Can a magical net be repaired and keep its properties?

Question

This is a follow-up to this question: Can a magical net be destroyed?

Let’s say you have a +1 net which you throw at a target. The target then uses one of its attacks to attack the net, touching it and dealing enough damage to break it.

After defeating the target, you take the pieces of your destroyed net and mend them back together (using the Mending cantrip). Would that give you back your +1 net, or just a plain non-magical one?

This question is in the scope of Adventurers League, where it is indeed possible to get a +X net (if the magic item is a +X weapon if any kind).

Answer 1

The magical net would be repaired with magical nature intact

Mending says:

The spells repairs a single break or tear in an object you touch...[a]s long as the break or tear is no larger than 1 foot in any dimension... This spell can physically repair a magic item or construct, but the spell can't restore magic to such an object.

Magical items do not lose their magic when they break

There are also no general or specific rule that says or even implies that magic items lose their magic when broken. In fact the wording of mending itself implies the opposite.

Mending says it can "repair a magic item". If magic items automatically lost their magical properties when they broke what purpose would this sentence even have? All broken items would be mundane and there would be no need to say anything about repairing magic ones.

So even while broken, the net is still magical. Thus, the spell does not need to restore the magic to that item, because it never lost it to begin with. Thus, when repaired, the net is still magical.

If a magic item had lost its magical properties from some other effect (eg a wand using all of its charges) then mending would not restore those.

Be careful about the specific restriction of mending

As long as your repair meets all the rest of the requirements for mending, the rules should allow it to work.

Of specific concern will probably be the fact that mending can only mend a 1 foot tear. This will likely come down to a DM ruling on whether the damage fits this criteria and if it will take multiple mendings to repair.

Answer 2

No, according to the Adventurers League rules

I asked a similar question on the Adventurers League Dungeon Masters Facebook group, and the consensus seemed that when a magical object has hit points and receives enough damage to get to 0 HP, it is destroyed and looses its magic forever, without possibility to repair it. Here is a relevant extract from the AL FAQ (emphasis mine) :

Shatterspike can't be used to destroy magic items, unless the item itself specifically provides an AC, hit points, etc. in its description. In that case, it's hella good at destroying them. Take that, magic net!

Here, we can see that the AL FAQ hints that magic nets can be destroyed, not only broken. It continues :

Unless the conditions of an item's destruction is specifically stated (talon card from deck of many things, ioun stone, +1 nets, etc.) permanent magic items can't be destroyed, Items destroyed in such a manner follow the normal rules for intentional or unintentional destruction.

We can determine that a net's destruction clause (AC 10, 5 HP) is intentional, and so the AL guidance states :

Some items have conditions that include the ability or potential to intentionally destroy the item. If destroyed, these items still count.

So, to summarize : a magical net that gets destroyed by having its HP reduced to 0 will lose its magic, and if repaired, will simply be a plain non-magical net. However, the magical net will still count towards the wielder's Magic Item Count.

Potential counterargument

Still citing the AL rules, you could argue that a destroyed magic item is not necessarily rendered nonmagical, because of the following text :

Permanent Effects : Some items are destroyed or rendered nonmagical when used, [...]

If so, you could then say that a destroyed magic item could be repaired and keep its magic. I think there's AL rules preventing that, but not quite sure at the moment (edit needed).

Answer 3

In the past I was informed that Rule of Magic #1 is: Magic can not be broken unless the magic being used is greater than or equal to the magic in it.

So a +1 sword can not be broken unless another +1 weapon is being used to break it. A +1 weapon can not break a +2 weapon. But a +2 weapon can break a +1 weapon. So a maul can not be used to break a +1 weapon.

For the same reason, a Magic net or a rope or a string can not be broken unless greater or equal Magic is being used to break it with. So a +1 net can not be broken unless a +1 or greater is being used to break it. Just because someone says a DC 10 will get you out of a +1 Net does not mean the +1 Net is broken. But to cut 10 points of damage would require a +1 weapon first before any damage can be applied.