With the limit of one object of up to 1 lb./level, how useful is Mending? Especially at lower levels. I suppose it could be used to retrieve ammo that have a chance of being lost or broken, but aside from that?
I was listening to some conversation on sundering, and it was suggested that sundering can be used more often by GMs, because it's now easier for players to fix broken weapons and armors. Is that really true, given the weight limits?
You could use mending to recycle molotov cocktail bottles, so you could just keep refilling them and use the same bottle over and over. Fuel for molotovs is cheap, but glass bottles are 2gp ea. (and weigh 1 lb.)
I recently ran a session where the players needed to get this special scroll with a ritual on it to summon Ubtao. The scroll was in a stone chest and the barbarian decided to smash the chest instead of opening it, so she shredded the scroll. I had a backup plan in case something like this happened, but the cleric used mending to fix the scroll. I gave him some major clever points for that one.
Plus, being able to fix broken and magic items is good. For a 0 level spell you can't really ask for much more.
My cleric had an obsidian sword (lighter and cheaper) for a while. Rolled a 1 the first time I used it got broken condition. Used the mending spell after combat to fix it.
Party was paid to transport a wrapped up corpse to its funeral site and got jumped by bugbears. Corpse got singed from splash damage of alchemist's fire attack and wrappings got burnt/damage. DM thought he could pull a RP-obstacle on us 'til I declared I prepared mending for the day. Whole party cheered. 10 minutes later wrappings were as good as new.
DM thought mending was TOO good, specifically the part where cantrips/orisons were unlimited castings per day. I had to explain the 10 min. casting time can't be used in combat and only 1 lb/level was a severe enough limit so that his 3.5-preferred knee-jerk reactions didn't just change cantrips/orisons to 4/day.
Fixing a wax seal after you decided to read letter anyway, fixing a window after braking it to enter, etc...
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^ From Cityscape (or something like that) for DnD 3.5.
With the limit of one object of up to 1 lb./level, how useful is Mending? Especially at lower levels. I suppose it could be used to retrieve ammo that have a chance of being lost or broken, but aside from that?
Keeping your kit in good order - fixing tears in your cloak, keeping things sharp that sort of stuff.
Combined with Prestidigitation for cleaning you'll be the best looking member of your adventuring party.
With the limit of one object of up to 1 lb./level, how useful is Mending? Especially at lower levels. I suppose it could be used to retrieve ammo that have a chance of being lost or broken, but aside from that?
Keeping your kit in good order - fixing tears in your cloak, keeping things sharp that sort of stuff.
Combined with Prestidigitation for cleaning you'll be the best looking member of your adventuring party.
For fun I always give Pally's an "ever clean" aura. It's a personal range passive prestidigitation/mending combo.
With the limit of one object of up to 1 lb./level, how useful is Mending?
Considering its a cantrip? It does everything you can ask of it and more :)
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In a recent scenario our group was tasked with breaking in to a place and stealing some book, without busting the place up. Instead of barging into the front door we opted to cut open a stained glass window and I repaired it with the Mending spell so that it did not ruin anything. We bypassed a nasty fight or two. Mending ftw!
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I once used the mending spell to jamb a lock so a door wouldn't open. Broke an arrow into a bunch of small pieces, fed them one by one into the keyhole, then cast mending on the arrow.
In a recent scenario our group was tasked with breaking in to a place and stealing some book, without busting the place up. Instead of barging into the front door we opted to cut open a stained glass window and I repaired it with the Mending spell so that it did not ruin anything. We bypassed a nasty fight or two. Mending ftw!
The mooks didn't notice you strongly speaking arcane words for 10 minutes per casting of Mending?
I use mending on my clothes instead of washing them =)
For fun I always give Pally's an "ever clean" aura. It's a personal range passive prestidigitation/mending combo.
is that based on captain carrot of the ankh-morpork city watch by any chance?
nope, we entered into a deserted room, and mending doesn't say what volume you are speaking while casting it, it could be a whisper, a murmer, inside voice, or shouting
All spells with a verbal component require a strong voice when casting. The intention is very so much to make it so the caster can't whisper.
is that based on captain carrot of the ankh-morpork city watch by any chance?
