In the game I'm running the characters have access to rings that allow them to teleport alone to another person with one of the rings. As these are powerful magic items I set a condition that only the weaer of the ring can teleport. No holding someone or otherwise bringing someone alive along.
This has played well for several months but now a party member has a bag of holding and wants to know if having people in the bag of holding allow an exception to the wearer only rule. My first reaction is to say they still count since their alive and gaining the benefit of the teleport. I can however see the possibility of them being on a different plane of existence letting it work. Thoughts?
As these rings are custom items, the "official" answer is whatever you want it to be. Personally, I'd say "You don't know. Would you like to experiment?" And then have it not work. With disastrous consequences. Of course, I already make teleportation an unpleasant experience, with a chance of an infernal being hitching a ride as you pass thorough its dimension.
Do remember that there is very little air inside even the largest such bag, with a portable hole only holding enough for 1 creature for 10 minutes. Since the latter has a volume of ~1,000 cubic feet, gauge air supply accordingly.
The other problem is this: the person has to be able to enter the bag. A sack can reasonably accommodate entry by Small characters, not Medium.
Lastly, unless there is an air bottle inside I would quietly track game time that passes and strictly enforce the conplete silence of all those inside the bag. They may surprise you and suffocate inside the bag while Bob is fleeing for his miserable hide from something that can 86 him by his lonesome...
EDIT: encumbrance is an issue with the bags, they are heavy. Not heavy enough to matter for teleport, plenty heavy for encumbrance issues to probably crop up for most characters.
I have always played it that anyone in a bag of holding, portable hole, etc.. do not count towards Dimention Door or Teleport.
The bag is only the opening to an extra-dimentional space. Spells that can only find object/people on the same plane do not detect anything in a bag of holding.
So why would the ring be able to do so? If you still don't want to allow the PCs to use the bag to circumvent your intention with the rings, come up with a rationale as to why it doesn't work and let the players discover it.
I'd probably allow it to work, but like others have mentioned, track the available air supply. They've found a solution to their initial problem of being able to teleport only one person, or at least think they have; that level of creativity is not a bad thing in and of itself. You just need to remind them that sometimes a proposed solution can create as many or more problems than it solves which will require them to continue searching for a workable answer.
I have always played it that anyone in a bag of holding, portable hole, etc.. do not count towards Dimention Door or Teleport.
The bag is only the opening to an extra-dimentional space. Spells that can only find object/people on the same plane do not detect anything in a bag of holding.
So why would the ring be able to do so? If you still don't want to allow the PCs to use the bag to circumvent your intention with the rings, come up with a rationale as to why it doesn't work and let the players discover it.
^this^
..however, it's a DM custom item so it can work however you want it to work.