| 2 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Rusting Grasp is a special case, it just needs a Touch Attack to affect metal armor, but it isn't really using Sundering/Object Smashing rules in any way, it just specially notes that it destroys 1d6 AC, but the armor seemingly still has full HPs per RAW, and isn't in any other way considered 'damaged'/'broken', regardless of how much total 'AC damage' it has taken.
I think that per RAW, you can't use normal 'repair' techniques on said armor, since the Armor isn't broken or even destroyed, the AC was just reduced... So Mending or even Make Whole wouldn't seem to do anything. Is this intended? Is there some other way to repair 'AC damage'? Should the status of Armor be changed (to damaged/broken/etc) due to 'AC damage', or can an Armor have all of it's AC destroyed with no other change in status?
Please hit FAQ unless you know something really obvious that I don't :-)
The spell states 'is destroyed' so I'd say, yes the intention is 'not repairable.' Think about what corrosion is, when something rusts away to destruction, it no longer is there. It's much more severe than dings, scratches and the occasional worn/poked through spot. Trying to 'repair' severe rust damage isn't really a repair job, not sure if you've every worked on cars in an area where they get snow fall and salt roads, but you typically aren't repairing the severe damage, you're putting band aids on to slow the existing damage down. Structure wise, it isn't the same.
Without getting into the real world issues, RAW the spell is actually really limited. Iron or iron alloy only, and it has to be mundane as magic items are immune. Basically anything more expensive than cold iron plate is a non issue. Adamantine, mithril and silver aren't going to be affected.
RAW I guess it does have full hitpoints even though it provides no AC bonus. Not sure if it really matters though, no one would buy it as it is 'destroyed' and there is no way to repair it. At best there is some organic material left (cloth, leather strips, etc.) but nothing relevant to recovering the protective qualities of the item. Essentially, you'd be making a whole new suit of armor at that point.