As what the title says, I've got a question about that cantrip. I know in the spell's description it states that "You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot." Does this mean that the caster is able to clean out the rust on medical equipment like needles, bone saw, and varies other surgical tools? That's the whole thing, but if you wish to know the context of the situation in the Campaign and the major problem the Players are in, continue reading below.
For a bit of context in my Campaign, I have an NPC who is unaffected by magic due to a mutation/curse on her, nor can she cast/use magic. It's like she's a walking Anti-Magic Field. She was just skewed in the back, through the heart, by a blade [thick, spiky greatsword] made of Anti-Matter and Void Energy. It was a surprise attack from the boss the Party was fighting [Party dropped their guard and was celebrating when the boss was "dead"]. The Party is aware that Anti-Matter and Void Energy decays/destroys regular matter. They are also panicking because they know healing magic, nor healing potions work on the NPC due to her mutation. Currently, the Party managed to stop blood from pouring out but using bandages. They left the blade in her and just patched up the area around the blade and secured the blade so it wouldn’t move around. The Party is currently rushing this NPC to the Emergency Room in some kind of hospital in that universe (it's a multiversal Campaign where the Party is able to hop around to different Universes. Their device to do this don’t work since the boss sucked all the energy from it, so they are stuck in this universe for now).
This NPC is half-robotic (as she had to make up for her downsides somehow, so she studied hard). Her arm, eye, and most of her insides (notably her heart, intestines, penurious, and stomach is made of a special adamantine alloy) are mechanical. When the blade pierced her chest, it removed her heart [the blade was only able to pierce half way through it, but it ripped it out of her body instead].
Long story short, they realized that all the people there, under the boss's control/part of the Hive (the inspiration was Knull from the Marvel Universe and the boss already succeed in universal domination, having everyone under his control), don’t use any hospitals/doctors since they all have naturally high regeneration. This is because all being are part of the “Hive”, using the boss's regeneration powers. After about 10-15 minutes of panic running around the city since the NPC was in a dangerously critical condition, they eventually found an abandoned hospital on the outskirts. This place hasn’t been used in a very very long time, as the building is overgrown with plants and falling apart. They found some expired, moldy, or rusted things that could help. As they are going to try and perform surgery themselves. They found the following:
Expired by 556 Years Antiseptic Solutions & Wound Cleaning Agents
Rusted Suture Kits and Surgical Tools
Old Hemostatic Dressings
Decent, but thick, Preservation Gel
Decent Surgical
Extractor Moldy Dressings
Old/Moldy Clotting Agents
Decent looking Splints and Reinforcement
Decent looking Cooling Gel
Rusted Bone Saw
Expired by 21 years Sterile Bandages
Old Bag of Blood
Rusted Blood Transfusion Equipment
Old/Rusted Respiratory Support (Ventilator or Bag Valve Mask)
I believe their goal is to use Prestidigitation to clean (and not make expired things expired) the stuff to surgically remove the blade from the NPC. They are currently talking if they should only take it out (leaving a massive gapping whole in her chest) and try and patch it, somehow, or surgically put another greatsword they have in its place since it's a close match to the one decaying her [though, I think she'll just bleed to death]. Pretty sure their goal is to keep her stable until they get to their home universe since there's a way to save her there. As only one person in the Party has expertise in Medicine. However, no one knows high-level engineering to fix the mechanical heart perfectly (one Player has made the argument that they may. But my argument is that they are in Aerospace Engineering, not Cybernetics, Biotech, and Biomechanics). You could also make the argument that the NPC's lungs and spine where either heavily damaged or outright non-repairable.
So, that’s the whole current situation. The Party began to start arguing and trying their best to bend the rules as much as they can to save this NPC. After things began to get heated, I called the session, saying that its best for everyone to chat over the course of a few days. The Player will come up with a solution on the direction they want to go by next session (Friday, Oct 4th). Personally, I believe the NPC is screwed no matter how they go about it. However, I know the Players really liked this NPC, going as far as they are doing now, to save her. So, I'm open to ideas on how to save her since I can't think of any.
What do you think about all this? In a quick summary:
Can prestidigitation clean rust and mold. Can it make 'clean/fix' expired medicine, no longer sterile bandages, old blood bag for IV (I don't think it can do the second part of this question).
Is the current situation survivable? Does the NPC's robotic parts help? [they did spend about 10-15 minutes panic running around the city, looking for something to help. The amount of blood loss here would have been substantial. If not externally, internally bleed would be major problem].
Is the situation survivable given only one Player has expertise in Medicine? But not Engineering [to fix NPC's Mechanical Heart (only one side is damaged)].
They only have the expired/moldy/rusted medical equipment. Which, if used on it's own, could definitely give the NPC an infection. Making her considered to be 'septic' if the infection is bad enough.
One Player has made the argument that they may be able to fix the mechanical heart. But my argument is that they are in Aerospace Engineering, not Cybernetics, Biotech, and Biomechanics. Could this Player help?
Let's say the remove the blade and replace it with theirs, would the NPC still bleed to death? As the new blade would need to be perfectly surgically placed in the hole that matches the original one.
Is there a way to save the NPC since Players really like the NPC? As internal bleeding, damaged lungs, spine, and other organs are also a major problem.
If you think knowing the Player's races, classes, spells, etc., is needed, let me know and I can provide it.
Note:
The NPC has an emergency system in her body that goes off when she's in a critical state. The varies other internal organs can change functions to do what the damage organ cannot. For example, part of the stomach would close off and that would would become the temporary new organ, like a heart or lung(s). As the human brain can only survive about 5 minutes before the cells becomes damaged. However, this emergency system cannot last forever. And it's worse when multiple organs fail at once. At most, it's amount of minutes it can stay running like this is equal to two times her INT score (12 minutes total is how long the emergency systems can last).
Resurrection magic doesn't work on the NPC too. When she dies, that's it. As the curse affects her very soul.
Rust is not dirt or some other substance caked on an object's surface; the surface of the object has become rust. There's not much that can be done about that besides filing or grinding that surface layer of oxidation away.
Additionally, the rules generally don't treat liquids/gels as objects, and there's already a dedicated non-cantrip spells for rendering liquids non-toxic (Purify Food and Drink.) Note that toxicity isn't the only problem with expiration dates either: substances can become inert or undergo chemical changes that stop it from doing it what it's supposed to do.
