|
Recently my group a lost a seizable amount of loot as a BEEG Bag of holding was destroyed.
What was in the bag is lost, but one of the player asked if he was capable to identify the destroyed magic item. That and a thread about repairing a sundered sword got me thinking about identifying and repairing destroyed magic items.
Relevant pieces of the rules:
Lingering Aura: A magical aura lingers after its original source dissipates (in the case of a spell) or is destroyed (in the case of a magic item). If detect magic is cast and directed at such a location, the spell indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power:
Original Strength Duration of Lingering Aura
Faint 1d6 rounds
Moderate 1d6 minutes
Strong 1d6 × 10 minutes
Overwhelming 1d6 days
It is possible to identify a magic item by its lingering aura?
Repairing a magic item requires material components equal to half the cost to create the item, and requires half the time. The make whole spell can also repair a damaged (or even a destroyed) magic items—if the caster is high enough level.
The use of Make whole don't require you to know what the item was, only to have the appropriate level.
But what are the requirement to repair a magic item without using make whole? In 3.x "re-crafting" the item was the only way to repair it. The requirements was to be capable to craft the original item. That line has disappeared in Pathfinder. So, anyone can repair it?
I would use the old 3.x rules, but maybe there is the need for an errata.
Then there is the question of knowing what the item was. It is possible to repair something if you don't what it was? I think that it is necessary to know what the item was to try to repair it. So you either have to know what it was or you have to identify it while the aura lingers.
Last thing, what is the cost if you are the guy repairing the item?
You get the same "discount" as crafting it? i.e you pay 50% to repair a broken item and the, as you are the crafter, you get a halve that, for a final cost of 25%?
You need everything to build a new magic item but you need only the half time and pay 25% of the market price. The old destroyed item is something like a well prepared material component for crafting magic items.
So for your bag of holding (lets say type 1) you need one day and 625gp with the feat craft woundrous item and the spell secret chest.