The 'Destroyed' Condition


Rules Questions


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Is there any chance that a 'Destroyed' condition could be added to Glossary in the next errata of the Core Rulebook?

The best reference I could find to describe this in the CRB under 'Damaging Magical Items' "A damaged magic item continues to function, but if it is destroyed, all its magical power is lost." But, there is no reference to what destroyed actually does. My assumption is (copied and edited from Broken condition):

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Destroyed
Items that have taken damage in equal to or in excess of their total hit points gain the destroyed condition, meaning they are unusable for their intended purpose. All of the item's magical properties are suppressed and any charges are lost.

Items with the destroyed condition, regardless of type, are worth x% of their normal value. If the item is magical, it can only be repaired with a make whole spell cast by a character with a caster level is at least twice that of the item. Items lose the destroyed condition if the spell restores the object to more than 0 hit points. If the item still has less than half of its hit point total, then it gains the broken condition.
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With this as a condition, all you have to say is '+1 Dagger (CL 3) (Destroyed)'. Then everyone is on the same page much like '+1 Dagger (CL 3) (Broken)'

Thoughts?


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de·stroy
[dih-stroi]
verb (used with object)
1.
to reduce (an object) to useless fragments, a useless form, or remains, as by rending, burning, or dissolving; injure beyond repair or renewal; demolish; ruin; annihilate.

In other words, saying "+1 dagger (CL 3) (Destroyed)" doesn't make any sense, because there is no dagger any longer. It's been destroyed. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It is an ex-dagger.

Silver Crusade

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I like the Destoryed condition, this is when players go so Meta that there's no more point in trying to continue the narrative.


Shadowborn wrote:
In other words, saying "+1 dagger (CL 3) (Destroyed)" doesn't make any sense, because there is no dagger any longer. It's been destroyed. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It is an ex-dagger.

No; by RAW, a simple cantrip turns it back into a masterwork dagger (albeit a nonmagic one). So a glossary entry for "destroyed condition" spelling out the limitations, effects, and possible mitigation would be a useful addition.

Also, citing a dictionary is unhelpful. Look up "enchantment" and compare. Also "broken," for that matter.


Pretty sure its always an ex +1 dagger. I don't think you can ignore the former magic condition. So you would need a lvl 2 spell and 3x the cl needed to make the item.


Kirth Gersen wrote:
Shadowborn wrote:
In other words, saying "+1 dagger (CL 3) (Destroyed)" doesn't make any sense, because there is no dagger any longer. It's been destroyed. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It is an ex-dagger.

No; by RAW, a simple cantrip turns it back into a masterwork dagger (albeit a nonmagic one). So a glossary entry for "destroyed condition" spelling out the limitations, effects, and possible mitigation would be a useful addition.

Also, citing a dictionary is unhelpful. Look up "enchantment" and compare. Also "broken," for that matter.

Broken and enchantment have in-game definitions; destroyed does not


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Maps Subscriber
P33J wrote:
I like the Destoryed condition, this is when players go so Meta that there's no more point in trying to continue the narrative.

Ha, this is what I thought when I read the title, too. :D

Sovereign Court

P33J wrote:
I like the Destoryed condition, this is when players go so Meta that there's no more point in trying to continue the narrative.

I thought that was when someone or something has been written out of the plot?

Grand Lodge

"Stay on track, ride the train, and don't destory the campaign."


@Shadowborn: The English dictionary of earth doesn't take magic into account ;)
@P33J: I'm not sure how a level 2 spell can ruin your narrative. There are spells that can conjure stone, create demiplanes, and reverse gravity but it is narrative destroying to have a wizard restore something's shape and properties?
@Kirth: I agree, but I was just leaving the wording in Mending to take care of the inability to restore the magic.
@BigDTBone & SeeleyOne: That would be why I asked to have it defined. Several places in the PRD say 'when it goes below 0 hp, it is destroyed' and that would be fine if that meant 'gone', but there are ways to undestroy it.


Where is there anything saying there's ways to "undestroy" items?

... answer: The make whole spell. Wow. I did not know that:

"Make whole can fix destroyed magic items (at 0 hit points or less), and restores the magic properties of the item if your caster level is at least twice that of the item. Items with charges (such as wands) and single-use items (such as potions and scrolls) cannot be repaired in this way."

I note that, while the spell description includes no mention of casting time, it presumably inherits the ten-minute casting time of mending.

I... Wow. I did not know that at all.

Sovereign Court

Keep in mind that the "double caster level" clause of Make Whole is a really significant limit. Items that are important to repair often have a caster level that will stymie you.


Yes, you need a level 40 caster on hand to use the same staff of the magi for multiple retributive strikes.

