Demi-Human Movement Rates

[Scott]

I know this has been discussed before, but I'm looking for a refresher. No race specific movement rates are given anywhere. When the books do talk about movement there is no implication that race is a factor. Under the race descriptions there is a note on seeing the MM for additional info. Most of the people I've gamed with have used those MM rates as the standard base rats for demi-humans. Sometimes the Demi-humans detailed in modules agree with this, sometimes they don't. For years that's how I played it, but I believe those MM rates represent the movement based on the armor assumed to be worn to match those default MM stats. And there's also the wrinkle that the MM is more OD&D than AD&D in some areas (AC for one). Should 12" be considered the base movement rate across the race spectrum? I think yes.

[geneweigel]

The dwarf in the G series has boots of striding and sprinting making him "walk like a man". In the "A" series it says the rates have already been considered for demihumans and individually their rates match the MM:

The values given here for the armor class, movement rates, saving
throws and combat adjustments of the tournament characters
have the standard character class and racial bonuses already
included.

So that might be why some of them are off in some adventures.

[grodog]

I use 9" as the unencumbered movement rate for dwarves, gnomes, and halflings.

Allan.

[Scott]

Which is what S4 uses if I am remembering correctly.

[geneweigel]

I think the dwarf in S4 is factoring in the next base movement rate from 6" to 9" for the magic armor even though there is a note about magic not being factored in. Although I think this is in regard to saves as his armor is factored for AC.

[foster1941]

It’s a mess in the rules. The MM gives elves 12”,halflings 9”, and dwarfs and gnomes 6” but that possibly includes a reduction for assumed armor. The PH and DMG never mention movement rates varying by race. Most early modules either don’t list movement rates or give everybody 12”. However, starting with S4 and most of the modules after that the short Demi-humans are given a 9” base unencumbered move rate.

My guess is that, like geometric falling damage, this is something that was intended all along but never actually mentioned so most people (including writers and editors at TSR) didn’t use it until (probably) Frank Mentzer noticed and asked Gary about it and then established the rule.

Problem is, it never made it into official print, not even in a magazine, so we don’t really know how it interacted with the encumbrance system. We can surmise from the MM that dwarfs and gnomes in medium armor (chain, studded) have their move rate reduced from 9” to 6”, but we don’t know what happens when they wear plate (do they move 3”?) or are overencumbered (presumably its not reduced to 0”, but is it 1“ or 1.5” or something else)? AFAIK no examples ever said.

I eventually decided a 3” move rate for dwarfs in plate (or scale or splint) armor was too slow and decided to break the standard pattern and keep their move rate at 6” for those armor types, and 3” for being encumbered. So they have a -3” move rate compared to humans at the top two encumbrance levels but the same move rate as humans at the bottom two levels.

[geneweigel]

The gnomes in S4 have the full spectrum of AC and it looks like the non regulars the runners and the illusionist are "9".

The mystery is compare the gnome chief to the pregen dwarf. Both have magic armor but the chief has only +1 and is 6" the pregen is +2 and 9".

[GRWelsh]

At least some of the demi-human movement rates in the MM must be off even with their standard encounter AC (and armor types) taken into account, since they are inconsistent with each other: the elf is 12" with AC 5 ("scale, ring or chainmail with most carrying shields"), dwarf is 6" with AC 4 ("chainmail and shield"), gnome is 6" with AC 5 ("leather armor which is ringed or well studded with leather and shield") and halfling is 9" with AC 7 ("padded or leather armor"). S4 doesn't help much, since it also has internal inconsistencies. So, some sort of arbitrary DM decision has to be made.

What feels right to me is for dwarves, gnomes and halflings to have a base movement rate of 9" -- since that seems to have been EGG's intent -- and treat the effects of encumbrance on movement given on PH pp. 101-102 as maximums rather than modifiers. That way, players are minimally affected since nearly all demi-human adventurers wear armor anyway. Party members in similar armor types for the most part move at the same rate, and no one has to wait on anyone else unless they are loaded down with too much loot, carrying a fallen party member, etc.

