Imagine dwarf Alice (200 pounds) and gnome Bob (40 pounds). Both characters have a Strength score of 10.
So, as the PHB says, both of them are able to carry 10 × 15 = 150 pounds.
Does it mean that Bob’s effective carrying capacity is 150 – 40 = 110 pounds and Alice’s effective carrying capacity is 150 – 200 = -50, which means she has problems with carrying her own body?
Or does the character's weight not count for the purpose of calculating their carrying capacity?
Best Answer
No, carrying capacity applies to objects actually picked up and carried in the literal sense (which could include clothing and armor and things worn) but not one's self.
It's hard (perhaps impossible) to find a direct citation for this, but the carrying capacity rules are written in the plain English sense. However, there is an indirect citation:
From the PHB, emphasis mine:
But, the random rules for rolling up height and weight (long enough I don't want to reproduce them, but reproduced and discussed in detail here) tend to put several races near or above their own carrying capacities with strictly average rolls, which means they definitely would be worrying about it.
It's just not possible to reconcile both of those rules, so falling back on the plain English meaning of carry-- pick a separate thing up off the floor and move around with it-- is correct.