I come up with some crazy ideas for Portable Hole and I would like to know if they are possible by RAW and what would you do with them:
RAW: Portable Hole (Wondrous Item, rare) 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.
So... by RAW we need to consider:
Solid Surface -> It can't be on a Liquid, Gaseous or Plasmatic surface. Every solid thing is acceptable, they don't must be PLAIN and other cloth are also solid.
There is no place in the RAW saying that the cloth of the portable hole must be open with no creases or wrinkles on clothing / fabric.
Close a portable hole by taking hold of the edges of the cloth and folding it up. Folding the cloth closes the hole -> the hole only closes when at least two (2) edges of the cloth meet.
I'm using the concept that the more damage a item (magic or electric) is, less confident to be used it is so, minor cuts in the fabric to mold it wouldn't make it less effective like Rony Weasley's wand in the Chamber of Secrets. They are at most scratches (like eyes opening in the fabric).
1: PH Shield
What if you glue the back of a portable hole to a foldable table or another cloth like a umbrella (both are solids), you may have a shield against area attacks, specially against Meteor Swarms and Dragon's Breaths. With a Tinker's Tools you may be able to make it open with one click.
2: PH Colan Armor
This one is crazy: what would happens if a character decide to use a Portable Hole as a Colan (like the Spider-Man cloth)?
Considering it have only to be an solid surface (the description don't says it must be PLAIN solid), a player can do colan of it and wear it as a cloth with the hole side to outside.
In my imagination, the player would looks like a piece of the space (that one outside our planet) walking around or for more conservative one, something like a round circular photo of a pole (at a eye, something that looks like a Glass golem with a dark rock on the center). I may say that anyone looking to it for the 1st time may succeed in a insanity check.
The person inside would fell like 10 feet away to everything, like in a mech / exoskeleton, and for comfort I may say that the shoe's sole (optional, since a edge of the cloth would be like a wall) and gloves (mandatory, otherwise they are unable to hold anything) are normal material to circumvent that problem.
The worst things that can happens is if someone throw a Bag of Holding or Handy Haversack in it (maybe another PH also), sucking everything in 10 feats to the Astral plane (I think the wearer would be included here), but not killing or damaging anything (nothing is specified in this sense), however, this may be the only way to kill the wearer.
I think it would not be allowed to players to try, but it would be awesome to a Assassins / Abductors Guild. Imagine these guys, almost invisible in plains sight (golem version, the light would be distorted around the char, universe version, it would be black, virtually invisible at night or dark spots), they can kill and easily vanish or have some prison bars at their PH to trap person, and than just thrown themselves at the target and run away. Even at a crowd, they would be at least 10 feats away of any person, as they are running in free space. They just need the luck to don't get into another BoH, HH or PH space while running.
What do you think fellows? What are the drawbacks of this ideas other than the ones I mentioned? Am I losing anything in the item description that may not allow this? Please, expose the problems of this idea. I'm thinking in using this for my villain personal lackey.
So... sorry to burst your bubble, but you flat-out just cannot do that with a Portable Hole. There are a ton of reasons that the specific things you are asking about are not possible, but I'm only going to point out the most obvious thing you've overlooked--the size of the item itself. It's the second sentence of the description...
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.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
for 2. Just from a quick look at it, it is RAW... There is no way it is RAI, and it probably isn't rule of cool either. If I was the DM I would never, ever allow it and would probably take it away if one of my players does this.
Except, how would no. 2 stay on? There isn't a way to tailor it since every time you put it down on the table to work on it, it turns into a hole! If you put it on first and then you attach it, It turns into a hole before you get to it! How would you attach it before it turns into a hole! It will just fall off!
So... sorry to burst your bubble, but you flat-out just cannot do that with a Portable Hole. There are a ton of reasons that the specific things you are asking about are not possible, but I'm only going to point out the most obvious thing you've overlooked--the size of the item itself. It's the second sentence of the description...
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.
So, 6 feet in diameter means I have enough fabric for a entire Sun Umbrella (a big one) or to dress a character, specially if (s)he is big than normal size.
for 2. Just from a quick look at it, it is RAW... There is no way it is RAI, and it probably isn't rule of cool either. If I was the DM I would never, ever allow it and would probably take it away if one of my players does this.
