Using Wish to increase effective caster level

[Goolpsy]

I might allow it... if anyone has played Diablo 1 or Hellfire... the shrines always came with soem text message etc: "Wisdom comes in cost of strenght" or something... So if one of my players wished for a permenent +1 casterlevel... i would roll 1d3 to determin a stat to lower; str, dex or con. Lower the stat by one.. and grant the +1 casterlevel..

Or.. i would make a "Power comes with age" and grant him the +1 casterlevel.. and transfer him to the next age category...

 

[RisnDevil]

I think Goolspy has the right idea.

Although the first use, a +1 Caster Level above and beyond your HD for a single caster is a stronger bonus/wish, I don't really think that a SINGLE, +1 caster level will unbalance anything. People site about how ridiculous it gets if you start stacking all sorts of other items and abilities - DON'T GIVE THEM SO MUCH TO STACK!

The second use, granting the Practiced Caster feat as a bonus, is not unreasonable at all, IMHO.

I find it quite bothersome that people so desperately want to hurt their players when they use wish.....

Either way, I like Goolspy's idea, and think it is reasonable.

 

[Li Shenron]

If you cast Wish to create an Orange Ioun Stone (+1 CL), it will cost 5000+2x(1200)=7400 Xp.

However I don't think that it would be overpowering to just grant you an inherent +1 CL for the base price of 5000 Xp. I think +1 CL is quite on par with +1 to an ability score.

 

[The Souljourner]

Ok, first off, I don't treat Wish like the caster just rubbed a genie... er lamp, that is. I don't know who thought that was a good idea, but it's dumb when the caster himself is producing the effect. There's no malevolent power out there controlling the result of the spell (except some rabid DMs). If someone says "I want to cast wish to do X", I think about it, and if I think it's inappropriate I tell them so, and they know it won't work. Not that it'll blow up in their face, but won't work in the same way spider climb won't work if you want to shoot laser beams out of your eyes.

Now as for the specified use of Wish... I really don't like Wish giving permanent abilities to PCs. That far exceeds the standardized effects of Wish (only one of which gives a permanent ability). I definitely wouldn't allow it to raise your caster level above your character level, that would be ludicrous. But maybe possibly up to your character level. It is 5000xp after all, which is far from trivial. I don't know... it's a difficult call, which means it might be ok.

-The Souljourner

 

[interwyrm]

My solution would be to give the caster of the wish +1 to caster level, which lasts until they gain a level (and their caster level increases anyways).

I don't see why it's so far out of the bounds of wish... I mean... it's a 9th level spell, and they are paying xp to do it.

 

[Shadowdweller]

While I'd certainly be tempted to replicate the effect with spells/objects as well (Sacrificial Dagger of Death Knell, anyone?), I really don't think granting a permanent, +1 caster level effect that is dispellable would be overly broken either.

 

[Li Shenron]

I don't see why it's so far out of the bounds of wish... I mean... it's a 9th level spell, and they are paying xp to do it.

Well some old DMs may still have the idea that wish is that spell which "lets the PC ask for anything, and lets the DM not grant it".

5000Xp is never a small loss, it's at least 25% of a level in regular game, and it's a permanent loss. What is more qualified to give a permanent benefit?

 

[Shallown]

Surprisingly no one has mentioned the archmage who can sacrifice one 5th slot to get +1 caster level. As long as the player was willing to take the same or near same penalty it seems reasonable.

later

 

[Goolpsy]

In the 3.0 forgotten realms archamge... he take the power 3 times.. on different power levels and have them stacking. So for a cost of one level 5, one level 7 and one level 9 slot, the Archmage could get +6 Casterlevel..

Then there is the Red wizard that get it too wit hhis favored school... though he gets alot more and have to sacrifice alot less...

 

[Deset Gled]

5000Xp is never a small loss, it's at least 25% of a level in regular game, and it's a permanent loss. What is more qualified to give a permanent benefit?

Personally, I really don't like the idea of allowing Wish to grant any permanent effects (the ability score bonuses are acceptable because of the limit to the number of them possible, but even then I don't think it's a good mechanic). First of all, I don't consider xp loss to be permanent, any more than spending money is permanent, because its something the character will be earning continuously while adventuring. Second of all, it ruins the challenge rating system.

XP is supposed to be a measure of how powerful a player is. The more XP, the higher the level, the more powerful the character. This is then translated into a measure of how hard of encounters (CR) the character can face. When you start paying XP to gain a permanent benifit, you are effectively making the character more powerful while lowering the CR of the creatures they face, so they'll gain XP faster. It just a bad mechanic. YMMV.