TEXT: GARY JACKSONÕS
  UNDERSTANDING
  HACKMAGICK
  T
  hus far in this seminar, we have covered the underly-
  ing mysteries of such magic items as intelligent
  swords, chained-spells, and battle magick. Now, gentle
  reader, let us turn our attention toward those items which
  are listed in the HM-DMG appendices under the head-
  ing, Mega-Capacity Storage Devices (MSDs)
  Of all the HACKMAGICK™ items thus far presented in the
  rules, these items by far are among the most misunder-
  stood (and the most abused) by player and GM alike.
  Judging from the questions we receive here at the
  HardEight studios there seems to be a great deal of
  confusion concerning these items. Fortunately, the $237
  tuition you shelled out for GameMasters Camp has
  proven to be a wise investment on your part. For you are
  about to learn one of the best kept secrets of the
  HackMaster multiverse.
  DISPEL CONFUSION
  I had every intention of presenting a very detailed
  explanation of MSDs  in HackMaster 3rd edition, but the
  inclusion of several new chapters to those books
  (Chiefly, “Dwarven Metallurgy” and “Small Kingdom
  Administration”) forced me to make some tough editing
  decisions. My editorial staff talked me into pulling the
  material at the last moment prior to going to press — It
  is a decision I soon lived to regret.
  Shortly thereafter, some scurrilous individual here at
  our studios  (who, incidentally is no-longer in our employ
  and has since moved on to the illustrious job title,
  “Assistant Deep Fryer Attendant” at a local fast food
  eatery) , leaked portions of my notes to several
  HackMaster newsgroups on the usenet.
  Immediately, numerous “unqualified” and “inept” rule-
  hacks took my stolen notes and expanded upon them.
  Then these same morally-destitute slime-weasels
  ‘reposted’ the revised material and attempted to pass it
  off as my own work with the implication it was somehow
  ‘official’. [Incidentally, Hard Eight is offering a $1,500
  reward (in product) for any information leading back to
  these perpetrators. Please e-mail
  Antignanobro@machine.com for more information.] 
  Like a nagging mother wagging her finger, I have
  warned both GM and Player alike, repeatedly that they
  should avoid the plethora of unofficial hackmaster news-
  groups that infest the internet like a plague. (not to men-
  tion the hundreds of bbs sites that have cropped up in
  the last few years). These groups have become nothing
  more than thieves markets where bootleg copies of
  HardEight product are electronically exchanged. Much
  of this ‘illegal’ material has been altered from the original
  - hopelessly contaminated with homebrewed rules.
  The end result of all this unofficial material being
  churned out on these groups?  The fragmentation of the
  game we all love so much. There are now dozens of dif-
  ferent schools of thought on the nature of MSDs and just
  how they work - all because of the aforementioned mate-
  rial which is being proliferated by rule-hacks. Are you
  angry yet? 
  You should be. Those who would do harm to the game
  ultimately do harm to Joe Gamer. And that, dear reader,
  greatly offends me.
  One poor player discovered my intolerance for such
  rule-hacks while I was running a tournament module at
  GaryCon last fall when he had the audacity to question
  a ‘call’ I had made regarding a Bag of Hefty Capacity.
  “On what basis are you making your challenge?” I
  asked incredulously.
  When he began quoting the illegal material I men-
  tioned above, I was compelled to thoroughly  lambaste
  the ignoramus without mercy and I continued to do so
  until he broke out in to tears. (As for the rumors that I
  slapped the bastard - they are untrue. Though I do regret
  a missed opportunity to do so.)
  Tears, dear reader, do not move me and I must con-
  fess it gave me great pleasure to tear his character sheet
  into tiny pieces and run his ass off the premises. (all of
  this, mind you, took place in front of his wide-eyed peers
  who most certainly learned a valuable lesson by his
  example.)
  My only regret was that we weren’t playing in some
  southeast Asian country where the laws on whipping and
  caning are a little more lax than here in the states.
  I am quite sure the individuals who write and spread
  such material under the delusion that they are somehow
  ‘qualified’ to ‘tweak the rules’ are very pleased with
  themselves. Sadly, some Players and even a few
  accredited GameMasters have been duped into using
  this material thinking it ‘harmless’ to do so.
  The fact of the matter is this — these rule-hacks
  have done a terrible disservice to HackMaster players
  and GMs everywhere. They have blurred the rules and
  by doing so have created chaos.
  PART IV: MEGA-CAPACITY MAGIC ITEMS
  by Gary Jackson©
  © 1992 Gary Jackson
  All rights reserved
  with minor contributions by 
  J.R. Blackburn, S. Johansson and D. Kenzer.
  Gary Jackson’s GameMaster Camp 1992               
  Page 25
  
  Page 26
  Gary Jackson’s GameMasters Camp 1992  
  Not to worry gentle reader, my original notes on
  mega-capacity magic items will be published in the next
  revision of the HackMaster rules  (4th edition - still sev-
  eral years away.) Then, almost as if a global “clarity
  spell” had been cast, the record SHALL be set straight
  and the rulehacks silenced.
