An Amusing Omission

I'm always rather amused by a particular omission in the 3e PHB (both 3.0e and 3.5e).

If you look in the "Equipment" chapter, and at the table giving the "Adventuring Gear" (page 128 in the 3.5e book), you'll find a footnote reading, "These items weight one-quarter this amount when made for small characters. Containers for Small characters also carry one-quarter the normal amount." (The emphasis is mine.)

Now, that's a good and reasonably sensible rule. To be honest, it's probably a bit too much detail to worry about, but it does make at least some sense.

Except... find for me the place where it specifies how much "the normal amount" is. Or, probably better, don't bother - it doesn't exist. WotC went to the trouble of putting in an exception for Small containers, but then forgot to include the regular rule. And then, presumably because they enjoyed it so much the first time, they retained those rules exactly as they are for 3.5e!

Huzzah!

(4e, of course, doesn't have either the footnote or the capacities - it's encumbrance rules are even more absurdly generous than those of 3e, to the point where it's just not worth bothering with even if you're particularly anal about such things.)

Fortunately, the missing table does exist, back in 2nd Edition (which has the table, but not the exception for Small characters!). This gives the capacities for several containers, both in terms of weight and volume allowed. Perhaps notably, it does not give capacities for liquid containers in the table, but since the volume of water is proportional to its weight, and the weights given are for full barrels, waterskins, etc, this should be easy to work out.

Anyway, the capacities are as follows:

• Backpack - 50lbs - 3'x2'x1'
• Basket, large - 20lbs - 2'x2'x2'
• Basket, small - 10lbs - 1'x1'x1'
• Belt Pouch, large - 8lbs (400 coins in 3e/4e/5e) - 6"x8"x2"
• Belt Pouch, small - 5lbs (250 coins in 3e/4e/5e) - 4"x6"x2"
• Chest, large - 100lbs - 3'x2'x2'
• Chest, small - 40lbs - 2'x1'x1'
• Sack, large - 30lbs - 2'x2'x1'
• Sack, small - 15lbs - 1'x1'x8"
• Saddlebags, large (a horse, I guess) - 30lbs - 18" x1'x6"
• Saddlebags, small (pony or riding dog - and should be Medium in 3e-speak) - 20lbs - 1'x1'x6"

Why does this matter?

This all ties in to my pesky obsession with encumbrance, or more specifically with what PCs can carry. If a backpack has an effectively unlimited capacity, then there's no point keeping track - pretty soon the party Fighter will have a massive Strength and can just carry everything they could possibly need. Whereas of course if the backpack can only hold 50lbs, then it doesn't matter that the Fighter has a Strength of 50 - he can still only carry so much.

And, of course, there's the tedious matter of realism. Next time you do your weekly shop, compare how much you can carry if you just use your hands, versus the amount you can carry if you put it into shopping bags first!

Of course, all that said, it's probably not important enough to worry about too much!