D&D 5E Wish: additional 9th level slot

[Olrox17]

Sure there is. That's just gotcha nitpicking. A spell slot is a "the ability to cast a spell of X level". The spellcaster knows they have them.

When speaking in character at my table, any player saying things like "9th level spell slot", "+2 weapon", "death saving throws", "expended superiority dice" etc., is politely warned to stop doing that. Using game jargon while speaking in character breaks immersion for everyone and is just distracting. YMMV, of course.

 

[FrogReaver]

One point. You already get infinite wishes at 9th level spells. One you know the wish spell and have 1 slot then All you need is 24 hours and your good to cast it again.

Thus what’s being asked for is not anything like wishing for more wishes. Instead it’s asking for the possibility of more wishes in a given 24 hour period.

 

[Maxperson]

The issue is neither can unlearn wish for another spell by leveling up at that point.

Wizard spell books are not relevant to bards or sorcerers in that regard.

I wouldn't gimp those classes that way. I'd have the slot empty until they gained a level and then let them re-pick.

 

[Maxperson]

One point. You already get infinite wishes at 9th level spells. One you know the wish spell and have 1 slot then All you need is 24 hours and your good to cast it again.

As long as all you are doing is mimicking other spells of 8th level or lower, sure. As soon as you leave that narrow constraint, you start having a chance to lose the spell forever, so infinite goes away.

 

[FrogReaver]

As long as all you are doing is mimicking other spells of 8th level or lower, sure. As soon as you leave that narrow constraint, you start having a chance to lose the spell forever, so infinite goes away.

Yep.

 

[Ace]

One point. You already get infinite wishes at 9th level spells. One you know the wish spell and have 1 slot then All you need is 24 hours and your good to cast it again.

Thus what’s being asked for is not anything like wishing for more wishes. Instead it’s asking for the possibility of more wishes in a given 24 hour period.

And this is an excellent point.

 

[Raduin711]

Just thought of a cute way to corrupt the "multiple wishes" wish.

Player: I cast wish.
DM: What do you wish for?
Player A: Infinite wishes!
DM: The magic courses through you, changing the fabric of reality... and a scroll appears before you.
Player A: I pick it up.
DM: As soon as you pick it up, you find yourself compelled to unfurl the scroll. It is a scroll of Wish. Without hesitation, you begin reading the magic words. The scroll bursts into magical flame. Magic courses through you, changing the fabric of reality... and your lips, of their own accord, mouth the words: "I wish for another wish." and a scroll appears before you.
Player A: uh... I pick it up?
DM: As before, you are compelled to read the scroll, and as before, you are compelled to wish for another wish. A scroll appears before you.
Player B: Wait, I got this... I pick it up!
DM: aha! You feel compelled to read the scroll. Despite your complete lack of magical knowledge, you find yourself going through the motions of casting a spell. It works! Your lips continue of their own accord. "I wish Player A had another wish!" A scroll appears before player A.

Either that, or a time loop.

 

[FrogReaver]

As long as all you are doing is mimicking other spells of 8th level or lower, sure. As soon as you leave that narrow constraint, you start having a chance to lose the spell forever, so infinite goes away.

Exactly! There is already a limit to the number of non standard wishes you have baked right in - no matter how many 9th level slots you have.

 

[Olrox17]

A question, for those that believe that, with the right wording, this wish should be allowed to work.
What if the player wished for, say, two extra spell slots for each level, with the same ironclad wording? Would you draw the line there?

 

[Fanaelialae]

Exactly! There is already a limit to the number of non standard wishes you have baked right in - no matter how many 9th level slots you have.

That's a soft limit, not a hard limit. As long as you can keep beating the 1 in 3 odds, you can keep making nonstandard wishes. Additionally, even if you fail and can never cast wish again, there's nothing stopping other people and items from granting you wishes. So, realistically there is a limit but it's not a hard cap. With a bit of luck, you can make several nonstandard wishes without losing the capacity to cast wish. Even with the worst of luck, you get at least one, albeit at the cost of never casting wish again.

It's fairly clear to me from the design of 5e that the highest level spells are intended to be clutch, rather than spammed. Allowing wizards to wish for more 9th level slots without consequence is doubling down on caster supremacy, IMO.

A mage with 'just' three 9th level slots can maintain Foresight around the clock. Or cast True Polymorph 3 times per day (for those times when forcing encounters to chew through the hundreds of HP of a high powered monster once a day just isn't enough). Or dropping Meteor Swarms on your enemies like they were Fireballs. There are a lot of ways that wishing for more 9th level slots can unbalance play without infinite wishes.

I agree that at high levels balance goes partly out the window. But as a DM who has successfully run several of those high level games, I don't see that as an excuse to boot balance entirely out and send it crashing down. Especially not when it is heavily biased towards casters, who are already very strong in the end game.