Bag of Holding - Resonance to Use?


Skills, Feats, Equipment & Spells


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The bag of holding (pg 382) has an [[A]] Operate Activation action to use it. Activating Magic Items (pg 376) says that unless an item says, for example, "Command activation, no cost" it costs 1 RP to activate. This means that every time you put something in or take something out of a bag of holding you have to use RP.

Pull wand of healing out of bag of holding 1RP. Use wand to heal 1RP per use. Put wand of healing back into bag of holding 1RP.


bump. Am I the only one that sees access to a bag of holding costing an RP each as an issue? At most it should be an Invest to be able to maintain its ability to be active and accessible but it should not cost 1 RP for each time you want to use it.


No, you're not the only one. That's really bizarre and painful, actually.


That's definitely how I am reading it RAW.

I'll already be house ruling it an invested item with no activation cost though unless I hear darn good reason why the current rules are intended this way.


Uchuujin wrote:

That's definitely how I am reading it RAW.

I'll already be house ruling it an invested item with no activation cost though unless I hear darn good reason why the current rules are intended this way.

Best I can give you is that bag of holding is a really really really good item. Maybe this is the bare minimum cost you need to give it for players to ever consider an alternative. Still haven't played but I will give bag of holding resonance a shot to see if gives room for some interesting inventory management.


Yeah, im with the notion that one resonace per day to use the bag is RAI, but yeah, if its strange.


If I don't like how it works I might test one resonance to make it function for 30 minutes. So that looting won't cost 2+ points per player.


It is really rather silly that it costs 1 Resonance Point to operate a bag of holding in any way, shape, or form. That makes it nigh-unusable.


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I would say 1 rp per day max to use. I don't like resonance points I find them an unnecessary complication.


I read it as 1 resonance to open the bag, implying that bags of holding are for more long-term storage, as in "shovel the dragon horde into the bag, so we can carry it to the bank." It's for long-term storage, not for stuff you might use today.

An attunement-based smaller extradimensional space with ready, easy access to your stuff should probably exist so the bag of holding and this item occupy different niches.

Grand Lodge

PossibleCabbage wrote:

I read it as 1 resonance to open the bag, implying that bags of holding are for more long-term storage, as in "shovel the dragon horde into the bag, so we can carry it to the bank." It's for long-term storage, not for stuff you might use today.

An attunement-based smaller extradimensional space with ready, easy access to your stuff should probably exist so the bag of holding and this item occupy different niches.

The closest item to what you suggest is the KNAPSACK OF HALFLINGKIND (pg 396) which, as I read it, apparently has the same costs as the Bag of Holding. It even refers back to a Bag of Holding II as an equivalent item for one of the compartments.

Personally, I'd hand wave it and say 1 resonance to attune at the beginning of the day and you are good. Anything more is nickle-and-diming the fun out.

Edit: I guess you could add Gloves of Storing to the mix, but those require a resonance to place and to extract, so it has the same issue being complained about.

The Basic function of these items is as a container, I would say that allowing them to be attuned and calling it a day for resonance works fine. That way when the thieves who stole it try to get your gear, there is nothing inside, unless they wait a day and one of them attunes.


According to the rules it does not have the invested trait so it does not require attunement in the morning.

For activation it has the exact same type as any of the specific magic weapons, so activating it takes resonance. But, what is an activation? Opening it? Retrieving something from it? Placing something in it?

And what sort of action/activity is it to retrieve a specific item?


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Jason Bulmahn mentioned on Twitch today that the Resonance cost is an error and will be addressed in Monday's rules update.

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