  In the meantime, stalwart GameMasters, what follows
  is a greatly condensed version of my notes.
  A NOTE OF CAUTION
  Everything presented here is ‘official’ HackMaster
  and can be used/acted upon accordingly. I caution, you
  however —  do NOT divulge this information to your
  Players. Let them glean what few details they can dur-
  ing the normal course of play - that’s fine, but guard the
  knowledge you are about to be given. Do not hand your
  players the mattock with which they will bring your cam-
  paign crashing down around you.
  For there is a great risk, as will be pointed out, of
  player-abuse of what’s presented here. With that warn-
  ing in mind....
  TYPES OF MEGA-STORAGE DEVICES
  So what is a mega-storage device? To quote the
  HackMaster’s GM’s Guide™ an MSD is “a device/con-
  tainer into which other items can be placed (stored) and
  later retrieved. The device itself is a ‘portal’ into another
  dimension through which a nearly limitless number of
  items can be placed.”
  What this means to the player is he can throw a LOT
  of junk in an MSD without affecting the device’s size or
  weight. In short it’s a damn good way to haul around a
  lot of crap without regard to one’s own encumbrance or
  carrying ability.
  However, not all MSD’s were created equal. There
  are two basic types of mega-storage devices in
  HackMaster; Non-Dimensional Based and Trans-
  Dimensional based.
  Type I. Non-Dimensional Space.
  Most of you are only familiar with the Non-dimensional
  type of MSDs. These are the simpler and most common
  of the two forms. As such there’s really no need to
  devote time talking about them here other than briefly
  retouching on them and pointing out their differences
  from the Type II variety.
  MSDs of this type basically represent a ‘closed system’.
  The portal (mouth of the bag/container) opens up a bit of
  non-dimensional space which has a specific (fixed) volume.
  (i.e. there is a limit to what you can place into it.) The
  amount of available storage space in these types of MSDs
  varies from bag to bag but each particular bag’s capacity is
  ‘fixed’ and can’t be altered.
  One of the main differences between Type I and Type II
  MSDs is that a Type I bag or container can be turned
  upside down and its contents will pour out. Indeed, this is
  the surest and quickest way to identify a bag’s type.
  Type II. Trans-Dimensional Space.
  An MSD of the Trans-Dimensional variety works on an
  entirely different set of principles than the Non-Dimensional
  variety and is based on an ‘open system’.
  An MSD of this type, when opened, creates a portal into
  a specific alternate plane of existence. The size of the bag
  dictates the size of the portal only. The size and dimension
  of the bag itself is of no import. It is the actual mouth of the
  bag, or the opening, which is the portal.
  For purposes of this article we will call this plane, Bag
  World.™ (So far only one trans-dimensional plane has
  been associated with type II mega-storage devices though
  it is certain others exist.) 
  Every Type II MSD, when opened, creates a portal over
  a specific and precise point in Bag World. This point is
  known as a ‘bag zone’. (Note: No two Type II MSDs have
  the same bag zone.)
  Figure A illustrates how Bag World is set up. When a
  Type II bag is opened, the portal (or aperture) opens up
  over its designated bag zone. The number of items placed
  in the bag is limited only by the owner’s reach. (more on
  that later) If one were to step inside a Type II Bag of Hefty
  Capacity he would find himself standing in a world of sub-
  dued light. Without the aid of any form of artificial light, visi-
  bility is about twenty feet. Anything beyond that appears to
  be swallowed up by the the darkness.
  If the bag is opened, a bag-traveler (Figure B) would
  notice an aperture suspended in the sky  This aperture
  would appear to be anywhere from 40 to 100 feet in diame-
  ter, depending on the actual size of the bag. The aperture
  would also appear to hover anywhere from 100 to 400 feet
  above the surface of Bag World (Making it impossible for
  the bag-traveler to step out of the bag unless aided from
  the outside, or if he were somehow flight-enabled).
  There is a 1:100 size difference ratio between the
  ‘Outside’ world and Bag World. Thus, if the bag traveler
  were six feet in height in the outside world, to an observer
  outside the bag peering in, he would appear to be roughly
  Distance not to scale. Distance
  between most bag-zones would
  be hundreds of miles.
  Fig. A
  Bag
  Zone
  Bag
  Zone
  Bag
  Zone
  There is a great risk, as will be pointed out, of player-
  the mattock with which they will bring your campaign .
  
  3/4 of inch tall (.72 inches) To a bag-traveler inside the bag,
  the observer, peering down at him from the sky, would
  appear to be giant sized.
  This size-reduction, (which takes place when placing an
  item into a Type II bag) only takes place once a person or
  object passes ENTIRELY through the aperture. If ANY por-
  tion of the person/object lies on the other side of an aperture
  no reduction in size takes place. (the same being true in
  reverse when removing a person/object)
  For example, if you were to swing one leg into a bag of
  holding you could stand with one foot on the outside-world
  and the other leg on the surface of Bag World.
