Wish Limits

[pegase]

Please tell me there's some better official description about Wish's limits.

[holywhippet]

There isn't really, there can't be. It's up to the DM to decide if your wish is far beyond what can be done - like wishing that demons no longer exist. Really you can use the "duplicate level 8 or lower spell" part to decide if a wish is beyond reason. For example, wishing everyone in a city might be dead might be out of the question since no spell can kill that many people easily. On the other hand, wishing that everyone in a small village be dead might be possible since there are spells that can take out small numbers.

[Private-Prinny]

A wish can produce any one of the following effects.

Duplicate any wizard or sorcerer spell of 8th level or lower, provided the spell is not of a school prohibited to you.

Duplicate any other spell of 6th level or lower, provided the spell is not of a school prohibited to you.

Duplicate any wizard or sorcerer spell of 7th level or lower even if it’s of a prohibited school.

Duplicate any other spell of 5th level or lower even if it’s of a prohibited school.

Undo the harmful effects of many other spells, such as geas/quest or insanity.

Create a nonmagical item of up to 25,000 gp in value.

Create a magic item, or add to the powers of an existing magic item.

Grant a creature a +1 inherent bonus to an ability score. Two to five wish spells cast in immediate succession can grant a creature a +2 to +5 inherent bonus to an ability score (two wishes for a +2 inherent bonus, three for a +3 inherent bonus, and so on). Inherent bonuses are instantaneous, so they cannot be dispelled. Note: An inherent bonus may not exceed +5 for a single ability score, and inherent bonuses to a particular ability score do not stack, so only the best one applies.

Remove injuries and afflictions. A single wish can aid one creature per caster level, and all subjects are cured of the same kind of affliction. For example, you could heal all the damage you and your companions have taken, or remove all poison effects from everyone in the party, but not do both with the same wish. A wish can never restore the experience point loss from casting a spell or the level or Constitution loss from being raised from the dead.

Revive the dead. A wish can bring a dead creature back to life by duplicating a resurrection spell. A wish can revive a dead creature whose body has been destroyed, but the task takes two wishes, one to recreate the body and another to infuse the body with life again. A wish cannot prevent a character who was brought back to life from losing an experience level.

Transport travelers. A wish can lift one creature per caster level from anywhere on any plane and place those creatures anywhere else on any plane regardless of local conditions. An unwilling target gets a Will save to negate the effect, and spell resistance (if any) applies.

Undo misfortune. A wish can undo a single recent event. The wish forces a reroll of any roll made within the last round (including your last turn). Reality reshapes itself to accommodate the new result. For example, a wish could undo an opponent’s successful save, a foe’s successful critical hit (either the attack roll or the critical roll), a friend’s failed save, and so on. The reroll, however, may be as bad as or worse than the original roll. An unwilling target gets a Will save to negate the effect, and spell resistance (if any) applies.


Those things can be duplicated with Wish with no chance of error. If your wish doesn't fulfill any of these criteria, the DM gets to decide what actually happens, granting either partial, total, or no fulfillment of the Wish.

[Claudius Maximus]

You can also look at "canonical" wishes from sourcebooks. They are rare, though. If memory serves Halaster wished to never make sound unless he wishes it, allowing him to automatically succeed on Move Silently checks. There are also a huge number of ailments and curses and such that specify a Wish for a cure, so it can assumed it can fix most nasty high level personal status effects and stuff.

[Alleran]

You can also look at "canonical" wishes from sourcebooks. They are rare, though. If memory serves Halaster wished to never make sound unless he wishes it, allowing him to automatically succeed on Move Silently checks. There are also a huge number of ailments and curses and such that specify a Wish for a cure, so it can assumed it can fix most nasty high level personal status effects and stuff.
The ELH has the Simbul using magical wishes coupled with "experimentation" (unspecified as to just what that entailed) to achieve the following at-will supernatural abilities:

- detect magic (always active as the 1st round effect of the spell)
- protection from evil
- protection from spells
- see invisibility
- shapechange
- always protected as if wearing a ring of protection +3 and an amulet of proof against detection and location
- may transform into a chain lightning effect that ends as a meteor streak traveling at 70 ft. speed (cannot reform for 1d4+2 hours, taking 10 minutes to do so

She also uses wish spells to occasionally remove and add new spells known to her repertoire, so that's another use of it.

