D&D General What penalties or how should i handle this wish?

[ovks22]

Hi im a relatively new DM, and the party im Dming for just got to lvl 16, there are 2 sorceres in the party and they both picked wish, i told them that i would allow only one wish per character and the whole party was ok with it because it seamed a bit op, in compensation i said i would be a bit more flexible with the wishes (allow more powerful stuff to be wished), but depending on how big the wish was (and if the wish was approved) the consequences for the caster would be greater. Everything was going well, the first sorcerer asked for help, in a very dificult boss battle, i granted it and all was well, the problem came with the second sorcerer who asked to unlock the fighter's (Eldritch Knight) full potential, meaning that he wishes for her to be able to have spells slot from lvl 5 to 9 because Eldritch Knights only get from 1to 4, this happened as they were entering another boss battle but it was cut as soon as the wish was made because the sorcerer had an emergency, the thing is that i dont think is that far fetched of a wish, but i do think his character should recibe a heavy or permanent punishment for this. Any ideas what the punishment or permanent handicap should be? Thanks in advance

 

[Baldurs_Underdark]

Firstly, at this level, your players are going to mess up anything you throw at them. So, just accept that and have fun watching them turn the world upside down.

Some ideas to help with interpretation:

• If the wish was very clear to grant level 5-9 spell slots, then I'd happily grant these, but no spells (and also no ability to ever get any). Good luck casting L1-4 spells at higher levels.
• Another interpretation can be to convert the Eldritch knight into a true spellcaster - effectively rewriting the entire character sheet, but obviously removing some Fighter skills/proficiencies. Maybe turn the Eldritch Knight into a Warlock where the sorcerer that cast the Wish is the patron. This might mess up the relation at the table though, so be careful.
• If the PC will definitely want to remain an Eldritch Knight, I would emphasize on the interpretation of "full potential". Anything beyond level 20 seems outside that wish, so since an Eldritch Knight at level 20 will NOT have a level 9 spell, the PC will also not get it because of this wish. It's the full potential of the Eldritch Knight, not a wizard or sorcerer.

 

[Mecheon]

'Full potential' is an open thing. I wouldn't say its saying 5-9 spellslots because, that's not full potential, that's just 'doing what a wizard does' with no look at the fighting side.

I'd probably give them a custom spell that blends melee and spellwork and is themed around that. Powerful but not out of line for spells they have. Probably themed around firing sword lasers in traditional Zelda fashion, and themed around being able to fire off as an eldritch knight.

 

[Helldritch]

The character is already at its full potential. So the wish would simply heal the character or restore used up spell slots up to 8 level worth. 2 4th or any combination that brings it to 8 restored spell slot.

 

[Unwise]

I'd just make the Eldritch Knight level 20. Tada, "full potential" has been reached. Gaining 4 levels is nothing to sneeze at.

Mechanically, nobody has the potential to be a level 20 fighter and level 20 mage, that is why we don't cap out at level 40.

 

[delericho]

Give them the spell slots of a level 20 Wizard (but no new spells to go with it - so as @Baldurs_Underdark says, they can cast low level spells using those high level slots only).

However, the benefit only lasts until the end of the boss fight (or, if you're feeling kind, until they take a Long Rest).

That way the potential gets unlocked, the players have great fun playing with their new toys for a while, but you game doesn't get entirely broken.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Ooh, that's a bit complicated, isn't it? The wish was used to help someone else--admittedly, in a way that will also help the caster, but still!--so I think there's some wiggle room because of that.

My recommendation is not to make it strictly punitive, but instead to push things into new directions. What consequences are there for a person very suddenly going from partial spells to max? Seems to me that this would make the EK friend EXTREMELY interesting to a lot of dangerous people! EK-friend is now a natural font of magic. Will their children be sorcerers? Does their blood have magical properties? Are there dangerous or annoying side-effects?

What about the person who cast the spell--in a certain sense, they are now the EK's "patron," are there responsibilities that come with that? Has this spell essentially turned them into something like a demon, genie, or archfey? They're almost certainly going to attract interest from someone with powers of that kind, possibly multiple someones. Suddenly, this character who just wanted to grant power to a friend will be drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue and plots and pressure to conform or get squashed.

Finally, were there any costs to the caster, other than this being the only wish spell they get to cast? Perhaps the reason you can't cast it more than once is that you lose a part of your soul. Does that make a special bond between the EK and the person who cast this spell? Or maybe it IS possible to cast another wish, but the caster has to track down exactly how that can be done....and there are others who would do anything to stop them (perhaps with good reason!)

Another option: Perhaps a good deity will be upset by this short-circuiting of this character's personal development, or intrigued at the possibility that magic can "unlock" such powers within a person. This could put the character in a position where they have to choose between cooperating with a good-aligned force (even if they don't strictly like that force, or perhaps outright oppose that force!) or taking the huge risk of pissing off the armies of good and having to go into hiding or the like.

IOW, you can do all sorts of things that don't cause direct, immediate problems for the person who cast wish, but which still heavily impact the character AND the player.

 

[Shiroiken]

Here's where wording can be important. If their "true potential" was in reference to spellcasting ability, then you convert the character from a to a Wizard (Blademaster), even if they're not an elf. If it was just in general, then you could make them level 20, or you could give them maximum HP, as if every level was rolled with a 10 as the result.

 

[aco175]

What level is the campaign going to? Take that into account before going too far punishing someone or caring about a bit more power at that level. Also consider if the EK player was in with the sorcerer casting the wish or did not want it cast on him in the first place.

Maybe the full potential is level 20 since there is no knights higher than this. You could just bump him one level towards it. Cool, but no game changer.

Maybe there is a cool other power that was 'forgotten' among the EKs of the world and now he knows it and can do something cool 1/rest. Again, not a game changer but has more roleplay opportunities as all the EKs from the land hear about this.

You can also bump the casting max be one level to allow 4th level spells at 16th level with another at 18th. And give a 5th level spell starting at 18th. Again, at that level it is not much.

You can also ask the player.

 

[Lyxen]

the thing is that i dont think is that far fetched of a wish

It is extremely far-fetched for a wish, even an extra-powerful one. Look at the example in the spell description, this goes much further than anything there, in particular creating a new class that is more powerful than any other.

After that, if it's really the full potential as a spellcaster, then poof the character is now a wizard with full spellcasting potential, but loses all the benefits of his Eldritch Knight. And that is powerful enough for a wish, to changer class completely.