Bag of holding

A bag of holding is a famous magical item from the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game (since used in many other roleplaying games). It appears to be a common cloth sack of about 2 by 4 feet (0.6 by 1.2 m) in size. The bag of holding opens into a nondimensional space, and its inside is larger than its outside dimensions. The bag always weighs the same amount, between 15 and 60 pounds (7 and 27 kg), regardless of what is put into it. It can store a combined weight of up to forty times its own weight, and a combined volume of 30 to 250 cubic feet (0.8 to 7 m³).

If a bag of holding is overloaded, or if sharp objects pierce it (from outside or inside), the bag will rupture and be ruined, the contents lost forever in non-space.

In the physics of Dungeons & Dragons, putting one bag of holding inside another, or into a portable hole will result in a catastrophic explosion, which will most likely kill the player who did this, and possibly others around him. Other consequences include being sucked into another dimension at the point where the two bags converge or both bags destroying one another without any other calamity. The other contents of the bags are either scattered throughout the Astral Plane or destroyed. These rules are all subject to the whim of the dungeon master, of course.

Bags of holding make appearances outside of D&D, of course, including such games as Nethack.

Cursed bags

There are also a number of bags outwardly indistinguishable from a bag of holding but with some highly undesirable qualities. They are created by spellcasters either as a result of a failed spell in the process of creating a bag of holding or purposefully (especially in the case of a bag of devouring).

Bag of devouring

This bag appears to be a normal sack, like a bag of holding. However, the bag is a lure used by an extradimensional creature – this is one of its feeding orifices.

Any substance of animal or vegetable matter thrust into the bag has a chance of being swallowed. The bag of devouring will act as a bag of holding, but every hour it has an increasing chance of swallowing the contents. Anything swallowed by the bag is quickly consumed and gone forever.

Bag of transmuting

This magical sack will perform as a bag of holding for 2–10 uses. At some point, however, the magical field will waver, and metals and gems stored in the bag will be turned into common metals and worthless stones. Any magical items placed in the bag will become ordinary lead, glass, or wood as appropriate once the transmuting effects have begun.

External link

• A mathematical discussion on whether a bag of holding can contain another bag of holding