In my opinion the scope of Prestidigation is basically limited to the same results as giving solid objects a thorough cleaning with soap and water. I'd let it clean mold off of solid objects but for anything that would be ingested, I'd expect Purify Food and Drink to be used.
@InquisitiveCoder So, even if they use Purify Food and Drink, the substances they found may or may not have chemically changed to be either useless, do something unintended, or inert? I'm also assuming nothing can really help the situation?
Short answer is that you're already pushing the game's system past the point it's really designed for. As a result it really is all on you as a GM to decide. Don't misunderstand me, it all sounds like a really fun and cool concept.However, it's important to recognise here that you've created a homebrew with this NPC. So the way spells interact with the homebrew is entirely on your shoulders. In general then your questions appear to me to boil down to 'what is fair to let my players attempt/suceed?'
For the answer to that question I'd say if the solution seems cool, inventive, and/or uses limited resources: it should suceed.
If it requires a cantrip, or other mundane and cost free solution: it should fail.
The reason is simply that D&D at its core assumes that players will need to manage limited resources. Cantrips shouldn't provide healing, or really anything beyond mere flair. They are curiosity, they're the metaphorical equivelent of power steering. You can certainly drive a car without power steering, it's just more difficult. With power steering your life becomes easier.
Short answer is that you're already pushing the game's system past the point it's really designed for. As a result it really is all on you as a GM to decide. Don't misunderstand me, it all sounds like a really fun and cool concept.However, it's important to recognise here that you've created a homebrew with this NPC. So the way spells interact with the homebrew is entirely on your shoulders. In general then your questions appear to me to boil down to 'what is fair to let my players attempt/suceed?'
For the answer to that question I'd say if the solution seems cool, inventive, and/or uses limited resources: it should suceed.
If it requires a cantrip, or other mundane and cost free solution: it should fail.
The reason is simply that D&D at its core assumes that players will need to manage limited resources. Cantrips shouldn't provide healing, or really anything beyond mere flair. They are curiosity, they're the metaphorical equivelent of power steering. You can certainly drive a car without power steering, it's just more difficult. With power steering your life becomes easier.
I knew that the NPC was Homebrew, as it's not natural/supported by the vanilla game. My current plan was like what you were saying. If cool and/or not cantrip, allow. I'm just mainly trying to think if anything they can do can work. Since the NPC is in a really deadly situation that will 99% kill her.
I'd just add that you shouldn't forget that the NPC dying can be just as much a story point as anything else. Character death tends to have big meaningful impacts and remind the player characters that they can't always succeed at everything.
Though I do tend to land on the side of 'yeah that thing the players tried would probably work'.
I'd just add that you shouldn't forget that the NPC dying can be just as much a story point as anything else. Character death tends to have big meaningful impacts and remind the player characters that they can't always succeed at everything.
Though I do tend to land on the side of 'yeah that thing the players tried would probably work'.
True I was thinking the same thing earlier. I was also thinking about the benefits/downsides to it.
Funny enough is that if the NPC dies, it would 100% have some ripple effects, as this is Campaign 3. It would also cause some drama with the other NPCs too. This is always an option.
As the DM, I think you can decide the parameters of how you want this story to work and what range of options there can be for the NPC, as well as how hard you want this to be.
I would rule that prestidigitation can clean rust and mold and sterilize hard objects. However if you want to make it a little more interesting, you can also add a roll to this with a DC of your choice, make it be the risk of breakage. When you remove the rust, or in the process of its removal, there may not be enough good metal for the item to still function, or you might bend it or break it. You can also require say a longer time, multiple uses of the spell.
For something like hemostats or scissors, getting the rust off is really just a matter of abrasion and time. The bone saw too, though it might also need to be honed/sharpened. For something like a hypodermic needle, I would say possible but fairly high odds of failure. But if you had 100 of them probably you'd get some of them clean using magic.
I'd be fine with prestidigitation sterilizing bandages also. However, I would not allow it to sterilize liquids and it would not unexpire medications. Some medications are stable and safe past their official date; again you could roll for that with a DC of your choosing, either that it is clearly expired or that using it you have some odds of it being effective and some odds of it being inert and some odds of it being actively harmful.
As for your question about aerospace engineering prowess... as it happens, aerospace engineering is all about fluid mechanics, just like a heart. It's where you study fluids and turbulence and valves and all the relevant basic physics that would apply. You could actually make a case that an aero engineer is more qualified to work on the mechanical heart than a random biologist without direct and specific expertise in mechanical hearts. Of course, without that specific expertise, still can be a very high DC.
I like your setup! Personally I'd be inclined to create a challenging adventure where they're able to save her if they're smart and lucky.
Other ways to create resource limitations with Prestidigitation would be to rule that these items are so dirty that will work but take multiple passes. So it will work but say each item takes a full minute, or 10 minutes, or whatever, of attention, and you have a ticking clock.
You could say some of these might need a combination of Prestidigitation and Mending (which has a longer cast time).
You could offer the idea of upcasting Prestidigitation as a first level spell, or as a ritual to do this very challenging work.
For the blood loss, you can basically do a sequence of extended death saves. Maybe change the DC, maybe go with more total rolls, maybe make them with advantage, to give the players urgency but also time to work.
Prestidigitation would work to take surface rust off but not the layer that is actively rusting, the mend cantrip should work for that as well fixing many of the tools, bags etc but they will need to cast both many times one casting (at least) for each item. Mending might also unexpire the gels/ liquids while purify food and drink and neutralize poison might work to purify them. Neutralize poison is a bit of a risk as essentially all medicines are poisons in large enough quantities.
So, to provide an update, my Players decided to go about it in another direction. They all got in a call to talk about ways to salvage the situation. They're current plan is to use prestidigitation on cleaning mold on the tools. However, they will just leave the rust as is [maybe a check will be made to prevent the tools from breaking mid-surgery]. They'll try and repair the mechanical heart. Next, they will quickly remove the Anti-Matter blade currently still in her. As they realized the blade is doing more damage then good. Slowly dissolving/decaying the area of the NPC's body that is near the blade. So they all agreed that the blade needs to come out. At the same time, one Player will immediately begin surgery to repair the damage. Luckily, the NPC's insides that are mechanical are nanotech, and will "repair" itself, at least to keep the required functions like the heart running until she can get proper medical attention. They will attempt to repair as much as they can.
The main question now is how this should go? Should multiple checks be made? The main problem with this is the blood loss.
Note/Recap:
Mechanical parts is her heart, intestines, penurious, and stomach (adamantine alloy nanotech).
