The amount that a character can carry and/or lift depends on his/her ST and the results of a dice roll using his/her WP + Athletics (lifting/carrying capacity).
The amount the character can carry without being at all encumbered is referred to as his/her Lift. It is measured in kg.
A character's basic Lift is determined by his/her ST as follows:
| ST | Lift | ST | Lift | ST | Lift | ||
| -5 | 1.25 kg | -1 1/2 | 3.5 kg | +2 | 8.5 kg | ||
| -4 1/2 | 1.5 kg | -1 | 4 kg | +2 1/2 | 10 kg | ||
| -4 | 1.75 kg | -1/2 | 4.5 kg | +3 | 11.5kg | ||
| -3 1/2 | 2 kg | +0 | 5 kg | +3 1/2 | 13 kg | ||
| -3 | 2.25 kg | +1/2 | 5.5 kg | +4 | 15 kg | ||
| -2 1/2 | 2.5 kg | +1 | 6.5 kg | +4 1/2 | 17.5 kg | ||
| -2 | 3 kg | +1 1/2 | 7.5 kg | +5 | 20 kg |
For ST scores outside the range shown, each +2 1/2 ST doubles the amount that a character can carry or lift; each +8 ST multiplies the amount by roughly 10.
A character can increase his/her Lift over and above the basic amount determined by his/her ST by using his/her Athletics skill. A character can increase his/her Lift by making a dice roll using his/her WP+Athletics (Lifting/Carrying capacity). For each point that the dice roll result is above zero, the character increases his/her Lift by 5% of his/her basic lift.
Carrying equipment
A character's Lift for carrying purposes should be determined at the start of each day. For convenience, many players will choose not to roll for this but just take the default value on the dice roll. This is then modified only when the character's wounds or tiredness states change.
For example, Cogan the barbarian has a ST of +4, WP of +2 1/2 and Athletics of 6 with a +2 specialism in Lifting/carrying. His basic Lift is 15 kg (as determined by his ST score). Assuming that he is unwounded and fresh, his athleticism allows him to increase this by 50% (his default dice roll result is 2 1/2 + 6 + 2 = 10 1/2), giving him a Lift of 22.5 kg.
In contrast, Ben Ruben has a ST of -1/2, WP of +5 1/2 and Athletics of 3 with no specialism in Lifting/carrying. His basic Lift is 4.5 kg (as determined by his ST score). Assuming that he is unwounded and fresh, his athleticism and extreme willpower allow him to increase this by 40% (his default dice roll result is 5 1/2 + 3 = 8 1/2), giving him a Lift of 6.3 kg.
For the full rules on carrying equipment, see encumbrance. In summary:
Lifting or moving heavy items
A character's Lift for lifting purposes should be determined at the point that a character attempts to lift or move a heavy item, with a fresh dice roll each time.
| Situation | Weight that the character can lift/move successfully |
| Lifting an item with one hand easily (e.g. grabbing an item and throwing it) | 3 times his/her Lift |
| Lifting an item one-handed off the ground to waist height ("prepared lift") | 4 times his/her Lift |
| Two-handed lift to above the character's head in a single motion ("snatch") | 5 times his/her Lift |
| Two-handed lift to above the character's head via his/her chest ("clean and jerk") | 6 times his/her Lift |
| Two-handed lift to chest height ("clean") | 7 times his/her Lift |
| Two-handed lift to a few centimetres height ("prepared lift") | 8 times his/her Lift |
| Lifting one end of an item to waist height two-handed while the other end remains resting on the ground ("dead lift") - Note this is the maximum weight that a character can move by a wheel-barrow | 9 times his/her Lift |
| Dragging a weight along the ground for a short distance ("drag") | 10 times his/her Lift |
| Pushing over a heavy item (by leaning on it) | 12 times his/her Lift |
| Carrying a balanced load on shoulders for a short distance (e.g. yoked walk, fireman's lift) | 14 times his/her Lift |
| Pulling a sled over ice for a short distance | 20 times his/her Lift |
| Shifting a heavy item slightly (e.g. a centimetre or two) by pushing or pulling it | 25 times his/her Lift |
| Pulling a wheeled vehicle for a short distance | 40 times his/her Lift |
For example, Ben Ruben is attacked by a rabid dog, weighing 20 kg. He wants to grab it with one hand and throw it away from him. He has successfully grabbed it but can he now lift it one-handed to throw it. His basic Lift is 4.5 kg, which means he could lift 13.5 kg in one hand without a dice roll. To successfully lift the dog, he will need to increase this by 50% to get to 20 kg, meaning that he needs a dice roll result of 10. His default dice roll result is 8 1/2 (WP of 5 1/2 + Athletics of 3). He risks two dice, rolls 2D +2 1/2, gets a 3 and a 5, making 10 1/2. It's a strain but he succeeds, grimacing with the effort.
For example, Cogan is in a weight lifting contest. His challenge is to lift a rock weighing 145 kg over his head. His basic lift is 15 kg, which means that without a dice roll he can lift 90 kg above his head if he uses both hands and rests it on his chest first. To lift this monster rock, he needs to boost this by 62.5% (145/90 = 1.61), so he will need a dice roll result of 12 1/2. His default dice roll result is 10 1/2 (WP of 2 1/2 + Athletics of 6 + specialism of 2). He risks three dice, rolls 3D +1 1/2, gets a 3, 2 and a 4, making 10 1/2, boosting his Lift on this occasion by 52.5% to 22.9kg. This isn't enough to lift it above his head, but it is enough to get it to his chest before he drops it (with this dice roll, he can "clean" lift 160 kg). Perhaps he will succeed on the next attempt.
Characters that combine together use the highest Lift plus half the Lift of all the other characters working together. Each character makes separate dice rolls.