Example : Pyros and Madros Pyros (Might 13) has the following Encumbrance limits : unencumbered 18, encumbered 23 and heavily encumbered 33. His spearman equipment (spear, sword, breastplate, helm and shield) gives him an Encumbrance total of 19, which makes him encumbered when fully-equipped for battle. This would change if he was to raise his Might to 14, since this would bump his first limit to 19, just enough to allow him to retain his full movement allowance on the battlefield.
Encumbrance Each character has an Encumbrance total which reflects the weight and bulkiness of his equipment and carried possessions. This total starts at 10 and is increased by the Encumbrance value (Enc) of every heavy or bulky item worn or carried.
Let’s now suppose that Pyros needs to carry his wounded friend Madros on his back ? Like Pyros, Madros is wearing a full spearman outfit, which gives him an Encumbrance total (and value) of 19 : this would raise Pyros’ own total to a hefty 38, well beyond his heavily encumbered limit… which means Pyros is simply not strong enough to carry a fully-equipped Madros while keeping all of his stuff. The only solution is to leave some equipment behind. Dumping Madros’ spear, sword and shield will lower his Encumbrance to 14, which, once added to Pyros’ own 19 makes a total of 33, just enough to be within Pyros’ maximum limit. Pyros could make Madros a bit less bulky by removing his helmet and breastplate – but would still be heavily encumbered by his burden.
The Enc of weapons and other common items are shown on Table 1D below. Thus, a Spearman with helmet (1), breastplate (3), shield (2), spear (2) and sword (1) will have an Encumbrance total of 19. Money has an Enc of 1 per 100 coins. Thus, a bag of 300 sp will have an Enc of 3. Small, easily-carried items (gems, purses etc) have an Enc of 0. A character’s Encumbrance total is used as the target number of all his saving rolls when climbing, swimming, sneaking or attempting other actions requiring lightness and nimbleness (see chapter IV).
Table 1D : Encumbrance Values
A character’s Encumbrance total also determines his overall Encumbrance status. status. There are three different Encumbrance degrees, each of which has a maximum limit, based on the character’s Might.
Item
The first degree is unencumbered. unencumbered. A character is unencumbered as long as his Encumbrance total does not exceed a limit of (Might+5). Note that even unencumbered characters may be hindered by their Encumbrance total when trying to climb, swim and perform other athletic actions, as noted above). The second degree is encumbered and has a limit of (Might+10). Encumbered characters have their movement allowance reduced by 1/3. For humans, this means a basic movement of 40’ instead of 60’. The third degree is heavily encumbered and has a limit of (Might+20). Heavily encumbered characters must halve their Initiative (round down) and reduce their movement allowance by 2/3. For humans, this means a basic movement of 20’. A character’s Encumbrance total can never exceed this limit.
Enc
Dagger
0
Sword
1
Barbarian Weapon
2
Spear
2
Javelin
2
Bow
1
Quiver
1
Sling
0
Shield
2
Helmet
1
Breastplate
3
Bag of 100 coins
1
Harp
2
Person
Enc total
Other items
0-3 *
* determined by the Maze Master
Thus, a character with an average Might score of 10 will have the following Encumbrance limits : he will be unencumbered up to 15, encumbered up to 20 and heavily encumbered up to 30.
Centaurs and Encumbrance Because of their hybrid morphology, Centaurs are a special case. Their starting Encumbrance total is 20, making actions like climbing, swimming or sneaking extremely difficult (if not impossible) but their Encumbrance limits are also doubled , allowing them to carry quite a lot of stuff on their back (including riders) without being slowed down.
Characters may sometimes have to carry another person (such as a wounded comrade, a struggling captive or even a dead body) in their arms, over their shoulders or on their back. In this case, the Encumbrance total of the carried person is simply added to the carrier’s own total.
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