Pathfinder Carrying Capacity Calculator: Load Limits
🏋 Pathfinder Carrying Capacity Calculator
Find light, medium & heavy load limits by Strength score
⚡Quick Presets
📋Character Details
🏋 Carrying Capacity Results
🧩Encumbrance Penalty Summary
None
Light Penalty
+3
Med Max Dex
+1
Heavy Max Dex
-3
Med Check Pen.
-6
Heavy Check Pen.
20 ft
Med Speed (30)
20 ft
Heavy Speed (30)
×5
Max Overhead
🏋Carrying Capacity Table (Medium Biped)
| STR Score | Light Load | Medium Load | Heavy Load | Max Overhead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 26 lbs | 27–53 lbs | 54–80 lbs | 80 lbs |
| 10 | 33 lbs | 34–66 lbs | 67–100 lbs | 100 lbs |
| 12 | 43 lbs | 44–86 lbs | 87–130 lbs | 130 lbs |
| 14 | 58 lbs | 59–116 lbs | 117–175 lbs | 175 lbs |
| 16 | 76 lbs | 77–153 lbs | 154–230 lbs | 230 lbs |
| 18 | 100 lbs | 101–200 lbs | 201–300 lbs | 300 lbs |
| 20 | 133 lbs | 134–266 lbs | 267–400 lbs | 400 lbs |
| 22 | 173 lbs | 174–346 lbs | 347–520 lbs | 520 lbs |
| 24 | 233 lbs | 234–466 lbs | 467–700 lbs | 700 lbs |
📦Encumbrance Effects Comparison
| Load Type | Max Dex | Check Penalty | Speed (30 ft) | Run Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | — | 0 | 30 ft | ×4 |
| Medium | +3 | -3 | 20 ft | ×4 |
| Heavy | +1 | -6 | 20 ft | ×3 |
| Overloaded | +0 | -6 | 5 ft | — |
📖Size Category Multipliers
| Size | Biped Multiplier | Quadruped Multiplier | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine | ×1/8 | ×1/4 | Insect familiar |
| Tiny | ×1/2 | ×3/4 | Cat familiar |
| Small | ×3/4 | ×1 | Halfling, Gnome |
| Medium | ×1 | ×1.5 | Human, Elf |
| Large | ×2 | ×3 | Horse, Ogre |
| Huge | ×4 | ×6 | Giant, Elephant |
💡 Ant Haul Spell: The Ant Haul spell triples your carrying capacity by effectively tripling your heavy load limit. A fighter with STR 18 goes from 300 lbs heavy load to 900 lbs — extremely useful for dungeon loot runs.
🎯 Muleback Cords: This wondrous item adds +8 to your Strength score only for calculating carrying capacity. Combined with Ant Haul, even a low-STR caster can carry substantial gear without penalties.
Carrying capacity in Pathfinder is the amount a character can bear before it starts to slow him. The strength score of every companion or animal companion determines that skill and how heavy burden they contribute to the group. This system is made up of two parts: the weight of the armor and the total weight.
The armor of character decides the maximum bonus of Dexterity to AC together with penalties to motion, pace and running speed
Carrying Capacity in Pathfinder
No magic formula says to you your carrying capacity. The best way to count it is look at the table of carrying capacity. The figures here are for Medium bipedal creatures.
Bigger bipedal creatures can bear more weight according to their size category: Large ×2, Huge ×4, Gargantuan ×8, and Colossal ×16.
Quadrupeds can bear even heavier burdens. You multiply the values of the table by a modfier based on size: Fine ×1/4, Diminutive ×1/2, Tiny ×3/4, Small ×1, Medium ×1-1/2, Large ×3, Huge ×6, Gargantuan ×12, and Colossal ×24. The own physical weight of the character does not affect the maximum burden or carrying capacity, except the modifiers of size.
When the strength score is genuinely high, the math becomes interesting. To count the carrying capacity of 42 strength, you look at the table for 22 strength and multiply it by 4 twice, because each +10 above the value multiply it by 4. Also, the capacity doubles every 5 strength.
For strength of 44, you would look at the value of 24 on the table and then would multiply by four twice, reaching base of 11,200 lbs for Medium creature.
Only magic objects, as muleback cords or bag of holding, affect the carrying capacity. Stuff kept inside of bag of holding weigh nothing for these targets. Masterwork backpack gives effective strength of +1 when you count carrying capacity, although that bonus only cancels the own weight of the backpack.
The bull’s strength spell can raise the carrying capacity until 200 lbs, and dragging until 400 lbs.
Character can raise as much as is the maximum burden above the head. That maximum is the highest weight in the column of heavy burden of the table. Ray of Enfeeblement do not operate as strength drain, that would be the just cause altering the capacities.
Usually, 14 strength is good standard for archery builds. Carrying capacity is problem for many characters initially, but it does not matter a lot after level 3.
There is even iPhone-friendly calculator, that operates without internet for easily count those values. Pathfinder Second Edition uses simpler method, counting carrying capacity only by means of big objects and ignoring the more littleitems.