Except, how would no. 2 stay on? There isn't a way to tailor it since every time you put it down on the table to work on it, it turns into a hole! If you put it on first and then you attach it, It turns into a hole before you get to it! How would you attach it before it turns into a hole! It will just fall off!
I don't know... This shouldn't be allowed
Simple! If it's not entirely in a solid surface, it's not active. This way, you can work with it as a cloth, while glue the back of the cloth to another cloth.
You may have a problem to suit it, but it's expected to have some free space of the under cloth (tiny, but free) to make a people be able to don/doff it with help.
When you need to safely work with it, just put to edges together
I know it can be of very bad use of players, but the idea is to using it in a villain. And I know that players will try to exploit this too in the future like Bag of Shitting, Arrow of Total "Destruction" and Peasant Rail-gun.
I'm just looking if there is any dumb flaw that player with see in the 1st minutes, and that I didn't see now.
So... sorry to burst your bubble, but you flat-out just cannot do that with a Portable Hole. There are a ton of reasons that the specific things you are asking about are not possible, but I'm only going to point out the most obvious thing you've overlooked--the size of the item itself. It's the second sentence of the description...
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.
So, 6 feet in diameter means I have enough fabric for a entire Sun Umbrella (a big one) or to dress a character, specially if (s)he is big than normal size.
You're missing the point. It is too large to be placed on the surface of a shield, and you cannot wrap it around yourself like a cloak. It must be placed against a flat surface. It does not say the surface must be flat because it's a cylinder, and cylinders always have flat, circular top/bottom surfaces. Anything which does not conform to that standardized description is not a cylinder; they would be cylindroids.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
While the item description doesn't explicitly state that the "solid surface" has to be flat, the item only has two states: (1) Folded, (2) Unfolded.
Unfolded, it has a diameter of 6ft.
Folded, it takes the size of a handkerchief.
RAW, it doesn't exist in any other form. Though, obviously, the act of folding takes it through partially folded states. However, while the Magic Item is cloth, the extradimensional space that it creates is not. If the cloth has less than a 6ft diameter, the extradimensional space never forms.
As a DM, I would be fine with something that was nearly flat, like a 6ft diameter lightly-domed shield, but that isn't something that a medium creature is going to be able to wield.
The "armor" is simply not possible. Aside from the mechanical requirements, damaging the cloth by sewing it constitutes breaking it.
So... sorry to burst your bubble, but you flat-out just cannot do that with a Portable Hole. There are a ton of reasons that the specific things you are asking about are not possible, but I'm only going to point out the most obvious thing you've overlooked--the size of the item itself. It's the second sentence of the description...
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.
So, 6 feet in diameter means I have enough fabric for a entire Sun Umbrella (a big one) or to dress a character, specially if (s)he is big than normal size.
You're missing the point. It is too large to be placed on the surface of a shield, and you cannot wrap it around yourself like a cloak. It must be placed against a flat surface. It does not say the surface must be flat because it's a cylinder, and cylinders always have flat, circular top/bottom surfaces. Anything which does not conform to that standardized description is not a cylinder; they would be cylindroids.
So... sorry to burst your bubble, but you flat-out just cannot do that with a Portable Hole. There are a ton of reasons that the specific things you are asking about are not possible, but I'm only going to point out the most obvious thing you've overlooked--the size of the item itself. It's the second sentence of the description...
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.
So, 6 feet in diameter means I have enough fabric for a entire Sun Umbrella (a big one) or to dress a character, specially if (s)he is big than normal size.
You're missing the point. It is too large to be placed on the surface of a shield, and you cannot wrap it around yourself like a cloak. It must be placed against a flat surface. It does not say the surface must be flat because it's a cylinder, and cylinders always have flat, circular top/bottom surfaces. Anything which does not conform to that standardized description is not a cylinder; they would be cylindroids.
Well, RAW don't say FLAT, only SOLID and in addition don't say CYLINDER, say CIRCULAR for the cloth (It unfolds into a circular sheet 6 feet in diameter.)
What is cylindrical is the space within the hole exists.
In addition, in the RAI you are using, it's looks like the PH is always the top of the cylindrical space, and therefore, this space may have it's own gravity (what is expected from other planes), meaning it can't be open on surfaces that are not aligned with the local gravity (i.e, in a wall or a ceiling), or you may have gravity problems (like floating or being pulled in 2 ways)
Also, in my RAI, one open the PH as a portal to that plane, always gravity aligned in both planes, within the portal at a determined distance from the center. In this case, if you distort the portal, you still have the space in it.
