Can Mending be used on "destroyed" arrows?


Rules Questions


When you fire an arrow, and it hits, it is destroyed. If you miss, there is a 50% chance that you can recover it (and 50% chance that it is either destroyed or lost).

Quote:
Generally speaking, ammunition that hits its target is destroyed or rendered useless, while ammunition that misses has a 50% chance of being destroyed or lost.

Can you (or your friendly party wizard) use Mending on arrows that are destroyed on impact?

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This spell repairs damaged objects, restoring 1d4 hit points to the object. If the object has the broken condition, this condition is removed if the object is restored to at least half its original hit points. All of the pieces of an object must be present for this spell to function.

Since arrows only have 1 HP, one casting of Mending could fully restore a destroyed arrow. That is if a "destroyed" arrow has the "broken" condition.

Wouldn't have to purchase as many arrows, or carry multiple quivers if this was the case.

Silver Crusade

You will need make whole, as "destroyed" is 0 hp and "broken" is 1/2 of max hp. If you want to use make whole to repair 1 arrow, go ahead.


The "Broken" condition is summarized pretty well on page 565–566 of the rulebook. A broken object still functions, just not as well. A destroyed object is something that's been utterly ruined; being destroyed is worse than being broken. They're not synonyms when it comes to the rules.
Destroyed IS final. It's akin to "death" for magic items.

If it did work, though, who would want to spend three and a half hours casting to save a gold piece?


I think mending should work. Only on non-magical arrows, of course.

Mostly important because IME most DMs simply won't let you walk out of town with 1000 arrows, even w/ extradimensional storage, and yet...a high level archer will literally go through HUNDREDS of arrows during an adventure...

If it weren't for mending, my current high level archer, who nocks 7 arrows per round, and routinely has 30+ encounters between town visits, simply could not function...

Sovereign Court

Mending specifically heals hit point damage of objects, so it wouldn't be of much use against something that's destroyed. The rules aren't designed to get that in depth with things.

If your GM will allow you to house rule and use Mending to repair your ammunition, then not having ammo break at all would be a faster house rule. Throwing it out like a lot of groups throw out things like food, water, lodging and the like.

Silver Crusade

StreamOfTheSky wrote:

I think mending should work. Only on non-magical arrows, of course.

Mostly important because IME most DMs simply won't let you walk out of town with 1000 arrows, even w/ extradimensional storage, and yet...a high level archer will literally go through HUNDREDS of arrows during an adventure...

If it weren't for mending, my current high level archer, who nocks 7 arrows per round, and routinely has 30+ encounters between town visits, simply could not function...

Unfortunately, those aren't the rules. Any GM can houserule it differently, of course. A GM who won't let your archer carry 1000s of arrows in extradimensional storage is gimping your character. There's no reason you can't have a bag of holding type IV full of arrows (10,000 arrows, if you were wondering).


StreamOfTheSky wrote:
If it weren't for mending, my current high level archer, who nocks 7 arrows per round, and routinely has 30+ encounters between town visits, simply could not function...

You could buy durable arrows for 1gp each. No chance for breakage due to hitting the target.


Just don't track ammo, inn stays, food/drink purchases, or encumbrance...the game is so much more fun win you don't worry about the little things.


Mending specifically states that you can use it to repair destroyed magic items, but those lose their magic properties if you do it.

The logical conclusion is that fixing non-magical destroyed items is easier than fixing magical ones, therefore using it on arrows should be possible.

However its a 10 minutes casttime for a single arrow.

Just getting a bunch of Durable Arrows might actually be the better choice. (keep some normal ones as backup somewhere in case you need them).

Or see if you can get a quiver with Abundant Ammunition on it.


Riuken wrote:
There's no reason you can't have a bag of holding type IV full of arrows (10,000 arrows, if you were wondering).

This actually brings up another question. Chart lists 20 arrows as 3 lbs, but also says that "Arrows come in a leather quiver that holds 20 arrows." Quivers by themselves weigh 1 lb. (according to the weight of magic quivers). This always lead me to believe that arrows weighed 1 lb / 10 arrows. Is that over thinking things? Each arrow weighs .15 lbs instead of .1 pounds and the quiver is "free" weight?

Currently I carry 60 arrows on my character (9 pounds, 3 quivers). As I fire arrows, I remove them from my sheet, but if I fire all 60 arrows, I still have 3 pounds listed since I still have 3 quivers. Is this not correct?

Grick wrote:
You could buy durable arrows for 1gp each. No chance for breakage due to hitting the target.

Good point. I will look into those as they would make book keeping a little easier I think.


Why not just use the Durable Arrow from the Elves race book. It is an alchemical compound that is put onto the arrow that makes it so they do not break when used. The arrow's cost 1gp each. You can fire them again and again, though if the arrow is magic it looses its magic once it is used the first time.

Silver Crusade

Canthin wrote:
Riuken wrote:
There's no reason you can't have a bag of holding type IV full of arrows (10,000 arrows, if you were wondering).

This actually brings up another question. Chart lists 20 arrows as 3 lbs, but also says that "Arrows come in a leather quiver that holds 20 arrows." Quivers by themselves weigh 1 lb. (according to the weight of magic quivers). This always lead me to believe that arrows weighed 1 lb / 10 arrows. Is that over thinking things? Each arrow weighs .15 lbs instead of .1 pounds and the quiver is "free" weight?

Currently I carry 60 arrows on my character (9 pounds, 3 quivers). As I fire arrows, I remove them from my sheet, but if I fire all 60 arrows, I still have 3 pounds listed since I still have 3 quivers. Is this not correct?

Grick wrote:
You could buy durable arrows for 1gp each. No chance for breakage due to hitting the target.
Good point. I will look into those as they would make book keeping a little easier I think.

Do you also add an empty flask to your sheet every time you use a potion, or does your character dramatically smash it on the ground? When my character uses the last arrow in a quiver, he throws it away since he will get another free one when he buys new arrows.

You are probably right though that 1 lb of the 3 lb for 20 arrows is the quiver. You could have 15,000 arrows in you bag of holding type IV then. Why spend 10 min fixing an individual arrow when they cost 5cp each?


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Paraxis wrote:
Just don't track ammo, inn stays, food/drink purchases, or encumbrance...the game is so much more fun win you don't worry about the little things.

There are gamers who enjoy the little things. If your group enjoys tracking arrows, inn stays and food/drink purchases because it provides role playing opportunities and enhances verisimilitude, then by all means worry about the little things. If your group considers that annoying bookkeeping, then by all means don't worry about them.

I am bi-gameual. I can swing both ways.


Tracking of that stuff:
If someone has 20 arrows on them total and fires 4 arrows per round, then I ask them to keep track and he'll be out after 5 rounds.

If they carry around 1000 arrows, then I usually just assume they restock when they get to town, and don't keep track of every single arrow.

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