[RPG] Is the Pit from a Robe of Useful Items permanent and can it be dispelled

dnd-5emagic-items

If you place the Pit from the Robe of Useful Items, will it remain there forever, as if it was dug? RAW, I assume so. The RAW on the Robe of Useful Items doesn't say anything about the items being temporary, so we should assume they are not.

I'm less convinced on Dispel Magic, and I know I will have to make a ruling on this, likely in a session or two, but I am leaning toward no. If the patch has "become the object or creature", then this is a normal, everyday, non-magical pit. The magic was in its creation, not its essence. As such, Dispel Magic would have no effect, right?

Or am I perhaps overlooking something?

Best Answer

The pit can not be dispelled, since it is not magical in any sense, and it is permanent.

The text of Dispel Magic spell says (emphasis mine):

Choose one creature, object, or magical effect within range. Any spell of 3rd level or lower on the target ends.

To check if something is magical, one should apply the method described in the Sage Advice Compendium (see the question Is the breath weapon of a dragon magical?). The SAC says that if the answer to at least one of the following question is "yes", then this something is magical:

  1. Is it a magic item?
  2. Is it a spell? Or does it let you create the effects of a spell that’s mentioned in its description?
  3. Is it a spell attack?
  4. Is it fueled by the use of spell slots?
  5. Does its description say it’s magical?

Let's check these possibilities one by one.

  1. No, the pit is not a magic item, it is just a hole in the ground. Being very pedantic, there's no magic item named Pit in any manual.
  2. It is not a spell, and it is not the effect of any particular spell. If it were so, the description of the Robe of Useful Items would have said so.
  3. No.
  4. No: no spell slot have been used to create it.
  5. The description says simply

Pit (a cube 10 feet on a side), which you can place on the ground within 10 feet of you

and nowhere it says that it is a magical pit.

The pit created by the patch of the Robe of Useful item does not satisfy any requirement to be considered magical, hence it can not be dispelled.

Moreover, the description does not have any duration entry: the pit is placed forever, or at least until someone fill it.

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