Bags of Holding and Living Cretures

[Erik Vale]

Google Fu has failed, so I have a humble question for the playground.

Bags of holdings have size/wieght limits and can be left open. Normally you can't get out of a bag of holding that's closed, but if said bag of holding was left open, could one periodically bring their head out to breath or otherwise climb out of the bag. I haven't seen any information that suggests yes [other than that given], but I have a suspicion that the answer is no.

[TuggyNE]

Strict RAW doesn't allow it:
If living creatures are placed within the bag, they can survive for up to 10 minutes, after which time they suffocate. No provision made for poking their heads out or anything.

However, a Bottle of Air works in any airless environment, and there are other ways to survive as well.

Common sense, however, would suggest it might reasonably work, since it's a two-way interface while open. For that matter, ordinary air circulation might be enough if the bag mouth was wide enough.

[Demorden]

Strict RAW doesn't allow it: No provision made for poking their heads out or anything.

However, a Bottle of Air works in any airless environment, and there are other ways to survive as well.

Common sense, however, would suggest it might reasonably work, since it's a two-way interface while open. For that matter, ordinary air circulation might be enough if the bag mouth was wide enough.

I second your opinion. The 10 minutes time before suffocating imho indicate that by RAI opening the bag is enough to let air in. So if you let it open...

The 10 minutes limit seems arbitrary though.
I mean, the size of the bag and the number of the creatures, by RAW, mean nothing. Well, I guess they had to simplify things. The game's already complex enough.

[OzymandiasX]

Strict RAW doesn't allow it: No provision made for poking their heads out or anything.
We've interpreted that RAW to apply to living creatures placed within the bag, meaning fully within the bag. (It would make no sense to suffocate after 10 minutes of having one's hand in the bag)

We've used this to do things like put a character into the bag up to their neck (as long as the bag's opening was wide enough for the char), and use that to go through openings too small to squeeze through, to have the rogue carry the gnome wizard so he doesn't make noise, etc...

I'd think that once you're in the bag (and completely in extradimensional space) you can't get back out on your own, even if the bag is open.

Our group has debated the topic without a clear consensus (as the rules are not clear), as we've had players do things like try to climb into a bag, but breathe through a large straw that they leave sticking out or tie a rope to their waist before going into the bag so that they can follow it out.