D&D General Liquids in Bag of Holding or Portable Hole?

[aco175]

How does the inside of a Bag of Holding (BoH) work in reference to placing something that can be spilled inside? Say someone wants to place a pot of stew or pail of paint or such that does not have a lid on it inside?

Does the inside topple over and spill things out if the PC slings the bag over his shoulder and jumps around in combat, or is the inside it's own separate thing with more of a neutral state? This may bring up is there is gravity. I know that it is a tiny pocket in the Ethereal or Astral, but is it subject to tipping over or anything? I know it is a bit of air inside for a few minutes anyways.

I see it similar to placing something on the floor in an empty room. The bucket will not spill since the inside is more like a room with its own up and down and not really subject to be flipped over. Have not thought about when you add more stuff to the bag or reaching in to bring it back out.

 

[DEFCON 1]

There are no rules specific to this situation. Probably because this is a prime "Rulings, not rules" area where there's no reason for WotC to make a hard and fast choice for everyone when each DM can make the decision on their own.

 

[AlViking]

My ruling would be that it's very likely to spill and make a mess in a bag of holding, because it's just a big container full of junk. A handy haversack is more organized and each item is treated as a unique object so it probably wouldn't spill, although I've never had to make a ruling on it.

In the 2024 rules, it takes an action to retrieve an item. The haversack it requires an action or bonus action (character's choice) and the item is always on the top. My house rule under the 2014 rules was that it could take a while to find a specific item because things were just kind of in a big pile.

 

[Baron Opal II]

I've had them be in a neutral state, as you say, until the bag is opened. This usually isn't an issue unless you open the bag underwater. Makes a big difference with a portable hole, especially if you build shelving inside. Then it matters if you open it on the ground or a wall.

 

[aco175]

My ruling would be that it's very likely to spill and make a mess in a bag of holding, because it's just a big container full of junk. A handy haversack is more organized and each item is treated as a unique object so it probably wouldn't spill, although I've never had to make a ruling on it.

In the 2024 rules, it takes an action to retrieve an item. The haversack it requires an action or bonus action (character's choice) and the item is always on the top. My house rule under the 2014 rules was that it could take a while to find a specific item because things were just kind of in a big pile.

So it is a bit like a big bucket itself. If I fill it by opening it in a lake and then I want to dump it on the ground- I can just pour it out. I guess I can see both ways of looking at it. Similar to just dumping out all it contents, or back in 2e when you worried about a bag of devouring and could turn it inside out to dump things on the ground.

 

[Reynard]

Don't put stew in a bag of holding. the denizens of Bag World are notoriously hungry.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

The obvious answer is if RAW the bag contains enough air for one average medium creature (which I assume also means average anatomically modern human) to breathe for ten minutes, and it has an internal volume of 64 cubic feet, someone who is better at math than me can calculate the PSI it keeps air pressurized at and we can then determine how that affects air being displaced by water.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

It doesn't say they're protected or padded, so I'd rule they spill. The bag is basically a huge trash bag bigger on the inside than outside. Bottles could break, same as anything put in a big sack.

The portable hole makes a 10x10 pit/room, so I would rule it wouldn't spill while moved. The Handy Haversack has a sorting ability, so to me it feels appropriate to have it keep them compartmentalized. Both the hole and the haversack are rare compared to the bag of holding's uncommon, so that also feels more rewarding for what should be a better item.

 

[aco175]

Don't put stew in a bag of holding. the denizens of Bag World are notoriously hungry.

I wonder why nobody talks about the difference between citizen and denizen anymore.

From Google: A citizen is a member of a state, usually by birth or naturalization, with legal rights and responsibilities within that state. A denizen, on the other hand, is someone who lives in or frequents a particular place, but is not necessarily a citizen of that place. Denizenship is often used to describe individuals who have limited rights and responsibilities compared to citizens.

 

[Incenjucar]

May help to treat it as the enterance hole moving to the stuff rather than the stuff moving to the hole.