On top of that, instead of having an average base movement speed of 30 feet, these two races are listed as having a 25 feet base movement speed. Even if this is how the rules try to account for the difference in stride length (ignoring the simple math of course), an average-sized human would walk 300 feet per minute, while a gnome would only walk 250 feet. Using a normal movement rate (see above), your 5 feet and taller party members will have traveled 24 miles at the end of the day and your gnome buddies will be 4 miles behind!

Based on the stride length equation and the base movement speed rules, a halfling or gnome would have to dash regularly to keep up with the rest of the party. The PHB has no explicit rules against using dash freely every round. However, chase rules states that a creature can freely use the Dash action a number of times equal to 3 + its Constitution modifier. After that the individual needs to make a DC 10 Constitution check or suffer one level of exhaustion. Based on all of this, that’s going to be one tired halfling at day’s end.

All in all, it seems like the party has a couple of options when traveling with our smaller humanoid friends. They can walk at a slower pace, which in theory makes sense, but in reality, it never happens. They can buy a mount, allowing them to move 40 feet per turn. I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often since a mule is only 8 gold pieces. Sure there is the cost of feeding and caring for your mule to consider, but it’s better than being left behind in the dark and scary forest. Plus, buying a mule helps with our next section….

Encumbrance and the Goddamn Rope

In D&D how much you can carry is based on your Strength score. (Strength X 15 = Total weight carried) This makes sense, except for the fact that it doesn’t make sense at all. So whether you are a 6’5” half orc or a 3’2” gnome, if you have a Strength score of 16, you can both carry 240 pounds. Maybe the creators were just trying to make up for how slow they walk! But there are just a couple things I can’t get past on this subject.

How much you should and can carry in the real world is based, for the most part, on a person’s weight and height. While I am not saying that this should be how it is done in D&D, it should factor in somehow when figuring out how much a character can carry. The average halfling and gnome weighs approximately 40 lbs. If based on the example above, they can carry 240 lbs. then that is 40 pounds of pure muscle mass. Arnold Schwarzenegger eat your heart out!

You can find some information on how size affects carrying capacity when you look at Using Your Ability Scores in the PHB. It states:

Size and Strength. Larger creatures can bear more weight, whereas Tiny creatures can carry less. For each size category above Medium, double the creature's carrying capacity and the amount it can push, drag, or lift. For a Tiny creature, halve these weights.

Great! We can now see that the creators of 5e did take into consideration height and weight and how much a character can carry. Except……it says nothing about small creatures!!! After discussing this with Stephen and doing some more research, it was clear that small and medium creatures are allowed under the current rules to carry the same amount of weight based on their Strength score. Once again, I get it…this is a fantasy game and you can do whatever you want to make it work. That’s the beauty of make-believe.

I start with the assumption that a gnome or halfling will be buying adventure equipment that will be tailored to the dimensions of their bodies, and that would include a properly sized backpack. Let’s take a look at the explorer's pack and see what all would come along with our gnome’s backpack