D&D General Can a Wish spell move a moon to cause an eclipse?

[Distracted DM]

Cynical answer: yes, if NPC's are doing it.

Agreed, but it'd probably also be more than a simple "I cast Wish as an action-" when NPCs do something world-moving (ha) it typically doesn't follow the same route that PCs use; they've planning this for decades, all the pieces have fallen into place, they made a pact with a great evil, and now they can move the heavens.

 

[MarkB]

Plenty of things can happen other than moving the moon to fulfil this wish:

• The wish moves the planet to put the moon directly between it and the sun, seriously altering the moon's orbit and changing the lunar cycle, while also messing up the tides.
• The wish moves the sun to a point directly behind the moon, seriously altering the planet's orbit and changing the calendar, while also messing up the seasons.
• The wish makes a new moon that appears in front of the sun, so now the planet has two moons. Double the fun for lycanthropes!
• The wish, being far too weak to move or create entire celestial bodies, creates a small spherical rock only a couple of miles wide that hangs a mile or two up in the air and casts a shadow over the area just long enough for whatever ceremony is going on to be completed, after which gravity takes over and it crashes to the ground. Have fun with that not-quite-extinction-level event!

 

[Mannahnin]

Since this is "D&D General" rather than any specific edition, this question is somewhat difficult to answer, but...well. The general understanding is that wish is the "Temporarily Become DM" spell, with the only consequences being whatever the DM can get away with inflicting upon the party without causing a riot. This is why it is both always, always, always the spell qualifying full-casters desperately reach for if there's even the slightest hope of hitting level 17...and why it's the spell every DM dreads having to adjudicate.

Because it's pretty much literally "there are no rules, the player makes up whatever they want to do, and the DM inflicts upon them whatever they want to do, good luck!" DM just no-sales it? They're a stuffy boor who poops on the players' creativity and fun. DM okays a massive effect but inflicts a terrible cost? Now they're not just shutting down creativity and fun, they're punishing it. DM okays it and doesn't inflict a severe penalty? Woohoo, we can do whatever we want, DM is a doormat (until they snap and become one of the previous two)!!!

It's pretty much the perfect storm of how to create a spell that is an almost guaranteed no-win scenario for the DM...and an absolute powder keg for the player. It may demolish any wall blocking your progress, or blow up in your face so spectacularly it's not even worth touching.

Overall I love the thoughtfulness of your post. Just a great overview of the potentialities and consequences and ways to approach this, so applause for that.

I do find the section above a BIT dispiriting and sad. Absolutely it's a challenge, but I do think that with a table of friends willing to give each other reasonable benefit of the doubt, you can find a better outcome than the three bad ones you outline.

As a DM I lean toward letting Wish do truly awesome things, but not being a "win the campaign" button. And I think if I talk to my players about that rationale they will generally understand and be on board with that.

 

[Cergorach]

An eclipse is just an object that obscures the sun, it could be a moon. The question would then be, which moon? One of the existing moons? Is this how the Death Star shows up in your campaign or does some new populated (by what) moon show up.

On the other hand, it could also be an asteroid or comet that shows up once in a blue moon, collision imminent? Or a normally invisible planet?

And after you've moved the moon for an eclipse, will all the gods now proclaim through their churches that moving moons through wishes is now off limit?

 

[Kobold Avenger]

An eclipse is just an object that obscures the sun, it could be a moon. The question would then be, which moon? One of the existing moons? Is this how the Death Star shows up in your campaign or does some new populated (by what) moon show up.

On the other hand, it could also be an asteroid or comet that shows up once in a blue moon, collision imminent? Or a normally invisible planet?

And after you've moved the moon for an eclipse, will all the gods now proclaim through their churches that moving moons through wishes is now off limit?

I'm always interested in what these other sun obscuring objects are, leave things open to further story hooks, if such an act isn't the end of a campaign. I guess it could even temporarily planeshift something from another solar system to obscure the sun.

With the eclipse being the wish of a villain who isn't too concerned about the consequences, could an invasion from whatever object blocked the moon be one of the consequences?

Like the ritual is stopped, there's no longer an eclipse and the moon is back in it's original path (if it got moved at all), but there's some catastrophic damage around the world to coastal cities. But to make things worse, it's the invasion of the Mooncalves!!

 

[General_Tangent]

Solar Eclipses happen a bit on Earth, so rather than realigning the heavens for an eclipse where the mage is located, the mage might find themselves moved to the next occurring eclipse on the planet.

 

[MarkB]

I'm always interested in what these other sun obscuring objects are, leave things open to further story hooks, if such an act isn't the end of a campaign. I guess it could even temporarily planeshift something from another solar system to obscure the sun.

With the eclipse being the wish of a villain who isn't too concerned about the consequences, could an invasion from whatever object blocked the moon be one of the consequences?

Like the ritual is stopped, there's no longer an eclipse and the moon is back in it's original path (if it got moved at all), but there's some catastrophic damage around the world to coastal cities. But to make things worse, it's the invasion of the Mooncalves!!

In a fantasy world you're not even limited to scientifically realistic options. In some mythologies, an eclipse is caused by a dragon eating the sun.

 

[James Gasik]

Being cynical again, I can't imagine a player would want to even try using a Wish in this way, given how eager most DM's are to Monkey's Paw the spell's effects- hell, I'm having a hard time imagining a player actually wanting to cast the spell at all, outside of the few, proscribed, "safe" effects!

 

[mellored]

IMO
They eclipse happens, and then the moon falls.

And / or the eclipse happens and never ends. Turning the zone into a frozen wasteland.

 

[MarkB]

And / or the eclipse happens and never ends. Turning the zone into a frozen wasteland.

Or it never ends for the caster. No matter where they go the moon follows, casting the region around them into shadow.