If a homunculus is kept in a bag of holding and the bag is still within range of the telepathic link, does the link still work?
This appears to be a common cloth sack about 2 feet by 4 feet in size. The bag of holding opens into anondimensionalextradimensional space: its inside is larger than its outside dimensions.
By RAW, a Bag of Holding is a non-dimensional space (which means it has 0 dimensions, and you can't properly store anything in the real world within in).
RAI, a Bag of Holding is an extradimensional space, as mentioned here:
A number of spells and magic items utilize extradimensional spaces, such as rope trick, a bag of holding, a handy haversack, and a portable hole. These spells and magic items create a tiny pocket space that does not exist in any dimension. Such items do not function, however, inside another extradimensional space. If placed inside such a space, they cease to function until removed from the extradimensional space.
Although it mentions items not functioning, it's safe to say that because you're in a completely separate dimension from the Material Plane, its abilities will not work until it re-enters the Material Plane.
I would also question whether or not an object such as a Homunculus could possibly be stuffed into a Bag of Holding without removing its body parts, as I imagine the opening for the Bag of Holding would be no bigger than a Portable Hole, and not really that close to its opening.
YMMV, of course.
Assuming the homunculus could fit, what if the owner stuck his hand in the bag of holding so now they were both inside the bag, would the link work then?
Honestly, I don't think so.
If the arm is in the bag, then only the arm is considered to be in the same dimension, and unless the Homunculus performs telepathy to a creature via its arm (which is highly doubtful, since this is no different than a female stating that a male's brain is in his extremities instead of his skull), then its telepathy ability would not work.
Similarly, if we were to use the abstraction of combat, the creature would have to exit its square, and enter the object (which, if big enough, would not be possible to do). By rights, the creature is still on the battlefield (and therefore not inside the dimension that the object houses).
If you were wanting to keep your Homunculus familiar safe, might I suggest the Hosteling armor property, designed to safehouse Animal Companions, Familiars, Mounts, and so on, as long as they can properly fit within the item.
Generally speaking, even if the Homunculus is a medium-sized familiar, and you are a medium-sized creature, the Hosteling property would work regardless of what shield or armor type you use.
A homunculus is Tiny sized so it can fit in a lot of places. What if the touch inside the bag of holding? I'd think that would be enough to link them again.
If it's Tiny-sized, then it's more plausible; it's not defined as to how large of an opening a Bag of Holding is, but we know the bag itself is 2 feet wide and 4 feet tall. A safe estimation would be that half of the bag's width would constitute a fair opening.
I could touch an arm of a human, or I could touch an arm severed from a corpse. An arm is an arm is an arm, and if an arm is all that is needed for telepathy to work, then you would be correct. Most GMs would probably cry "Witchcraft!" about that though, and would tell you that it's not a sufficient enough connection for telepathy to occur, assuming that the grounds for a telepathic connection aren't previously defined.
I would suggest that if you have any relevant rules regarding this telepathic connection (which I'm not sure as to how you're getting), that it would help greatly in providing a more reasonable answer. I would also personally suggest to ask the GM as to his opinion on the matter, as he would be the one who ultimately decides what is and is not allowed.
@ Timebomb: I suppose it would make sense to a point. But a big RAW argument is this here:
if a bag of holding is brought into a rope trick, the contents of the bag of holding become inaccessible until the bag of holding is taken outside the rope trick.
Although this is more of a "Dimensional Space in a Dimensional Space" example, there is a key subject here, and that key subject is if I could access contents (which in this case is the Homunculus) of a Bag of Holding while not opening and drawing the item out; in the case of putting a dimensional space in a dimensional space, you couldn't, and it's not too far-fetched to rule it to apply regardless. If you can do that with the Homunculus, then sure, case closed. But it's ultimately an argument of "Can I draw a feasible Line of Effect from A to B," and if portals to extradimensional spaces can still provide a Line of Effect, even when they're closed, which was what the OP originally asked.
I'd prefer to treat it as trying to throw something beyond a closed door. Although not a direct example, it does explain the point: If I try to, for example, throw a baseball through a door to hit a person, and I hit them when I do it, then it's done. If it's not physically possible (because the door is blocking the ball's path), then it's not possible.
