Mending is a transmutation cantrip with a 1-minute casting time. You touch an object and repair a single break or tear no larger than 1 foot in any dimension, such as a broken chain link, a snapped key, a torn cloak, or a leaking wineskin. It leaves no trace of the damage. It can physically repair a magic item, but it cannot restore lost magic.
Mending is a cantrip that fixes small physical damage to objects. Bards, Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards can all learn it. Because it takes a full minute to cast, it is a tool for downtime, travel, and puzzles rather than combat.
Its limits are simple. It fixes one break or tear per casting, and that break can be no larger than 1 foot in any dimension. It repairs the object, not hit points, and it cannot bring back magic that an item has lost. Within those limits, it saves money on repairs, keeps gear working, and solves many "broken key" or "torn map" moments.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | 0 |
| School | Transmutation |
| Casting Time | 1 minute |
| Range | Touch |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Material | Two lodestones. |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Concentration | No |
| Ritual | No |
| Save/Attack | None |
| Classes | Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard |
| Metric | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Slot Efficiency | Free. It is a cantrip. |
| Action Economy | Poor in combat. Each casting takes 1 minute. |
| Opportunity Cost | One cantrip pick. It competes with damage cantrips for limited choices. |
When worth the pick: Exploration-heavy campaigns, characters who care about gear, and parties without much gold for repairs.
When NOT worth the pick: A combat-focused character with few cantrips known.
Why it works: Broken bowstrings, torn rope, a cracked lantern, or a damaged lock can all stop a plan. One casting fixes a single break or tear up to 1 foot.
This avoids the mistake of: Paying a craftsperson or waiting in town for small repairs.
Why it works: Torn letters, broken seals, and snapped keys are common puzzle items. Mending leaves no trace of the former damage.
This avoids the mistake of: Assuming a broken key or torn map is a dead end.
Why it works: The 1-minute casting time is fine during a short rest or while the party searches a room.
This avoids the mistake of: Trying to fix something during combat, when 10 rounds is a long time.
Why it's bad: The 2014 text says it can physically repair a magic item or construct, but it does not mention hit points. Read literally, it does not heal.
Do this instead: Use healing magic that works on the creature, or ask the DM how they handle repairs to constructs.
Why it's bad: The spell says it can't restore magic to an object. A broken magic item that lost its magic stays nonmagical, even if it looks whole again.
Do this instead: Treat that as a quest problem, not a cantrip problem.
Why it's bad: The break or tear must be no larger than 1 foot in any dimension.
Do this instead: Ask the DM whether a larger break can be fixed in sections with several castings. The spell does not say, so it is a table call.
Why it's bad: Mending needs two lodestones. They have no listed cost and are not consumed, so a focus or component pouch covers them, but a caster without either needs the actual lodestones.
Do this instead: Keep a focus or component pouch handy.
The 2024 version keeps the same casting time, range, component, limits, and class list: Bards, Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. One line changes. The 2014 text says Mending can physically repair "a magic item or construct." The 2024 text says it can physically repair "a magic item." Constructs are no longer mentioned. It still cannot restore magic to an object.
It repairs a single break or tear in an object you touch, as long as the damage is no larger than 1 foot in any dimension. The repair leaves no trace. It takes 1 minute to cast.
It can physically repair a magic item, but it can't restore magic to it. A broken magic item that kept its magic can be made whole, while one that lost its magic stays nonmagical.
The 2014 text says it can physically repair a construct, but it does not restore hit points. The 2024 text no longer mentions constructs at all. Any healing use is up to your DM.
1 minute, which is 10 rounds of combat. That makes it a downtime spell rather than a combat spell.
Yes, if the damage is a single break or tear no larger than 1 foot in any dimension. A snapped sword blade or a torn armor strap fits. Larger damage needs more castings, if the DM allows it, or a smith.
Only if the damage is a single break or tear within the size limit. An item shattered into many pieces would need many breaks repaired, and whether that works is up to the DM.
Bards, Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards have it on their spell lists in both the 2014 and 2024 rules.
It is a good utility pick in campaigns with exploration, puzzles, or limited money. It is a poor pick for characters who need every cantrip for combat.
Citations: api:spells/mending; SRD 5.1; SRD 5.2.1
Includes SRD content per CC BY 4.0. Sources: dnd5eapi.co, System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1.
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