Of all the mechanics in HARP that need revisiting, I suspect that encumbrance is high on the list of many people. The two issues most commonly mentioned are the lack of differentiation between races (a 270 lb Gryx versus a 50 lb halfling for example) and the lack of differentiation between weak and strong characters.
To make a more accurate system without making it completely silly. I only changed two things. One the progression rate from light to medium to heavy, and two a racial base for encumbrance rather than the 30lbs for everyone.
Progression
The strength of the individual character really matters little under the current Encumbrance with an Olympic Weight lifter only being able to carry 10 pounds more than the average Joe Blow. By changing the progression formula, which now stands at (Base)xN+St, to (Base+St)xN you come to a very different estimation of encumbrance, where the well-muscled man can carry a fair bit more than the average man.
A comparison of the two methods follows...
| Old Progression | Light | Med | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Man (St 50) | 30 | 60 | 91+ |
| Olympic Athlete (St 98) | 40 | 70 | 101+ |
| New Progression | Light | Med | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Man (St 50) | 30 | 60 | 91+ |
| Olympic Athlete (St 98) | 40 | 80 | 121+ |
While it is not a perfect representation it does give a little better representation than the old method without changing too much.
Racial Bases
Lets face it a 50lb Halfling won't be able to carry as much as a Gryx carrying the 50lb halfling. The base 30 lbs really falls apart quickly even between common races. When you get into more exotic races it makes no sense at all. A few talents were taken into account when creating racial bases, as well average adult racial weight and size.
Beyond the Talents below, the rest of this is presented for academic purposes only. Simply consult the main Player, Mount, or Creature Table and get the Encumbrance Base. Then use the new progression and don't trouble yourself too much with the minutiae.
The Impact of Talents
Some Talents can aid Encumbrance; where they are Blood talents, they are figured into the Racial Numbers in the Tables.
Natural Flight
Creatures that can fly do so by having lighter and more fragile bones and bodies, they just can't carry the same weight as ground creatures.
-50% to the Size Bonus to Racial Encumbrance Base
Dense Musculature
Those who have a dense musculature structure will be able to carry more weight.
+1/3 Size Base to Racial Encumbrance Base
Portage (Lesser) 10 DP
People and creatures that are trained or specially bred for carrying things are slightly more capable than the rest of us.
+25% to Racial Encumbrance Base
Portage (Greater) 25 DP
People and creatures that are trained and/or specially bred for carrying things are more capable than the rest of us. In some people and creatures, this is very well developed.
+50% to Racial Encumbrance Base
Portage (Major) 40 DP
People and creatures that are trained and specially bred for portaging things are much more capable than the rest of us. For a very rare few people and creatures, this is extraordinarily well developed.
+100% to Racial Encumbrance Base
The Effects of Size in General
The general guidelines I used for calculating a Racial Encumbrance Base are as follows:
| Size | Size Base | Size Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny (smaller than 10 lb) | 0 | 50% Weight |
| Tiny (over 10 lb) | 5 | 25% Weight |
| Small | 15 | 10% Weight |
| Medium | 15 | 10% Weight |
| Large | 25 | 15% Weight |
| Huge | 35 | 25% Weight |
The Effects of Limbs
There is no doubt about it - more supporting limbs means more weight can be carried. Here are the numbers I used to estimate the effects.
| Limbs | Size Adjustment |
|---|---|
| 0-1 | -50% |
| 2 | 0 |
| 4 | +50% |
| 6 | +100% |
| 8+ | +200% |
Rounding
So after calculation of the numbers they are rounded to an appropriate degree: nearest 10 lbs or so for Large creatures, nearest pound for small and medium creatures, nearest fraction of a pound for the really tiny ones.
The formula really did work out well, calculating mount capacities extraordinarily well and using the talent adjustments coming up with a really believable set of numbers. Gender is not taken into account in these figures, though one could if one wanted give a slight adjustment for the lower average female weight. I chose to ignore this... and not just because my wife may one day read this.