For fun I always give Pally's an "ever clean" aura. It's a personal range passive prestidigitation/mending combo.
As I have no idea what you're talking about I'm going to go with "No."
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All spells with a verbal component require a strong voice when casting. The intention is very so much to make it so the caster can't whisper.
Okay. I went and looked it up. The DC to hear a spell being cast is not listed, but as it is a firm voice, a -5 to perception DC seems fair, between the dc of 0 for hearing a conversation and a -10 to notice the sounds of battle. To the next group of mobs were 2 doors and approx 60-70 feet and a fountain in the room of the casting; add 10 DC for the doors, 6-7 dc for the distance, and 2 for unfavorable conditions. 13-14 Perception DC to notice sounds of casting, not impossible but unlikely they would have heard as the group of npcs were searching a room and making noise themselves.
Repair a ship that just took damage from a ram and is now taking on water? Yeah, I'd say that's pretty damn useful.
Repair a ship that just took damage from a ram and is now taking on water? Yeah, I'd say that's pretty damn useful.
Wouldn't the 1 lb./level limit be applicable in this situation?
You aren't repairing the ship. You're repairing the broken wood, which is probably lighter than the boat.
But that pesky 10 minute casting time is the main factor here, IMO.
Repair a ship that just took damage from a ram and is now taking on water? Yeah, I'd say that's pretty damn useful.
Even if you say 1 board a time. Each board is probably beyond the weight limit unless you are really high level. And then you could just cast make whole.
As I have no idea what you're talking about I'm going to go with "No."is that based on captain carrot of the ankh-morpork city watch by any chance?
For fun I always give Pally's an "ever clean" aura. It's a personal range passive prestidigitation/mending combo.
FuelDrop, that is what I immediately thought of as well.
TCG, he is referencing the Disk World books by Terry Prachett. Great reading.
Never really seen Mending have any use in the campaigns I've been in.
As I have no idea what you're talking about I'm going to go with "No."is that based on captain carrot of the ankh-morpork city watch by any chance?
For fun I always give Pally's an "ever clean" aura. It's a personal range passive prestidigitation/mending combo.
FuelDrop, that is what I immediately thought of as well.
TCG, he is referencing the Disk World books by Terry Prachett. Great reading.
Those I have heard of, but I have not read them.
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I never really explored this aspect of the rules and it has never come up in my groups so I will ask here.
Would a Wand of Mending be a valuable ship-bourne object? The SRD says any spell 4th level and lower you know so this includes cantrips yes?
Also, just because I do not know. Does putting a spell in a wand alter the casting time? Does the 10 minute Mend become instant?
Those I have heard of, but I have not read them.
If you like 'british humor' such as The Quest For The Holy Grail or the Hichhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, you will like them.
Those I have heard of, but I have not read them.If you like 'british humor' such as The Quest For The Holy Grail or the Hichhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, you will like them.
Read hitchhikers. Liked it.
nope, we entered into a deserted room, and mending doesn't say what volume you are speaking while casting it, it could be a whisper, a murmer, inside voice, or shoutingAll spells with a verbal component require a strong voice when casting. The intention is very so much to make it so the caster can't whisper.
Well with some spells.. Like Message, that idea is kinda dumb.. "GO AFTER THAT ORC OVER THERE!" he said loudly allowing the receive to hear it as though it was a whisper.
However, vocal doesn't mean
1. You are talking for the entire duration of the casting.
2. You are really saying words at all.
Its one of the things I hated with somepeoples rendition of knock, where it creates very loud noises and makes every thing that isn't elasticy, come apart. (So like your belt buckles)
Oddly, even with that, they never used it to undress full plate wearing fighters.
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I recently ran a session where the players needed to get this special scroll with a ritual on it to summon Ubtao. The scroll was in a stone chest and the barbarian decided to smash the chest instead of opening it, so she shredded the scroll. I had a backup plan in case something like this happened, but the cleric used mending to fix the scroll. I gave him some major clever points for that one.
