Bag of holding question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Bag of holding question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
xerric
05-02-07, 01:20 PM What are your thoughts about what can be put into a bag of holding without destroying it. The description is fairly weak I find and I was wondering if for example you could have a spike chain put inside. I under stand its spikey but would the chain slowly go into the bag as its fed into it, or is a bag of holding have to have whatever goes in it sit in there and is then sent to its holding space? I thought that said spiked chain would be sharp when thrown but not needle like when not being swung, I also thought you could feed it slowly into the bag and have it pile itself inside the bag. Ideas and such appreciated.
Tectorman
05-02-07, 01:32 PM All right, this was discussed a while back on another thread (which has probably fallen from the face of the Internet from disuse, so don't worry about not seeing it), but here was my take on it.

A bag of holding (and other bag of holding-like items) hold things in a nondimensional space. I don't know where this part came from, but apparently line of effect does not work when attempting to cast a spell targetting something inside a bag of holding. There are several spells that affect various physical laws (including gravity) that would likewise be blocked by the opening aperature of the bag.
So if powerful magic can't affect the gravity inside a bag, it stands to reason that normal gravity is similarly blocked. In other words, a normal backpack has everything inside it being pulled down by gravity; a bag of holding would block that, making everything inside completely uncaring about what's happening outside it.
You could dump 500 caltrops into a bag of holding, sling it around, beat on it with a stick like a drum, and those outside events (none of them piercing the outside of the bag) should have no bearing what goes on inside the bag.

Then you have to remember that the DMG never specifies the gravity traits for nondimensional space. There's nothing to say that a spiked chain isn't just floating around inside a bag.
RavenDrake
05-02-07, 01:55 PM You can put sheathed blades in the Bag of Holding, why not simply gather up your spiked chain into a neat bundle and put it in a small leather sack inside the Bag of Holding?

Same for any other spikey weapon like spears or the like. A simply leather bladeguard takes care of the issues associated with it.
tarkin
05-02-07, 02:12 PM A small leather sack specifically designed/purchased for that purpose should definitly take care of it.

I could see requiring puting a sack in another sack before putting it in the Bag of Holding if just using random sacks.
mvincent
05-02-07, 04:04 PM the DMG never specifies the gravity traits for nondimensional space. There's nothing to say that a spiked chain isn't just floating around inside a bag.Correct. There should be no gravity in 'bag-space'. Only if the weapon were being knocked around by something/someone in the bag should you have to worry.
Bedevere
05-02-07, 05:21 PM I thought bags of holding were EXTRA-dimensional, not non dimensional?

Might seem like a quibble, but IIRC, nondimensional items (quiver of Elhonna, etc) do not have the proviso 'stuff in them destroyed if the container is pierced'. Extradimensional (bags of holding, etc) do.
mvincent
05-02-07, 05:59 PM I thought bags of holding were EXTRA-dimensional, not non dimensional?Those are the same things in D&D (i.e. both terms are used to describe a portable hole).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
xerric 05-02-07, 01:20 PM	What are your thoughts about what can be put into a bag of holding without destroying it. The description is fairly weak I find and I was wondering if for example you could have a spike chain put inside. I under stand its spikey but would the chain slowly go into the bag as its fed into it, or is a bag of holding have to have whatever goes in it sit in there and is then sent to its holding space? I thought that said spiked chain would be sharp when thrown but not needle like when not being swung, I also thought you could feed it slowly into the bag and have it pile itself inside the bag. Ideas and such appreciated.
Tectorman 05-02-07, 01:32 PM	All right, this was discussed a while back on another thread (which has probably fallen from the face of the Internet from disuse, so don't worry about not seeing it), but here was my take on it. A bag of holding (and other bag of holding-like items) hold things in a nondimensional space. I don't know where this part came from, but apparently line of effect does not work when attempting to cast a spell targetting something inside a bag of holding. There are several spells that affect various physical laws (including gravity) that would likewise be blocked by the opening aperature of the bag. So if powerful magic can't affect the gravity inside a bag, it stands to reason that normal gravity is similarly blocked. In other words, a normal backpack has everything inside it being pulled down by gravity; a bag of holding would block that, making everything inside completely uncaring about what's happening outside it. You could dump 500 caltrops into a bag of holding, sling it around, beat on it with a stick like a drum, and those outside events (none of them piercing the outside of the bag) should have no bearing what goes on inside the bag. Then you have to remember that the DMG never specifies the gravity traits for nondimensional space. There's nothing to say that a spiked chain isn't just floating around inside a bag.
RavenDrake 05-02-07, 01:55 PM	You can put sheathed blades in the Bag of Holding, why not simply gather up your spiked chain into a neat bundle and put it in a small leather sack inside the Bag of Holding? Same for any other spikey weapon like spears or the like. A simply leather bladeguard takes care of the issues associated with it.
tarkin 05-02-07, 02:12 PM	A small leather sack specifically designed/purchased for that purpose should definitly take care of it. I could see requiring puting a sack in another sack before putting it in the Bag of Holding if just using random sacks.
mvincent 05-02-07, 04:04 PM	the DMG never specifies the gravity traits for nondimensional space. There's nothing to say that a spiked chain isn't just floating around inside a bag.Correct. There should be no gravity in 'bag-space'. Only if the weapon were being knocked around by something/someone in the bag should you have to worry.
Bedevere 05-02-07, 05:21 PM	I thought bags of holding were EXTRA-dimensional, not non dimensional? Might seem like a quibble, but IIRC, nondimensional items (quiver of Elhonna, etc) do not have the proviso 'stuff in them destroyed if the container is pierced'. Extradimensional (bags of holding, etc) do.
mvincent 05-02-07, 05:59 PM	I thought bags of holding were EXTRA-dimensional, not non dimensional?Those are the same things in D&D (i.e. both terms are used to describe a portable hole).