Player Races
| Race |
Ave. Weight |
Racial Strength |
Talents | Racial Encumbrance base | Light | Medium | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aesyr | 400 | 10 | 90 | 100 | 200 | 301 | |
| Arali | 150 | 30 | 30 | 60 | 91 | ||
| Drogosi | 130 | 3 | 28 | 31 | 62 | 94 | |
| Dwarven | 180 | 2 | Dense Musculature | 38 | 40 | 80 | 121 |
| Elven | 120 | 27 | 27 | 54 | 82 | ||
| Gnome | 70 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 67 | ||
| Gryphon | 250 | 5 | Flight Quadruped |
34 | 39 | 78 | 118 |
| Gryx | 250 | 4 | Dense Musculature | 45 | 49 | 98 | 148 |
| Halfling | 50 | -2 | 20 | 18 | 36 | 55 | |
| Human | 180 | 33 | 33 | 66 | 100 | ||
| Kalibari | 200 | 4 | 35 | 39 | 78 | 118 | |
| Ketauri | 220 | 37 | 37 | 74 | 112 | ||
| Malbung | 200 | 2 | Dense Musculature | 40 | 42 | 84 | 127 |
| Merak | 210 | 2 | 36 | 38 | 76 | 115 | |
| Nagazi | 250 | 3 | 40 | 43 | 86 | 130 | |
| Phrenali | 95 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 76 | ||
| Rhona | 70 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 67 | ||
| Sithi | 140 | 29 | 29 | 58 | 88 | ||
| Volar | 95 | Flight | 20 | 20 | 40 | 61 | |
| Vsori | 150 | 30 | 30 | 60 | 91 |
Mounts
| Race | Ave. Weight |
Racial
Strength |
Talent | Enc. Base | Light | Medium | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horse Heavy | 1300 | 2 | Quadruped | 300 | 302 | 604 | 907 |
| Horse Light | 800 | 2 | Quadruped | 200 | 202 | 404 | 607 |
| Horse Medium | 900 | 2 | Quadruped | 250 | 252 | 504 | 757 |
| Pony Mature | 500 | 1 | Quadruped | 100 | 101 | 202 | 304 |
| Riding Dog | 100 | Quadruped | 50 | 50 | 100 | 151 | |
| Stionoir Areya | 700 | 3 |
Quadruped Portage (Greater) |
200 | 303 | 606 | 910 |
| Stionoir Aumo | 950 | 3 | Quadruped | 250 | 253 | 506 | 760 |
| Stionoir Okin | 800 | 3 | Quadruped | 200 | 203 | 406 | 610 |
| Stionoir Vatoh | 300 | 3 | Quadruped | 100 | 103 | 206 | 310 |
| War Horse Greater | 1100 | 4 |
Quadruped Portage (lesser) |
280 | 354 | 708 | 1063 |
| War Horse Light | 950 | 3 | Quadruped Portage (lesser) |
240 | 303 | 606 | 910 |
Monsters
| Race | Ave. Weight |
Racial
Strength |
Talent | Enc. Base | Light | Medium | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ant, Giant | 80 | 3 | Six Legs | 31 | 34 | 68 | 103 |
| Ape, Giant | 500 | 5 | 100 | 105 | 210 | 316 | |
| Beetle, Giant | 80 | 4 | Six Legs | 31 | 35 | 70 | 106 |
| Cat, Large | 200 | 2 | Quadruped | 45 | 47 | 94 | 142 |
| Centaur* | 800 | 4 | Quadruped | 200 | 204 | 408 | 613 |
| Demon, Class I | 180 | 4 | 33 | 37 | 74 | 112 | |
| Demon, Class II | 210 | 5 | 36 | 41 | 82 | 124 | |
| Demon, Class III | 250 | 7 | 40 | 47 | 94 | 142 | |
| Demon, Class IV | 400 | 9 | 85 | 94 | 188 | 283 | |
| Demon, Class V | 600 | 10 | 115 | 125 | 250 | 376 | |
| Demon, Class VI | 1000 | 12 | 175 | 187 | 374 | 562 | |
| Dragon, Adult | 10000 | 40 |
Flight Quadruped |
1500 | 1540 | 3080 | 4621 |
| Gargoyle* | 600 | 0 | Flight Quadruped |
115 | 115 | 230 | 346 |
| Giant, Greater | 4000 | 20 | 1035 | 1055 | 2110 | 3166 | |
| Giant, Lesser | 1000 | 15 | 175 | 190 | 380 | 571 | |
| Goblin* | 120 | 1 | 27 | 28 | 56 | 85 | |
| Golem, Iron | 5000 | 10 | 775 | 785 | 1570 | 2356 | |
| Griffin* | 250 | 5 |
Flight Quadruped |
40 | 45 | 90 | 136 |
| Hippogriff | 300 | 10 | Flight Quadruped Portage G. |
105 | 115 | 230 | 346 |
| Hobgoblin* | 200 | 2 | 35 | 37 | 74 | 112 | |
| Hydra | 2000 | 30 | Quadruped | 800 | 830 | 1660 | 2491 |
| Kobold* | 60 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 42 | 64 | |
| Lizardmen* | 190 | 3 | 34 | 37 | 74 | 112 | |
| Ogre | 600 | 6 | 120 | 126 | 252 | 379 | |
| Orc* | 250 | 3 | 40 | 43 | 86 | 130 | |
| Rat, Giant | 100 | 0 | Quadruped | 30 | 30 | 60 | 91 |
| Sabertooth Tiger | 200 | 4 | Quadruped | 70 | 74 | 148 | 223 |
| Scorpion, Giant | 80 | 6 | Eight Legs | 31 | 37 | 74 | 112 |
| Spider, Greater | 250 | 6 | Eight Legs | 100 | 106 | 212 | 319 |
| Spider, Giant | 100 | 10 | Eight Legs | 55 | 65 | 130 | 196 |
| Spider, Lesser | 80 | 3 | Eight Legs | 31 | 34 | 68 | 103 |
| Troll, Greater | 800 | 12 | 150 | 162 | 324 | 487 | |
| Troll, Lesser | 550 | 8 | 110 | 118 | 236 | 355 | |
| Undead, Class I** | 150 | 2 | 30 | 32 | 64 | 97 | |
| Undead, Class II** | 180 | 3 | 33 | 36 | 72 | 109 | |
| Undead, Class III** | 200 | 4 | 35 | 39 | 78 | 118 | |
| Undead, Class IV** | 200 | 5 | 35 | 40 | 80 | 121 | |
| Undead, Class V** | 200 | 6 | 35 | 41 | 82 | 124 | |
| Wasp, Giant | 60 | -1 | Flight Six Legs |
21 | 20 | 40 | 61 |
| Werewolf | 250 | 1 | Quadruped | 50 | 51 | 102 | 154 |
| Wolf | 100 | 0 | Quadruped | 30 | 30 | 60 | 91 |
| Wyvern | 5000 | 30 |
Flight Quadruped |
800 | 830 | 1660 | 2491 |
* Player races with GM approval ** Corporeal entities only