Encumbrance & Carrying Capacity

Encumbrance is a system that determines the amount of items a character can feasibly carry before they start to be literally weighed down by their supplies. Stronger characters can typically carry more than weaker characters, and as a result have a better capacity to carry treasures and other items found throughout their adventures.

What is Bulk?

All items in the game have an abstracted amount of weight to them which is denoted by how much Bulk it has. All Bulk is a whole number that makes it easy to add and compare to a character's Carrying Capacity. Some items are depicted with a Bulk of zero are considered to be too small and negligible to take up space on their own, but in great numbers they can add up! 10 zero Bulk items add up to a Bulk of 1, and then count against your Carrying Capacity.

Determining Carrying Capacity

At baseline, all characters have a Carrying Capacity that is equal to their Strength Score, meaning if a character has an 8 Strength, they have a Carrying Capacity of 8 Bulk. Some abilities (such as the goliath Powerful Build trait), items (such as bags of holding), or talents (such as the rogue Loot Runner) may alter a character's Carrying Capacity further.

A character can carry a number of items up to their Carrying Capacity before they are considered Encumbered.

Creature Size

A creature's size also contributes to the Carrying Capacity of a creature. Small and Medium creatures both use their baseline Strength Score as their Carrying Capacity, but Tiny creatures can only carry half their Strength Score. Meanwhile, Large creatures use double their Strength Score, Huge creatures use quadruple their Strength Score, and so on.

Bags and Pouches

Bags and pouches are the most common way to expand a character's Carrying Capacity, as they offer a means to exchange currency for the ability to carry additional items. Each storage container has its own Carrying Capacity; the Bulk of items carried within a storage container do not count towards the creature's Carrying Capacity while they are worn, only the bulk of the container itself. When they are not being worn, or when they are carried inside of other containers, the Bulk of the items within count towards the creature's Carrying Capacity.

Some bags and storage containers have prerequisites in order to be used effectively. Creatures who do not meet these prerequisites count all of the Bulk of stored items towards their Carrying Capacity.

Retrieving an item from most storage containers is an Action, but some allow items to be retrieved as a Bonus Action or Object Interaction.

Unless otherwise stated, most creatures have a certain amount of bag slots that their additional storage means take up.

Back Slot: Most creatures have one back slot which they can use to carry a backpack or other item hefted on their back.
Waist Slots: Most creatures have four waist slots which they can use to carry belt pouches, scroll cases, thigh bags, or other small items that can dangle off a belt.

Characters can equip items that allow expansions to their storage capacity, exchanging a point or two of their baseline Carrying Capacity for additional storage.

Table: Carrying Capacity Items
Container	Cost	Slot	Prerequisites	Bulk	Carry Capacity	Description
Light Backpack	1 gp	Back	—	0	2	A small bag for those who travel light.
Backpack	2 gp	Back	—	1	5	A general-purpose backpack for adventurers of all kinds.
Heavy Backpack	10 gp	Back	Martial Weapons OR Navigator's Tools	2	10	A large rucksack used by soldiers and outdoorsmen. Hefty, but extremely efficient.
Cargo Backpack	25 gp	Back	Equine Build	3	15	A large and cumbersome container that can only be equipped on a mount or beast of burden, or by ancestries with Equine Build like a centaur.
Pouch	1 gp	Waist	—	0	2	A general-purpose pouch that can store just about anything.
Coinpurse	1 gp	Waist	—	0	5	A pouch that can only hold coins and similar forms of currency. 500 coins equal one Bulk.
Component Pouch	25 gp	Waist	—	0	3	A watertight and compartmentalized belt pouch that can only store material components and other special items needed to cast spells. Retrieving components from a component pouch can be done as a part of a Magic action, as an Object Interaction, or a Bonus Action.
Saddlebag	10 gp	Waist	Equine Build	2	10	A heavy, specialized bag that can only be equipped on a mount or beast of burden, or by ancestries with Equine Build like a centaur. A creature can only have `two` saddlebags equipped.
Ammo Pouch	1 gp	Waist / Back	—	0	3	A quiver, ammo case, or other container that can only store arrows, bolts, or other pieces of ammunition. Retrieving ammunition from an ammo pouch can be done as a part of an Attack, as an Object Interaction, or a Bonus Action.
Scroll Case	1 gp	Waist / Back	—	0	3	A case that can only be used to store scrolls, maps, or other pieces of rolled parchment. Retrieving objects from a scroll case can be done as an Object Interaction or Bonus Action.
Vial Case	1 gp	Waist / Back	—	0	3	A case that can only be used to potions or vials of blood, holy water, acid, poisons, or other liquids. Retrieving objects from a vial case can be done as an Object Interaction or Bonus Action.
Magical Container	Cost	Slot	Prerequisites	Bulk	Carry Capacity	Description
Bag of Holding	1750 gp	Waist / Back	—	1	50	A bag that opens into an extradimensional space that can hold large amounts of objects. Its contents never count against Carrying Capacity, but it cannot be carried inside of another container.
Handy Haversack	3000 gp	Waist / Back	—	1	25	A specialized bag of holding that automatically sorts itself for easy access. Retrieving objects from a handy haversack can be done as an Object Interaction or Bonus Action, and its contents never count against Carrying Capacity, but it cannot be carried inside of another container.
Quiver of Ehlonna	1000 gp	Waist / Back	—	0	15	A magic ammo pouch only be used to store arrows, bolts, or other pieces of ammunition, javelins, or slender weapons such as quarterstaves and bows. Retrieving items from a quiver of ehlonna can be done as a part of an Attack, as an Object Interaction, or a Bonus Action.
Portable Hole	7000 gp	None	—	0	150	A fine cloth that transforms opens into a small compartment when placed upon the wall. It cannot be worn, and its contents never count against Carrying Capacity, even when placed inside of another container.

Some spells, such as demiplane and secret chest, can also conjure additional storage space in exchange for Mana, though their limitations are separate from a character's individual Carrying Capacity.

These sizes and costs assume Small, Medium, or Large creature size. Nonmagical storage for Tiny creatures costs and stores half as much, and two or more times more for Huge and larger creatures.

External Storage

PUT STUFF ABOUT CARTS, WAGONS, BARRELS, CHESTS, ETC HERE

Worn Equipment

When items such as clothing, jewelry, or armor is worn, the Bulk of those items can be reduced. Most mundane clothing and jewelry just counts as 0 Bulk for the amount someone can reasonably wear, while armor can be halved when worn at certain strength thresholds, or reduced further with certain feats.