  Once swinging your other leg into the bag you would be
  standing in Bag world but your upper body would still be in
  the Outside world. To an outside observer you would appear
  as a normal sized person standing chest high in bag. To
  someone inside the bag (in Bag World) you would appear as
  an enormous giant - two towering legs stretching upwards
  and disappearing into the aperture suspended in the sky. To
  fully enter Bag World you would have to kneel. Once your
  head cleared the aperture you would instantly be reduced to
  Bag World dimensions.
  Likewise, when you reach into a Type II bag to grab an
  item and pull it from the bag it remains in a reduced-stage
  until it fully clears the bag’s mouth whereupon it would return
  to its full size.
  Bag Zones: As I already mentioned, each Type II bag
  has its own ‘bag zone’ in Bag World over which it opens.
  A bag’s aperture is ‘fixed’ over its zone and, with the
  exception of a phenomena known as ‘shuffling’, (see below)
  cannot be changed.
  A bag zone has no physical boundaries. It is normally
  defined as being the area within ‘arms reach’ when placing
  items into, or removing them from, the bag. Thus, it is possi-
  ble for a person to climb into a Type II bag and travel
  between bag zones. Such a person would have to be well-
  provisioned, however. Typically, bag zones are separated by
  hundreds of miles (1d10x100 miles).
  So, it is possible to enter a Type II bag and journey within
  Bag World until the bag zone of another bag is located (And
  actually loot any contents/treasure found there).
  In fact, many notorious individuals in Garweeze Wurld™
  have learned this secret and have exploited it to the fullest
  (See Bag-Raiders).
  It is also possible to
  enter a Type II bag,
  journey within Bag
  World to the bag zone
  of another bag, and (if
  aided of course by
  someone on the out-
  side)  exit Bag World
  from that bag. Keep in
  mind that the bag you
  entered and the bag
  you exited could be
  separated by thou-
  sands of miles in the
  Outside World, while
  in Bag World their
  respective bag zones
  could possibly be only
  a few hundred miles a a part.
  Shuffling: Shuffling results when one Type II bag is
  placed into another. (Type 1 bags appear to be immune.)
  This causes the bag actually being placed into the other to
  disappear in a flash of blinding light. The second bag’s aper-
  ture (into which the first was placed) immediately jumps to
  another random point in Bag World where a new bag zone
  for that particular bag is established. If the new bag zone is
  already assigned to yet another bag - that bag’s zone is
  bumped and another random zone is assigned for it. This
  often creates a series of bumps and bag zone reassign-
  ments affecting dozens or even hundreds of different bags.
  (Hence the term ‘shuffling’).
  So it is quite possible for a Type II Bag owner to lose the
  contents of his bag when its bag zone is bumped or shuf-
  fled. Likewise, it is possible for an owner of such a bag to
  open it to find his own belongings gone, only to be replaced
  by those of the bag which his  bumped in the shuffling
  process.
  Bag Raiders
  Because of the nature of ‘bag zones’ and the fact that it
  is possible for a group, or individual, to travel between such
  zones, there are many enterprising individuals who have
  attempted to exploit what they see as an opportunity for ill-
  gotten gain.
  The most famous of these ‘bag raiders’ is Jonid
  CoinCrawler. (Yes, this is ‘Jonid’s secret’ which I alluded to
  in the NPC notes of Module V7: Let’s Make a Steal.)
  Jonid learned that a Type II Sack of Enormity was not
  only useful in making quick escapes but was an excellent
  way to traverse great distances in Garweeze Wurld quickly
  with the aid of a Bag Zone Map charted by the grand-sage
  Maltardigun the Younger. (When a great ‘shuffling’ occurred
  in the year 875 Jonid’s map was rendered useless.)
  For many years Jonid raided hundreds of bag zones leav-
  ing more than one bag owner scratching his head as to
  where the precious contents of his bag had gone. I’m sure
  Portal created by
  mouth of Bag of Holding.
  To an Observer inside the bag the
  Portal would suddenly 
  appear in the ‘sky’ anywhere from 
  200 to 400 ft above.
  Fig. B
  Gary Jackson’s GameMaster Camp 1992               
  Page 27
  There is a great risk, as will be pointed out, of player-
  abuse of what’s presented here. Guard the knowledge
  you are about to be given. Do not hand your players the
  mattock with which they will bring your campaign .
  There is a great risk, as will be pointed out, of player-
  abuse of what’s presented here. Guard the knowledge
  you are about to be given. Do not hand your players the
  mattock with which they will bring your campaign .
  There is a great risk, as will be pointed out, of player-
  abuse of what’s presented here. Guard the knowledge
  you are about to be given. Do not hand your players the
  mattock with which they will bring your campaign .
  There is a great risk, as will be pointed out, of player-
  abuse of what’s presented here. Guard the knowledge
  you are about to be given. Do not hand your players the
  mattock with which they will bring your campaign .
  * Although the “Jackson Document” is rumored to be a 12 page document the copy we received was entirely marked out with a black magic marker after page 3. 
  Although it’s proven to be a very difficult task, we are working with certain unnamed sources to bring you the complete (and uncensored) Jackson Document.  
  *
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hackmaster/HackMaster 4e/HackMaster 4e The Jackson Document.pdf