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Portable Hole 5e: Capacity, Escaping, and the Bag of Holding Gate
A Portable Hole is a rare wondrous item: a black cloth that unfolds into a 6-foot circle and opens a 10-foot-deep extradimensional pit on any solid surface. It needs no attunement, has no weight limit in its text, and weighs next to nothing however much is inside. Opening or closing it takes an action (a Magic action in 2024). It holds about four times what a Bag of Holding does, but put one inside the other and both are destroyed while everyone nearby is pulled into the Astral Plane.
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Portable Hole Rules Text
SRD 5.1 (2014) first, then SRD 5.2.1 (2024).
Portable Hole
2014 rules
Wondrous item, rare
RareNo attunement
This fine black cloth, soft as silk, is folded up to the dimensions of a handkerchief. It unfolds into a circular sheet 6 feet in diameter.
You can use an action to unfold a portable hole and place it on or against a solid surface, whereupon the portable hole creates an extradimensional hole 10 feet deep. The cylindrical space within the hole exists on a different plane, so it can't be used to create open passages. Any creature inside an open portable hole can exit the hole by climbing out of it.
You can use an action to close a portable hole by taking hold of the edges of the cloth and folding it up. Folding the cloth closes the hole, and any creatures or objects within remain in the extradimensional space. No matter what's in it, the hole weighs next to nothing.
If the hole is folded up, a creature within the hole's extradimensional space can use an action to make a DC 10 Strength check. On a successful check, the creature forces its way out and appears within 5 feet of the portable hole or the creature carrying it. A breathing creature within a closed portable hole can survive for up to 10 minutes, after which time it begins to suffocate.
Placing a portable hole inside an extradimensional space created by a bag of holding, handy haversack, or similar item instantly destroys both items and opens a gate to the Astral Plane. The gate originates where the one item was placed inside the other. Any creature within 10 feet of the gate is sucked through it and deposited in a random location on the Astral Plane. The gate then closes. The gate is one-way only and can't be reopened.
This fine black cloth, soft as silk, is folded up to the dimensions of a handkerchief. It unfolds into a circular sheet 6 feet in diameter.
You can take a Magic action to unfold a Portable Hole and place it on or against a solid surface, whereupon the Portable Hole creates an extradimensional hole 10 feet deep. The cylindrical space within the hole exists on a different plane of existence, so it can't be used to create open passages. Any creature inside an open Portable Hole can exit the hole by climbing out of it.
You can take a Magic action to close a Portable Hole by taking hold of the edges of the cloth and folding it up. Folding the cloth closes the hole, and any creatures or objects within remain in the extradimensional space. No matter what's in it, the hole weighs next to nothing.
If the hole is folded up, a creature within the hole's extradimensional space can take an action to make a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. On a successful check, the creature forces its way out and appears within 5 feet of the Portable Hole. A closed Portable Hole holds enough air for 1 hour of breathing, divided by the number of breathing creatures inside.
Placing a Portable Hole inside an extradimensional space created by a Bag of Holding, Handy Haversack, or similar item instantly destroys both items and opens a gate to the Astral Plane. The gate originates where the one item was placed inside the other. Any creature within 10 feet of the gate and not behind Total Cover is sucked through it and deposited in a random location on the Astral Plane. The gate then closes. The gate is one-way only and can't be reopened.
The 2024 card changes four things: the action type, the escape check, how long the air lasts, and who the Astral gate catches.
How the Portable Hole Works
Size and weight
The space is a cylinder 6 feet across and 10 feet deep, about 283 cubic feet (π × 3 × 3 × 10), more than four times a Bag of Holding's 64 cubic feet. The text sets no weight limit, and the folded cloth weighs "next to nothing" whatever is in it. Anything that fits through a 6-foot opening goes in: crates, barrels, a dismantled cart.
Opening, closing and getting things out
Unfolding the cloth onto a floor, wall or other solid surface takes an action (2014) or a Magic action (2024), and folding it takes the same. You can't pull one item out of a folded hole: open it, reach or climb in, close it again. Because the space sits on another plane, laying it against a wall gives you a 10-foot alcove, not a tunnel to the next room.
Getting out
While the hole is open, anyone inside can climb out. Climbing costs 1 extra foot of movement per foot in both SRDs, so the 10-foot climb uses 20 feet of Speed.
Once it's folded, a creature inside can use its action on a DC 10 check to force its way out: a Strength check in 2014 (appearing within 5 feet of the hole or whoever carries it), a Strength (Athletics) check in 2024 (appearing within 5 feet of the Portable Hole). A creature with Strength 14 and Athletics proficiency (+4 in 2024) succeeds on a 6 or higher, 75 percent of the time. The hole is a poor prison.
Air inside a closed hole
•2014: each breathing creature can survive up to 10 minutes, then starts to suffocate. The air isn't divided between creatures.
•2024: the hole holds 1 hour of air, divided by the number of breathing creatures. Four creatures get 15 minutes each; twelve get 5.
