Encumbrance and Carrying Limits

Alacrity is designed for fast, story-driven play. Most of the time, it is safe to assume that characters carry whatever makes sense. However, when survival hangs in the balance — during dungeon crawls, wilderness expeditions, or desperate escapes — carrying limits introduce meaningful decisions. Use these encumbrance rules when what you carry matters to success or failure.

Encumbrance Slots

Each character has a limited number of Encumbrance Slots based on Strength. This reflects the total burden they can carry without serious penalty.

• Encumbrance Slots = Strength × 2.

• Example: A character with Strength 12 has 24 slots. A character with Strength 8 has 16 slots.

Item Slot Costs

Items occupy slots according to their size and bulk. Use the following guidelines:

• Tiny Items (coins, gems, arrowheads): Track these by pouch or container. One pouch holding about 100 tiny items counts as 1 slot.

• Ammunition (arrows, bolts, thrown weapons): A bundle of 20 counts as 1 slot.

• Small Items (daggers, potions, scrolls): Each counts as 1 slot.

• Medium Items (swords, shields, bows): Each counts as 2 slots.

• Large Items (two-handed weapons, heavy armor, tents): Each counts as 3 slots.

• Bulky Items (treasure chests, siege gear): Typically 5 or more slots, at the GM’s discretion.

Worn and Ready Items:

• Light armor counts as 2 slots.

• Medium armor counts as 3 slots.

• Heavy armor counts as 5 slots.

• Weapons carried in hand or sheathed count as normal.

Overencumbrance

Carrying too much has consequences:

• Lightly Overloaded (1 to 5 slots over): Physical skill rolls suffer a –10% penalty, and movement is halved.

• Heavily Overloaded (6 or more slots over): All rolls suffer a –20% penalty. Running and dodging are not possible, and Initiative suffers a +2 delay.

• Critically Overloaded: In extreme cases, the GM may rule that the character cannot move or act until they drop enough gear.

Dropping and Swapping Gear

• Dropping carried items is a Free Action.

• Swapping stowed gear requires a Declared Action.

Containers and Organization

Backpacks, pouches, and sacks help organize small and tiny items but do not reduce their slot cost unless magical or extraordinary. Use them to simplify tracking, but apply slots normally.

When to Use These Rules

Encumbrance should only be enforced when it adds drama or challenge. Dangerous environments, limited escape opportunities, and resource scarcity make it worth tracking burdens. During safe travel or routine exploration, ignore the details and focus on the story.

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File Created: 05/07/2025
Last Modified: 05/07/2025