In addition, if you open the PH in a semi-circular surface (like a rock), it still can be open. Nothing in the rule specifies you can't do it.
The cloth bellow the PH, for the armor or for the shield, is just a "mobile" solid, and acceptable at RAW imho
While the item description doesn't explicitly state that the "solid surface" has to be flat, the item only has two states: (1) Folded, (2) Unfolded.
Unfolded, it has a diameter of 6ft.
Folded, it takes the size of a handkerchief.
RAW, it doesn't exist in any other form. Though, obviously, the act of folding takes it through partially folded states. However, while the Magic Item is cloth, the extradimensional space that it creates is not. If the cloth has less than a 6ft diameter, the extradimensional space never forms.
As a DM, I would be fine with something that was nearly flat, like a 6ft diameter lightly-domed shield, but that isn't something that a medium creature is going to be able to wield.
The cloak is simply not possible. Aside from the mechanical requirements, damaging the cloth by sewing it constitutes breaking it.
For the shield, I don't see a problem too as far it's big enough. The unfolded characteristic glued to a huge umbrella may apply RAW here. The umbrella can also be some kind of foldable table. Heavier but still applicable.
For the cloth / cape, I started thinking:
What if I open the PH into a huge rock or difficult terrain? It's solid but not plain... RAW don't say anything about plain.
And if the rock is still big enough for the entire PH but it's edges almost touch the ground?
And if the rock is not big enough? The PH will extend over the rock and the ground as far as it touching solid surfaces everywhere?
What if I fold around something but not enough for the edges touch each other and it closes? (like a big plain pillar)
If it works in a pillar, would it work as the vestment of a giant or other big creature?
In addition, the PH technically don't have the damaging problem of the BoH.
For the shield, I don't see a problem too as far it's big enough. The unfolded characteristic glued to a huge umbrella may apply RAW here. The umbrella can also be some kind of foldable table. Heavier but still applicable.
For the cloth / cape, I started thinking:
(1) What if I open the PH into a huge rock or difficult terrain? It's solid but not plain... RAW don't say anything about plain.
(2) And if the rock is still big enough for the entire PH but it's edges almost touch the ground?
(3) And if the rock is not big enough? The PH will extend over the rock and the ground as far as it touching solid surfaces everywhere?
(4) What if I fold around something but not enough for the edges touch each other and it closes? (like a big plain pillar)
(5) If it works in a pillar, would it work as the vestment of a giant or other big creature?
While an umbrella could be allowed to activate the Portable Hole, using it as a defense against an AoE would likely subject it to the AoE itself. Spells like Fireball wrap around corners, so it would still hit you, and probably destroy the umbrella and the portable hole itself. Not recommended to use against magic attacks.
(1) The Portable Hole needs to opened on a solid surface and have a 6ft diameter. If it's not actually on the surface at effectively every point, it's not on the surface, period.
(2&3) As long as the surface is "effectively flat", then it doesn't matter if it's a rock, or the "ground" more generically. The material of the surface doesn't need to be uniform.
(4) The edges touching each other is irrelevant. If it doesn't have a diameter of 6ft, it's not "Unfolded". The use on a "lightly-domed" 6-ft shield is a personal exception, not RAW. Any amount of noticeable curvature prevents the extra-dimensional space from forming.
(5) It doesn't work on a rounded pillar.
The important thing that is being glossed over is that the Portable Hole creates the extra dimensional space when activated by being unfolded to a 6ft diameter. If the opening of the extradimensional space can not connect to the Portable Hole according to equivalent Euclidean geometry, the space simply does not manifest.
For the shield, I don't see a problem too as far it's big enough. The unfolded characteristic glued to a huge umbrella may apply RAW here. The umbrella can also be some kind of foldable table. Heavier but still applicable.
For the cloth / cape, I started thinking:
(1) What if I open the PH into a huge rock or difficult terrain? It's solid but not plain... RAW don't say anything about plain.
(2) And if the rock is still big enough for the entire PH but it's edges almost touch the ground?
