Since it doesn't say, my inclination would be to say that you need mending or you'd need to go through a process that would be harder than finding someone with the spell.
A damaged magic item isn’t something covered in RAW. It’s something your DM must have homebrewed, so they’ll be the ones with a way to fix it.
This is false for 2 reasons. The first is that Ioun Stones explicitly have AC 24, 10 hit points, and resistance to all damage. The second is that there are some (admittedly vague) rules for governing damage sustained to any magic item. From the DMG:
Most magic items are objects of extraordinary artisanship, assembled from the finest materials with meticulous attention to detail. Thanks to this combination of careful crafting and magical reinforcement, a magic item is at least as durable as a regular item of its kind. Most magic items, other than potions and scrolls, have resistance to all damage. Artifacts are practically indestructible, requiring extreme measures to destroy.
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Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Leaving it open allows the DM to create a sequence of events based on the origin of Ioun Stones to attempt to find a way to repair it.
It could be as easy as a Mending spell ("cast by a mighty wizard of at least 17th level") or as difficult as attempting a crafting roll while in the Ethereal plane in a forge of starstuff. Maybe you have to find the person who created it there, and cajole them into doing it for you.
That's the "why" there isn't an easy answer to that question. Magic items are rare and special and officially are difficult to replace or find. More specifically:
The game assumes that the secrets of creating the most powerful items arose centuries ago and were then gradually lost as a result of wars, cataclysms, and mishaps. Even uncommon items can’t be easily created. Thus, many magic items are well-preserved antiquities.
So it is somewhat intentional that there is not a way to "fix" it -- the way to make them is lost to the ages. Fixing it may simply be impossible.
The catch is if you are not using a published world (something of your own creation, that is), that rule may not apply. Forgotten Realms dwellers may not know how to fix it, but those in the distant world of (insert world here) still have the secrets...
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Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
A damaged magic item isn’t something covered in RAW. It’s something your DM must have homebrewed, so they’ll be the ones with a way to fix it.
This is false for 2 reasons. The first is that Ioun Stones explicitly have AC 24, 10 hit points, and resistance to all damage. The second is that there are some (admittedly vague) rules for governing damage sustained to any magic item. From the DMG:
Most magic items are objects of extraordinary artisanship, assembled from the finest materials with meticulous attention to detail. Thanks to this combination of careful crafting and magical reinforcement, a magic item is at least as durable as a regular item of its kind. Most magic items, other than potions and scrolls, have resistance to all damage. Artifacts are practically indestructible, requiring extreme measures to destroy.
Honestly, looking at some of the new stat blocks that have their own pseudo magic items, I'd say it's fair to let the Ioun Stone refresh over a long rest prior to 0. The HP is low enough that one or two hits will already do it in at the levels of play they're expected to crop up in, and it helps give the player a small cushion to get it out of danger before you destroy their very nice magic item and either leave them feeling nerfed for a while or suddenly shift the party off onto a side quest to fix it. Honestly, imo, I kinda think it was a bad call to make them destructible, particularly when the same AC to hit already allows an enemy to take it out of play without outright destroying it.
Since there are no rules regarding an Ioun stone “healing” itself I would say it does not. And since there’s no reference to the mending restoring HP to an Ioun stone, I would say that it does not either.
I’m personally not a fan of Ioun stones since they’re pretty fragile and as objects automatically fail all saving throws. The only thing protecting them is that most AoEs specify that they only affect creatures, and the ones that affect objects usually exclude objects that are worn or carried. Unless someone specifically targets an Ioun stone with an attack they’re generally safe, but with only 10 HP i generally consider them as pseudo-consumables. That being said, I could see a DM concocting some method of repairing a damaged Ioun stone, but I wouldn’t make it as easy as a long rest or mending if it were me.
I am interested in the 'Ioun Stone of Protection' but it's unclear if/how it can regain it's hitpoints when damaged?
Since it doesn't say, my inclination would be to say that you need mending or you'd need to go through a process that would be harder than finding someone with the spell.
A damaged magic item isn’t something covered in RAW. It’s something your DM must have homebrewed, so they’ll be the ones with a way to fix it.
This is false for 2 reasons. The first is that Ioun Stones explicitly have AC 24, 10 hit points, and resistance to all damage. The second is that there are some (admittedly vague) rules for governing damage sustained to any magic item. From the DMG:
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Repairing a Damaged Ioun Stone is a questline.
Leaving it open allows the DM to create a sequence of events based on the origin of Ioun Stones to attempt to find a way to repair it.
It could be as easy as a Mending spell ("cast by a mighty wizard of at least 17th level") or as difficult as attempting a crafting roll while in the Ethereal plane in a forge of starstuff. Maybe you have to find the person who created it there, and cajole them into doing it for you.
That's the "why" there isn't an easy answer to that question. Magic items are rare and special and officially are difficult to replace or find. More specifically:
So it is somewhat intentional that there is not a way to "fix" it -- the way to make them is lost to the ages. Fixing it may simply be impossible.
The catch is if you are not using a published world (something of your own creation, that is), that rule may not apply. Forgotten Realms dwellers may not know how to fix it, but those in the distant world of (insert world here) still have the secrets...
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Thank you for the correction.
Honestly, looking at some of the new stat blocks that have their own pseudo magic items, I'd say it's fair to let the Ioun Stone refresh over a long rest prior to 0. The HP is low enough that one or two hits will already do it in at the levels of play they're expected to crop up in, and it helps give the player a small cushion to get it out of danger before you destroy their very nice magic item and either leave them feeling nerfed for a while or suddenly shift the party off onto a side quest to fix it. Honestly, imo, I kinda think it was a bad call to make them destructible, particularly when the same AC to hit already allows an enemy to take it out of play without outright destroying it.
Since there are no rules regarding an Ioun stone “healing” itself I would say it does not. And since there’s no reference to the mending restoring HP to an Ioun stone, I would say that it does not either.
I’m personally not a fan of Ioun stones since they’re pretty fragile and as objects automatically fail all saving throws. The only thing protecting them is that most AoEs specify that they only affect creatures, and the ones that affect objects usually exclude objects that are worn or carried. Unless someone specifically targets an Ioun stone with an attack they’re generally safe, but with only 10 HP i generally consider them as pseudo-consumables. That being said, I could see a DM concocting some method of repairing a damaged Ioun stone, but I wouldn’t make it as easy as a long rest or mending if it were me.
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