Then the suffocation rules apply: a creature holds its breath for 1 + its Constitution modifier minutes (minimum 30 seconds). After that it drops to 0 hit points within a few rounds (2014) or gains a level of Exhaustion at the end of each of its turns (2024).
The Bag of Holding rule: who goes to the Astral Plane
Placing a Portable Hole inside a Bag of Holding, a Handy Haversack or a similar item, or one of those inside the hole, destroys both items and opens a one-way gate to the Astral Plane where one went into the other. Each creature caught lands at a random spot on the Astral Plane, with no saving throw. In 2024, who's caught depends on which item's text applies, the one that goes in:
Which item goes in
2014
2024
Portable Hole into a Bag of Holding or Haversack
Creatures within 10 ft of the gate
Creatures within 10 ft and not behind Total Cover
Bag of Holding into a Portable Hole
Creatures within 10 ft of the gate
Creatures in a 10-ft-radius Sphere centered on the gate
Handy Haversack into a Portable Hole
Creatures within 10 ft of the gate
Creatures within 10 ft and not behind Total Cover
The person putting one item into the other is within reach of the gate, so they go too. The Bag of Holding guide covers the same rule from the bag's side.
"Similar item" isn't defined. DM ruling: only magic items that create an extradimensional space count, so a Portable Hole carried into a Demiplane is just a cloth in a room, while one Portable Hole folded into another does trigger the gate.
Using it as a pit
Lay the hole open in a corridor and anything that walks onto it falls 10 feet: 1d6 bludgeoning damage and the Prone condition in both SRDs. A creature at the bottom then has to climb out, and you can fold the hole shut on it with an action, leaving it the DC 10 check to escape.
Portable Hole: 2014 vs 2024
2014 (SRD 5.1)
2024 (SRD 5.2.1)
Rarity / attunement
Rare, no attunement
Rare, no attunement
Open or close
An action
A Magic action
Escape from a folded hole
DC 10 Strength check
DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check
Where an escapee appears
Within 5 ft of the hole or its carrier
Within 5 ft of the Portable Hole
Air
10 minutes per creature
1 hour shared by everyone inside
Astral gate (hole goes into a bag)
Creatures within 10 ft
Creatures within 10 ft, not behind Total Cover
Value
No price in the SRD
4,000 GP (rare)
At the table, Athletics proficiency now helps a trapped creature get out, and air depends on headcount: one creature gets six times as long in 2024 (an hour against 10 minutes), but eight creatures get 7.5 minutes each, less than the 2014 flat 10.
Is the Portable Hole Worth It?
Yes, if your party hauls bulky loot or wants a hidden room that fits in a pocket. It takes no attunement slot.
The bag is faster to use; the hole holds more. If the party carries both, keep them with different characters. The hole is a trap as a prison (the DC 10 escape is easy) and as an Astral bomb (it costs both items and takes the user along).
Portable Hole for DMs
Where it turns up. Mid-level treasure: a thieves' hideout, a smuggler's cart with a suspiciously small cargo, a wizard's study where the "rug" is a Portable Hole.
What it changes. Logistics. The party can carry a ship's cargo, and four characters inside a folded hole, carried by a fifth, can cross a border unseen with 15 minutes of air each in 2024.
Pricing. The 2024 SRD values a rare item at 4,000 GP. The 2014 SRD has no prices; a 2014 figure you've seen is from the Dungeon Master's Guide. The shop price calculator helps if you run a shop.
Opening it under a creature. The text says only that you place the cloth on or against a solid surface; neither SRD covers placing it where a creature stands. DM ruling: you can't unfold it in an occupied space. A creature has to walk onto an open hole to fall in, which keeps it a trap rather than a save-free instant capture.
Hooks.
•The party buys a Portable Hole and opens it to find someone already inside, alive, with minutes of air left.
•A dungeon wall has a black circle on it: a Portable Hole left open, where the previous owner stored the real treasure.
What's in the hole is easy to forget by next session. Loreify records the game and writes a recap that includes the loot.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is a Portable Hole in 5e?
The cloth unfolds to 6 feet in diameter and opens a cylindrical space 10 feet deep, about 283 cubic feet. No weight limit is given, and the folded hole weighs next to nothing regardless of contents.
What happens if you put a Portable Hole in a Bag of Holding?
Both items are destroyed and a one-way gate to the Astral Plane opens. Creatures within 10 feet are pulled through to a random location with no saving throw. In 2024, creatures behind Total Cover are spared when the hole goes into the bag, but not when the bag goes into the hole.
How long can you breathe inside a Portable Hole?
In 2014, 10 minutes per creature, then suffocation. In 2024, the hole holds 1 hour of air divided by the number of breathing creatures inside.
Can you escape a closed Portable Hole?
Yes. Use your action for a DC 10 check: Strength in 2014, Strength (Athletics) in 2024. On a success you appear within 5 feet of the hole (or of whoever carries it, in 2014).
Does a Portable Hole require attunement?
No. It's a rare wondrous item with no attunement in either edition.
How much is a Portable Hole worth?
4,000 GP under the 2024 SRD, the value of any rare magic item. The 2014 SRD gives no prices.
Item text: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Analysis, rulings and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.