D&D 5E Bag of Holding Question

[R_J_K75]

This is from Roll20 so Im going to assume is current and correct for 5E.

"This bag has an interior space considerably larger than its outside dimensions, roughly 2 feet in diameter at the mouth and 4 feet deep. The bag can hold up to 500 pounds, not exceeding a volume of 64 cubic feet. The bag weighs 15 pounds, regardless of its contents. Retrieving an item from the bag requires an action.

I know its clearly definiens that the bag is 64 cu. ft. and can hold 500 pounds, This meticulously requires the players and DM must book keep. Thats not something I'm interested in but I also don't want the party thinking this is a never ending well of storage.

Has anyone ever came up with another method/system for tracking contents, remaining space in a BoH? As in a small item takes up "x" amount of storage and cu. ft, etc? I underatand the opening is a 2' Dia so theres no need to discuss what can fit in it.

 

[Voadam]

You can get by a lot without sweating it. Just tell them to keep in mind the space is a cylinder two feet diameter by four feet deep so no polearms and not multiple suits of plate armor. If they just want it for coins I expect that can be calculated out for how many go into 500 pounds.

 

[Dioltach]

Roll a d20 every time the PCs put something in. On a natural 1, the bag's full. If the players argue that it can't possibly be full, make it their responsibility to show everything they've put in. Then tell them it's full anyway. If they start pulling things out, just add an item of the appropriate size that they didn't know about - a kayak, a statuette, a large chest. Watch them try to figure out how it got there.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

In almost all cases, the weight limit is the realistic limit. If it holds 64 cubic feet, the density of the stuff contained averages 9.375 pounds per cubic foot. Water, for example, has a weight of 62.3 pounds per cubic foot, flour has a density 37.02 pounds per cubic foot, so you'd need to go with something pretty light to have the volume really matter more than the weight. Unless they're trying to smuggle packing peanuts, feathers, or super light balsa wood, in which case I guess go with volume.

 

[turnip_farmer]

You can get by a lot without sweating it. Just tell them to keep in mind the space is a cylinder two feet diameter by four feet deep so no polearms and not multiple suits of plate armor. If they just want it for coins I expect that can be calculated out for how many go into 500 pounds.

That's the exterior space. It's bigger inside. That's the whole point! Polearms and multiple suits of armour are fine.

 

[R_J_K75]

Roll a d20 every time the PCs put something in. On a natural 1, the bag's full. If the players argue that it can't possibly be full, make it their responsibility to show everything they've put in. Then tell them it's full anyway. If they start pulling things out, just add an item of the appropriate size that they didn't know about - a kayak, a statuette, a large chest. Watch them try to figure out how it got there.

I like this, no B.S. just a roll of a 1 on a d20 means that something bad happens. Besides iirc any extra dimensional space is on the Astral Plane so who is to say that a gang of Astral Kobolds didn't borrow some of their bag store a load of pulleys, gears, ropes, chains, Kotter pins, etc. for their next trap, or Mr Kotter himself.

 

[not-so-newguy]

I'm about to implement a rules variant that uses slots instead of weight. Besides your equipped items, you can carry up to your strength score with your size modifying the # of slots. It's a fairly basic system Inventory Slots - 5e Rule Variant - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild

Anyway, it takes Bag of Holding into account

 

[R_J_K75]

That's the exterior space. It's bigger inside. That's the whole point! Polearms and multiple suits of armour are fine.

Thats were the cu ft come in and thats more trouble than I care to endure. Im looking for something more abstract but Ive just realized that this is a potential problem down the road, hence the thread. I like @Dioltach idea, simple solution to something thats rarely a problem but OTOH hand I keep hearing I'll put it into my BoH more often than not. There has to be a limitation though.

 

[aco175]

I kind of go with a bag of holding being about a 5x5x5 cube of space and there is no weight limit, only space limit. The party mostly gives these to the mage or the halfling to use as a strength-dump work around. I cannot recall a problem where it was a problem except once with a dragon horde and trying to transport a lot of coins and the player just saying to put it in the bag of holding. I let them put in 25,000 coins and they needed to come back

 

[R_J_K75]

Anyway, it takes Bag of Holding into account

So this ignores the 500# weight limit of the bag itself in lieu of the person carrying it? I was also thinking of implementing a slot type of system but haven't gotten past that initial thought yet.