It repairs a single break or tear. If you have all the pieces, you can probably restore it piece by piece. If parts have been destroyed by water damage or fire, then it cannot be restored by the cantrip.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat On - Mod Hat Off
You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot.
It would be up to the DM to decide now much of the spell's ability to "clean" would restore damage from water, soiling and fire... an evil DM would probably tell you the book is now cleaned of all ink.
There's also the Knowledge Domain Cleric's "Visions of the Past" with the "Object Reading" ability but it would be a stretch to let it see what was previously written in the book:
After meditating for 1 minute, you learn how the owner acquired and lost the object, as well as the most recent significant event involving the object and that owner.
Personally as a DM, I would note the line from Mend "you mend it, leaving no trace of the former damage." together with the fact that broken items are likely to be missing small splinters, fibers and shards that the spell likely compensates and replaces provided the major pieces are present. From that I would allow it to extend to repairing general damage to an object, but I might require continued/repeated casting over a period of 1 hour to 1 day or more, showing additional care and work required to restore it. But thats not RAW, just my own DM judgement. You might decide something similar as a DM or take such an argument to your DM and try to persuade them to extend the spell's abilities.
As a final note, you could work with your DM to have your character research and create a new spell that might be an extension of the mending spell and the DM could homebrew the spell up for you. E.G. Level 1 spell, cast time 1 hour, fully repairs/restores up to 1 cubic feet of material, or an object within those limitations, to a previous state up to 1 day ago. Upcast to improve the area of repair by 1 foot for each higher level and the previous state further back (up to 9 days).
Mending repairs breaks, it doesn't restore parts of an item.
If you have a 50ft rope and you burn the middle 10 feet to ash, casting mending on the two smaller ropes would give you a 40ft rope, not a 50ft rope.
If a book page has just been ripped then mending will put it together. If its been waterlogged, eaten by bookworms, burnt, or something else, mending can't help. Similarly, if the page had ink spilled on it obscuring the writing, mending also can't help.
Is there any ruling on using the mending cantrip to repair ruined book pages?
Yes, even a magical one since Mending can physically repair a magic item or construct, but the spell can't restore magic to such an object if it lost its enchantment
If a wizard or his student were to cast mending on a tome, would it reset the affect that aging has had? For example the student is tasked with casting mending on every non-magical tome within the library every year. It wouldn't repair any spills or actual damage to a tome, but as long as it has been treated well this would keep a library of books from aging.
Then let's consider the Dead Sea Scrolls. We have a scenario where those who found the scrolls within their original location. A wizard casts mending on each of the scrolls. My thinking is that while the spell wouldn't restore any pieces of the pages that have disintegrated from age, it would perfectly restore what is left. Then someone touching the scrolls would result in them crumbling into dust. The pages that have seen great age, and missing pieces may be easily torn. Think of those paper snowflakes kids make in the winter. If the points of contact between sections only has a thin contact, they can easily tear.... but they wouldn't be destroyed. Another mending would rejoin the pieces.
If a wizard or his student were to cast mending on a tome, would it reset the affect that aging has had? For example the student is tasked with casting mending on every non-magical tome within the library every year. It wouldn't repair any spills or actual damage to a tome, but as long as it has been treated well this would keep a library of books from aging.
Then let's consider the Dead Sea Scrolls. We have a scenario where those who found the scrolls within their original location. A wizard casts mending on each of the scrolls. My thinking is that while the spell wouldn't restore any pieces of the pages that have disintegrated from age, it would perfectly restore what is left. Then someone touching the scrolls would result in them crumbling into dust. The pages that have seen great age, and missing pieces may be easily torn. Think of those paper snowflakes kids make in the winter. If the points of contact between sections only has a thin contact, they can easily tear.... but they wouldn't be destroyed. Another mending would rejoin the pieces.
Thoughts?
I share your thoughts Mending repairs a single break or tear in an object, it doesn't restore wear, so paper heavily worn by age would remain fragile because it's entirely weakened and not just torn at specific points.
Is there any ruling on using the mending cantrip to repair ruined book pages?
-
View User Profile
-
View Posts
-
Send Message
ModeratorIt repairs a single break or tear. If you have all the pieces, you can probably restore it piece by piece. If parts have been destroyed by water damage or fire, then it cannot be restored by the cantrip.
Homebrew Rules || Homebrew FAQ || Snippet Codes || Tooltips
DDB Guides & FAQs, Class Guides, Character Builds, Game Guides, Useful Websites, and WOTC Resources
Then would you use restoration spell or greater restoration spell.
Those only work on creatures, not objects. Currently I don't think there is a spell that would fix a burnt or similarly damaged book or other item.
Wish
One could quest for a lost spell scroll (earlier edition) of Make Whole. Could be fun if the plot required to repair something Mending can not fix.
Prestidigitation notes the ability:
It would be up to the DM to decide now much of the spell's ability to "clean" would restore damage from water, soiling and fire... an evil DM would probably tell you the book is now cleaned of all ink.
There's also the Knowledge Domain Cleric's "Visions of the Past" with the "Object Reading" ability but it would be a stretch to let it see what was previously written in the book:
Personally as a DM, I would note the line from Mend "you mend it, leaving no trace of the former damage." together with the fact that broken items are likely to be missing small splinters, fibers and shards that the spell likely compensates and replaces provided the major pieces are present. From that I would allow it to extend to repairing general damage to an object, but I might require continued/repeated casting over a period of 1 hour to 1 day or more, showing additional care and work required to restore it. But thats not RAW, just my own DM judgement. You might decide something similar as a DM or take such an argument to your DM and try to persuade them to extend the spell's abilities.
As a final note, you could work with your DM to have your character research and create a new spell that might be an extension of the mending spell and the DM could homebrew the spell up for you. E.G. Level 1 spell, cast time 1 hour, fully repairs/restores up to 1 cubic feet of material, or an object within those limitations, to a previous state up to 1 day ago. Upcast to improve the area of repair by 1 foot for each higher level and the previous state further back (up to 9 days).
Mending repairs breaks, it doesn't restore parts of an item.
If you have a 50ft rope and you burn the middle 10 feet to ash, casting mending on the two smaller ropes would give you a 40ft rope, not a 50ft rope.
If a book page has just been ripped then mending will put it together. If its been waterlogged, eaten by bookworms, burnt, or something else, mending can't help. Similarly, if the page had ink spilled on it obscuring the writing, mending also can't help.
Yes, even a magical one since Mending can physically repair a magic item or construct, but the spell can't restore magic to such an object if it lost its enchantment
If a wizard or his student were to cast mending on a tome, would it reset the affect that aging has had? For example the student is tasked with casting mending on every non-magical tome within the library every year. It wouldn't repair any spills or actual damage to a tome, but as long as it has been treated well this would keep a library of books from aging.
Then let's consider the Dead Sea Scrolls. We have a scenario where those who found the scrolls within their original location. A wizard casts mending on each of the scrolls. My thinking is that while the spell wouldn't restore any pieces of the pages that have disintegrated from age, it would perfectly restore what is left. Then someone touching the scrolls would result in them crumbling into dust. The pages that have seen great age, and missing pieces may be easily torn. Think of those paper snowflakes kids make in the winter. If the points of contact between sections only has a thin contact, they can easily tear.... but they wouldn't be destroyed. Another mending would rejoin the pieces.
Thoughts?
I share your thoughts Mending repairs a single break or tear in an object, it doesn't restore wear, so paper heavily worn by age would remain fragile because it's entirely weakened and not just torn at specific points.