The dwarven vaultguard in the party took an unfortunate blow to the knee while fighting a mummy tonight. The Mortal Wounds table says, besides being unable to force march, his carrying capacity is reduced by 6 stone. How is this calculated?
Max encumbrance = 20 + STR - 6
or
Current encumbrance + 6 = actual encumbrance
The way it’s worded makes it sound like the first is right, but that doesn’t hamper movement much, it only limits what he can carry at a full load. The second is much more debilitating, but might me more in line with a wonky knee.
The mortal wounds description should be understood as reducing their maximum load. For an average character, this will reduce maximum load from 20 to 14.
I then reduce the load at each movement rate proportionately. Thus a human with an injured knee can move at 30’ carrying up to 14 stones. He can move at 60’ carrying 7 stones. He can move 90’ carrying 5 stones. He can move 120’ carrying 4 stones.
See also this rule in D@W: Campaigns:
Humanoids can endure heavier loads, relative to their own size. Humanoids may carry their normal load at full movement. They may carry up to half again of their normal load at three-quarters movement. They may carry up to twice their normal load at half movement. They may carry up to four times their normal load at one-quarter movement.
EXAMPLE: A cyclops can carry 90 stone at its full movement rate of 90’ per turn. It can carry up to 135 stone at 67’ per turn. It can carry up to 180 stone at 45’ per turn. It can carry up to 360 stone at 22’ per turn.
Note that technically this D@W rule should make all those of you who have wanted to have STR adjustment affect encumbrance at the 90’ and 60’ movement rates very happy… As if applied it yields the following:
STR 18: 23 stone 30’ / 12 stone 60’ / 9 stone 90’ / 6 stone 120’
STR 16-17: 22 stone 30’ / 11 stone 60’ / 8 stone 90’ / 6 stone 120’
STR 13-15: 21 stone 30’ / 11 stone 60’ / 8 stone 90’ / 5 stone 120’
STR 9-12: 20 stone 30’ / 10 stone 60’ / 7 stone 90’ / 5 stone 120’
Huh. One of the PCs in my group last session ended up with a bum knee as well from the mortal wounds table and I just said the max encumbrance value is reduced by 6 stone. I think I’m going to keep it at that rather than adjust the other movement rates because encumbrance rules are rather burdensome to begin with and I’d rather not deviate at all from ACKS truly simple encumbrance rules. It’s so simple, my players almost enjoy using it… and I don’t want to mess with that!
@ Alex. I really like that idea for Strength adjustments to encumbrance! I’m one of those people who originally wanted to see Strength modify it. Though I still mull about it from time-to-time, the thing I’ve experienced in play is that once PCs get magic armor, it’s almost a moot point to add that layer of complexity… and of course, my comment in the above paragraph applies here too.
Hah, I hear you. Encumbrance is more-or-less used like speed limits on highways in my campaigns. The rule exists, and it can be enforced at any time. Getting caught breaking it is a painful experience. Nevertheless, most of the time we don’t calculate it too closely and there’s probably lots of overage.
I find the ACKS stone method makes eyeballing it not too tough.