Wishing a magic item unbroken

[TYPO5478]

Suppose during the course of battle, a wizard's staff is sundered. It's completely destroyed and, according to the magic item rules, devoid of any magical properties. If the wizard used a wish and said, "I wish my staff had never broken," would you consider the wish spell to be creating a magic item in accordance with that spell's rules for doing so? Would such a wish even be within the limits of the spell?

Wish

Damaging Magic Items

 

[Jack Simth]

It's within the power of a Wish - safe list, even - it's either "undo misfortune" (which is iffy, as it forces a reroll) or "creating a magic item" (which is costly, as you have to spend twice the XP as making the item from scratch, AND the 5,000 xp for Wish), depending on how long it's been.

 

[Deset Gled]

Well within the power of Wish. I don't think this is even powerful enough to require a wish. AFAIK, you can repair magic items the same as others (" Generally, you can repair an item by making checks against the same DC that it took to make the item in the first place. The cost of repairing an item is one-fifth of the item’s price.") Alternatively, you can just dispel the item to make it un-magical, and cast Mending.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Alternatively, you can just dispel the item to make it un-magical, and cast Mending.

I've been waiting for somebody to try that one.

I love that one.

It's the Shatter chain, in reverse.

--fje

 

[TYPO5478]

Well within the power of Wish. I don't think this is even powerful enough to require a wish. AFAIK, you can repair magic items the same as others (" Generally, you can repair an item by making checks against the same DC that it took to make the item in the first place. The cost of repairing an item is one-fifth of the item’s price.") Alternatively, you can just dispel the item to make it un-magical, and cast Mending.

According to the rules regarding damaging magic items, a magic item that is broken (not just merely damaged) loses all magical properties and must be re-enchanted from scratch. The staff in this case is broken, not damaged. It cannot be dispelled because it is no longer magical. Casting mending could reassemble the pieces of the staff, but would not restore its magical properties.

Perhaps I should describe the scenario better. The wish occurs after combat is over. Using the reroll option of wish is problematic since the battle almost definitely would have progressed differently if the staff hadn't broken. So in that case, do you rerun the battle from that point with an intact staff? Does the staff just reappear after the battle with no effect on the rest of the battle itself? If the staff loses all its magical power when it is broken, isn't wish creating a magic item? If it is, is there an appreciable difference between wishing for a new staff instead of wishing the old one back?

 

[pallandrome]

Admittedly, I'm a dick, but I don't allow dispel-mending to fix broken magic items. While mending, even without dispel, will restore their physical form (broken magic items are no longer considered magical, therefore do not require dispel to mend). The item is merely a vessel that contains the magic, and like a broken water jug, fixing the item does not refill it. That must be done seperately. That being said, if you repaired the item before attempting to restore the magicyness (via whatever means you wish...hehe) then I would probably allow some form of discount on the expenses of the remainder of the procedure.

EDIT: Bah, Typo beat me to it. However, on the terms of using wish to bring back an item, I would base it upon how powerful the item was. A wand of cure light? Sure, no problem. Wish can make that from scratch. The Shadowstaff? Sure! Wish alters the events of the battle to save the staff! Unfortunately, one random member of the party was destroyed instead! For examples between these two extremes, alter to taste.

 

[Deset Gled]

According to the rules regarding damaging magic items, a magic item that is broken (not just merely damaged) loses all magical properties and must be re-enchanted from scratch.

Cite, please?

 

[frankthedm]

For 5K XP? Sure why not. I like breaking magic items, but wishing one whole is cool in my book.

 

[TYPO5478]

Cite, please?

I already did above, but here it is more distinctly:

Damaging Magic Items

A magic item doesn’t need to make a saving throw unless it is unattended, it is specifically targeted by the effect, or its wielder rolls a natural 1 on his save. Magic items should always get a saving throw against spells that might deal damage to them— even against attacks from which a nonmagical item would normally get no chance to save. Magic items use the same saving throw bonus for all saves, no matter what the type (Fortitude, Reflex, or Will). A magic item’s saving throw bonus equals 2 + one-half its caster level (round down). The only exceptions to this are intelligent magic items, which make Will saves based on their own Wisdom scores.

Magic items, unless otherwise noted, take damage as nonmagical items of the same sort. A damaged magic item continues to function, but if it is destroyed, all its magical power is lost.

 

[mvincent]

Generally, you can repair an item by making checks against the same DC that it took to make the item in the first place. The cost of repairing an item is one-fifth of the item’s price.

That is for mundane items.

According to the rules regarding damaging magic items, a magic item that is broken (not just merely damaged) loses all magical properties and must be re-enchanted from scratch.

That is not completely correct. From the appropriate craft feat descriptions:
"You can also mend a broken wondrous 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 craft that item in the first place."
(same for rings, arms and armor)