Reconstruction

Reconstruction was an arcane alteration spell that restored a broken object back to its original condition for a short time.

Effects
Using this spell, a wizard could touch a piece of a broken object and restore it to the whole object in its original form. The pieces, if available, reformed into the object, and missing pieces were replaced by this spell. All physical properties, such as size and weight, texture, strength, flexibility, hardness, smell, and even the sound it made when struck were restored such that the item was virtually indistinguishable from the original by any normal means of testing. Detect magic would register the aura of this spell and true seeing revealed the object as being truly broken.

The spell lasted for one minute plus one additional minute for each level of the caster. When the spell expired, or if the object was broken again, the item immediately reverted to the condition it was in before reconstruction was cast. Any attempt to magically enhance a reconstructed object, such as applying a weapon enchantment or a permanency spell, also caused this spell to be canceled. A broken magic item could be physically restored, but all magical abilities or properties that were lost at the time of destruction could not be regained, so the rusty hilt of a broken magic sword would become a shiny new but mundane sword. Up to 1 ft3 (28,000 cm3) of material per level of the caster could be reconstructed, although the restored object could be much larger.

Living things were unaffected by this spell, so a cut vine could not be regrown, but a cut rope could be temporarily repaired. Unbroken objects could not be reverted back to their composite materials, so an intact statue could not become the block of stone from which it was carved (or the mountain from which is was quarried). No knowledge of the original form of the object was necessary to cast this spell.

Components
In addition to verbal and somatic components, this spell required a thumbnail-sized wad of sticky gum or sap and a pinch of fine-grained sand. The target of this spell had to be touched by the caster during the casting.

History
This spell was written down in a tome of unknown origin called The Alcaister at least 600 years before it was published in "Volo's Guide to All Things Magical" when it became generally known to the magical community.