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I'm considering putting a homebrewed piece of treasure into my game (5e Exandria campaign). Specifically, it is a box, approximately the size of a breadbox. Time does not pass inside the box while the lid is shut. If the box is broken, the enchantment is lost. If a portal to an extradimensional space is placed into the box, such as a bag of holding, the interior of the extradimensional space is not affected, but anything inside such a space would be unable to leave while the box is shut.

My question is this: What potential issues or cheese might result from this item that I haven't yet thought of? The party is currently lvl5.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ This is also an incredibly vague question with many correct answers, and this is probably not the appropriate forum as SE is focused on providing singular correct answers. You'll get more diverse responses in an alternate forum, such as r/dnd on reddit. Welcome to SE! \$\endgroup\$
    – kanoo
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 17:21
  • \$\begingroup\$ What rarity does this breadbox have? How many boxes can the party get? \$\endgroup\$
    – enkryptor
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 17:25
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    \$\begingroup\$ Welcome to our stack! Please take the tour to learn more about us and we how we operate and you can also visit the help center for more information. \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 17:29
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    \$\begingroup\$ Unfortunately, this is more of an idea generation question as it stands right now. You may be better served starting a discussion on a forum or in our very own Role-playing Games Chat. \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 17:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ @enkryptor It's a one-off. The party has no way to access or create more. \$\endgroup\$
    – Robert Hodgson
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 18:08

1 Answer 1

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One class of exploits might focus around using this item to artificially extend the duration of magic effects.

As one example, consider the spell arcane sword:

You create a sword-shaped plane of force that hovers within range. It lasts for the duration. When the sword appears, you make a melee spell attack against a target of your choice within 5 feet of the sword. On a hit, the target takes 3d10 force damage. Until the spell ends, you can use a bonus action on each of your turns to move the sword up to 20 feet to a spot you can see and repeat this attack against the same target or a different one.

This is a good spell, but it only lasts for a minute. Can I cast it, use it to fight in a combat, and then stick it in the stasis box to keep it preserved until the next combat? If it's in the stasis box, do I still have to concentrate to maintain it?

This can also be used to extend the duration of a magic weapon spell; there are probably other uses as well.

You should add some text to your item explaining that the time a magic effect spends in the box still counts against its duration.

I can't think of any other obvious exploits for this.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Added link. It's probably called Mordenkainen's Sword or something in the PHB. \$\endgroup\$
    – Dan B
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 17:53
  • \$\begingroup\$ SRD version of mordenkainen's sword \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 17:54
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    \$\begingroup\$ I'm not following here. A spell duration requiring concentration is dependent on the caster, is it not? The spell ends after I concentrate for 1 minute. It seems the passage of time for the sword itself is totally irrelevant. \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 17:56
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    \$\begingroup\$ Interesting thought. As currently conceived, if the caster gave up concentration, while the spell would still exist within the timelock, the moment the box opened, it would dissolve, as the motivating will required for cohesion no longer exists. Other potential uses of this however, with spells with specific durations, could be an issue, like dropping a bunch of delayed blast fireballs into the box. It would require a pile of high level casters (or one to make the scrolls, and a bevy of willing apprentices) but it would make one heck of a mail bomb. \$\endgroup\$
    – Robert Hodgson
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 18:14
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    \$\begingroup\$ Just saying this isn't a bread box barely a foot in size? A 5 ft sword is not going to fit in there. \$\endgroup\$
    – Propofthedead
    Commented Oct 1, 2020 at 23:27

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