But again, YMMV.
So if someone casts create pit and you fall in, while your trusty homunculus (which you did not put in a bag of holding) remains flying in circles above the pit, you can see each other, it can hear you yell, but it can't feel your mind because you're in an extradimensional space? That seems... weird.
So if someone casts create pit and you fall in, while your trusty homunculus (which you did not put in a bag of holding) remains flying in circles above the pit, you can see each other, it can hear you yell, but it can't feel your mind because you're in an extradimensional space? That seems... weird.
I remember the antics of when spellcasters would use Create Pit, cast a Wall of Force horizontally over the pit, and when the Create Pit spell ended, enemies trapped in the pit would be smashed like a creature would if it were between two enclosing walls. It's a good thing that it's not intended for Walls to be placed like Floors.
Quite frankly, the RAW would tell me that, yes. RAI, since there is an opening to the Material Plane, it's fair enough to rule that it's allowed. Some might even argue that you can't properly perceive what is beyond the extradimensional space, but I suggest the reason why Create Pit uses "extradimensional space" instead of stating that it's merely a temporary distortion of space is because they didn't want people using it to easily dig holes through the world, so as to bypass a lot of dungeon content, as a 2nd level spell.
@ Quorlox: It's merely a demonstration as to how line of effect can or cannot be plausible. Obviously, a mental link will be different from a baseball, and an opening to an extradimensional space will be different from a door, but the basic concept is there. The big question is if you can draw a line of effect with the subject (A), and the object (B), as set by the conditions of a given ability.
The original argument was if this could be plausible with the creature hiding inside the bag of holding. I said no, because there was no feasible line of effect; the bag of holding is closed, therefore no opening to the Material plane, and therefore no plausible means to affect anything from the Material plane.
The next argument was if the creature, if it was touching an arm, would be sufficient enough to provide a link. I said no, primarily because the arm doesn't have a brain, and regardless of if whether the arm was attached or severed, it doesn't provide the ability to affect subjects on the Material plane. But if an opening to the Material plane was there, then sure, it makes sense, since there is an available path to connect A to B.
And to the whole "rummaging blindly," there are reasons why it's better to have a Handy Haversack, since it allows you to easily draw items (Move Action) without taking much time to bother looking through it all (Standard Action), and it's safer, since it doesn't provoke an Attack of Opportunity when you do so.
I'd rule that if the bag is open, the contents of the bag are effectively in the room with you - sound, light and telepathic signals can pass through the opening. If the bag is closed, the opening to the extradimensional space is sealed off.
I know there has been discussion about crossing the boundary to an extradimensional space. Basically, a fireball on one side cannot penetrate the boundary to the other side. This was in reference to Rope Trick, but it should apply to all such spaces.
I would also question whether or not an object such as a Homunculus could possibly be stuffed into a Bag of Holding without removing its body parts, as I imagine the opening for the Bag of Holding would be no bigger than a Portable Hole, and not really that close to its opening.
Portable hole: "a portable hole is 6 feet in diameter"
Bag of Holding: "about 2 feet by 4 feet"I was thinking about it as a way to protect the homunculus.
The Familiar Satchel is what you want.
/cevah
Another homonculi question:
I noticed a small difference in the text: a mile more than 3x the range of the telepatic link, but the Ecology part suggest it can communicate in one mile.
My guess is someone mistook a feet with a metre.
A homunculus knows what its master knows and can convey to him or her everything it sees and hears, out to a distance of1,500 feet.
A homunculus never willingly travels more than a mile from its master, though it can be removed forcibly. If this occurs, the creature does everything in its power to return to this range, as it cannot communicate with its master beyond this distance.
So is 1500 feet or 5280 feet (1 mile) the range of the communication?
It can communicate, i.e. talk telepathically, within 1 mile. If it is within 1500' it can furthermore transmit sensory data directly, instead of having to say "ok boss, now I see a portrait of a guy with a hat." Much more valuable if you're hoping to ID the guy with a Knowledge check.