Wishin' is fo' suckahs...

[Beholder Bob]

I wish for the leaders to betray each other and their king, fomenting a rebellion.

I wish the food carried by the approaching army to be tainted with slimy doom every 4th day for a month.

I wish the king of such and such decided I was an ok guy – someone to have as a friend rather then an enemy.

I wish I were more popular – darn it!

I wish those approaching this mountain from the east to suffer ever increasing home-sickness!

I wish for the kings daughter to fall in love with and marry me (in-laws are bad – but will he piss off his daughter?)

BB

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I wish for the leaders to betray each other and their king, fomenting a rebellion.

Which they will do - but not until after their army crushes yours.

I wish the food carried by the approaching army to be tainted with slimy doom every 4th day for a month.

This works fine - except that most of the food is carried in wagons, and not by the individual soldiers. His scouts have a tendency to turn up dead, though!

I wish the king of such and such decided I was an ok guy – someone to have as a friend rather then an enemy.

And, after your country is subjugated, he'll make you a vassal.

I wish I were more popular – darn it

You get more popular.

I wish those approaching this mountain from the east to suffer ever increasing home-sickness!

They still kill you - they just really wish they were at home, instead.

I wish for the kings daughter to fall in love with and marry me (in-laws are bad – but will he piss off his daughter?)

She falls immediately in love with you, upon seeing an artist's rendering of the opposing generals. She flees her home, crosses plains and mountains to be with her one true love, only to arrive several days too late.

 

[Pielorinho]

I wish I were more popular - darn it

You get more popular.

Sew much more popular!
Daniel

 

[werk]

Thanks again to the Patryn. But we are agreeing that for an 'open' wish to work correctly, since there are no % rules or anything like that, that is completely arbitrary and up to the DM to 'allow' the spell to function as intended (dependiing on wording and what mood the DM is in).

I wish for my god's direct intervention at this moment. (?)

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

But we are agreeing that for an 'open' wish to work correctly, since there are no % rules or anything like that, that is completely arbitrary and up to the DM to 'allow' the spell to function as intended (dependiing on wording and what mood the DM is in).

Pretty much. You can always wish for - and get exactly - anything on the defined Wish list. Anything else is a direct invitation for the DM to screw with it. And, as you point out, he may or may not do much.

 

[Pielorinho]

I wish for my god's direct intervention at this moment. (?)

Dude, you better have one REALLY good-natured god if you want this one to work. Otherwise, the DM's not going to have to pervert your wish: you're just going to find that you may not like the way a God intervenes when compelled to do so by a mortal.

Daniel

 

[JimAde]

Thanks again to the Patryn. But we are agreeing that for an 'open' wish to work correctly, since there are no % rules or anything like that, that is completely arbitrary and up to the DM to 'allow' the spell to function as intended (dependiing on wording and what mood the DM is in).

I wish for my god's direct intervention at this moment. (?)

That's Miracle. I remember reading somewhere (don't remember where) that deities are unimpressed with Wish and similar mortal magic.

 

[werk]

Dude, you better have one REALLY good-natured god if you want this one to work. Otherwise, the DM's not going to have to pervert your wish: you're just going to find that you may not like the way a God intervenes when compelled to do so by a mortal.

I kinda assume that my god likes me. But JimAde has a good point that a diety could probably save against the Wish effect or just shrug it off.

I'm playing with the idea of adding a house rule <gasp> such that, since it's 100% arbitrary, let it be arbitrary. DM rolls d100 for % chance the spell will work as intended, player rolls to see if it does. I really like to protect myself as the DM from saying 'you succeed/fail because I want you to.' If the player fails the roll, then it's open season for wacky interpretation.

 

[Pielorinho]

I kinda assume that my god likes me.

The question is whether the God will like you after you do that.

Imagine you work for Microsoft, and you're in a mid-level position with good performance reviews. You manage to get ahold of Bill Gates's personal telephone number, and then one day, when you're trying to figure out the best strategy for advancing some Microsoft position (maybe you're trying to figure out how to crush Symantec once and for all ), you decide to call Bill Gates on his cell phone and demand that he comes down RIGHT NOW and helps you make this decision.

Now imagine that Microsoft isn't headed up by a mortal, but rather by an unimaginably powerful alien. (yeah, yeah, I'm handing you all kinds of straight lines). The question becomes: do you still have a job after you make that phone call?

You might. But only if Bill Gates/Powerful Alien agrees that his interference was necessary and vital to Microsoft's interests.

Me, I'd try to make do without using that phone number, if I possibly could.

I'm playing with the idea of adding a house rule <gasp> such that, since it's 100% arbitrary, let it be arbitrary. DM rolls d100 for % chance the spell will work as intended, player rolls to see if it does. I really like to protect myself as the DM from saying 'you succeed/fail because I want you to.' If the player fails the roll, then it's open season for wacky interpretation.

Hmm--I don't like that idea. It's possible to play it safe with a wish spell: just stay within the guidelines. I'd also rule that a difficult spellcraft check could give a character an idea of whether a nonstandard wish was likely to be too powerful.

But if you wish for something really powerful, I think it's kinda cool that you're risking the cosmos reshaping in a way that you don't exactly intend.

Daniel

 

[Beholder Bob]

I wish the opposing army to suffer from severe diarrhea every day they advance towards my city!

I wish a horde of Flumph with gastrointestinal distress pass by the army.

I wish the footware worn by the army to shrink 2 sizes!

I wish the army to dissert, the members running off to form a circus.

I wish my brother George were here

I wish for world peace (No - not world piece! Ah, damn!)

BB