[geneweigel]

Okay I have an official "unofficial" answer Dispel Confusion POLYHEDRON MAGAZINE #25 (SEP 1985):

ADQ: On page 27 of the Dungeon Masters
Guide is a list of movement rates for
various armor types. Should these be
modified for strength using encumbrance
bonuses and penalties from page 9, Players
Handbook? 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 information from the
Monster Manual. For example , 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: lnsufficient 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 (Dungeon Masters Guide,
page 102) to the base "free encumbrance"
figure (Players Handbook , page 101),
expressed in coins, which generates the
numbers on the following chart. Base movement
rates are also given.

Male X Female X Move
Human 2100 350 1650 260 12"
Half-orc 1850 300 1550 240 12"
Dwarf 1850 300 1550 240 9"
Half-elf 1650 260 1350 200 12"
Elf 1350 200 11 50 160 12"
Gnome 1150 160 11 00 150 9"
Halfing 950 120 850 100 9"


Remember that these figures include the
character's own body weight. Find the total
for your character, and modify it by the
strength adjustment (Players Handbook,
page 9), which is already given in coins.
Finally, subtract the character's actual
weight (naked) to find the maximum weight
of items which can be added without penalty.
Assuming that the 35-pound increments
used in the Players Handbook (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 the
ratio of unencumbered body weights, multiplied
by that 35 pound figure. W'hen 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 strength of
18(40). Her free encumbrance is 1550 (from
the chart) plus 1000 (Strenglth bonus), or
2550. After subtracting her weight (1400),
she can carry items totaling 1150 coins
without problem, at 12" rate. Adding the
240-coin increment , her movement rate
drops to 9" when she's carrying a total of
1390 coins; to 6" with 1630 coins; to 3"-4"
with 1870 coins; to 1"-2" with 2110 coins;
and no movement at all with 2350 coins or
more.
Nearly all movement rates in the system
are divisible by 3 for easier calculations. If
you wish, you may extrapolate a straightline
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 Dungeon Masters Guide
(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 movemenl rates given
if you prefer to avoid the complexity of the
above system.

[GRWelsh]

"That chubby half-orc is getting away with all of our gold coins!"
"Don't worry -- she isn't going anywhere fast."

[Scott]

The exploration movement rates in dungeons is so slow, and melee is more about quickness, I don’t think the movement rates should apply in many game situations. Outdoor travel movement, running for your life, maybe. Should it be a factor while you’re creeping down a dungeon hall mapping and looking for traps and secret doors? I don’t think so. For years I’ve just used 10” as the default movement rate in dungeons for time tracking purposes. I think When it matters I’ll use a default 9” for the shorties, but no prorating for armor/encumbrance: unarmored is 9”, chain is 9”, plate is 6”, etc.

[GRWelsh]

In all my years of playing, movement rules have never been much of a factor. I calculated encumbrance one time, and never did it again. I've never seen anyone use those rules, or the move rate per turn exploring a dungeon even when using miniatures and maps to scale.* It is always abstract, with the DM describing what the characters percieve, and then players saying things like, "I slowly move down the hallway to peek around the corner," and the DM in response continuing to describe what is seen without ever saying, "and the next turn, you see this." For spells with durations in turns or hours the DMs typically make estimates rather than precise calculations. The movement rate only ever seems to be a factor in combat when charging opponents, closing to melee range, or running away, and for comparisons (e. g., this is faster than that). As a DM, Eric has for a long time used a Speed ability score, and even that is mainly used for ability checks rather than actual movement distance -- which is something I like since not all humans move at exactly the same speed in real life. So, it's not unreasonable that some halflings move faster than certain lumbering humans, for example... Perhaps the base 9" versus base 12" should only be considered averages or points on a bell curve.

*The notable exception is the BALDUR'S GATE video games, which do an amazing job of all of the bookkeeping for you in regards to things like encumbrance, and characters with different strength scores get encumbered accordingly.

[Scott]

There was a period where I was trying to play as close to BTB as possible and I used the encumbrance and movement rolls regularly. I now use an encumbrance light system. I like the idea that encumbered characters might have initiative penalties or possibly loose Dex bonuses, but I don’t think it matters enough to keep track live. A situation like the D series, I’d probably update between sessions and do with those numbers.