EDIT: Halaster's extra powers (such as his "move in complete silence") fall under a combination of permanency and wish, but curiously aren't listed as extraordinary, spell-like, supernatural, or even permanencied spells. He just seems to have them.

[Gavinfoxx]

Also, the 3.0e PHB had more limitations and details on things that could be conjured with Wish. It could make mundane items up to 25,000 gp in value, or magic items up to 15,000 gp in value.

[Ravens_cry]

Unless something says explicitly "can't be <changed somehow/> by wish " or similar, there literally are no limits. What can be done safely is another matter. If one is willing to risk a twisted or partial fulfilment, it can do, well, pretty much anything. Note, that is not a good thing. Going past the predetermined limits is basically an open invitation to screw around with it and no amount of legalese is going to stop it. If anything ,with some DM's, wording it like a contract is just an invitation to screw around all that much more.

[Infernalbargain]

For example, wishing everyone in a city might be dead might be out of the question since no spell can kill that many people easily

Locate City Bomb. :)

[big teej]

on the topic of what wish can do.

would it be outrageous for say, a barbarian, to wish for "spell resistance equal to 10 + my HD"

or something similar?

[holywhippet]

on the topic of what wish can do.

would it be outrageous for say, a barbarian, to wish for "spell resistance equal to 10 + my HD"

or something similar?

Tricky - technically no being should understand the concept of HD or levels in game (AFAIK). It could likely be "corrupted" by the DM and you'd get a +1 suit of padded armour with spell resistance added to it.

In terms of straight out getting it? I'd be tempted to say yes since spell resistance can be a double edged sword (since it also blocks friendly spells).

[TheOOB]

I think the epic level handbook went into a bit more detail, buts there is a few guidelines.(Some of these may be a bit of my own ruling, so take with a grain of salt)

* Any effect listed in the wish spell description works without error
* Wish will always try to fulfill a wish by using it's predetermined powers if possible(if you ask for spell resistance, it will either cast spell resistance or make you an item)
* Wish will always try to make the smallest change to the smallest number of people to fulfill an effect outside it's explicit effects, or it will make the change as simple as possible(if you wish to be king, you come into a small piece of property in no existing kingdom. If you wish to be king of a kingdom, wish charms the king into saying he wants you to be his heir and then finger of deaths him, stuff like that)
* A wish spell does not actively try to screw over the player, but may give the player undesired effects if the wishmaker is overly broad(you know, temporal stasis grants immortality)
* A wish from an item or a creature can be more malicious
* If a wish cannot fulfill the whole wish, it will do the best it can(if you ask it to kill someone, it will use finger of death on it, if you ask for great wealth, it will make the most it can or tell you where a bigger hoard is
* If the wisher is overly specific and asks for something that is too powerful for the wish to fulfill, but cannot do a modified or partial effect due to specific wording, it will fizzle. Wish isn't a lawyer.

[Divide by Zero]

Tricky - technically no being should understand the concept of HD or levels in game (AFAIK). It could likely be "corrupted" by the DM and you'd get a +1 suit of padded armour with spell resistance added to it.

"Spell resistance that grows in power as I do" or something like that, then?

[Socratov]

"Spell resistance that grows in power as I do" or something like that, then?

that could easily corrupted by a DM saying, ok, you got spellresistance 1 and once you gain a level you get 1 more, or he could take the real metagaming option, reasoning, you are with a nextra level nto that much more powerful, you still do the same, so no extra spellresistance :smallbiggrin:

[QuidEst]

Heh… If my character ever gets access to an unlimited Wish (she's a Bard, so it would be tricky), she's going to attempt to use it to become the DM. I'm pretty sure it's not going to fly, but I'd love to give it a try. If it does work, she'll be using me as an "avatar" (heh… author avatar (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AuthorAvatar) inversion), and start running the campaign.

[Taelas]

that could easily corrupted by a DM saying, ok, you got spellresistance 1 and once you gain a level you get 1 more, or he could take the real metagaming option, reasoning, you are with a nextra level nto that much more powerful, you still do the same, so no extra spellresistance :smallbiggrin:

That reasoning doesn't work. Regardless of how much power a level grants, you have undoubtedly grown in power.

[tyckspoon]

"Spell resistance that grows in power as I do" or something like that, then?

"I wish to possess the magic resistance of a Drow" would do it in character; if you're dealing with a DM who wants exact wording of the Wish rather than intent of the Wish, you'll also need appropriate subclauses to prevent the Wish from just PoAing you into a Drow.

