If I break a pole apart, turn the ends around so the broken parts point outwards and use mending to attach the unbroken part together would it work?
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12\$\begingroup\$ What game system? 5e-2014 D&D? Pathfinder? There are multiple systems with this spell, and we can't answer until we know which one you are asking about. \$\endgroup\$– KirtCommented Aug 20 at 2:14
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\$\begingroup\$ Hi @Dave Welcome to the stack. Thanks for the question. It might be to do with D&D 5e but, we don't want to assume. Could you tell us what game and version you are playing? Thanks :) \$\endgroup\$– SenmurvCommented Aug 20 at 7:41
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\$\begingroup\$ Is your pole made from wood, metal, some other substance? \$\endgroup\$– KirtCommented Aug 20 at 15:54
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\$\begingroup\$ Would it actually make a difference? \$\endgroup\$– DaveCommented Aug 20 at 16:27
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1\$\begingroup\$ @Dave Not for re-opening the question (I already voted to re-open) but for the nature of my answer, yes. \$\endgroup\$– KirtCommented Aug 20 at 16:38
2 Answers
No
The mending spell says (2014 Basic Rules), emphasis added:
This spell repairs a single break or tear in an object you touch, such as a broken chain link, two halves of a broken key, a torn cloak, or a leaking wineskin.
The spell repairs a break or tear, so you can repair the break, but not join the unbroken ends.
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2\$\begingroup\$ The spell is taking advantage of the fact that the two broken ends, having previously been in contact with each other, have a magical affinity for each other. You can use that to draw them back together. But this is not a general adhesive spell; you cannot use it to hang one of the ends of the pole from your opponent's nose, for example, and the ends that were not previously in contact are similarly unrelated for the purposes of this spell. Or at least that's how I would expect the magic system to work. \$\endgroup\$– keshlamCommented Aug 21 at 2:30
No
Mending says (emphasis mine):
This spell repairs a single break or tear in an object you touch
When you broke your pole, that was a single break, and you could attach both broken ends together with mending.
However, the unbroken ends were created as separate events. Assuming your pole is a carved or lathed wooden branch, each of the two unbroken ends were separately sawn off the original branch. They represent two different breaks, not a single break. If you could find the original branch from which they were sawn, you could attach one of them back to that branch with a single use of mending, but you cannot attach them to each other.
See also: Can the Mending cantrip affix any surface to any other surface?
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\$\begingroup\$ One can argue it is a single break in hypothetical wooden ring which the pole was made from. \$\endgroup\$– MaxxerCommented Aug 20 at 17:43
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7\$\begingroup\$ @Maxxer If the pole was created from a wooden ring, then the 'unbroken' ends are actually a single break and could be joined with mending. However, that's not how poles are made or how wood behaves (going from a ring shape to a straight pole), so I think OP would need to specify that. \$\endgroup\$– KirtCommented Aug 20 at 17:47
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\$\begingroup\$ True, however we assume that in this world wood behave in the same way as in our world. That is not an obvious assumption. I think this is setting specific and therefore it's up to gm in my opinion \$\endgroup\$– MaxxerCommented Aug 20 at 17:56