Plus, being able to fix broken and magic items is good. For a 0 level spell you can't really ask for much more.
By RAW you can't restore magic to a damaged scroll. A scroll has 0 hardness and 1 HP. Any HP damage at all will destroy a scroll. Neither mending or make whole can restore the magical part of a destroyed scroll.
I never really explored this aspect of the rules and it has never come up in my groups so I will ask here.
Would a Wand of Mending be a valuable ship-bourne object? The SRD says any spell 4th level and lower you know so this includes cantrips yes?
Also, just because I do not know. Does putting a spell in a wand alter the casting time? Does the 10 minute Mend become instant?
Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method, so casting a spell from a wand is usually a standard action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. (If the spell being cast has a longer casting time than 1 action, however, it takes that long to cast the spell from a wand.) To activate a wand, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand, for non-humanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area. A wand may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole.
375 gp for a wand with a cantrip in it seems...wasteful when a class that has the spell can cast it unlimited times per day. But for classes without it...it still seems wasteful. YMMV
I recently ran a session where the players needed to get this special scroll with a ritual on it to summon Ubtao. The scroll was in a stone chest and the barbarian decided to smash the chest instead of opening it, so she shredded the scroll. I had a backup plan in case something like this happened, but the cleric used mending to fix the scroll. I gave him some major clever points for that one.
Plus, being able to fix broken and magic items is good. For a 0 level spell you can't really ask for much more.
By RAW you can't restore magic to a damaged scroll. A scroll has 0 hardness and 1 HP. Any HP damage at all will destroy a scroll. Neither mending or make whole can restore the magical part of a destroyed scroll.
I never said the scroll was magic.
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I never said the scroll was magic.
My playgroup's opinion is that Mending, when used on scrolls, destroyed or burned letters, or other paper goods (especially those which would prove plot inconvenient) produces a chunk of undamaged wood.
nope, we entered into a deserted room, and mending doesn't say what volume you are speaking while casting it, it could be a whisper, a murmer, inside voice, or shoutingAll spells with a verbal component require a strong voice when casting. The intention is very so much to make it so the caster can't whisper.
I've said it a hundred times before, and I will say it a hundred times again. A strong voice doesn't necessarily mean loud. It could just as easily mean confident and unfaltering, as without a stutter or cough. You could easily incant a spell in a strong whisper.
Personally, I like to think spellcasters aren't totally prevented from using their class abilities while stealthed.
...And I'd like to think that everyone in the world wants anchovies on their pizza, but it ain't gonna happen. :P
Rules-lawyering "strong voice" aside, mending's about as useful as a cantrip can be; If I was playing a wizard with a GM who liked to Sunder, I'd prepare it.
That said, if you're looking for a spell that will really make everyone sit up and say, "Dude!" I'd go for something a bit higher level than 0.
As has been said, my characters mainly use it to occasionally maintain and repair equipment. Between that and prestigitation every couple of days, it keeps my fighter-wizard from looking like a complete hobo when the party encounters civilization.
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Mending and Prestidigitation are almost always on my Wizard's daily spell list. Too many uses to ignore. Make whole scrolls are kept handy for the bigger objects [didn't take Craft Wand, yet]. In general, I try to pick up utility spells whenever I've got the extra gold, and make the best use of them that I can manage.
nope, we entered into a deserted room, and mending doesn't say what volume you are speaking while casting it, it could be a whisper, a murmer, inside voice, or shoutingAll spells with a verbal component require a strong voice when casting. The intention is very so much to make it so the caster can't whisper.I've said it a hundred times before, and I will say it a hundred times again. A strong voice doesn't necessarily mean loud. It could just as easily mean confident and unfaltering, as without a stutter or cough. You could easily incant a spell in a strong whisper.
Personally, I like to think spellcasters aren't totally prevented from using their class abilities while stealthed.
