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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Brother MacLaren" data-source="post: 3569178" data-attributes="member: 15999">What is the source of the wishes?  A ring?A benevolent source (e.g. a god for whom you've done a favor) will grant you what you want even if you word your request poorly, within the limits of the spell's power.A neutral source (e.g. a ring) will be relatively literal but not abusively so.  Usually only a problem if you say something *truly* stupid like King Midas.An evil source (e.g. an efreet) will twist wishes as much as possible.  If you out-lawyer them so the wishes can't possibly harm you, they'll likely harbor resentment and try to kill you later.   You're better off not even trying to play their game.My own guidelines are intended to PREVENT the game from becoming "Warriors & Lawyers."  Vast tolerance of simply-phrased wishes.  Complete intolerance for legalistic wishes.  I know we're getting into House Rules here.1) No matter the source of the Wish, the one making the wish pays any cost beyond the first 5,000 XP.  Particularly important when wishing for magic items.2) For the neutral source, do NOT abuse interpretation in a way that a non-gamer would consider ludicrous.  If somebody says "I wish for a Holy Avenger sword," don't have it appear sticking through their chest and don't make it Colossal.  They get a Holy Avenger sword sized for them and it costs a 9,600 XP (double the crafting XP cost).  If somebody says "I wish to be stronger," that's a +1 inherent bonus to strength, not a polymorph into a Elder Black Pudding.  This encourages straightforward Wishes.  3) Balancing this relative tolerance on wording should be a house rule on word limits.  Perhaps no more than 1 word per caster level.  Perhaps no subordinate clauses.  Perhaps all Wishes are ultimately granted by gods who can choose to simply refuse any lawyered wishes (and the Wish is then wasted). 4) Some things are beyond the power of a Wish.  It's a 9th-level spell, not an Epic spell or a divine ability.  If a PC wishes for something beyond the power of a Wish, it just fails.  Wishing for the death of a given NPC who is miles away is basically an unlimited-range Finger of Death; that's beyond a 9th-level spell.  Wishing for the death of one nearby would still allow a saving throw and SR and be blocked by Death Ward.  Time travel is not possible, nor raising multiple slain allies, nor a True Resurrection, nor a true prediction of the future (since PC actions can change the future, after all, not even gods know how the dice will fall).5) If you wish, a principle of an economy of power in some cases.  I wouldn't use this myself but it's an idea I've seen around.  If a character says "I wish for a flaming magical longsword," one can be transported instead of created.  This would not require an XP cost, since the Wish is not creating the item.  A sword being taken from an NPC and transported to the PC in response to a wish is a) not so lawyerly as to be antithetical to legends/myths/etc. (Helen of Troy springs to mind); and b) good for plot hooks.</blockquote>

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