SIMPLE ENCUMBRANCE
For settings where encumbrance is important, this rule replaces EQUIPMENT WEIGHT
the standard rules for encumbrance found in the Savage Worlds
core rules so that they are more in line with what the system is Almost all items fall under one of these categories for weight
supposed to be: Fast! Furious! Fun! (see page two for a list of samples for each category):
Carrying capacity is still based on Strength, but instead of ▪ Tiny: Items that can fit in your closed fist are
counting pounds, you’re counting an abstract unit called considered Tiny, but about ten of them usually equal a
Inventory Slots which takes into account size as well as weight. Light item.
▪ Light: Most items that can comfortably be held in one
hand count as Light items. Usually around five pounds
Carrying Capacity or less and take up ½ of an Inventory Slot.
Characters can fill a number of Inventory Slots equal to their ▪ Normal: Normal items are usually around 10-20
Strength die plus 2 before being Encumbered (see pounds and take up one Inventory Slot.
Encumbrance in the Savage Worlds core rules). Character’s ▪ Heavy: Usually around 15-30 pounds or just really
suffer all the same penalties and restrictions at the later awkward to carry. These take up two Inventory Slots.
multipliers of their carrying capacity (three times their Strength
and a maximum of four times their Strength) as the normal SPECIAL CASES
encumbrance rules. These are some common items normally carried by adventurers
that don’t fall into the basic categories or are treated differently:
BELT ITEMS ▪ Coinage: If your setting’s normal currency is coin-
Three of the character’s Inventory Slots are Belt Slots. These are based: about 250 coins count as a Light item, 500 count
spaces for items that are stored on their person and can be as a Normal item, and 1,000 count as a Heavy item.
quickly retrieved. ▪ Food: About three days rations count as one Light item.
Retrieving an item from a Belt Slot is a free action. ▪ Worn Armor/Clothes: Character’s don’t count their
worn armor or clothes towards their Encumbrance. The
STOWED ITEMS normal Minimum Strength requirements cover the
Encumbrance Penalties of this type of worn gear.
Usually, every other Inventory Slot that the character can fill up
However, if the armor or clothes are removed and
should be from some sort of container they are carrying. If they
carried, they now count towards their carrying capacity.
can describe how they are carrying an item (“I loop the rope
▪ Soft Containers: Bags, sacks, and backpacks count as
around my torso like a bandolier.”) then they don’t need
Light items when they are empty, but count as either
containers to fill those slots.
the weight of the item(s) they are carrying or as a Light
These items take an action (or more) to retrieve. item if empty. A standard bag or sack can carry up to
three Normal items while a standard backpack can fit
CARRIED ITEMS about five Normal items.
Items that cannot be stowed do not count as taking up a Belt ▪ Solid Containers: Barrels, boxes, and chests count
Slot, but still count towards your carrying capacity. either the weight of the items they are carrying or their
own weight towards a character’s carrying capacity, not
QUADRUPEDS both. Small ones should hold about four Normal items
Quadrupeds can carry up to their Strength plus 2 while carrying and count as a Light Item, medium ones count as a
a rider, or twice that without a rider before becoming Normal item and hold about seven items, and large ones
Encumbered. count as Heavy items and can hold about ten Normal
items.
▪ Ammo: One “box” of ammo is a Light item (50 bullets,
25 shotgun shells, etc).
NEW EDGE: EFFICIENT PACKER
PREREQUISITES: Novice
LARGER AND SMALLER ITEMS
The character has one more Belt Slot than normal For every difference in Scale (see Size & Scale in the Savage
due to their efficient packing and stowing. Worlds core rules) between the character and the item in
Additionally, all containers packed by the question, the item counts as one size category larger or smaller.
character can hold one extra Light item. For example, a human carrying a giant’s hand axe (Huge –
Size +5) counts it as a Heavy item vice a Light one, whereas a
giant carrying a human-sized polearm would treat it as a Light
item instead of a Heavy item.
This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at [Link]. Savage Worlds and all associated logos
and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or
suitability for purpose of this product.
EQUIPMENT WEIGHT EXAMPLES
The following is a list of examples for each weight category.
This is hardly exhaustive, but should give a good enough
selection for the GM to expand upon if something in their game
is not on the list.
TINY ITEMS
Bell, candle, cards, chalk, dice, lighter, lock, lockpicks, paper,
pepper spray, soap, stun gun, whistle, and vials
LIGHT ITEMS
Camera, lanket, book, bow, clothing, crowbar, dagger, first aid
kit, flashlight, flask, hand axe, handcuffs, helmet, lantern, pistol,
rapier, scroll case, short sword, tablet, torch, and one day’s water
NORMAL ITEMS
Battle axe, bedroll, climbing gear, club, crossbow, drum,
grappling hook, heavy helms, hunting trap, laptop, long bow,
long sword, lyre, mace, medic kit, rifle (except the Barrett), 10”
of rope, saw, shield (small and medium), shotgun, shovel, small
tent, spear, staff, submachine gun, timber axe, umbrella,
warhammer, winter clothes, and one week’s rations
HEAVY ITEMS
Barrett (.50), heavy crossbow, lance, large tent, machine gun,
maul, pike, polearm, saddle, shield (large, riot, and ballistic),
sledge hammer, two-handed axe, two-handed sword
HEAVIER ITEMS
The Minigun (7.62mm) and the M2 Browning (.50 cal) should
be around four Inventory Slots while the Gatling (.45) probably
takes about ten Inventory Slots!