Fabricate questions

[ajanders]

From the SRD:

You convert material of one sort into a product that is of the same material. Creatures or magic items cannot be created or transmuted by the fabricate spell. The quality of items made by this spell is commensurate with the quality of material used as the basis for the new fabrication. If you work with a mineral, the target is reduced to 1 cubic foot per level instead of 10 cubic feet.
You must make an appropriate Craft check to fabricate articles requiring a high degree of craftsmanship.​

How generally should we define "material" and product?

I think, for example, we can cast this spell on a tree to get a bow. Can we cast it on a tree to get a dozen arrows? Or just a single "product" -- one arrow?

What about materials that might need refining? We can turn a bar of steel into a sword blade, yes, but what about a bar of iron? Or iron ore?

And must the product be only one material? If you cast fabricate on a tree to make arrows, can you get the feather fletchings and the steel broad-heads, or just the arrow shafts?

Finally, can you use a "product" as a material? Can you treat a sword as 5 pounds of steel and make it into, say, an axe?

Any help will be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[NexH]

From the SRD:

How generally should we define "material" and product?

I think, for example, we can cast this spell on a tree to get a bow. Can we cast it on a tree to get a dozen arrows? Or just a single "product" -- one arrow?

I think is safe to assume that you can make as many arrows as you could using normal methods with the same quantity of material.

What about materials that might need refining? We can turn a bar of steel into a sword blade, yes, but what about a bar of iron? Or iron ore?

I guess this is up to the DM. Personally, I'd say that it is possible to turn iron into steel (if you also have carbon) with a Profession(metallurgy) check.

And must the product be only one material? If you cast fabricate on a tree to make arrows, can you get the feather fletchings and the steel broad-heads, or just the arrow shafts?

I always thought that you could use various materials, but I'm not sure if that is correct.

Finally, can you use a "product" as a material?

Yes.