Can "Mending" restore a broken magic arrow?

[0-hr]

Mending repairs small breaks or tears in objects (not warps).
In metallic objects, it will weld a broken ring, a chain link, a
medallion, or a slender dagger, providing but one break exists.
Ceramic or wooden objects with multiple breaks can be invisibly
rejoined to be as strong as new. A hole in a leather sack or
wineskin is completely healed over by mending. The spell can
repair a magic item, but the items magical abilities are
not restored. The spell cannot mend broken magic rods, staffs, or
wands

I have a bunch of used (ie. broken) +3 arrows in my pack. After being "Mended", are they just normal arrows?

Does that bit about "magical abilites are not restored" mean that "Mending" permanently dispels the enchantments on the item it is cast on? (Seems a bit powerful).

Or are they implying that magic items permanently lose itheir magical abilities when they are broken (that would be very bad news to fighters who have their Vorpal swords sundered)?

The only reasonable interpretation I can get out of that phrase is that item which have somehow lost their magic cannot be resotred by Mending. In general though, I would think a sundered Vorpal sword just needs to be repaired to be Vorpal again. And therefore, a broken +3 arrow just needs to be repaired (or Mended) to be +3 again.

But is that unbalancing for a zero level spell?

 

[Murrdox]

Heh heh heh!!

Yes, if that fighter's +5 Vorpal Sword of Everything Bane is sundered... it loses all of its magical powers, even if it is re-forged. If you mended it, you'd have a masterwork longsword (or whatever the sword was).

I don't have the DM's guide in front of me... does the DMG even HAVE masterwork arrows? Or do you just simply enchant them? I'm thinking there are no such thing as Masterwork arrows.... but someone enlighten me.

Unless Masterwork arrows exist, when you 'mend' your +3 arrows, all you get is a bunch of normal arrows.

 

[Celebrim]

When an item is broken, its magical abilities are lost.

Mending does not return the magical abilities.

There are no canon rules on this as far as I know. Technically then, when an item is broken the full cost (in gold and xp) must be paid to repair it.

A sympathetic DM would probably allow an enchantment to be restored to a broken object for some fractional cost to 'mend' the item/enchantment - for instance 50%.

 

[Zhure]

"You can also mend a broken miscellaneous magic item if it is one
that you could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw
materials, and half the time it would take to enchant that item in the first place."

That's from the Craft Wondrous Item description. There are similar descriptions in the other Item Creation Feats.

Mend would repair the arrow, making it a regular masterwork arrow. By expending half the regular XP, half the regular raw materials cost and half the time it would normally take, it can be re-enchanted.

Greg

 

[Zhure]

I don't have the DM's guide in front of me... does the DMG even HAVE masterwork arrows? Or do you just simply enchant them? I'm thinking there are no such thing as Masterwork arrows.... but someone enlighten me.

Masterwork arrows are in the PHB, page 114, see the table. All magic arrows are made from masterwork arrows.

 

[Kershek]

Can mending restore a masterwork arrow?

 

[Celebrim]

Since limitations on the quality or value of the object are not specified, then I'd probably guess 'yes'.

The only limitations appear to be size of object, extent of damage, and magical qualities are not restored.

 

[Murrdox]

Again, no DMs guide in front of me, and I really haven't played many archers.

Soo... a masterwork sword gives you a +1 to hit and damage, but doesn't break DR obviously.

So does a Masterwork arrow do the same thing?

If you combine a masterwork bow with masterwork arrows, does this mean you get +2 to attack and damage?

 

[Kershek]

Again, no DMs guide in front of me, and I really haven't played many archers.

Soo... a masterwork sword gives you a +1 to hit and damage, but doesn't break DR obviously.

So does a Masterwork arrow do the same thing?

If you combine a masterwork bow with masterwork arrows, does this mean you get +2 to attack and damage?

No, MW weapons and arrows only give a +1 to hit; they don't give a bonus to damage.

Combining a MW bow with MW arrows gives you +2 to hit and +0 to damage.

 

[0-hr]

"You can also mend a broken miscellaneous magic item if it is one
that you could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw
materials, and half the time it would take to enchant that item in the first place."

Yowza, that's pretty harsh if it applies to weapons. It certainly answers my arrow question though. Thanks.