When the blade pierced NPC's chest, it removed her heart [the blade was only able to pierce half way through it, but it ripped it out of her body instead]. Her stomach and lungs were damaged. Her esophagus, spine and rib cage were destroyed/shattered. The skin was only torn, so it could be still be sewn. There would also be heavy blood loss from the gapping hole. Her insides look like scrambled eggs too.
They are banking on hoping the NPC's nanotech emergency life systems to keep her alive long enough to get back to their original universe [my estimate is that it would take them an additional 10-20 minutes].
The NPC would most likely have an infection due to the rusted stuff. But the Party does plan on using a magic item they have that can catch on fire to burn the tools to make them as sterile as they can. They also have rubbing alcohol.
Given the situation, should I allow the NPC to survive? If she does, she'll most likely have some other problems too. For example, paralyzed from the center of her chest and down.
Really, the bottom line is that it is up to you how you want it to run because you are the DM. In this case, you have set the PCs a problem and do not have any particular solution in mind. You don't have a set of actions they can take that will succeed at the task. As DM, you've simply decided that if the party comes up with something that you judge could work then you might allow it.
The problem with this approach is that you end up in your current situation where the party isn't coming up with any stupendous awesome idea or creative use of magic that might work. Magic is something of a direct dead end because the NPC is immune to it but something might be done to use magic to affect the environment. However, your players might not be doctors or engineers in the real world so they may lack the knowledge needed to come up with some plausible idea. The problem with this is that it isn't the players but the characters that need to solve it and the characters may have completely different knowledge sets from the players so the characters might be able to come up with something that doesn't occur to the players - which is where skill checks come in.
In this case, you want the players to come up with something that their characters might do without taking into account what the characters might know AND on top of that, as DM, you have no idea what you might allow to work or not. Personally, I consider that a bit of a problem.
There are all sorts of things that might help, hyperbaric chambers, over oxygenate by some sort of atmospheric controls, creating an external magical heart - maybe using the fabricate spell - and route blood flow out to the machine and back to the body (they do this for open heart surgery - which is what it sounds like the NPC has had involuntarily). Magic could be used to create external supports even if magic doesn't affect the NPC directly. I have no idea what resources the party might have. But unless the players have certain real life knowledge and experiences, these kinds of ideas might never occur to them though the characters might think of them.
They might even be able to use a combination of cantrips to accomplish most of this ... the shape water cantrip could be used to drive blood flow (blood is mostly water and shape water isn't likely limited to pure distilled water since it would never work then). The gust cantrip might be usable to create a pressure differential. The mending cantrip might be useful to fix the adamantine heart when it is NOT inside the NPC. At that point the mechanical heart isn't actually a part of the NPC so one would have to ask if it would still be affected by the curse. This might make the removed parts susceptible to magic manipulation.
However, if you arbitrarily decide that any solution using a cantrip is "too easy" then you are basically trying to limit solutions without having an idea of what might reasonably work in the first place.
As to your question about rust, why does it matter? If cleaning by prestidigitation includes bacteria and viruses which it might well do depending on the DM decision regarding what "clean" means then the issue with a rusty implement is that it may not be as sharp (which could probably be fixed with a brief use of a whetstone or mending cantrip) and not issues with infection since it was cleaned with prestidigitation. However, that is a DM decision in terms of exactly how clean you want prestidigitation to be. Personally, I would say it removes germs.
"Rust isn't inherently harmful to human beings."
The issue with rust is typically tetanus which is caused by a bacteria ... which is likely removed by prestidigitation. So, why are you worried about removing the rust?
The problem here seems to be that the DM is just as unknowledgeable as the players about what constitutes a "reasonable" solution.
Finally, based on the DMs comments, the NPC is toast. A 12 minute time limit on life support leaves the party insufficient time to come up with any solution, reasonable or not. It sounds like the party has already taken more time to run around a city looking for a long abandoned hospital to desperately find something that might help. That whole process is likely already hours .. if the NPC only had 12 minutes, they probably already died on the way to the hospital. The NPC is dead already because the DM decided that is what should happen with an extremely short 12 minute emergency life support capability.
Short summary ... the NPC was stabbed through the heart with a disintegrating anti-matter sword that forced their adamantine heart out of their chest ... the heart sustained some damage. The NPC apparently has internal systems that can replace organs but only for a limited time. However, the DM is worried about blood loss? One of the most fundamental systems would be automatic sealing of valves leading to major wounds to prevent blood loss. If the heart got poked out then the circulatory system in that area of the body would shut down and re-route blood flow - keep in mind that in the standard structure of the heart there are two separate circulation loops - one that circulates the blood through the lungs to oxygenate it and a second loop that circulates the blood through the body. Both loops meet at the heart. Unless the support system already includes the ability to re-route blood flow by creating/using capillaries and other channels - there is no way for a "heart" in the stomach region to actually circulate the blood through the lungs and out to the rest of the body AND if the system does have the capability to do that then stopping blood loss through the missing heart is trivial. Basically, the creature capabilities as stated aren't logically consistent - they were chosen for drama not consistency.
Anyway - the players should immediately remove the sword since the secondary life support will have already re-routed blood flow away from the affected region. This prevents the damage from getting worse. They should not replace the sword since it will do nothing - they should seal the holes to reduce/minimize blood loss through secondary capillaries. They then either create an external blood oxygenation and flow device that they could connect to the internal valves connecting to the existing circulatory system structure. This could be powered by cantrips since it is external but someone will have to keep casting since this is a stop gap at best (and depends on the party having access to the right spells, cantrips and equipment). However, this is actually impossible because it would take much longer than 12 minutes and the NPC is thus already dead so the DM should tell the players that and just move on if that was the plot line element the DM was looking for in the first place.
P.S. In terms of the mechanical heart - an aerospace engineer is probably as qualified as anyone in a fantasy world to at least have some insight into the prosthesis. As mentioned, heart flow involves fluid dynamics and turbulence, pumping fluids, circulation and mechanics - all of which an aerospace engineer would be decent at. So, coming up with a stop gap would be right up their alley but creating a pretty looking, functionally equivalent heart as a permanent solution would either be easier because they could reproduce the existing adamantine example or require additional specialized knowledge to avoid immune system responses and rejection. BUT ... how realistic do you really want to get with this entire problem? Anyway, aerospace engineering includes a lot of the basic physics relevant to the situation so arguing that their character should be able to at least think of some of this stuff is quite reasonable. Whether they have the resources available or the knowledge needed to put it all together ... who knows ... but worrying about rust kind of reveals a fundamental lack of understanding of the issues involved. :)
@David42, you bring up a lot of really good points. I’ll reply in order of your message from the comments/answers I have. I also want to for all the points, as some things I did overlook.
