Bag of Holding: Dynamics Question / Discussion

[Webscar]

Hello everyone,

My apologies if this question has popped up previously, I seem to find a lot of the same information whenever searching through Google in regards to the Bag of Holding. Either links to shops to buy a Computer/Messenger Bag, or rehashing the same information from the book detailing the weight, capacity, etc of the Bag.

My question is a bit more specific.

You see, I'm curious about how different interactions affect the Bag of Holding. Not the normal "What happens when you put a Bag of Holding inside a Portable Hole" thing... but similar in their oddity:

1) If you turn a Bag of Holding upside down, will the contents fall out?
1a) If Yes, can you stop the larger items by limiting the bag of holding's opening?
1b) If No, would the desire to have those items fall out change the way the bag of holding interacts?

For instance, if I wanted to dump all my stuff out of my Bag of Holding, could I? If I wanted just the small items, could I secure the opening then shake it about some? Also, if I were to somehow have the bag of holding turned upside down, knocked about, etc, would the items spill out?

Next question is assuming you can limit what does and doesn't come out by reducing the opening size. Presumably I would think that a Shield would not fit through the hole if you squeezed it in your hand, but a piece of chalk could fall out.

Let's say I fill a Bag of Holding to the brim with water; then clamp the opening closed as tight as I can and push with all my might on the back of the Bag of Holding. Would the water get pushed out of the opening? I ask, thinking that the more force you put onto the bag to push the water out, the higher the water pressure is when it comes out.

Finally, if my Bag of Holding is crushed, would the items inside of it be broken?

Thank-you all for your help =)

[Maezer]

1) No the contents will not fall out. Gravity in the material plane (or whichever plane the bag is in) does not effect the extradimentional space so nothing falls out.

1b) No your mental thoughts have no impact on bag of hold. The handy haversack has the ability to shift objects around within its extradementional space based on your desires effecting what is closest to the gateway. But without actually reaching in nothing is going to fall out unless someone pulls it out (or it has some kind of self propelling motion (ie the halfing you stuck inside could get out if still alive, but the rock is just going to sit there).

If you Bah of Holding is crushed, nothing happens to the items. If it is ruptured then the items are lost forever. Though they are still in same condition they are when they were placed in the extra dimension space you just can't locate them easily.

[Brambleman]

If you want to dump out all the contents, you turn the bag inside out.

[Webscar]

Excellent. That answers all of my questions. This leads me to some other thoughts, though...

As an Experiment I will fill my bag of holding with water; then, I will drop one Iron Spike inside of the bag; for the sake of argument, I place this spike as far away from the opening as possible.

Next, I close the bag, and wrap it up tight. I cork the bag by placing another iron spike at the opening of the bag, partially in, and partially out the winding twine around the until it is very secure.

Finally, I cast Chill Metal on the Iron Spike inside the Bag of Holding (Or, Cast it on the Iron Spike as it is placed inside the bag; corking and securing the bag in the 2nd turn).

Now then, the chain reaction should be that by Turn 3 the Iron Spike has reached a temperature to freeze the water inside the bag. As the water Freezes it expands. As the ice expands it creates pressure inside of the bag.

Now then. Would the Bag Rupture from the expanding force; or would the Iron Spike that is corking the bag be ejected, followed by a jet of water?

I'm thinking this would be an interesting improvised weapon, and if used alongside other spells/items/etc it have some rather interesting effects.

If filled 80/20 with Water & Alcohol would the water freeze, force the Alcohol out, and if said Alcohol came into contact with a flame... Would I have an impromptu Flame Thrower? =D

Thanks for the quick replies everyone ^_^

[Edgar Lamoureux]

The water could expand just fine, as it is not affecting the weight of the contents, just the area, and at 8lbs/gallon, the volume limitation is nowhere near reached. With a type one, you have a mere 4 cubic feet, while with a type 4, you have a mere 25 cubic feet, both well within the volume limitation.

[Maezer]

Lol. Wow. Rules as written I expect the bag of holding to rupture from being overfilled and dump its contents into the void of the extradimentional space.

As a GM I am all for rewarding creativity, and if your goal is to rupture it making it a 2,500gp disposable projectile launcher. Then I'd be fine with it.

But this is really beyond the rules or intent. Tell your GM what you are trying to do. And what effect you want it to have, and try to work it out. Something this exotic really needs to be worked out between him and you, not you and the random people on the message boards. This idea rather goes beyond the description of Bag of Holding though.

[Edgar Lamoureux]

I suppose that would be true if you were to fill it to the brim. I was expecting that the OP would take the amount of water necessary to add it and the spike without rupturing due to the weight limit being exceeded.

[Webscar]

Ahh yes... Completely forgot about the weight to area ratios. I'd not be able to create enough ice to overfill the bag due to the weight restriction.

I have discussed a few of these sort of ideas with my GM; but he said he wants me to implement them at the table instead. He said he didn't want to have the chance to either enable or remove the possibility for my idea to work by knowing about it beforehand. Instead wanting to handle it when it comes up, which he feels is fairer to me.