Bag of Holding

[Trellian]

OK, my players bought a bag of holding last session, which has now become the primary method of bringing along prisoners... can you really keep somebody trapped in a bag of holding? Is it enough room for a medium-sized creature? Does it suffocate?

Also, they have been known to teleport away with the prisoner, claiming that since the prisoner is within the bag, it can be teleported without the prisoner being willing.

It was quit far away from anything covered in the rules, so I allowed it since I didn't want the session to come to a halt.

So.. can they do all that?

 

[Jack99]

Can you keep someone trapped in a bag of holding?

I would say yes, assuming you can knock said person out, or otherwise force him down there.

Is there enough room for a mediumsized creature?

Well, the smallest bag has a 30 cu ft volume, so I guess it depends on how you view the fexibility of the bag. Either way, it probably wont be very cozy in there, if its the smallest version.

(Then again, even though the bag might be able to contain a lot, the opening has to be able to accomodate it, without ripping the bag)

Can they teleport with a person in it?

Now thats a really good question. I would have ruled the same as you (allowed it) mostly because he is in an extradimensional place, so he is not really there.

 

[Trellian]

The methods have been (knocked out, hold person and the last one was actually dead, they were in a hurry and didn't want his magic items to fall into the wrong hands)...

A Bag of holding is 2 feet by 4 feet in size, and most medium creatures are 2 feet or less in width, so I would say it would fit (barely though). Hmm.. players always come up with the strangest of ideas

 

[Jack99]

Hmm.. players always come up with the strangest of ideas

DMs too sometimes. During an epic (in scope) battle with a lich, that we had back in 2e, the lich, after running out on spells, managed to hide inside our portable hole, in order to rest and regain it's spells, while we were running around all over its castle, looking for it.

Needless to say, we were quite surprised when we found out hehe

 

[jimpaladin]

I will say that as DM you can rule anything as you want it. I don't think it is very wise to use a bag of holding for capturing people. I don't see it as putting an item in to statis, it merly is a 30 cu ft "bag" that allows one to carry many bulkly items with little cost to encumbrance.

The problem you run into is many fold. Ok pc 2 will hid in the bag of holding while pc 1 sneaks into the wizard's tower. Or let's put this dire weasel in the bag of holding and then "Hey, Rocky watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat" hilarity ensues*

To 'splain no that would take to long, to sum up - A bag of holding is not a livable extra-dimensional space as it has no way of circulating air. It is merely a holding space for inanimate objects that help reduce encumbrance.

* For whoever doesn't know the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon had Bullwinkle"a moose" doing a magic trick for Rocky"a squirrel". Obviously, it was never a rabbit but rather a rather angry carnivore instead.

 

[Piratecat]

Anyone remember (or want to do the math) how much air a small bag of holding would contain, when it also contains an adult human? They'll definitely suffocate; i'm just not sure how quickly.

Also, be aware that a prisoner always has the option of piercing the inside skin of the bag of holding. That expels them into the untracked waste of the astral, and it also permanently ruins the bag. It's definitely a viable tactic for someone who REALLY has to escape.

 

[Goolpsy]

Also do remember that the Bag only "takes" the items that are put into it.. Hence the air wouldn't refresh... unless you "stop air" into the bag...

 

[Zurai]

Actually, according to the DMG, anything living that is put into a BoH dies after 10 minutes.

 

[Felix]

Unless you provided them with a Bottle of Air.

 

[mattcolville]

One of the most gut-bustingly hysterical series of strips from Knights of the Dinner Table involved the PCs waging war against a Sergeant and his Men-at-Arms whom they'd stored in their Bag of Holding.