(3) And if the rock is not big enough? The PH will extend over the rock and the ground as far as it touching solid surfaces everywhere?
(4) What if I fold around something but not enough for the edges touch each other and it closes? (like a big plain pillar)
(5) If it works in a pillar, would it work as the vestment of a giant or other big creature?
While an umbrella could be allowed to activate the Portable Hole, using it as a defense against an AoE would likely subject it to the AoE itself. Spells like Fireball wrap around corners, so it would still hit you, and probably destroy the umbrella and the portable hole itself. Not recommended to use against magic attacks.
(1) The Portable Hole needs to opened on a solid surface and have a 6ft diameter. If it's not actually on the surface at effectively every point, it's not on the surface, period.
(2&3) As long as the surface is "effectively flat", then it doesn't matter if it's a rock, or the "ground" more generically. The material of the surface doesn't need to be uniform.
(4) The edges touching each other is irrelevant. If it doesn't have a diameter of 6ft, it's not "Unfolded". The use on a "lightly-domed" 6-ft shield is a personal exception, not RAW. Any amount of noticeable curvature prevents the extra-dimensional space from forming.
(5) It doesn't work on a rounded pillar.
The important thing that is being glossed over is that the Portable Hole creates the extra dimensional space when activated by being unfolded to a 6ft diameter. If the opening of the extradimensional space can not connect to the Portable Hole according to equivalent Euclidean geometry, the space simply does not manifest.
Ok, but (4) is RAI and (5) don't even have a explanation.
Putting a PH on the ground will mostly put it in a round (very large and round almost "flat") surface.
In fact, making both edges touching each other don't deactivate the portal. (to close a portable hole by taking hold of the edges of the cloth and folding it up) touching two edges deactivate it. It's the trigger to make it foldable as a cloth. Make sense.
For (5), let's assume you glue the PH to a solid but malleable surface, like plastic. If it's open while flat, it will be open if curved.
By RAW, it's closed if fold, not curved. The most common image used show it still open while being handled, even if the fabric is wrinkled (but the image shows it opens touching 2 edges, may it only closes touching 2 opposed edges).
I still see it as a possibility, I just don't see other DMs being able to handle the situation.
I'm not using RAI, I'm using RAW. You cannot do what you describe by RAW. As Memnosyne pointed out, the specific magic item Portable Hole exists in two states: folded, and unfolded.
Unfold, verb: open or spread out from a folded position; "he unfolded the map and laid it out on the table". Synonyms: open out, spread out, stretch out, flatten, straighten out, etc.
A surface, regardless of solidity, is a continuous set of points having a measurable length and width with no depth. A curved surface can exist only to the extent that taking a cross section of a three-dimensional surface reveals a continuous curvature.
If you cannot completely unfold the object, and completely place it flush against a surface, it is not unfolded.
You cannot have any creases, for that means it is not unfolded.
The instant you "wrap" the portable hole around something with an edge (cusp), you're on more than one surface, and the item will fail to activate. You cannot have an airgap between the surface and the object either, so wrapping it around yourself like a cloak is just straight up not allowed by RAW.
[edit] For what it's worth, you can't place it on a domed shield anyway, no matter how large the surface object is. The magic item is a 6-foot diameter circle. If you try to place that on top of something that's a dome, you cannot possibly perfectly conform to that type of geometric curvature. It is a mathematical impossibility. There will be ripples in the fabric in a starburst pattern (looking top-down) that become more pronounced farther from the epicenter. This is real-world mechanical engineering.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I'm not using RAI, I'm using RAW. You cannot do what you describe by RAW. As Memnosyne pointed out, the specific magic item Portable Hole exists in two states: folded, and unfolded.
Unfold, verb: open or spread out from a folded position; "he unfolded the map and laid it out on the table". Synonyms: open out, spread out, stretch out, flatten, straighten out, etc.
A surface, regardless of solidity, is a continuous set of points having a measurable length and width with no depth. A curved surface can exist only to the extent that taking a cross section of a three-dimensional surface reveals a continuous curvature.
If you cannot completely unfold the object, and completely place it flush against a surface, it is not unfolded.
You cannot have any creases, for that means it is not unfolded.
The instant you "wrap" the portable hole around something with an edge (cusp), you're on more than one surface, and the item will fail to activate. You cannot have an airgap between the surface and the object either, so wrapping it around yourself like a cloak is just straight up not allowed by RAW.
