Can the spell Mending be used to repair the damaged Whispering Shrike? If so, about how many castings of mending should it take? The AP doesn't seem to indicate the weapon's actual hit points anywhere, which Mending specifically affects.
I don't have an actual answer for you on this one. I ultimately decided (on the fly during my session tonight when the group got their hands on the blade), to just eliminate the whole idea of Whispering Shrike being broken. It seemed a needless complication to me. I understand, more or less, why it's there. There's certainly a nice element of flavor to it, and there might be a bit of wealth-by-level cost effectiveness tied to it as well (requiring the payment to fix the valuable weapon). But at this point in the adventure, having just found the letter which sets everything in motion, I felt that my players really just wanted to get on the road to Brinewall. Dealing with the broken blade just adds one more thing to stall them out while in town.
Just my 2 cents.
Can the spell Mending be used to repair the damaged Whispering Shrike? If so, about how many castings of mending should it take? The AP doesn't seem to indicate the weapon's actual hit points anywhere, which Mending specifically affects.
Hmm, well for starters I don't think mending would work on the Whispering Shrike unless the character casting the mending spell is 5th level (the blade's CL), as detailed in the spell description (emphasis mine):
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. Magic items can be repaired by this spell, but you must have a caster level equal to or higher than that of the object. 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. This spell does not affect creatures (including constructs). This spell has no effect on objects that have been warped or otherwise transmuted, but it can still repair damage done to such items.
That being said, I'd definitely allow a more powerful spell, like make whole to fix the weapon at no additional cost (as is detailed in its spell description).
Like Joseph said, I think the point of the repair cost is to balance the weapon's value at the character's given level (a 5,940 gp item at 2nd level- what a find!). If the characters decide to trade this rare and exotic weapon in, that could buy the party fighter a +1 weapon and a suit of +1 full plate mail, with extra to spare (maybe even enough for a +1 shield)! I can see why James Jacobs would want to limit the character's buying power with this weapon, and prevent them from selling it before discovering its hidden note. After all, the broken sword is worth 75% of its normal value (4,455 gp), but the blade repaired is worth its full 5,940 gp, a comparative net gain of 885 gp for the 600 gp investment (the value of the repaired sword minus the repair costs versus the value of the broken sword).
The repair requirement is also a flavorful way of giving unperceptive characters a chance to find the letter and continue the adventure. Overall, I'm a fan of the repair requirement, but if you want to nix it, that's your prerogative (you're the GM after all, it's your game).
Hmm, well for starters I don't think mending would work on the Whispering Shrike unless the character casting the mending spell is 5th level (the blade's CL), as detailed in the spell description
Ah, didn't notice that about mending. In fact however, my players found the hidden scroll without sending it in for repairs, and they're now carrying the broken sword around with them. So in fact the idea will still be a possibility in just a couple levels. If they think of it that is.