Carrying Treasure¶
Once treasure is found, it must usually be hauled back to a settlement to spend or store. The rules below explain how to carry it and how much it weighs.
Used by: the Basic Game Loop, when the party recovers loot; Dungeon Exploration at the end of a delve.
Uses: Travel for pack animals, mounts, and marching order; Gems for gem values; Monster Parts for creature salvage weights.
Goes back to: the calling procedure.
Records to update: party sheet (who carries what); character sheets (encumbrance state); any Session Log entry for what was left behind.
Carrying capacity¶
Base carrying capacity is Strength x 15 pounds. If Strength x 5 lb is carried, the creature is encumbered and speed drops by 10 feet. If Strength x 10 lb is carried, the creature is heavily encumbered; speed drops by 20 feet and has disadvantage on attacks, ability checks, and saving throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution.
Treasure weight¶
Coins. weigh 50 to the pound.
| Coins | Weight |
|---|---|
| 50 | 1 lb |
| 500 | 10 lb |
| 1,000 | 20 lb |
| 5,000 | 100 lb |
| 10,000 | 200 lb |
Gems. weigh from 50 to the pound to 5 to the pound.
Jewelry. Small pieces (rings, brooches) weigh 10 to the pound. Large pieces (a crown, a heavy necklace) weigh 2 lbs.
Art objects. Art objects vary by piece.
| Example | Weight |
|---|---|
| Small carving, filigreed ornament | 1 lb |
| Chalice, statuette, ceremonial mask | 3 lb |
| Small tapestry, framed painting | 10 lb |
| Large tapestry, bust, ceremonial armor | 30 lb |
| Chest, altar piece | 100+ lb |
Monster parts. varies by part but often range from 1 to 25 lbs or even up to 500 lbs. Larger parts are often bulky (see Monster Parts).
Bulky items¶
Some things are bulky, meaning they are harder to carry than their weight suggests. These items may not be able to fit into a backpack or require one or more hands to carry. Examples may include creatures, statues, chests, and rolled tapestries. Such items count towards the weight limits of a creature's encumbrance normally, but also prevent the creature from holding anything else such as a weapon, shield, or torch; or from using items and casting spells with somatic components.