D&D General Wishing Away The Adventure

[Reynard]

The DM doesn't know either. This isn't an authored story.

Exactly.

 

[MarkB]

The DM doesn't know either. This isn't an authored story.

Then it probably shouldn't contain any pre-ordained events, should it?

 

[Micah Sweet]

In my experience (as DM and player), if the party has access to a limited amount of wishes (maybe a scroll or something), they are loathe to use them for anything other than bringing back dead party members when other options aren't available.

But when they are high enough level to have reliable access to easy methods to accomplish your tasks, like long range travel and divination? Absolutely players will use them. It's not that they don't want to experience the adventure, it just doesn't make any sense not to use those abilities they have. That being said, the people I play with would be easily sold on not skipping things with those abilities if they were given a good reason.

Putting thought into preventing players from circumventing challenges in high level adventures could also include putting thought into positive reinforcement for not circumventing those challenges. Give them enticing reasons to do things the not-so-easy way rather than just trying to make it impossible. The latter tends to make us want to find ways to do it anyway--it is D&D after all, and for many of us, part of the appeal is a multiverse where theoretically anything is possible.

Several folks have floated the idea of finding ways to incentivize players not to press the easy button on acquiring their PCs goals, presuming said easy button is available. Anyone have some examples? Because that's a pretty big game design challenge.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Then it probably shouldn't contain any pre-ordained events, should it?

What are you getting at here?

 

[Brainwatch]

In 5e, a first level wizard knows that one day, when he is high enough level, he can simply chose to add Wish into his spell book. So what happens when the first level player says, "I know that one day, I, Castor Magington, and my brave party will reach high level and acquire the Sword of Awesome from the Tomb of Badness. Upon learning to cast wish, I will immediately use such spell to wish the Sword back in time to this very place at this very time."

Does the sword appear?

As the young wizard speaks these words, a tear in the fabric of space and time opens behind them. A being clad in heavy armor steps through the rift. As the wizard speaks the last syllables, several feet of a glowing metal sword erupt from his chest as the armored figure runs him through. Lifting the now lifeless wizard body over his shoulder he steps back through the portal with these parting words, “That was going to end very badly, don’t try it again.”

-remember, time hijinks and paradoxes can work both ways.

 

[Reynard]

As the young wizard speaks these words, a tear in the fabric of space and time opens behind them. A being clad in heavy armor steps through the rift. As the wizard speaks the last syllables, several feet of a glowing metal sword erupt from his chest as the armored figure runs him through. Lifting the now lifeless wizard body over his shoulder he steps back through the portal with these parting words, “That was going to end very badly, don’t try it again.”

-remember, time hijinks and paradoxes can work both ways.

Inevitable FTW

 

[Umbran]

In 5e, a first level wizard knows that one day, when he is high enough level...

That's IF he lives to be high enough level...
...and hasn't forgotten about the whole thing...
...and the wizard hasn't had to cast other wishes that have burned out their ability to cast Wish...
...and nobody else is casting wishes about it...
...and there is only one object and place with those names...
... etc ...

 

[CreamCloud0]

What are you getting at here?

i presume that, for the sword of awsomeness to appear at said 1st level wizard's feet it would have to be pre-ordaned in the future that they aquire it and the capability to cast wish to send it back to their past self, and thus, as nothing can be certain, the sword can't appear to them.

 

[Vaalingrade]

As the young wizard speaks these words, a tear in the fabric of space and time opens behind them. A being clad in heavy armor steps through the rift. As the wizard speaks the last syllables, several feet of a glowing metal sword erupt from his chest as the armored figure runs him through. Lifting the now lifeless wizard body over his shoulder he steps back through the portal with these parting words, “That was going to end very badly, don’t try it again.”

-remember, time hijinks and paradoxes can work both ways.

"I wish to kill the armored guy who is a sock puppet for the DM's pettiness."

 

[Umbran]

As the young wizard speaks these words, a tear in the fabric of space and time opens behind them. A being clad in heavy armor steps through the rift. As the wizard speaks the last syllables, several feet of a glowing metal sword erupt from his chest as the armored figure runs him through. Lifting the now lifeless wizard body over his shoulder he steps back through the portal with these parting words, “That was going to end very badly, don’t try it again.”

-remember, time hijinks and paradoxes can work both ways.

Or, alternatively, that being is in heavy armor enameled black with spikes and skulls on it, and they step back through the portal with the parting words, "Thank you. Now I don't have to fight with an archmage to acquire the Sword of Awesomeness for my Dark Master..."