Ok, so tell me: if you take a fabric or a paper, make a ball of it and opens it's again, even with creases, it will be Unfolded right? By my understating, something it folded when 2 parts of itself are in contact, otherwise it is curved or crumpled etc. As you said: open or spread out from a folded position, in other words, if you put a paper inside a book, fold it and close, it's folded, if you open the book and the paper open even a little, conceptually it's not folded anymore, since it's at least half open. Correct me and the dictionary please.
That being said, if I get a piece of paper smaller than the diameter of a tube, and I spread it flush over the tube, it will be completely open.
In addition, something with a edge, if made of the same material is a irregular surface, that is still a surface. RAW specify it only need to be solid, not plain.
Anytime you open a PH in a dungeon, for example, it's virtually impossible to avoid any air gap between the rocks and the floor, than I this part of the response don't even make sense. Every surface in the real world has micro fissures that are completed with air, now think these things that are floor (where more fissures opens while people walk and we can't see). Even in the concept image the ground is rocks joined by (probably) earth so, this argument is totally invalid.
With this in mind, I can only see a problem, if wearing such thing, in parts where the body folds itself (like the back of the knees, groins, armpits and opposite side of the elbows) that would close the hole while these folds are in contact, but it can be managed with foam to fill these places, like modern shoulder pads.
The bottom line is that D&D is a game, not a physic simulator. The mechanics are designed to create a balanced play experience.
The things you are attempting to justify would create scenarios that are antithetical to the creator's design principles. It is obviously not intended to function that way, even if it were a legitimate reading of RAW.
The important thing is that the surface the Portable Hole is used on is "effectively flat", according to common usage. A wall, a floor, a ceiling, etc. That surface can be uneven, but a casual observer would still call it "flat". Where that specific line is between perfectly smooth and "difficult terrain" comes down to DM Discretion.
Previous editions were much more liberal with their rules and synergies, but 5e is much more conservative in that respect.
As a DM, do whatever you would like. As a Player, if you regularly attempt to do things like making armor out of a portable hole, and expect it to work, you may find fewer invitations to play.
You don't have to iron it smooth, just unfold it flat. If it is not flat, it is not a circle. If it is not a circle, it can't make a cylindrical hole. If it is on a curved umbrella (as most are), it would have to have folds in it to fit the shape, clothing even more so.
The folding table idea could work IMO, but it would be difficult to carry, still take an action to open, and would not be any more protective than if the hole wasn't there. But it would at least let you open the hole on a ladder or something?
for 2. Just from a quick look at it, it is RAW... There is no way it is RAI, and it probably isn't rule of cool either. If I was the DM I would never, ever allow it and would probably take it away if one of my players does this.
Except, how would no. 2 stay on? There isn't a way to tailor it since every time you put it down on the table to work on it, it turns into a hole! If you put it on first and then you attach it, It turns into a hole before you get to it! How would you attach it before it turns into a hole! It will just fall off!
I don't know... This shouldn't be allowed
Simple! If it's not entirely in a solid surface, it's not active. This way, you can work with it as a cloth, while glue the back of the cloth to another cloth.
You may have a problem to suit it, but it's expected to have some free space of the under cloth (tiny, but free) to make a people be able to don/doff it with help.
When you need to safely work with it, just put to edges together
I know it can be of very bad use of players, but the idea is to using it in a villain. And I know that players will try to exploit this too in the future like Bag of Shitting, Arrow of Total "Destruction" and Peasant Rail-gun.
I'm just looking if there is any dumb flaw that player with see in the 1st minutes, and that I didn't see now.
If I was a player, I'd just throw my bag of holding (or what have you) at the villain wearing it and tell him to enjoy his time being naked on the astral plane.
That said, I agree with the others that in general, it can't be done.
I like the concept of applying a portable hold to an umbrella but I agree that the rules pretty clearly mean the hole has to be laid out flat to reach that 6 foot diameter circle requirement, RAW.
The little folding nylon frisbee things with a metal ring that businesses often give out as freebies for marketing purposes.
I've never seen these large enough 6 feet in diameter but it'd be pretty cool to have a portable hole bonded to the surface of one of these things (made sufficiently large) thus potentially netting you a portable hole on a lightweight surface you could move around while it's open yet still fold back down when you don't need it.
