Swimming while encumbered

[Fitz]

The "Mind-Numbing Stupidity" thread from the General Roleplaying board got me thinking about how to resolve the effect of swimming while carrying heavy weights.

Clearly it's possible, from the anecdotal evidence of some of the participants in the thread, but the common feature of everyone who responded with "Yes, but..." is that it's not something that any old person can necessarily manage, but requires some considerable training and fitness.

What I'm thinking of doing is this:

Every 10% of the characters total Lift capability carried reduces the character's Swimimng by an increasing amount (sorry, don't know the correct mathematical term for this). In other words, for a normal person with a STR of 10 (max. Lift 100kg), carrying:
up to 10kg their Swimming would be at -1" per Phase
at 10-20kg their Swimming would be at -2"
at 20-30kg at -4"
at 30-40kg at -8"
at 40-50kg at -16"
and so on.
The END expenditure would remain the same as that used before the encumbrance penalty, regardless of their actual movement rate.

When the Swimming reaches 0 they can only tread water. Therefore, for a normal person with the default 2" Swimming to make any headway carrying 15kg, they would have to Swim at Non-combat speed, making -2" headway, at the END expenditure they'd normally have for swimming flat out.

If the character's total possible Swimming falls below 0, they sink and possibly drown.

I haven't yet considered how to modify the system for carrying more bouyant mass than, for example, steel armour or a sack of rocks.

Comments?

[Insaniac99]

now heres the tricky question: how do you deal with bouyancy? because the scuba gear is really heavy out of the water, but in the water bouyancy takes effect and it hardly (if at all) slows you down.

[lemming]

Hmm. It's not just weight, but placement. Having something strapped to your chest or back isn't as bad as having weights on your ankles or wrists.
I think I disagree with the geometric progression of subtracting inches of swimming.
I think something that got them toward 0 would be good. Increasing how much End used, but that should be covered by their use of STR as well. Though I found it really exhausting so maybe a bit more.
Though applying real world mechanics to games will often have exceptions all over the place. :)

[Rene]

Your worries are adequate for Heroic Games, in my oppinion. In Superheroic Games, there is no good reason that Swimming automatically must cost more END or have a larger encumbrance penalty.

First, under strict interpretation of the rules, the Swimming power isn't necessarily "swimming". It's just "you can move really fast on the water". In the same way that a Flight power don't necessarily mean the character must flap his arms (except through some Restrainable or Gestures Lim.), a Swimming power don't necessarily mean the character must have such complete freedom of movement. Imagine a character that swims through some kind of propeler power, for instance.

Second, I can see Aquaman tugging a huge load while he swims. Why to penalize him more than Superman flying while carrying a huge load?

Now, for heroic games, where swimming is about the only special effect for the Swimming power, then it might be a good idea to impose some penalties.

[Fitz]

Yes, I agree. In fact I had meant to note that I only intended it for Heroic level games, but forgot to add that rider to my original post.

[Tech]

Originally posted by Rene
Second, I can see Aquaman tugging a huge load while he swims. Why to penalize him more than Superman flying while carrying a huge load?

Interesting. Never thought about that. Then again, I never bothered thinking much about Swimming. :o