Encumbrance
Encumbrance represents the mass and bulk of the equipment a character is wearing, wielding, or carrying. Carrying too much slows a character down, exhausts them faster, and makes physical tasks harder.
Encumbrance Value
Every item has an Encumbrance Value (ENC) - a single digit representing its weight and bulk. Items with ENC 0 are inconsequential individually, but every 10 ENC 0 items in a character’s possession count as 1 ENC in total.
Special cases
- Containers (sacks, backpacks, chests) list an ENC capacity in Goods & Services. The contents of a container have their total effective ENC halved while inside, as long as they reasonably fit.
- Worn armor has its ENC halved (round down) while equipped. Shields do not benefit from this.
Encumbrance Levels
A character’s Encumbrance Level is determined by how many times their total ENC exceeds their Carry Rating (CR). Higher levels apply stacking penalties.
| Level | Total ENC | Test Penalty | Speed Penalty | Stamina Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimal (0) | ≤ 1× CR | - | - | - |
| Moderate (1) | > 1× CR | −10 | −1 m | −1 SP max |
| Severe (2) | > 2× CR | −20 | ½ Speed (round down) | −3 SP max |
| Crushing (3) | > 3× CR | −30 | Immobilized | −5 SP max |
Penalty definitions
- Test Penalty - Applied to all physical and movement-based 1.1.1.8 Skill Test and 1.1.1.7 Characteristic Test
- Speed Penalty - Reduction to base Speed
- Stamina Penalty - Reduction to SP maximum. For each point this would reduce SP below 0, the character gains a level of fatigue
Encumbrance stacks with armor penalties
Encumbrance penalties represent the raw difficulty of carrying too much weight. These stack with penalties from wearing particularly heavy armor, which represent the difficulty of fighting while weighed down.