Hello Fellows.
I come up with some crazy ideas for Portable Hole and I would like to know if they are possible by RAW and what would you do with them:
RAW: Portable Hole (Wondrous Item, rare)
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.
So... by RAW we need to consider:
1: PH Shield
What if you glue the back of a portable hole to a foldable table or another cloth like a umbrella (both are solids), you may have a shield against area attacks, specially against Meteor Swarms and Dragon's Breaths. With a Tinker's Tools you may be able to make it open with one click.
2: PH Colan Armor
This one is crazy: what would happens if a character decide to use a Portable Hole as a Colan (like the Spider-Man cloth)?
Considering it have only to be an solid surface (the description don't says it must be PLAIN solid), a player can do colan of it and wear it as a cloth with the hole side to outside.
In my imagination, the player would looks like a piece of the space (that one outside our planet) walking around or for more conservative one, something like a round circular photo of a pole (at a eye, something that looks like a Glass golem with a dark rock on the center). I may say that anyone looking to it for the 1st time may succeed in a insanity check.
The person inside would fell like 10 feet away to everything, like in a mech / exoskeleton, and for comfort I may say that the shoe's sole (optional, since a edge of the cloth would be like a wall) and gloves (mandatory, otherwise they are unable to hold anything) are normal material to circumvent that problem.
The worst things that can happens is if someone throw a Bag of Holding or Handy Haversack in it (maybe another PH also), sucking everything in 10 feats to the Astral plane (I think the wearer would be included here), but not killing or damaging anything (nothing is specified in this sense), however, this may be the only way to kill the wearer.
I think it would not be allowed to players to try, but it would be awesome to a Assassins / Abductors Guild. Imagine these guys, almost invisible in plains sight (golem version, the light would be distorted around the char, universe version, it would be black, virtually invisible at night or dark spots), they can kill and easily vanish or have some prison bars at their PH to trap person, and than just thrown themselves at the target and run away. Even at a crowd, they would be at least 10 feats away of any person, as they are running in free space. They just need the luck to don't get into another BoH, HH or PH space while running.
What do you think fellows? What are the drawbacks of this ideas other than the ones I mentioned? Am I losing anything in the item description that may not allow this? Please, expose the problems of this idea. I'm thinking in using this for my villain personal lackey.
So... sorry to burst your bubble, but you flat-out just cannot do that with a Portable Hole. There are a ton of reasons that the specific things you are asking about are not possible, but I'm only going to point out the most obvious thing you've overlooked--the size of the item itself. It's the second sentence of the description...
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
for 2. Just from a quick look at it, it is RAW... There is no way it is RAI, and it probably isn't rule of cool either. If I was the DM I would never, ever allow it and would probably take it away if one of my players does this.
Except, how would no. 2 stay on? There isn't a way to tailor it since every time you put it down on the table to work on it, it turns into a hole! If you put it on first and then you attach it, It turns into a hole before you get to it! How would you attach it before it turns into a hole! It will just fall off!
I don't know... This shouldn't be allowed
When players get creative.
So, 6 feet in diameter means I have enough fabric for a entire Sun Umbrella (a big one) or to dress a character, specially if (s)he is big than normal size.
Simple! If it's not entirely in a solid surface, it's not active. This way, you can work with it as a cloth, while glue the back of the cloth to another cloth.
You may have a problem to suit it, but it's expected to have some free space of the under cloth (tiny, but free) to make a people be able to don/doff it with help.
When you need to safely work with it, just put to edges together
I know it can be of very bad use of players, but the idea is to using it in a villain. And I know that players will try to exploit this too in the future like Bag of Shitting, Arrow of Total "Destruction" and Peasant Rail-gun.
I'm just looking if there is any dumb flaw that player with see in the 1st minutes, and that I didn't see now.
You're missing the point. It is too large to be placed on the surface of a shield, and you cannot wrap it around yourself like a cloak. It must be placed against a flat surface. It does not say the surface must be flat because it's a cylinder, and cylinders always have flat, circular top/bottom surfaces. Anything which does not conform to that standardized description is not a cylinder; they would be cylindroids.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Re: Flatness
While the item description doesn't explicitly state that the "solid surface" has to be flat, the item only has two states: (1) Folded, (2) Unfolded.
