Extradimensional Spaces within Extradimensional Spaces? Always dangerous or not?

[JiffyPopTart]

Just remember that if you allow multiple devices to explode in your campaign you have just allowed a portable nuclear device for the low cost of 4000gp (two halversacks).

Step 1: Party of low level adventurers scrimp and save and buy two halversacks (Or make 2 for just 2000gp if the wizard is up to snuff).
Step 2: Party heads to lair of nasty beast.
Step 3: Party sends ignorant lackey/summoned monster into beast lair with instructions to stick sack 1 into sack 2.
Step 4: Party goes in and collects the treasure.
Step 5: Goto step 1

DS

 

[NilesB]

The rule is a holdover from first edition when PC's often had too many bags of holding to carry. I'd just ignore it.

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

IIRC there is an official "tag" in the SRD with the rope trick spell that states the OP's origonal question is "Yes".

There is NOT a "defined effect" - with the sole exception of bag of holding/portable hole interaction as to "what happens".

WotC doesn't like delineating specifics on these effects because they are "campaign specific". Some campaign's don't have an Astral Plane.


The rules concerning "exploding extradimensional spaces" generally involve any 2 items that reduce total weight. Some Munchkin is sure to come up with the idea of placing 1 portable hole inside of another... inside of another... If there wasn't a consequence to such activity; you could easily get a "monty haul" campaign going on. That is what the rule is INTENDED to prevent. How you do it, is up to you - the DM.


Logisitcs is one thing that I don't like the idea of "handwaving". I had a party of 25th level characters once. They had just "done in" a Red Dragon - and were entering the "bedchamber"
DM: Well, you have a treasure worth about 1 Million GP. The bad news... it's in copper pieces.

 

[rushlight]

As a DM, I usually don't bother too much with details like this, unless it makes for good story-telling.

Once, my players (mid-to-high levels) fought a flying creature that lived at the bottom of a hole in the ground. As a level of protection, the hole went straight down 25ft, then turned into a side passage. On the floor at the bottom of the hole he placed an open Portable Hole. His theory was that anyone foolish enough to jump in after him would land in the hole, and he could easily pick it up and deal with them at a later time (if he chose to open it at all!)

Well, players chase monster, monster jumps in his hole, and one player just decides to jump right in after him! As he falls into the darkness, it occurs to me, and I ask: "So, what are you carrying with you?" The player's response: "Well, all my stuff I guess." "In your Bag of Holding I assume?" "Uh, yeah..."

Well, right as the player fell into the Portable Hole *BANG* the player has ripped the fabric of Space! He saw a bright, blinding flash, and when his eyes refocus, he found himself floating in an ambient-lit space, open in all directions - with all the stuff that was in his Bag of Holding floating off in all directions around him. Basically, he ended up on the Astral Plane. Of course, the Hole and his Bag were destroyed, and all his stuff was floating away. > But, he was alive, and it didn't take him long (after avoiding a pack of Demons roaming around) to find his way home. It was an interesting mini-story, so that's why I did it. Otherwise, I'd just ignore all that stuff and keep the action going!

rushl

 

[Eldragon]

I love having the XDS inside XDS creating a rift scenario.

There are numerous advantages. It helps keep mid to high level players from all packing several bags of holding on their person and carrying more loot and equipment than is feasible. IMHO anything that helps keep level 12+ PCs from being neigh-unto-gods in the campaign world is a good thing. With the XDS+XDS=Boom scenario, players now have a to make a choice: "I can carry lots of stuff, but I risk creating a rift in space if I wander into XDS accidentally".

In fact, the Bag of Holding + Portable Hole scenario was used in a campaign once. The BBEG had set up a Rube Goldberg type device where a bag of holding was suspended by a rope over the portable hole. When the candle burned through the rope, the bag would fall into the hole...

Accidentally creating a rift in space does not have to end the game, in fact, its a good way to shift a campaign into a new story arc.

...A large creature could step through the rift, the players must stop the creature from destroying the town, and then close the hole.

...The players get sucked into another plane, where of course the local populace sees them as gods or some other powerful beings. "Its the Chosen ones the prophecy predicited!"

 

[Sejs]

The long and short of it is: Don't try to get infinite storage by nesting extradimensional storage devices, or the universe will punish you.


Don't try to abuse it and you should be fine.