Dungeons & Dragons: Encumbrance Explained

thegamer.com:

Dungeons & Dragons is a game filled to the brim with gameplay mechanics to reflect various elements of adventuring. Only enforced by some Dungeon Masters due to its status as optional, Encumbrance is a rule in D&D that's used to determine if a character is capable of reliably traveling with their inventory without being weighed down or hampered in some way.

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Though this rule is optional, it is frequently used by DMs aiming to emulate realism within their campaign, putting an emphasis on inventory management. So for DMs considering utilizing this rule in a campaign and for players within campaigns in which this rule is applicable, we're going to explore everything you need to know about encumbrance in Dungeons & Dragons:

Before we tackle exactly how Encumbrance functions, it's important to know how carrying capacity functions in D&D. Carrying capacity simply dictates how much a character is capable of lifting and it's rather easy to calculate. By default, a character's carrying capacity is equal to 15 times a character's Strength ability score.

Additionally, some races such as Bugbears, Centuars, and Goliaths are capable of lifting twice their carrying capacity, allowing them to reliably lug around the heaviest of objects. If a player knows that their campaign is going to include Encumbrance and is worried that their character may not be able to carry as much as they'd hope, races with doubled carrying capacity may be a solid choice.

Encumbrance is a means of determining if a character is capable of easily maneuvering while carrying the contents of their inventory. In campaigns using this rule, there are two types of encumbrance to keep track of, enc