Unfolded, it has a diameter of 6ft.
Folded, it takes the size of a handkerchief.
RAW, it doesn't exist in any other form. Though, obviously, the act of folding takes it through partially folded states. However, while the Magic Item is cloth, the extradimensional space that it creates is not. If the cloth has less than a 6ft diameter, the extradimensional space never forms.
As a DM, I would be fine with something that was nearly flat, like a 6ft diameter lightly-domed shield, but that isn't something that a medium creature is going to be able to wield.
The "armor" is simply not possible. Aside from the mechanical requirements, damaging the cloth by sewing it constitutes breaking it.
It would be a really weird umbrella
When players get creative.
Well, RAW don't say FLAT, only SOLID and in addition don't say CYLINDER, say CIRCULAR for the cloth (It unfolds into a circular sheet 6 feet in diameter.)
What is cylindrical is the space within the hole exists.
In addition, in the RAI you are using, it's looks like the PH is always the top of the cylindrical space, and therefore, this space may have it's own gravity (what is expected from other planes), meaning it can't be open on surfaces that are not aligned with the local gravity (i.e, in a wall or a ceiling), or you may have gravity problems (like floating or being pulled in 2 ways)
Also, in my RAI, one open the PH as a portal to that plane, always gravity aligned in both planes, within the portal at a determined distance from the center. In this case, if you distort the portal, you still have the space in it.
In addition, if you open the PH in a semi-circular surface (like a rock), it still can be open. Nothing in the rule specifies you can't do it.
The cloth bellow the PH, for the armor or for the shield, is just a "mobile" solid, and acceptable at RAW imho
For the shield, I don't see a problem too as far it's big enough. The unfolded characteristic glued to a huge umbrella may apply RAW here. The umbrella can also be some kind of foldable table. Heavier but still applicable.
For the cloth / cape, I started thinking:
In addition, the PH technically don't have the damaging problem of the BoH.
While an umbrella could be allowed to activate the Portable Hole, using it as a defense against an AoE would likely subject it to the AoE itself. Spells like Fireball wrap around corners, so it would still hit you, and probably destroy the umbrella and the portable hole itself. Not recommended to use against magic attacks.
(1) The Portable Hole needs to opened on a solid surface and have a 6ft diameter. If it's not actually on the surface at effectively every point, it's not on the surface, period.
(2&3) As long as the surface is "effectively flat", then it doesn't matter if it's a rock, or the "ground" more generically. The material of the surface doesn't need to be uniform.
(4) The edges touching each other is irrelevant. If it doesn't have a diameter of 6ft, it's not "Unfolded". The use on a "lightly-domed" 6-ft shield is a personal exception, not RAW. Any amount of noticeable curvature prevents the extra-dimensional space from forming.
(5) It doesn't work on a rounded pillar.
The important thing that is being glossed over is that the Portable Hole creates the extra dimensional space when activated by being unfolded to a 6ft diameter. If the opening of the extradimensional space can not connect to the Portable Hole according to equivalent Euclidean geometry, the space simply does not manifest.
Ok, but (4) is RAI and (5) don't even have a explanation.
Putting a PH on the ground will mostly put it in a round (very large and round almost "flat") surface.
In fact, making both edges touching each other don't deactivate the portal. (to close a portable hole by taking hold of the edges of the cloth and folding it up) touching two edges deactivate it. It's the trigger to make it foldable as a cloth. Make sense.
For (5), let's assume you glue the PH to a solid but malleable surface, like plastic. If it's open while flat, it will be open if curved.
By RAW, it's closed if fold, not curved. The most common image used show it still open while being handled, even if the fabric is wrinkled (but the image shows it opens touching 2 edges, may it only closes touching 2 opposed edges).
I still see it as a possibility, I just don't see other DMs being able to handle the situation.
I'm not using RAI, I'm using RAW. You cannot do what you describe by RAW. As Memnosyne pointed out, the specific magic item Portable Hole exists in two states: folded, and unfolded.
Unfold, verb: open or spread out from a folded position; "he unfolded the map and laid it out on the table". Synonyms: open out, spread out, stretch out, flatten, straighten out, etc.
A surface, regardless of solidity, is a continuous set of points having a measurable length and width with no depth. A curved surface can exist only to the extent that taking a cross section of a three-dimensional surface reveals a continuous curvature.