The current entire situation of what’s going on was unintentionally on me. As the Party had gone much farther than planned, so I needed to come up with an entire universe, along with its rules, creatures, etc., on the spot. In quick thinking, I turned into the Marvel Comics for inspiration and used Knull and the idea of what would happen if he’d won. When the fight with Knull (or a boss inspired by him) occurred, it was alright. Since the Party has a bad habit of having their guard down, even when the enemy is not 100% killed, I decided to prove a point. Make sure the enemy, if completely evil (like Knull), is not dead, don’t drop your guard. Make sure he cannot retaliate. Since the Party members were too far away, the boss used his attack on the NPC. Since she also dropped their guard since the PCs did as well. Due to the pressure of having to come up with an entire universe (at least a location/city and what’s there), as well as entire boss fight itself on the fly, I forgot a problem and only realized what happened after it was too late. In the moment, I thought they can just heal her via magic, magic potions, or something similar (even if it one-shot the NPC [Party brought an ‘underleveled’/weak NPC with them because they wanted her around, idk.]). It was dead silence at the table with wide shocked eyes. One PC finished over the boss and the others ran to the NPC. They began panicking, trying to figure out a way to help. In my mind, I was waiting for them to cast a spell or use an item. A new PC said he’ll cast magic, but the OG PCs said that magic doesn’t affect her and that she’s in a very critical position. It’s here that I realized my overlooked mistake. Magic in fact does not affect her. Nor do any magic items. While the Players are panicking to come up with a way to save her, I’m panicking as well. Searching my notes and trying to come up with a solution and try and point them in a direction that could help. But during the boss fight, it drained their device’s power source and the city they are in has no medical practices. Not to mention the blade itself is made of Anti-Matter, so it’s dissolving/decaying her the longer it stays inside the NPC. A way to give them time, I added the fact that the blade was 99% Void Energy, so the process would be much much slower [a Player can view this stay (it’s called Dark-Sight / Anti-Vision)]. So, while the Players are trying to come up with a solution, I’m also trying to find a way to fix my mistake. That’s why I’m very open to ideas and ways if they can think of [but they are keeping the consequences like infections and varies other problem in mind too].
The Players themselves are very knowledgeable with both medical practices and engineering. One has a minor in some kind of medical think (I forgot what it was called exactly). One went back to school for a second Major. So, they were all getting very scientific, a bit too much/fast for me. Additionally, they were researching all sorts of things that can help. Like various surgeries that could help and topics on nanotechnology. They also included ChatGPT when they couldn’t find something. They designed that their characters would know roughly exactly what they themselves know, which is a lot. They definitely know a lot more than I do, that I can say for sure. So, I don’t think their lack of knowledge on medics and engineering would be an issue.
With creating magical supports, they would get dispelled as soon as they come in contact with the NPC. If it was a physical object or magic item, the item would cease to be magical until contact was no longer made.
I really like your idea to use a combination of cantrips to achieve a good outcome. For example, using Mending to fix the heart. As you are correct (and I was overlooking), the mechanical parts of her CAN be affected by magic. So any part, even if it’s still connected to her, can be affected by magic.
I’m not trying to limit their options to just a single cantrip, as they are mostly aware that they don’t even have a cantrip to help if they wanted to. Their options are limited. But one of them does have Mending.
The rust comment is a valid point that could be considered. Granted, they would still use them even if it wasn’t clean from bacteria. As in their original universe, they have a way to deal with bacteria and infections pretty easily. So, that wouldn’t be an issue; just a temporary annoying that would disappear quickly once they got back.
With your comment out the blood loss, I was mainly worried about the whole thing. Since most of the organs in her chest, including the ribcage, were destroyed or damaged. However, you do bring up a good point about if the NPC was in fact smart enough, part of the emergency system would close off certain veins and arteries to prevent massive blood loss. Additionally, close enough veins/arteries would attempt to merge to continue circulation, albeit, weakly in two separate loops. As the circulatory system is tempted to be linked together by the nanobots. Additionally, nanobots located within the blood stream could provide some motion to get the blood moving within the bloodstream if it’s not enough. Additionally, if she needs more nanobots, one of her kidneys, being mechanical, could have their nanobots change functions to support the other systems. As that would be a lot of nanobots already. It should be enough to assist in merging nearby veins/arteries and patch up any major holes/damage in the other organs required for survival.
Also, the “stomach” example was intended to show that a set amount of nanobots from the stomach would be programmed to prioritize life support and not “being a stomach”. So, it would exit its current position to anywhere that is required for the NPC’s survival.
One of the Players also come up with the idea that if they can repair the heart, would the nanobots (both in the body and the heart), reattach the whole thing? I decided to green light this idea since it could work.
With removing the blade, they abandoned the idea of placing another blade when they remembered her nanobots. They will also be casting a Homebrewed version of the Time Stop spell too. This spell, as stated, affects the environment around a creature to freeze their time only [kind of like a temporal chamber]. So, they would cast this spell to do the surgery if needed.
When it comes to the NPC’s “plot line”, that’s over. Her story has already come and gone (being in Campaign 1 and this is Campaign 3). So, the NPC is not important to the story, at all. She around only because the Players really enjoy her. Whether living or dying is something I can still bounce off of for the actual main story.
After the chat, the rust was no longer the worry. Their goal is not to save her with this. But prolong her death enough to make it back to their Universe (which would take about 10-20 minutes. Maybe even less since they plan on teleporting to the Castle to get what they need [they are lv 20]). They are also banking on the fact that her nanobots can provide this. Not to mention they may cast the Homebrewed Time Stop spell on her before they leave for the Castle.
Now that was a lot. Thanks for the info David42, it definitely helped organize my thoughts and come up with more ideas from what you said. :) Do you have anything else you can think of that I would need to know?
They are putting allot of effort in to them not dieing so I would not just kill them without a roll. There is also enough ambiguity in the kind of technomagic they have to justify them surviving or dieing if you want. Just roll the dice and see where it goes.
Firstly: Does Prestidigitation remove Rust? I would say yes. It may leave surfaces slightly pitted, but I would consider rust a soiling of the metal. If I can remove it by soaking it in vinegar and wiping it clean, then Prestidigitation will do that. The equipment will be worse than new, but better than rusted.
