D&D 5E An idea for Wish

[Mercurius]

A random idea that popped into my head. The wish spell is almost like the old "feat tax"--we could call it "wish tax"--in that it is the obvious spell to take once it is available. I mean, how many 17th level wizards don't take wish? Probably a few go for meteor swarm or time stop, but wish seems to be in its own category as a kind of "meta-spell."

So how about this, or two variants:

*Every wizard or sorcerer gains wish as an extra spell slot at 18th level. It is not available at 17th level.

and/or

*Every wizard or sorcerer gains greater wish, as a "10th level spell," at 20th level. Greater wish allows all spells, including 9th level, to be duplicated.

What say y'all?

 

[Fenris-77]

I don't know that high level casters need to be more powerful just because Wish seems like an auto-take. That seems ... counterproductive. I'd rather put more limits on Wish.

 

[Lanefan]

Come to think of it, there's probably one or two other spells that could be similarly gated: they count as 9th level but you have to be x-level (where x is something greater than 17) in order to cast them.

I've done this with one homebrew spell in my own game. The game's always had the idea that high-level casters could turn themselves into Liches or whatever but hasn't to the best of my knowledge ever had a mechanism for how this works. So, I invented a spell "Necromantic Continuation" to do this, which can't be cast by anyone under 20th level - this in a 1e-style game where level numbers like that are considered almost stratospheric.

For Wish, I wouldn't make it an auto-give by any means (particularly as spells gained on level-up will always be random in any game I ever run) but you could quite easily level-gate it.

The "Greater Wish" idea should work like the 1e version, and free it from the bounds of having to replicate a spell. I'd then rename Greater Wish to just Wish and rename the current spell-tied Wish to something like Anyspell or Flexible Magic or something.

 

[aco175]

Nothing says "You made it" like casting your first wish. Of course, only NPCs have this in my game since we never play this high in level.

Couldn't we say the same thing about some of the other spells. Everyone gets fireball, or spiritual guardians. or eldritch blast.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I don't care for it.

Wish is a great spell, but there are other great 9th level spells, like true polymorph.

The first suggestion just gives you Wish on top of other great spells. It makes an already top tier class even better.

The second suggestion seems completely over the top. It largely invalidates the choices you made for 9th level spells, and if I understand correctly, essentially allows you to cast two 9th level spells per day (instead of being limited to just one).

Some spells are top notch and will be picked by the majority of players. I strongly disagree that this means that they should therefore be given for free. If you give all of the top tier spells for free, the players will just gravitate towards the best spells from the next tier.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I'd rather it not be a spell at all. You either have to find a ring of wishes, or get a djinni under your power, or whatever.

 

[Coroc]

wish may seem kiel the obvious choice but it is to risky to use it as an everyday spell in its empowered form. Even used once that way may leave you unable to cast it again.
for an evoker meteor swarm or true polymorph for transmuters seems as reasonable for me to take at 17th

 

[S'mon]

I'd think best approach would be to say you have to be level 20 to cast Wish. In BECMI D&D you had to be level 33, with INT 18 as I recall.

 

[rgoodbb]

Wishy-Washy-Wish

I'm not really a fan.

I think I would actually remove it from the spell list.

It steps on too many toes (Cleric/Bard), steals more of the spotlight (Cheesy Simulacrum), and the lawyer-esk minutia of the precise wording between one paranoid player and one smiling DM-with-latitude can take hours while everyone else just sits and watches.

Nope. I would only use it as a one-time DM handout from a magic ring/Genie etc. as others have said.

 

[Winterthorn]

I would have preferred there was Limited Wish, Wish, and Greater Wish, and tempered their power with clear wording so they fit comfortably in the game. I am writing up a Witch class for 5E - not finished yet, sorry - and its capstone at 20th is called Wishcraft, where the Witch knows Wish and can cast it as an extra spell once a week to emulate any 9th level spell or lower without need of material components and without fear of DM fiat if the spell mechanics emulated are true.