[Amnestic]

Locate City Bomb. :)

Also possibly Fimbulwinter, depending on how well equipped they are to deal with a sudden and long lasting winter. Indeed, with only 100Xp cost, 10 minute cast time and lasting for 4d12 weeks, you can basically put entire countries under constant winter, even if the area of effect is only 1 mile radius/level.

[Gice]

Heh… If my character ever gets access to an unlimited Wish (she's a Bard, so it would be tricky), she's going to attempt to use it to become the DM. I'm pretty sure it's not going to fly, but I'd love to give it a try. If it does work, she'll be using me as an "avatar" (heh… author avatar (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AuthorAvatar) inversion), and start running the campaign.

Hmm, a bard with unlimited Wishes?..


I wish I was little bit taller,
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good
I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
and a '64 Impala


This would

Grow the little Gnome to medium size (6'9'')
Give him a +15 competence bonus in Profession (Baller).
Charm the nearest female with charisma with CHA > 15 and gives him a telepathic bond with her.
Summons a rabbit in a hat with a bat
Create him that '64 Chevy worth 25,000 gp

[RndmNumGen]

"I wish to possess the magic resistance of a Drow" would do it in character; if you're dealing with a DM who wants exact wording of the Wish rather than intent of the Wish, you'll also need appropriate subclauses to prevent the Wish from just PoAing you into a Drow.

"I wish to have innate spell resistance equivalent to that of a Drow.", then? Since you're asking for innate spell resistance, Wish can't just PaO you... though it might turn your actual race into Drow ala Reincarnate.

Other interesting ideas:

For warriors, what about gaining some fort of DR? Unsure how you might quantify this... 10 or 15 seems like a fair number for that level, though. Maybe wishing for the skin of a golem?

A cleric might wish for the ability to tell what is afflicting someone at a glance(sort of like an uber-epic Heal check) and how to cure it. Useful for those strange afflictions like Corporeal Instability.

It might be pushing it, but a spellcaster could try to wish for the ability to apply one metamagic feat to their spells for free, maybe with a daily limit?

[QuidEst]

Hmm, a bard with unlimited Wishes?..
Nah, one Wish without limits on it. XP It would have to be as a reward for something, I'm sure, so I doubt it'll crop up. It just seems like a classier approach than apotheosis if the character is a bit meta. Which Comedy most certainly is… I've gotten into OOC arguments with her.

[Absol197]

I think the epic level handbook went into a bit more detail, buts there is a few guidelines.(Some of these may be a bit of my own ruling, so take with a grain of salt)

* Any effect listed in the wish spell description works without error
* Wish will always try to fulfill a wish by using it's predetermined powers if possible(if you ask for spell resistance, it will either cast spell resistance or make you an item)
* Wish will always try to make the smallest change to the smallest number of people to fulfill an effect outside it's explicit effects, or it will make the change as simple as possible(if you wish to be king, you come into a small piece of property in no existing kingdom. If you wish to be king of a kingdom, wish charms the king into saying he wants you to be his heir and then finger of deaths him, stuff like that)
* A wish spell does not actively try to screw over the player, but may give the player undesired effects if the wishmaker is overly broad(you know, temporal stasis grants immortality)
* A wish from an item or a creature can be more malicious
* If a wish cannot fulfill the whole wish, it will do the best it can(if you ask it to kill someone, it will use finger of death on it, if you ask for great wealth, it will make the most it can or tell you where a bigger hoard is
* If the wisher is overly specific and asks for something that is too powerful for the wish to fulfill, but cannot do a modified or partial effect due to specific wording, it will fizzle. Wish isn't a lawyer.

I like these. They are now how I do wishes in my games. Thank you very much :smallbiggrin: .

[big teej]

still on topic, but another wish question

as DMs, does your level of "screw with the wording" change based upon the origin of the wish?

for instance,
when I DM
if a player casts it, they are limited to the exampe effects given.
if a player has bound and is coercing an extraplanar being, I'm going to screw with the wording as much as possible.
if a player is making a bargain with a being that is exceptionally lawful, I will follow the letter of the wish.
if a player is making a bargain with a being that is wantig to be helpful, I'll follow the spirit of the wish.
if a player collects all 7 dragon balls, well, all bets are off hey?