Mule 5e: Stats, Carrying Capacity and Running a Pack Train

A mule is a CR 1/8 Medium beast with AC 10, 11 hit points, a 40-foot speed and Strength 14. It costs 8 gp, and its trait Beast of Burden lets it carry like a Large creature: 420 pounds, nearly twice what a 30 gp pony can. That makes it the cheapest way to haul treasure, rations and a 10-foot pole out of a dungeon. The 2024 rules (SRD 5.2.1) keep Beast of Burden, drop Sure-Footed, and give the mule a +4 Strength save and a +4 hoof attack.

Table of Contents

• •Mule Stat Block (2014)
• •The Mule in the 2024 Rules
• •Carrying Capacity: What a Mule Can Haul
• •How Mules Fight
• •Running a Mule Encounter
• •How to Kill a Mule, and How to Keep Yours Alive
• •Mule Encounter Ideas
• •Frequently Asked Questions

Mule Stat Block (2014)

Sure-Footed gives Advantage on Strength and Dexterity saves against effects that would knock it prone. On a mountain trail, an icy road or a rope bridge, that is the trait that keeps the cargo upright.

The Mule in the 2024 Rules

The SRD 5.2.1 mule keeps the same body: AC 10, 11 hit points (2d8 + 2), a 40-foot speed and Strength 14. Beast of Burden now reads "counts as one size larger" for carrying capacity, which still means Large for a Medium mule. The hooves hit at +4 instead of +2 for the same 4 (1d4 + 2) damage, and the Strength save is now +4.

Sure-Footed is gone, so a 2024 mule only has its +4 Strength save against being shoved or tripped, and nothing extra on Dexterity.

Carrying Capacity: What a Mule Can Haul

Under the 2014 rules a creature carries its Strength × 15 pounds, doubled for Large. Under the 2024 rules a Large creature carries Strength × 30. Both give a mule with Strength 14 the same result:

Costs, speeds and capacities are from the SRD 5.1 Mounts and Other Animals table; the SRD 5.2.1 table gives the same costs and capacities.

Pulling a cart. An animal pulling a cart, sled or wagon can move up to five times its base carrying capacity, including the vehicle. One mule moves 2,100 pounds of cart and cargo. Two mules pulling together add their capacities, for 4,200 pounds.

Push, drag or lift. A mule can drag twice its carrying capacity, 840 pounds, at a speed of 5 feet. That's enough to pull a fallen ally in plate out of a pit with a rope.

Riding it. A mount has to be at least one size larger than its rider. A Medium mule can carry a Small rider (a halfling or gnome) but not a Medium one. The 2024 SRD names mules among the domesticated animals trained to accept a rider; the 2014 text says "horses, donkeys, and similar creatures." For Medium characters, the mule is cargo, not transport. The pony has the same size limit.

How Mules Fight

A mule fights to get away. Its hooves are +2 (2014) or +4 (2024) for 4 damage. A controlled mount can only Dash, Disengage or Dodge, so a Small rider's mule doesn't attack at all unless the rider lets it act independently. A frightened pack mule in a fight is better used Dashing 80 feet away from the danger with the treasure still on its back.

Running a Mule Encounter

A mule is worth 25 XP and doesn't belong in an encounter budget as an enemy. It belongs in the scene as the thing the party has to protect. With AC 10 and 11 hit points, a mule dies to two or three hits from almost anything. A goblin shortbow (+4, 5 damage) hits it 75% of the time. Any monster that chooses to target the pack mule instead of the party has just made the encounter about supplies. If you want to count mules for the 2014 math anyway, the calculator will do it.

How to Kill a Mule, and How to Keep Yours Alive

For an enemy: shoot it. An attacker with +4 hits AC 10 on a 6 or better (75%), and three goblin arrows (5 each) kill it; a 1d8 + 2 weapon usually needs two. Bandits who want the cargo cut the lead rope instead and lead the mule away (how long that takes is a DM ruling).

For the party:

• •Keep it out of the fight. Tie it 60 feet back, behind the party, so anything that wants it has to get past the front line first.
• •Barding. Barding costs four times the normal armor price and weighs twice as much. Leather barding for a mule costs 40 gp and weighs 20 pounds, raising its AC from 10 to 11. It's rarely worth it.
• •Heal it. A mule is a creature; Cure Wounds works on it like anyone else.
• •Calm it. Animal Friendship or a successful Wisdom (Animal Handling) check at the DM's DC keeps a panicked mule from bolting.

Mule Encounter Ideas

The stubborn one. The party buys a mule cheap. It refuses to cross bridges. Every bridge on the road is a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check, and the fourth bridge is the one with trolls under it.

The smuggler's mule. A lame mule is left behind on a mountain pass. Its packs carry a false bottom with stolen silver, and the owners are coming back for it.

The cargo. The party has to carry 1,500 pounds of ore out of a mine. That's four mules' worth of packs (1,680 pounds), or one mule with a cart, if the tunnel is wide enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can a mule carry in 5e?

420 pounds. Beast of Burden lets it count as Large for carrying capacity in both editions, so its Strength of 14 gives 14 × 30 = 420 pounds. Pulling a cart, it moves up to 2,100 pounds including the cart.

How much does a mule cost in 5e?

8 gp, according to the Mounts and Other Animals table. It is the cheapest pack animal in the SRD.

Can you ride a mule in 5e?

Only a Small character can. A mount must be at least one size larger than its rider, and the mule is Medium.

What is the difference between a mule and a pony?

Both are Medium, cost little and move 40 feet. The mule costs 8 gp and carries 420 pounds thanks to Beast of Burden. The pony costs 30 gp, carries 225 pounds, but has a stronger kick (7 damage in 2014) and is on the 2014 Find Steed list.

Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.