What Can the Mending Spell Fix in D&D 5e?

The Basics of Mending

Mending is a transmutation cantrip that repairs a single break or tear in an object you touch. The spell can fix various items, including:

Broken chain links
Two halves of a broken key
Torn cloaks
Leaking wineskins

The key limitation is that the break or tear must be no larger than 1 foot in any dimension. When successfully cast, the spell mends the object, leaving no trace of the former damage.

Practical Applications

While Mending might seem simple at first glance, its applications can be quite creative:

Repairing equipment: Adventurers can quickly fix torn tents, broken tools, or damaged armor.
Restoring valuable items: Mending can repair precious artifacts or family heirlooms.
Covering tracks: Thieves might use it to repair locks after picking them.
Maintaining vehicles: Small repairs to ships, wagons, or airships could be performed.

Limitations and Considerations

It’s important to understand what Mending cannot do:

Create new material: The spell repairs existing breaks but doesn’t generate missing parts.
Restore magic: While it can physically repair magical items, it can’t restore their magical properties.
Heal living creatures: Mending is designed for objects, not living tissue.
Fix large-scale damage: Anything beyond the 1-foot limitation is beyond the spell’s capability.

Creative Uses in Gameplay

Clever players and Dungeon Masters can find unique ways to utilize Mending:

Communication: Breaking an object in half and giving each piece to different parties. When one half is mended, the other disappears, signaling a completed task.
Evidence removal: Repairing broken windows or doors to cover up a break-in.
Puzzle solving: Mending could be used to restore clues or repair ancient mechanisms in dungeons.