Secondly, the antiseptics. I would say that it depends on what sort it is. A pure alcohol in an inert, sealed, glass bottle might last indefinitely. Anything in a container with something it can react to (EG a cork in a bottle, or if it's in wooden kegs, metal tins, etc.) will be beyond help after 556 years. There are wines that old out there, but they are for collecting, not for drinking - chances are they would be nausiating at least.
One piece of advice I offer is this: Ask your players what they plan to do next. I find it helps me no end to know where they're going or what they want to do next session, so that I can plan for it. My players know what I am asking - "What do I need to prep for" - and they cooperate. So in this case, asking them "how do you plan to save her" is a good approach so you can prep what is needed for it to work.
Next up:
Does your NPC have to die, have to live, or neither? It's odd to leave an NPC on the cusp of death if it's not a plot point. Is this supposed to be demonstrating that Dark Matter + Void Energy is inherently magical, by not affecting her? Or is this just a consequence intended to demonstrate to the party the fragility of their supposed plot-armour?
If the sword comes out, will the heart still work? It sounds like it's a No, in which case, the needles and stitches are largely irrelevant anyway. What course of action can the party take to heal her? Will they have to rip her heart out, cast Mending (it's robotic, not actually her, after all) on the heart, then put it back in? Does it just plug in?
Honestly it sounds like the party is going to lose her. If it is inevitable, then don't make them roll. Rolling should only be done if it can affect the outcome - sometimes the DM has to be a storyteller, and the party needs to be the audience who reel under the blow of losing a character. Ask them what they are doing, and then don't ask for rolls - just explain the slowing of the robotic heartbeat, the warmth leaving her, her arm dropping limp. Make it as heart-wrenching as it needs to be to tell the story properly. They might interject - "I start beating her chest" - and if they do, ask what anyone else wants to do, then continue the narration. Take your time. Let it be impactful. And if there is anything that can save her, then have it in the back of your mind in case they hit on it during the scene, so you can swing it back around smoothly.
As what the title says, I've got a question about that cantrip. I know in the spell's description it states that "You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot." Does this mean that the caster is able to clean out the rust on medical equipment like needles, bone saw, and varies other surgical tools? That's the whole thing, but if you wish to know the context of the situation in the Campaign and the major problem the Players are in, continue reading below.
For a bit of context in my Campaign, I have an NPC who is unaffected by magic due to a mutation/curse on her, nor can she cast/use magic. It's like she's a walking Anti-Magic Field. She was just skewed in the back, through the heart, by a blade [thick, spiky greatsword] made of Anti-Matter and Void Energy. It was a surprise attack from the boss the Party was fighting [Party dropped their guard and was celebrating when the boss was "dead"]. The Party is aware that Anti-Matter and Void Energy decays/destroys regular matter. They are also panicking because they know healing magic, nor healing potions work on the NPC due to her mutation. Currently, the Party managed to stop blood from pouring out but using bandages. They left the blade in her and just patched up the area around the blade and secured the blade so it wouldn’t move around. The Party is currently rushing this NPC to the Emergency Room in some kind of hospital in that universe (it's a multiversal Campaign where the Party is able to hop around to different Universes. Their device to do this don’t work since the boss sucked all the energy from it, so they are stuck in this universe for now).
This NPC is half-robotic (as she had to make up for her downsides somehow, so she studied hard). Her arm, eye, and most of her insides (notably her heart, intestines, penurious, and stomach is made of a special adamantine alloy) are mechanical. When the blade pierced her chest, it removed her heart [the blade was only able to pierce half way through it, but it ripped it out of her body instead].
Long story short, they realized that all the people there, under the boss's control/part of the Hive (the inspiration was Knull from the Marvel Universe and the boss already succeed in universal domination, having everyone under his control), don’t use any hospitals/doctors since they all have naturally high regeneration. This is because all being are part of the “Hive”, using the boss's regeneration powers. After about 10-15 minutes of panic running around the city since the NPC was in a dangerously critical condition, they eventually found an abandoned hospital on the outskirts. This place hasn’t been used in a very very long time, as the building is overgrown with plants and falling apart. They found some expired, moldy, or rusted things that could help. As they are going to try and perform surgery themselves. They found the following:
I believe their goal is to use Prestidigitation to clean (and not make expired things expired) the stuff to surgically remove the blade from the NPC. They are currently talking if they should only take it out (leaving a massive gapping whole in her chest) and try and patch it, somehow, or surgically put another greatsword they have in its place since it's a close match to the one decaying her [though, I think she'll just bleed to death]. Pretty sure their goal is to keep her stable until they get to their home universe since there's a way to save her there. As only one person in the Party has expertise in Medicine. However, no one knows high-level engineering to fix the mechanical heart perfectly (one Player has made the argument that they may. But my argument is that they are in Aerospace Engineering, not Cybernetics, Biotech, and Biomechanics). You could also make the argument that the NPC's lungs and spine where either heavily damaged or outright non-repairable.
So, that’s the whole current situation. The Party began to start arguing and trying their best to bend the rules as much as they can to save this NPC. After things began to get heated, I called the session, saying that its best for everyone to chat over the course of a few days. The Player will come up with a solution on the direction they want to go by next session (Friday, Oct 4th). Personally, I believe the NPC is screwed no matter how they go about it. However, I know the Players really liked this NPC, going as far as they are doing now, to save her. So, I'm open to ideas on how to save her since I can't think of any.
What do you think about all this? In a quick summary:
If you think knowing the Player's races, classes, spells, etc., is needed, let me know and I can provide it.
Note:
Rust is not dirt or some other substance caked on an object's surface; the surface of the object has become rust. There's not much that can be done about that besides filing or grinding that surface layer of oxidation away.
Additionally, the rules generally don't treat liquids/gels as objects, and there's already a dedicated non-cantrip spells for rendering liquids non-toxic (Purify Food and Drink.) Note that toxicity isn't the only problem with expiration dates either: substances can become inert or undergo chemical changes that stop it from doing it what it's supposed to do.
In my opinion the scope of Prestidigation is basically limited to the same results as giving solid objects a thorough cleaning with soap and water. I'd let it clean mold off of solid objects but for anything that would be ingested, I'd expect Purify Food and Drink to be used.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
@InquisitiveCoder
So, even if they use Purify Food and Drink, the substances they found may or may not have chemically changed to be either useless, do something unintended, or inert? I'm also assuming nothing can really help the situation?