Although to be picky, nothing actually states that the retributive strike gives the item the destroyed condition.


If you really need "destroyed" listed as a condition, you are worrying about words way too much. When something is destroyed, it is no longer a "something". Now, if you have make whole, you can cast it on the pieces of "not something", but I'd say you would have to do it right away (in combat), to ensure all of the pieces are still present. You won't be able to pick up all the bits and carry them around; you're bound to miss some, and then it's just a pile of metal and not a "+1 dagger (destroyed)".


Make whole has a casting time of ten minutes, you absolutely can't be doing that in combat.

Honestly, before I read this, I seriously did not think you could repair magic items that were destroyed.

Sovereign Court

Well, due to the level limit, you can only repair magic items that were below your level. Cute, but not a game changer.


@Ascalaphus: Agreed about it not being a game changer, I'm surprised by the resistance.

Everyone in my various groups just assumed that there was a Destroyed condition and that it was basically the next severity of broken. After all, every other physical condition has a less and greater version.

As it stands, anything that you can repair would be so under-powered that it's only useful for magic items with sentimental value. The main thing that I use the spell for is repairing architecture or ruined mechanical devices. Repairing a statue to see that it's of a Azlanti fighting a Serpantfolk seems pretty awesome (and narrative improving) to me. ;)

Sovereign Court

Well, you can make magic items at a high CL to make them hard to dispel/identify/suppress. But Make Whole provides you with a reason not to always do that.

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When did the title of this topic change from Destoryed to Destroyed?


The Soul Forger Magus has a reforge ability that allows not just repairing the item to it's base masterwork state, but restoring it's magical properties as well. He takes negative level(s) to do it, but it can be done.

Most notably, it doesn't have the 2xCL limit that make whole does, making the Soul Forger the ultimate quartermaster for a unit.

Reforge (Su) wrote:

At 11th level, as a standard action, a soul forger can restore a number of hit points equal to his magus level to a damaged object by touching it and spending 1 point from his arcane pool. Repairing a destroyed object takes 1 minute and materials equal to 1/4 the item’s sale value, and restores the object to 1 hit point.

Restoring the enchantments of a destroyed magical item requires additional points from the soul forger’s arcane pool equal to the item’s caster level. The soul forger gains one temporary negative level if the item’s caster level is lower than his own, two negative levels if equal or greater (or none if the item is his bonded weapon); the save DC to remove these negative levels is equal to 10 + the item’s caster level.

This ability replaces improved spell recall.


@Ascalaphus: I see what you did there ;)
@CraziFuzzy: Cool find. A buddy had given up on repairing a great sword that his character had and improved since level 1 (It got Treanted). This makes it possible and is another good reason for a quantified Destroyed condition. Now we just need to scower the land for a Soul Forger Magus :P


Grifta wrote:

@Ascalaphus: I see what you did there ;)

@CraziFuzzy: Cool find. A buddy had given up on repairing a great sword that his character had and improved since level 1 (It got Treanted). This makes it possible and is another good reason for a quantified Destroyed condition. Now we just need to scower the land for a Soul Forger Magus :P

Yeah, good luck with that, there aren't likely many, tough the archetype actually makes more sense as an NPC than a PC. They really do make the single best weaponsmith/armorsmith in the world, but they sacrifice a lot of traditional PC hero like capabilities to do so. I'm playing one right now, and enjoy it, but it's difficult.


If the item's expensive enough, it is probably cost effective to:
1. Retrain all your levels over to soul forger.
2. Repair the item.
3. Retrain all your levels back.

... Yes, I am aware that it's also probably stupid and no sane GM would let you. But hey. Similarly, if you have a lot of downtime, it's totally cost-effective to retrain two feats to cooperative crafting and <some crafting feat> to help a crafter make stuff faster, then retrain them back when you're done.


Kirth Gersen wrote:
Shadowborn wrote:
In other words, saying "+1 dagger (CL 3) (Destroyed)" doesn't make any sense, because there is no dagger any longer. It's been destroyed. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It is an ex-dagger.

No; by RAW, a simple cantrip turns it back into a masterwork dagger (albeit a nonmagic one). So a glossary entry for "destroyed condition" spelling out the limitations, effects, and possible mitigation would be a useful addition.

Also, citing a dictionary is unhelpful. Look up "enchantment" and compare. Also "broken," for that matter.

Cantrip: Mending -- cannot fix destroyed magic items

2nd Lvl: Make Whole -- can fix destroyed magic items

/cevah


@Cevah: From Mending description: "Magic items that are destroyed (at 0 hit points or less) can be repaired with this spell, but this spell does not restore their magic abilities." It works exactly as Kirth said.

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