Just because you repeat it doesn't mean it's true :)
A verbal component is a spoken incantation. To provide a verbal component, you must be able to speak in a strong voice. A silence spell or a gag spoils the incantation (and thus the spell). A spellcaster who has been deafened has a 20% chance of spoiling any spell with a verbal component that he tries to cast.
It says strong voice, not strong tone of voice. If it said tone of voice, you could whisper. But it doesn't.
Now, since we're talking about going against the intent of the rule anyways, a stronger argument you can make (that's still trumped by the RAI) is that it says you must be able to speak in a strong voice. It doesn't say you have to speak in a strong voice.
But, as I repeated twice already, that's against RAI.
Mending, Prestidigitation, and Make whole sound like a great combo for a ring!
But what to call it?
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This was back in 3.5, so bare with me.
I had a guy use it to repair his spell book at first level. He was a wizard, and we started the game off with them on an island after a shipwreck. When he realized this, he nearly passed out (he'd neglected to buy anything to protect his spell book from water damage, no oilskin, no nothing). But had 'mending' memorized as one of his cantrips for the day. I ruled that he needed to cast it once for each spell in the spellbook (under the theory that each spell in the spellbook was a minor enchantment all it's own, like a minor scroll). He cast mending on the mending page, then the enxt day re-memorized it and cast it again and again over two days to repair all his spell pages.
Of course, nowdays, under PF rules, I'd just let him mend the whole book with a single mend. The original ruling was more to create suspense than anything else, I had a backup spellbook in some ruins nearby which never ended up being needed nor even found.
@ volume of verbal components
Since we're in the advice section, how would things change if our wizard or sorcerer had ranks in stealth? This is someone who's taken special training in keeping himself hidden, so I'd imagine he'd've learned how to substitute a strong whisper in place of a verbal component.
When talking about rules as intended, do we suppose we're considering the intention of the game mechanics, or the intention of the lore and pseudoscience of arcane magic?
@ Mending
If I were a sorcerer, which of the following spells would you replace with mending? Message; spark, prestidigitation, dancing lights, or detect magic?
You can't use skill checks to hide components of spells unless you are a Sandman bard of sufficient level, or you have the Spellsong feat. There's also the Silent spell metamagic. There may be a few other obscure ways to do it, but they all require investment in things other than skills.
I always grab Detect Magic.
You can't use skill checks to hide components of spells unless you are a Sandman bard of sufficient level, or you have the Spellsong feat. There's also the Silent spell metamagic. There may be a few other obscure ways to do it, but they all require investment in things other than skills.
I always grab Detect Magic.
Sadly, Silent/Still Spell do nothing to prevent identification of spellcasting in the RAW.
Yea, but at least they won't be alerted to you if you're trying to sneak around in a different room.
There are some feats with which you have some effect for giving something the broken condition.
There's fortified armor training for example with which you can negate a crit by giving your shield or armor the broken condition.
Or some feat (forgot the name) with which you can deal bleed damage by giving your throwing weapon the broken condition.
In both cases those objects can be repaired with mending after some level.
A buckler +1 or light wood shield +1 for example can be repaired with CL 5.
For +2 it's CL 6 or 7, not sure as I don't remember if the CL must be equal to or higher to the magic item CL to repair it.
I never came to using it in a pc concept but using a feat and a cantrip to negate one crit per combat is not too bad.
Especially for a caster who has less hp buffer most of the time.
I'm currently playing a Paladin with an intelligent sword that can cast mending and prestidigitation at will. The primary personality traits of the cold iron scimitar are:For fun I always give Pally's an "ever clean" aura. It's a personal range passive prestidigitation/mending combo.With the limit of one object of up to 1 lb./level, how useful is Mending? Especially at lower levels. I suppose it could be used to retrieve ammo that have a chance of being lost or broken, but aside from that?
Keeping your kit in good order - fixing tears in your cloak, keeping things sharp that sort of stuff.
Combined with Prestidigitation for cleaning you'll be the best looking member of your adventuring party.
- Lawful Good
- Dedicated to Sarenrae
- Hates evil fey
- Fastidious
- Vain