Short answer is that you're already pushing the game's system past the point it's really designed for. As a result it really is all on you as a GM to decide. Don't misunderstand me, it all sounds like a really fun and cool concept.However, it's important to recognise here that you've created a homebrew with this NPC. So the way spells interact with the homebrew is entirely on your shoulders. In general then your questions appear to me to boil down to 'what is fair to let my players attempt/suceed?'
For the answer to that question I'd say if the solution seems cool, inventive, and/or uses limited resources: it should suceed.
If it requires a cantrip, or other mundane and cost free solution: it should fail.
The reason is simply that D&D at its core assumes that players will need to manage limited resources. Cantrips shouldn't provide healing, or really anything beyond mere flair. They are curiosity, they're the metaphorical equivelent of power steering. You can certainly drive a car without power steering, it's just more difficult. With power steering your life becomes easier.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
I knew that the NPC was Homebrew, as it's not natural/supported by the vanilla game.
My current plan was like what you were saying. If cool and/or not cantrip, allow. I'm just mainly trying to think if anything they can do can work. Since the NPC is in a really deadly situation that will 99% kill her.
I'd just add that you shouldn't forget that the NPC dying can be just as much a story point as anything else. Character death tends to have big meaningful impacts and remind the player characters that they can't always succeed at everything.
Though I do tend to land on the side of 'yeah that thing the players tried would probably work'.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
True
I was thinking the same thing earlier. I was also thinking about the benefits/downsides to it.
Funny enough is that if the NPC dies, it would 100% have some ripple effects, as this is Campaign 3. It would also cause some drama with the other NPCs too. This is always an option.
As the DM, I think you can decide the parameters of how you want this story to work and what range of options there can be for the NPC, as well as how hard you want this to be.
I would rule that prestidigitation can clean rust and mold and sterilize hard objects. However if you want to make it a little more interesting, you can also add a roll to this with a DC of your choice, make it be the risk of breakage. When you remove the rust, or in the process of its removal, there may not be enough good metal for the item to still function, or you might bend it or break it. You can also require say a longer time, multiple uses of the spell.
For something like hemostats or scissors, getting the rust off is really just a matter of abrasion and time. The bone saw too, though it might also need to be honed/sharpened. For something like a hypodermic needle, I would say possible but fairly high odds of failure. But if you had 100 of them probably you'd get some of them clean using magic.
I'd be fine with prestidigitation sterilizing bandages also. However, I would not allow it to sterilize liquids and it would not unexpire medications. Some medications are stable and safe past their official date; again you could roll for that with a DC of your choosing, either that it is clearly expired or that using it you have some odds of it being effective and some odds of it being inert and some odds of it being actively harmful.
As for your question about aerospace engineering prowess... as it happens, aerospace engineering is all about fluid mechanics, just like a heart. It's where you study fluids and turbulence and valves and all the relevant basic physics that would apply. You could actually make a case that an aero engineer is more qualified to work on the mechanical heart than a random biologist without direct and specific expertise in mechanical hearts. Of course, without that specific expertise, still can be a very high DC.
I like your setup! Personally I'd be inclined to create a challenging adventure where they're able to save her if they're smart and lucky.
Other ways to create resource limitations with Prestidigitation would be to rule that these items are so dirty that will work but take multiple passes. So it will work but say each item takes a full minute, or 10 minutes, or whatever, of attention, and you have a ticking clock.
You could say some of these might need a combination of Prestidigitation and Mending (which has a longer cast time).
You could offer the idea of upcasting Prestidigitation as a first level spell, or as a ritual to do this very challenging work.
For the blood loss, you can basically do a sequence of extended death saves. Maybe change the DC, maybe go with more total rolls, maybe make them with advantage, to give the players urgency but also time to work.
Prestidigitation would work to take surface rust off but not the layer that is actively rusting, the mend cantrip should work for that as well fixing many of the tools, bags etc but they will need to cast both many times one casting (at least) for each item. Mending might also unexpire the gels/ liquids while purify food and drink and neutralize poison might work to purify them. Neutralize poison is a bit of a risk as essentially all medicines are poisons in large enough quantities.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
So, to provide an update, my Players decided to go about it in another direction. They all got in a call to talk about ways to salvage the situation.
They're current plan is to use prestidigitation on cleaning mold on the tools. However, they will just leave the rust as is [maybe a check will be made to prevent the tools from breaking mid-surgery]. They'll try and repair the mechanical heart. Next, they will quickly remove the Anti-Matter blade currently still in her. As they realized the blade is doing more damage then good. Slowly dissolving/decaying the area of the NPC's body that is near the blade. So they all agreed that the blade needs to come out. At the same time, one Player will immediately begin surgery to repair the damage. Luckily, the NPC's insides that are mechanical are nanotech, and will "repair" itself, at least to keep the required functions like the heart running until she can get proper medical attention. They will attempt to repair as much as they can.
The main question now is how this should go? Should multiple checks be made? The main problem with this is the blood loss.
Note/Recap:
Given the situation, should I allow the NPC to survive? If she does, she'll most likely have some other problems too. For example, paralyzed from the center of her chest and down.
Really, the bottom line is that it is up to you how you want it to run because you are the DM. In this case, you have set the PCs a problem and do not have any particular solution in mind. You don't have a set of actions they can take that will succeed at the task. As DM, you've simply decided that if the party comes up with something that you judge could work then you might allow it.
The problem with this approach is that you end up in your current situation where the party isn't coming up with any stupendous awesome idea or creative use of magic that might work. Magic is something of a direct dead end because the NPC is immune to it but something might be done to use magic to affect the environment. However, your players might not be doctors or engineers in the real world so they may lack the knowledge needed to come up with some plausible idea. The problem with this is that it isn't the players but the characters that need to solve it and the characters may have completely different knowledge sets from the players so the characters might be able to come up with something that doesn't occur to the players - which is where skill checks come in.
In this case, you want the players to come up with something that their characters might do without taking into account what the characters might know AND on top of that, as DM, you have no idea what you might allow to work or not. Personally, I consider that a bit of a problem.
There are all sorts of things that might help, hyperbaric chambers, over oxygenate by some sort of atmospheric controls, creating an external magical heart - maybe using the fabricate spell - and route blood flow out to the machine and back to the body (they do this for open heart surgery - which is what it sounds like the NPC has had involuntarily). Magic could be used to create external supports even if magic doesn't affect the NPC directly. I have no idea what resources the party might have. But unless the players have certain real life knowledge and experiences, these kinds of ideas might never occur to them though the characters might think of them.
