles stretch through several rooms because the dead bodies start getting in the way, and fighters have to remember which room they threw down their bow in. In other words, I keep track of the details.
To me, this kind of reality makes the extraordinary scenes that much more fantastic. However, nobody wants to keep track of these things if it slows down their game. This is a shortcut I use for encumbrance.
On my PCs Log I write down the weight after any arm or armor, then under Possesions: I write down Combat Gear followed by the total weight.
After this I write down either Kit or Full Kit. A Kit is what 90% of all adventurers will carry when going on a day adventure. A Full Kit is what they carry when the adventure is expected to go overnight.
In my campaign, a Kit weighs 9lbs (3lbs for a small character) and a Full Kit weighs 18lbs (6lbs for a small character).
Kit
Backpack
Belt Pouch
2 Sacks
Flint & Steel
Waterskin
1 Trail Ration
Full Kit
Backpack
Bedroll
Belt Pouch
2 Sacks
Flint & Steel
Waterskin
4 Trail Rations
Whetstone
I don't include things like rope, daggers and lighting sources because their weights vary too often. (silk vs. hempen, silver vs. normal, torch vs. lantern)
Belt pouch's weight is always considered full (1lb), and you don't have to worry about keeping track of encumbrance for the 1st 50 coins PCs carry.
PCs can carry more or less of something in a Kit/Full Kit, like Rations or Sacks, just make a notation. I choose these numbers mainly so the numbers would work out easy (18lbs-9lbs and 6lbs-3lbs).
Then I write down all the remaining odds & ends they carry. After cleaning up the first two categories, you will have more room and you won't have to write backpack, belt pouch, etc 4-8 times.
This is an example of a Cleric with a Str of 14:
Possessions: [58/116/175] 93lbs: combat gear 66lbs, full kit 18lbs, holy symbol 1lbs, spell component pouch 2lbs, hooded lantern 2lbs, 4 pints of oil 4lbs, potion of jump, potion of cure light wounds.
(The weights are usually written in pencil or typed in a smaller font)
I've played in plenty of campaigns where the DM doesn't track encumbrance and that is fine. To be honest, if it bogs you down I don't want you to track it either. But if you like the reality, I hope this helps.
In an attempt to get back to what first brought me to these boards, D&D content, I wrote this up.
Then I posted it at the worst possible time, right before the news broke on March 4th.
In other words *bump*
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In an attempt to get back to what first brought me to these boards, D&D content, I wrote this up.
Then I posted it at the worst possible time, right before the news broke on March 4th.
In other words *bump*
yeah - I didn't see it last time... but it's helpful. I'm thinking of starting a PBP thats a little more gritty then my normal games, but encumberence isn't something I'm interested in keeping track of right now... Ammo and rations on the other hand, are. I'd be interested in if you use the formula in the books when the PCs are looking for spent arrows or a different one?
I like the style that you wrote this in: Easy to read and understand, yet very informative and gets your point across.. If I were using encomberence rules and having trouble (as I have before) it would have helped a great deal
yeah - I didn't see it last time... but it's helpful. I'm thinking of starting a PBP thats a little more gritty then my normal games, but encumberence isn't something I'm interested in keeping track of right now... Ammo and rations on the other hand, are. I'd be interested in if you use the formula in the books when the PCs are looking for spent arrows or a different one?I like the style that you wrote this in: Easy to read and understand, yet very informative and gets your point across.. If I were using encomberence rules and having trouble (as I have before) it would have helped a great deal
I allow some arrows to be recovered if the character cares to try. the amount of arrows that can be recovered depends on the description of the fight.
Hit a wall? BrokenMissed completely? Go find it. 50% chance its fine (if you can find it that is).
Hit the person/creature? 25% chance you can dig it out of them unharmed.
These are of course rough rough numbers and not to be taken literally, but I just make a judgement off of the way the battle was described.
I just use a straight 50% chance for unbroken whether the ammo hit or missed. I like to give the archers a few extra encounters before they run out of arrows and start crying about having to revert to their shortswords, heh, heh, heh. I am so nice.
To determine how many are unbroken, I see how many arrows/bolts/bullets they fired, pick up that many dice (any sided) and roll. Then I count how many dice rolled 50% or under.
To keep track of how many arrows are left I write an Ammo line: right under Possessions: and then tick them off like HPs.
Possessions[58/116/175] 96lbs:combat gear 66lbs, full kit 18 lbs, holy symbol, etc.
Ammo: 20 arrows 3lbs
Money: 5pp 18gp 12 sp