Using variant encumbrance tends to make scale and half plate worthless. To avoid penalties with half plate and a shield requires STR 10 (and usually more; that only gives 4 lb for everything else you might want to carry, so STR 12 is safer). Breastplate and shield only requires STR 6 to avoid penalties, or 8 to be safe.
Saves
Gotcha. I guess I would qualify Dexterity as my second-to dump stat, 10 or 11.
Using variant encumbrance tends to make scale and half plate worthless. To avoid penalties with half plate and a shield requires STR 10 (and usually more; that only gives 4 lb for everything else you might want to carry, so STR 12 is safer). Breastplate and shield only requires STR 6 to avoid penalties, or 8 to be safe.
I tend to use variant encumbrance because it's easier to track and is more punishing (I like running difficult campaigns).