They might even be able to use a combination of cantrips to accomplish most of this ... the shape water cantrip could be used to drive blood flow (blood is mostly water and shape water isn't likely limited to pure distilled water since it would never work then). The gust cantrip might be usable to create a pressure differential. The mending cantrip might be useful to fix the adamantine heart when it is NOT inside the NPC. At that point the mechanical heart isn't actually a part of the NPC so one would have to ask if it would still be affected by the curse. This might make the removed parts susceptible to magic manipulation.
However, if you arbitrarily decide that any solution using a cantrip is "too easy" then you are basically trying to limit solutions without having an idea of what might reasonably work in the first place.
As to your question about rust, why does it matter? If cleaning by prestidigitation includes bacteria and viruses which it might well do depending on the DM decision regarding what "clean" means then the issue with a rusty implement is that it may not be as sharp (which could probably be fixed with a brief use of a whetstone or mending cantrip) and not issues with infection since it was cleaned with prestidigitation. However, that is a DM decision in terms of exactly how clean you want prestidigitation to be. Personally, I would say it removes germs.
"Rust isn't inherently harmful to human beings."
The issue with rust is typically tetanus which is caused by a bacteria ... which is likely removed by prestidigitation. So, why are you worried about removing the rust?
The problem here seems to be that the DM is just as unknowledgeable as the players about what constitutes a "reasonable" solution.
Finally, based on the DMs comments, the NPC is toast. A 12 minute time limit on life support leaves the party insufficient time to come up with any solution, reasonable or not. It sounds like the party has already taken more time to run around a city looking for a long abandoned hospital to desperately find something that might help. That whole process is likely already hours .. if the NPC only had 12 minutes, they probably already died on the way to the hospital. The NPC is dead already because the DM decided that is what should happen with an extremely short 12 minute emergency life support capability.
Short summary ... the NPC was stabbed through the heart with a disintegrating anti-matter sword that forced their adamantine heart out of their chest ... the heart sustained some damage. The NPC apparently has internal systems that can replace organs but only for a limited time. However, the DM is worried about blood loss? One of the most fundamental systems would be automatic sealing of valves leading to major wounds to prevent blood loss. If the heart got poked out then the circulatory system in that area of the body would shut down and re-route blood flow - keep in mind that in the standard structure of the heart there are two separate circulation loops - one that circulates the blood through the lungs to oxygenate it and a second loop that circulates the blood through the body. Both loops meet at the heart. Unless the support system already includes the ability to re-route blood flow by creating/using capillaries and other channels - there is no way for a "heart" in the stomach region to actually circulate the blood through the lungs and out to the rest of the body AND if the system does have the capability to do that then stopping blood loss through the missing heart is trivial. Basically, the creature capabilities as stated aren't logically consistent - they were chosen for drama not consistency.
Anyway - the players should immediately remove the sword since the secondary life support will have already re-routed blood flow away from the affected region. This prevents the damage from getting worse. They should not replace the sword since it will do nothing - they should seal the holes to reduce/minimize blood loss through secondary capillaries. They then either create an external blood oxygenation and flow device that they could connect to the internal valves connecting to the existing circulatory system structure. This could be powered by cantrips since it is external but someone will have to keep casting since this is a stop gap at best (and depends on the party having access to the right spells, cantrips and equipment). However, this is actually impossible because it would take much longer than 12 minutes and the NPC is thus already dead so the DM should tell the players that and just move on if that was the plot line element the DM was looking for in the first place.
P.S. In terms of the mechanical heart - an aerospace engineer is probably as qualified as anyone in a fantasy world to at least have some insight into the prosthesis. As mentioned, heart flow involves fluid dynamics and turbulence, pumping fluids, circulation and mechanics - all of which an aerospace engineer would be decent at. So, coming up with a stop gap would be right up their alley but creating a pretty looking, functionally equivalent heart as a permanent solution would either be easier because they could reproduce the existing adamantine example or require additional specialized knowledge to avoid immune system responses and rejection. BUT ... how realistic do you really want to get with this entire problem? Anyway, aerospace engineering includes a lot of the basic physics relevant to the situation so arguing that their character should be able to at least think of some of this stuff is quite reasonable. Whether they have the resources available or the knowledge needed to put it all together ... who knows ... but worrying about rust kind of reveals a fundamental lack of understanding of the issues involved. :)
@David42, you bring up a lot of really good points. I’ll reply in order of your message from the comments/answers I have. I also want to for all the points, as some things I did overlook.
The current entire situation of what’s going on was unintentionally on me. As the Party had gone much farther than planned, so I needed to come up with an entire universe, along with its rules, creatures, etc., on the spot. In quick thinking, I turned into the Marvel Comics for inspiration and used Knull and the idea of what would happen if he’d won. When the fight with Knull (or a boss inspired by him) occurred, it was alright. Since the Party has a bad habit of having their guard down, even when the enemy is not 100% killed, I decided to prove a point. Make sure the enemy, if completely evil (like Knull), is not dead, don’t drop your guard. Make sure he cannot retaliate. Since the Party members were too far away, the boss used his attack on the NPC. Since she also dropped their guard since the PCs did as well. Due to the pressure of having to come up with an entire universe (at least a location/city and what’s there), as well as entire boss fight itself on the fly, I forgot a problem and only realized what happened after it was too late. In the moment, I thought they can just heal her via magic, magic potions, or something similar (even if it one-shot the NPC [Party brought an ‘underleveled’/weak NPC with them because they wanted her around, idk.]). It was dead silence at the table with wide shocked eyes. One PC finished over the boss and the others ran to the NPC. They began panicking, trying to figure out a way to help. In my mind, I was waiting for them to cast a spell or use an item. A new PC said he’ll cast magic, but the OG PCs said that magic doesn’t affect her and that she’s in a very critical position. It’s here that I realized my overlooked mistake. Magic in fact does not affect her. Nor do any magic items. While the Players are panicking to come up with a way to save her, I’m panicking as well. Searching my notes and trying to come up with a solution and try and point them in a direction that could help. But during the boss fight, it drained their device’s power source and the city they are in has no medical practices. Not to mention the blade itself is made of Anti-Matter, so it’s dissolving/decaying her the longer it stays inside the NPC. A way to give them time, I added the fact that the blade was 99% Void Energy, so the process would be much much slower [a Player can view this stay (it’s called Dark-Sight / Anti-Vision)]. So, while the Players are trying to come up with a solution, I’m also trying to find a way to fix my mistake. That’s why I’m very open to ideas and ways if they can think of [but they are keeping the consequences like infections and varies other problem in mind too].