If you cannot completely unfold the object, and completely place it flush against a surface, it is not unfolded.
You cannot have any creases, for that means it is not unfolded.
The instant you "wrap" the portable hole around something with an edge (cusp), you're on more than one surface, and the item will fail to activate. You cannot have an airgap between the surface and the object either, so wrapping it around yourself like a cloak is just straight up not allowed by RAW.
The homebrew forum is over here.
[edit] For what it's worth, you can't place it on a domed shield anyway, no matter how large the surface object is. The magic item is a 6-foot diameter circle. If you try to place that on top of something that's a dome, you cannot possibly perfectly conform to that type of geometric curvature. It is a mathematical impossibility. There will be ripples in the fabric in a starburst pattern (looking top-down) that become more pronounced farther from the epicenter. This is real-world mechanical engineering.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Ok, so tell me: if you take a fabric or a paper, make a ball of it and opens it's again, even with creases, it will be Unfolded right? By my understating, something it folded when 2 parts of itself are in contact, otherwise it is curved or crumpled etc. As you said: open or spread out from a folded position, in other words, if you put a paper inside a book, fold it and close, it's folded, if you open the book and the paper open even a little, conceptually it's not folded anymore, since it's at least half open. Correct me and the dictionary please.
That being said, if I get a piece of paper smaller than the diameter of a tube, and I spread it flush over the tube, it will be completely open.
In addition, something with a edge, if made of the same material is a irregular surface, that is still a surface. RAW specify it only need to be solid, not plain.
Anytime you open a PH in a dungeon, for example, it's virtually impossible to avoid any air gap between the rocks and the floor, than I this part of the response don't even make sense. Every surface in the real world has micro fissures that are completed with air, now think these things that are floor (where more fissures opens while people walk and we can't see). Even in the concept image the ground is rocks joined by (probably) earth so, this argument is totally invalid.
With this in mind, I can only see a problem, if wearing such thing, in parts where the body folds itself (like the back of the knees, groins, armpits and opposite side of the elbows) that would close the hole while these folds are in contact, but it can be managed with foam to fill these places, like modern shoulder pads.
Does that mean you have to iron your portable hole?
When players get creative.
According to most people here, yes, and you have to also use a absolute immaculate flat surface to be able to use the PH.
The bottom line is that D&D is a game, not a physic simulator. The mechanics are designed to create a balanced play experience.
The things you are attempting to justify would create scenarios that are antithetical to the creator's design principles. It is obviously not intended to function that way, even if it were a legitimate reading of RAW.
The important thing is that the surface the Portable Hole is used on is "effectively flat", according to common usage. A wall, a floor, a ceiling, etc. That surface can be uneven, but a casual observer would still call it "flat". Where that specific line is between perfectly smooth and "difficult terrain" comes down to DM Discretion.
Previous editions were much more liberal with their rules and synergies, but 5e is much more conservative in that respect.
As a DM, do whatever you would like.
As a Player, if you regularly attempt to do things like making armor out of a portable hole, and expect it to work, you may find fewer invitations to play.
You don't have to iron it smooth, just unfold it flat. If it is not flat, it is not a circle. If it is not a circle, it can't make a cylindrical hole. If it is on a curved umbrella (as most are), it would have to have folds in it to fit the shape, clothing even more so.
The folding table idea could work IMO, but it would be difficult to carry, still take an action to open, and would not be any more protective than if the hole wasn't there. But it would at least let you open the hole on a ladder or something?
If I was a player, I'd just throw my bag of holding (or what have you) at the villain wearing it and tell him to enjoy his time being naked on the astral plane.
That said, I agree with the others that in general, it can't be done.
I like the concept of applying a portable hold to an umbrella but I agree that the rules pretty clearly mean the hole has to be laid out flat to reach that 6 foot diameter circle requirement, RAW.
Then I remembered these things:
The little folding nylon frisbee things with a metal ring that businesses often give out as freebies for marketing purposes.
I've never seen these large enough 6 feet in diameter but it'd be pretty cool to have a portable hole bonded to the surface of one of these things (made sufficiently large) thus potentially netting you a portable hole on a lightweight surface you could move around while it's open yet still fold back down when you don't need it.