Other Uses For Wish

[FireLance]

Hi all,

The PH lists several uses for wish, e.g. duplicating spells, creating items (even magic items) of up to 15,000 gp, giving up to a +5 inherent bonus to an ability score, etc.

My proposal is to create a list of other uses for wish, and would appreciate your suggestions and comments on whether they are balanced. For example:

1. A wish can grant up to 5 bonus feats. As with inherent bonuses to ability scores, it takes one wish to obtain the first feat, two consecutive wishes to get the second feat and so on.

2. A wish can gain you the services of a cohort as if you had taken the Leadership feat. This is in addition to the cohort gained from the Leadership feat, if you have it. You can have no more than one cohort at a time from a wish. You can only wish for another cohort if the first is dismissed or slain.

3. A wish can modify certain aspects of your character. In game terms, you can exchange a level in one class for a level in another class, swap out a feat that you have for another that you qualify for, or re-allocate your skill points. At the DM's option, gaining levels in a divine spellcasting class or a class that requires the patronage of a deity may require the concurrence of the deity.

Comments? Other suggestions?

 

[rankarrog]

sounds good to me except for point 2 which is to me like "You can wish for up to 5 Feats(see point 1) PLUS Leadership"

I know it's not the full Leadership feat, but Followers you could get through Leadership aren't a great deal if you're on a level to cast X wishes. So leave Point 2 out and assume that the charakter wishes for Leadership if he/she feels the need for a cohort.

 

[FireLance]

sounds good to me except for point 2 which is to me like "You can wish for up to 5 Feats(see point 1) PLUS Leadership"

Thanks for the input, ragnarok!

I put #2 in because I wasn't sure if you could take Leadership more than once to gain additional cohorts, or attract more than one cohort with the Leadership feat. This basically allows you to have two cohorts (one from Leadership and one from wish) if you really want to.

Some more ideas:

4. A wish can grant one target one of the following bonuses for one round: +20 to all attack rolls, +20 to all weapon damage rolls, +20 to AC, +20 to all saving throws, +20 to caster level checks to penetrate spell resistance, +20 to one ability score.

5. A wish can be used to pre-empt disaster. Any time in the future that you fail a saving throw, you can choose to ignore the result and be affected by the spell as if you had passed the saving throw. This discharges the wish. However, the violent clash of magical energies causes you to take 1d6 points of damage per level of the spell. For example, if you fail a save against destruction, you would take 10d6 points of damage because you are affected as if you had passed the saving throw, and 7d6 points of damage because it is a 7th level spell, for a total of 17d6 points of damage. This might kill you anyway.

You may have up to 3 such effects active at any one time. As with inherent bonuses to ability scores, it takes one wish to set up the first, two consecutive wishes to set up the second and three consecutive wishes to set up the third. If any of the effects are discharged, you can set them up again at the appropriate cost (3 wishes if you have 2 effects active, 2 wishes if you have 1 effect active, and 1 wish if you have no effects active).

(Note: I have to admit that this use was inspired by the thread on "save or die" spells. This gives both PCs and BBEGs some, but costly and not total, protection from them.)

 

[Spatzimaus]

Sorry, I think giving Feats is WAY too strong. Feats are supposed to be a bit difficult to get; most character classes only get 7 of them by the time they're 20. Equating 5 Feats to a +5 inherent bonus is just too much IMHO; most characters would take that in a heartbeat.

 

[Crothian]

Giving bonus feats via wish or other means doe not break the game. I've played an extended campaign where everyone had extra feats and it ran smoothly.

 

[Anabstercorian]

Even so, for general use I would limit it further. Two consecutive wishes for the first feat, then an additional two consecutive wishes for every further feat, maximum three feats.

 

[Kyramus]

My some gods must be generous with wishes.

In my campaign it rarely shows up, and even NPC's of high level I rely on a die roll to see if they even have it.

This makes WISH to be a really really powerful tool. Most times the pcs use it to save themselves using it for healing or otherwise.

Kyramus

 

[Al]

My comments:

1. Too strong. Compare a feat to an ability boost. The feat is usually the more useful. Wishing for feats give arcane spellcasters a big boost over their mundane counterparts. Put it this way: would you sacrifice one level for three/four feats. I know I would.

2. See above.

3. Probably sounds reasonable, but care should be taken to avoid retroactive smackdowns.

4. I was happy up to the saving throws and ability scores. Compared with the usual wish, undo misfortune, these boosts are very significant indeed. The saving throws boost essentially means that the character will make all saves that round (clearly superior to undo misfortune) and the ability score boost can raise DCs by 10 points: essentially meaning that his spells are nigh impossible to save at this round. Cast on the wizard and followed up with Time Stop, this can easily spell the end of a battle very quickly.

5. I'm wary of it, and probably wouldn't allow it in my game, but it looks just about acceptable on paper. Would need playtesting before I accepted it though.

 

[Ruvion]

Wish in my Campaign

IMC, wish can be used in the following manner...safely...

Wish: All creatures are allowed a maximum of 1 + natural Charisma modifier (inherent bonuses and enhancement bonuses do not count) number of times they may personally get a permanent benefit from a wish spell (a wish used to benefit a group of people still counts toward this limit). A wish can not be used to alter this limit. Each different attributes increased with inherent bonuses count toward the personal wish limit.

Wish cast by a spellcaster of at least 20th level can grant an innate ability to a creature. This ability can be a permanent spell-like ability useable once a day, with caster level equal to character level. The maximum spell levels of the total innate abilities that can be gained this way is ten. The spell-like ability granted can not duplicate a power that exceed a 4th level spell from the cleric or sorcerer spell list. All such innate powers have saving throw Difficulty Class of 10 + Spell Level + Charisma modifier. A powerful divine creature can bestow a divine spell-like ability (from the cleric spell list, including the spells from the divine power’s domains) that is beyond the scope of a 4th level divine spell, but the target must survive a Fortitude check of DC 20 + spell level or die without getting that innate ability. If the target wishes for a supernatural ability, that power can not exceed a 2nd level spell from the cleric or sorcerer spell list (otherwise it follows a similar format as a wished spell-like ability: standard action but provokes no attacks of opportunity) and the target must successfully make a Will save of DC 20 + spell level to gain the power or wish is wasted. Class features and extraordinary abilities (with the exception of feats, provided you meet their requirements) may not be wished for as an innate ability. Wished for feats are considered as inherent feats and count toward the personal wish limit (the maximum number of feats that can be gained this way is five). When wishing for feats, the target must successfully make a Will save of DC 15 + number of feat's prerequisites.

This house rule empowers the sorcerers and bards (paladins and clerics in a fashion as well) and encourage players selecting "non-charismatic classes" to think twice about using Charisma as a dump stat. I have no problem with it so far, as wish is so few and far in between...until level 20 that is.

 

[Ruvion]

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