The Players themselves are very knowledgeable with both medical practices and engineering. One has a minor in some kind of medical think (I forgot what it was called exactly). One went back to school for a second Major. So, they were all getting very scientific, a bit too much/fast for me. Additionally, they were researching all sorts of things that can help. Like various surgeries that could help and topics on nanotechnology. They also included ChatGPT when they couldn’t find something. They designed that their characters would know roughly exactly what they themselves know, which is a lot. They definitely know a lot more than I do, that I can say for sure. So, I don’t think their lack of knowledge on medics and engineering would be an issue.
With creating magical supports, they would get dispelled as soon as they come in contact with the NPC. If it was a physical object or magic item, the item would cease to be magical until contact was no longer made.
I really like your idea to use a combination of cantrips to achieve a good outcome. For example, using Mending to fix the heart. As you are correct (and I was overlooking), the mechanical parts of her CAN be affected by magic. So any part, even if it’s still connected to her, can be affected by magic.
I’m not trying to limit their options to just a single cantrip, as they are mostly aware that they don’t even have a cantrip to help if they wanted to. Their options are limited. But one of them does have Mending.
The rust comment is a valid point that could be considered. Granted, they would still use them even if it wasn’t clean from bacteria. As in their original universe, they have a way to deal with bacteria and infections pretty easily. So, that wouldn’t be an issue; just a temporary annoying that would disappear quickly once they got back.
With your comment out the blood loss, I was mainly worried about the whole thing. Since most of the organs in her chest, including the ribcage, were destroyed or damaged. However, you do bring up a good point about if the NPC was in fact smart enough, part of the emergency system would close off certain veins and arteries to prevent massive blood loss. Additionally, close enough veins/arteries would attempt to merge to continue circulation, albeit, weakly in two separate loops. As the circulatory system is tempted to be linked together by the nanobots. Additionally, nanobots located within the blood stream could provide some motion to get the blood moving within the bloodstream if it’s not enough. Additionally, if she needs more nanobots, one of her kidneys, being mechanical, could have their nanobots change functions to support the other systems. As that would be a lot of nanobots already. It should be enough to assist in merging nearby veins/arteries and patch up any major holes/damage in the other organs required for survival.
Also, the “stomach” example was intended to show that a set amount of nanobots from the stomach would be programmed to prioritize life support and not “being a stomach”. So, it would exit its current position to anywhere that is required for the NPC’s survival.
One of the Players also come up with the idea that if they can repair the heart, would the nanobots (both in the body and the heart), reattach the whole thing? I decided to green light this idea since it could work.
With removing the blade, they abandoned the idea of placing another blade when they remembered her nanobots. They will also be casting a Homebrewed version of the Time Stop spell too. This spell, as stated, affects the environment around a creature to freeze their time only [kind of like a temporal chamber]. So, they would cast this spell to do the surgery if needed.
When it comes to the NPC’s “plot line”, that’s over. Her story has already come and gone (being in Campaign 1 and this is Campaign 3). So, the NPC is not important to the story, at all. She around only because the Players really enjoy her. Whether living or dying is something I can still bounce off of for the actual main story.
After the chat, the rust was no longer the worry. Their goal is not to save her with this. But prolong her death enough to make it back to their Universe (which would take about 10-20 minutes. Maybe even less since they plan on teleporting to the Castle to get what they need [they are lv 20]). They are also banking on the fact that her nanobots can provide this. Not to mention they may cast the Homebrewed Time Stop spell on her before they leave for the Castle.
Now that was a lot. Thanks for the info David42, it definitely helped organize my thoughts and come up with more ideas from what you said. :)
Do you have anything else you can think of that I would need to know?
Anyone else reading, feel free to add your thoughts too
Firstly: Does Prestidigitation remove Rust? I would say yes. It may leave surfaces slightly pitted, but I would consider rust a soiling of the metal. If I can remove it by soaking it in vinegar and wiping it clean, then Prestidigitation will do that. The equipment will be worse than new, but better than rusted.
Secondly, the antiseptics. I would say that it depends on what sort it is. A pure alcohol in an inert, sealed, glass bottle might last indefinitely. Anything in a container with something it can react to (EG a cork in a bottle, or if it's in wooden kegs, metal tins, etc.) will be beyond help after 556 years. There are wines that old out there, but they are for collecting, not for drinking - chances are they would be nausiating at least.
One piece of advice I offer is this: Ask your players what they plan to do next. I find it helps me no end to know where they're going or what they want to do next session, so that I can plan for it. My players know what I am asking - "What do I need to prep for" - and they cooperate. So in this case, asking them "how do you plan to save her" is a good approach so you can prep what is needed for it to work.
Next up:
Does your NPC have to die, have to live, or neither? It's odd to leave an NPC on the cusp of death if it's not a plot point. Is this supposed to be demonstrating that Dark Matter + Void Energy is inherently magical, by not affecting her? Or is this just a consequence intended to demonstrate to the party the fragility of their supposed plot-armour?
If the sword comes out, will the heart still work? It sounds like it's a No, in which case, the needles and stitches are largely irrelevant anyway. What course of action can the party take to heal her? Will they have to rip her heart out, cast Mending (it's robotic, not actually her, after all) on the heart, then put it back in? Does it just plug in?
Honestly it sounds like the party is going to lose her. If it is inevitable, then don't make them roll. Rolling should only be done if it can affect the outcome - sometimes the DM has to be a storyteller, and the party needs to be the audience who reel under the blow of losing a character. Ask them what they are doing, and then don't ask for rolls - just explain the slowing of the robotic heartbeat, the warmth leaving her, her arm dropping limp. Make it as heart-wrenching as it needs to be to tell the story properly. They might interject - "I start beating her chest" - and if they do, ask what anyone else wants to do, then continue the narration. Take your time. Let it be impactful. And if there is anything that can save her, then have it in the back of your mind in case they hit on it during the scene, so you can swing it back around smoothly.
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
DM's Guild Releases on This Thread Or check them all out on DMs Guild!
DrivethruRPG Releases on This Thread - latest release: My Character is a Werewolf: balanced rules for Lycanthropy!
I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!