ENCUMBRANCE

Whatever you select to carry will have both weight and volume (or bulk).
Equipment for adventuring is necessary, but too much is deadly.
In order to be able to move with reasonable rapidity and freedom,
the number of items carried and apparel worn must suit encumbrance restrictions.
(Remember that the volume of something can be as critical as its weight, i.e. 20 pounds of feathers in a sack are cumbersome.)
To be useful, items generally must be readily accessible, so this consideration must also be borne in mind.
Lastly, as the main purpose of adventuring is to bring back treasure,
provision for carrying out a considerable amount of material must also be made.

The table below gives you a guideline respecting weight and bulk carried and how movement is affected:
 
Encumbrance Movement Reaction and Initiative
normal gear -- about
35# and no great
bulk		 12” -- subject can

run quickly

 normal or better 
(+1 for armour lighter than chain mail only - OSRIC)
heavy gear -- armor
and/or equipment of
about 70# or fairly bulky		 9” -- subject can

make a lumbering run

 normal, no bonuses 
(Normal bonuses apply - OSRIC)
very heavy gear --
armor and/or equipment
of 105# and bulky
(such as plate armor)		 6" -- subject can trot

for short distances

 slowed 
(No normal bonuses apply, but penalties do - OSRIC)
encumbered -- armor
and/or equipment
over 105# weight
and/or (very) bulky		 3" to 4" -- no
trotting possible		 slowed greatly 
(No normal bonuses apply, but penalties do; -1 extra penalty)
<(DMG: encumbered creatures are not allowed to charge)>
<(DMG: attack encumbered creatures at +2 to hit)>

Strength penalties or bonuses will modify these guidelines.
Weight is usually stated in gold pieces, 10 gold pieces equalling 1# (pound).
Volume can only be calculated from known comparisons, as the size and shape of objects varies from individual to individual,
i.e. how big is a tapestry?

ADQ: On page 27 of the DMG
is a list of movement rates for
various armor types. Should these be
modified for STR using ENC
bonuses and penalties from page 9, PH?
Do these movement rates
apply to non-humans, or do short-legged
races such as goblins move more slowly?
It is hard to get this info from the
MM. e.g., elves and
dwarves both typically wear chain mail,
but their movement rates are listed as 12"
and 6", respectively, while humans in
chain move at 9".
ADA: Insufficient details are given on this
topic to answer your question officially. Try
the following unofficial system.
    The "free encumbrance" (the amount the
character can carry without penalty) is
easily calculated by adding the average
character weight (DMG, page 102) <male> <female>
to the base "free encumbrance"
figure (PH, page 101),
expressed in coins <pounds>, which generates the
numbers on the following chart. Base movement
rates are also given.
Race Male X Female X Move
Human 210 35 165 26 12"
Half-orc 185 30 155 24 12"
Dwarf 185 30 155 24 9"
Half-Elf 165 26 135 20 12"
Elf 135 20 115 16 12"
Gnome 115 16 110 15 9"
Hobbit 95 12 85 10 9"

Remember that these figures include the
character's own body weight. Find the total
for your character, and modify it by the
STR adjustment (PH,
page 9), which is already given in coins. <10 coins = 1 pound>
Finally, subtract the character's actual
weight (naked) to find the max. weight
of items which can be added without penalty.
    Assuming that the 35 pound increments
used in the PH (pages 101-102)
are based on the average capacity of
the average human male, the  "X" column
gives the factored increment of change for
all other character types. "X" is simply
ratio of unencumbered body weights, multiplied
by that 35 pound figure. When a
character adds "X" additional weight, the
movement rate drops to the next stage: 9",
6"; 3-4" (then, extrapolating if desired,
1"-2"; 0).
    Example: A chubby half-orc female
weighing 140 pounds has a STR of
18(40). Her free ENC is 155# (from
the chart) plus 100#,
or 255#. After subtracting her weight (140#),
she can carry items totalling 115#
without problem, at 12" rate. Adding the
240-coin increment, her movement rate
drops to 9" when she's carrying a total of
139#; to 6" with 163#; 3"-4"
with 1870#, to 1"-2" with 211#;
and no movement at all with 235# or
more.
    Nearly all movement rates in the system
are divisible by 3 for easier calculations. If
you wish, you may extrapolate a straight-line
function, instead of increments, to
more accurately reflect the ratio of movement
rates vs. encumbrance. However, use
the ratios of average heights, rather than
body weights, as a more accurate reflection
of SPEED.
    The table in the DMG
(page 27) to which you refer gives accurate
encumbrance figures for various armor
types, and again (I presume) it is based on a
human male. Use the movement rates given
if you prefer to avoid the complexity of the
above system.
    (Polyhedron #25)

Quote:
Originally posted by Cias the Noble
3. Page 101-102 of the PHB states the effects of encumbrance, but leaves the description rather vague.
I believe this was done intentionally to allow the DM to allocate such situations as he or she saw fit, but I was wondering if you have any examples of how the effects of encumbrance besides reduced movement and slowing (if any) should be handled?


That sort of adjustment was left strictly to the DM managing the play.
there are far too many variables to allow any easy rule of thumb, so the approach you noted was given.
A PC carrying more than about 25% of his body weight, as adjusted by Strength, should be penalized in movement and reaction.
Bulky materials that are light weight also have the same effect.

That's about all I care to offer in this regard, but I had many a PC moving along at half movement rate in my games...until they decided to be more practical.
One player with a dwarf character was shamed when I described him as a mound of equipment with little feel poking out of the stack, and a helmet capping the pile.
Much of the extraneous material was then dumped by that PC.
 


I am delighted I refused to do detailed encumbrance tables as a number of vocal fans advocated.