The character's maximum lift as shown in the Strength Table is the absolute maximum he or she can normally lift off the ground by exerting a massive eye-bulging face-congesting vein-popping effort. Moving with such a weight is very difficult; a step or two at most. Lesser weights will allow the character to move around, though they will be encumbered to varying degrees, affecting DCV and DEX rolls as well as movement rates as shown below.
| Weight Carried (% of Max. Lift) | DCV and DEX Roll Penalty | Movement Rate |
|---|---|---|
| up to 10% | -0 | Normal |
| 10% to 25% | -2 | 80% |
| 25% to 50% | -4 | 60% |
| 50% to 75% | -6 | 40% |
| 75% to 90% | -8 | 20% |
| 90% to 100% | -10 | No more than 1"/Phase |
Every 10% of the character's total Lift capability carried, or part thereof, progressively reduces the character's Swimming. This includes any clothing and equipment, so anyone trying to swim fully clothed will be penalized to some extent.
(NOTE: stripping down to underwear counts as being naked — therefore no Swimming penalties.)
| Total Encumbrance | Swimming Reduction |
|---|---|
| up to 10% | -1" per Phase |
| at 11-20% | -2" |
| at 21-30% | -4" |
| at 31-40% | -8" |
| at 41-50% | -16" |
| and so on. | |
The END expenditure for Swimming remains the same as that used before the encumbrance penalty, regardless of their actual movement rate.
When the character's Swimming reaches 0" they can only tread water. Therefore, for a normal person (STR 10) 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.
NOTE: This does not take into account encumbrance by objects with positive buoyancy, such as sacks of corks, ducks, or giant inflatable cartoon characters. In general, common sense will indicate whether a load will float or drag you to a watery grave, but in any case the GM's ruling on a case-by-case basis will be final (modified, of course, by the usual bribes).