Okay, I want to have a real discussion about this cantrip.
Now, yes the Battlesmith NEEDS it. No getting around that.
But I don't think the other artificer's need it. to anyone who wants to point at the turrets... well, they only last an hour, healing them out of combat doesn't seem like a good use of time.
Outside of combat, why do it outside of combat. Well, because the mending cantrip has a cast time of 1 minute. I feel like no one talks about that. this spell takes a full minute to cast, meaning you cannot heal your construct with it in combat.
The Battlesmith doesn't need it. The Steel Defender's 3 times per day repair ability can be used on itself (in combat even), and the Battlesmith can take a minute to spend a level 1 (or higher) spell slot to revive the Steel Defender to full HP in the event it dies.
If it has died within the last hour, you can use your smith's tools as an action to revive it, provided you are within 5 feet of it and you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. The steel defender returns to life after 1 minute with all its hit points restored.
Further the Battlesmith can potentially have more spell slots available to revive the Defender than the other subclass have for their features considering it doesn't have an inherent time limit like the Artillerist's Eldritch Cannon and it's not a consumable item like the Alchemist's Experimental Elixir.
So technically the only artificer that needs the mending cantrip would be an Alchemist or an Artillerist who decides on having a Homunculus Servant but even then they can just accept that if it dies it's gone until the next day. On the other hand, a Battlesmith with a Homunculus Servant can use their Steel Defender to repair it. So even then they don't need mending.
Now is mending extremely useful to the Battlesmith or the Artificer with a Homunculus Servant? Absolutely. Especially considering neither the Steel Defender nor the Homunculus Servant have hit dice. So unlike all other creatures in D&D they can't spend hit dice during short rests to heal.
Being able to restore your subclass feature (or infusion) to full HP outside of combat in less than the time of a short rest, for free, is crazy good.
In further irony, the Alchemist, who of all Artificers has the least need for the mending cantrip, can cast it the best out of anyone. Because casting mending on the HS, the EC, or the SD is then a spell with a roll to regain hit points. Meaning it would benefit from Alchemical Savant. Not that that makes much of a difference since mending would be cast outside of battle anyway.
I stand corrected on the Battle Smith. and it may be useful for the Battle Smith, or any artificer with a homonculus. But I don't see the need for it. I dropped it in favor of prestidigitation.
That's a fair decision. The original purpose of mending, to repair objects, can probably be replaced with an ability check with tinker's tools. Wouldn't work for every scenario, but certainly for a lot of them.
I just don't see it as worth it to heal the cannon with mending. it only lasts an hour anyway, and it isn't often you get into more than one fight in an hour.
What does it matter how many rounds of combat it stays in for (I've yet to have my Turret destroyed in combat, but I imagine as I get higher level that will happen more).
Needs? No. Is it useful? Yes. Not just for keeping a cannon or a steel defender or homunculus servant up, but also to be used in story obstacles. An example: your ship is leaking after a pirate attack or the wheel of your cart fell off you're going to have to haul all the goods to town yourself. An NPC could have a damaged item that you can fix for them to get advantage on a charisma check.
Personally, I play with a house rule that all artificers learn it for free at 1st level because it just seems like something that artificers should know. Always thought it was weird that they didn't get Mending for free.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Mending is one of those cantrips that might not seem useful on its face, but once you have it, you find a lot of uses for it. I've used it a lot with my artificer in many ways I never thought I would when I created the character and now it's one of those cantrips I always take on any character, if their spell list grants access to it.
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Okay, I want to have a real discussion about this cantrip.
Now, yes the Battlesmith NEEDS it. No getting around that.
But I don't think the other artificer's need it. to anyone who wants to point at the turrets... well, they only last an hour, healing them out of combat doesn't seem like a good use of time.
Outside of combat, why do it outside of combat. Well, because the mending cantrip has a cast time of 1 minute. I feel like no one talks about that. this spell takes a full minute to cast, meaning you cannot heal your construct with it in combat.
The Battlesmith doesn't need it. The Steel Defender's 3 times per day repair ability can be used on itself (in combat even), and the Battlesmith can take a minute to spend a level 1 (or higher) spell slot to revive the Steel Defender to full HP in the event it dies.
Further the Battlesmith can potentially have more spell slots available to revive the Defender than the other subclass have for their features considering it doesn't have an inherent time limit like the Artillerist's Eldritch Cannon and it's not a consumable item like the Alchemist's Experimental Elixir.
So technically the only artificer that needs the mending cantrip would be an Alchemist or an Artillerist who decides on having a Homunculus Servant but even then they can just accept that if it dies it's gone until the next day. On the other hand, a Battlesmith with a Homunculus Servant can use their Steel Defender to repair it. So even then they don't need mending.
Now is mending extremely useful to the Battlesmith or the Artificer with a Homunculus Servant? Absolutely. Especially considering neither the Steel Defender nor the Homunculus Servant have hit dice. So unlike all other creatures in D&D they can't spend hit dice during short rests to heal.
Being able to restore your subclass feature (or infusion) to full HP outside of combat in less than the time of a short rest, for free, is crazy good.
In further irony, the Alchemist, who of all Artificers has the least need for the mending cantrip, can cast it the best out of anyone. Because casting mending on the HS, the EC, or the SD is then a spell with a roll to regain hit points. Meaning it would benefit from Alchemical Savant. Not that that makes much of a difference since mending would be cast outside of battle anyway.
I stand corrected on the Battle Smith. and it may be useful for the Battle Smith, or any artificer with a homonculus. But I don't see the need for it. I dropped it in favor of prestidigitation.
That's a fair decision. The original purpose of mending, to repair objects, can probably be replaced with an ability check with tinker's tools. Wouldn't work for every scenario, but certainly for a lot of them.
I just don't see it as worth it to heal the cannon with mending. it only lasts an hour anyway, and it isn't often you get into more than one fight in an hour.
What does it matter how many rounds of combat it stays in for (I've yet to have my Turret destroyed in combat, but I imagine as I get higher level that will happen more).
Mending can't, PRACTICALLY, be used in combat.
Needs? No. Is it useful? Yes. Not just for keeping a cannon or a steel defender or homunculus servant up, but also to be used in story obstacles. An example: your ship is leaking after a pirate attack or the wheel of your cart fell off you're going to have to haul all the goods to town yourself. An NPC could have a damaged item that you can fix for them to get advantage on a charisma check.
Mending is essential in spelljammer BTW, both to repair ships and to heal an autognome character with a cantrip (using HD).
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While I don't think any of them actually need the cantrip, it's high on my list of cantrips for any caster, not just for artificer.
Personally, I play with a house rule that all artificers learn it for free at 1st level because it just seems like something that artificers should know. Always thought it was weird that they didn't get Mending for free.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
The Artificer should get it for free. At least as a ritual.
Mending is one of those cantrips that might not seem useful on its face, but once you have it, you find a lot of uses for it. I've used it a lot with my artificer in many ways I never thought I would when I created the character and now it's one of those cantrips I always take on any character, if their spell list grants access to it.