The Wish Spell in D&D 5e: What It Can Do & Why It’s So Powerful

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Tips and tricks for getting the most out of your Wish spells
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After so many sessions and battles, your Dungeons & Dragons character has finally reached a high enough level to cast the infamous Wish spell. There’s just one question: what’s the best way for you to use such an all-powerful spell? We’re here to help you figure it out. That’s why we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to using the Wish spell in D&D 5e, complete with examples and tips for players and DMs. Ready to take your arcane D&D knowledge to the next level? Then read on!

Things You Should Know

  • Wish is a 9th-level conjuration spell available to wizards, sorcerers, and bards. Arcana domain clerics and warlocks with a Genie patron can also learn it.
  • Cast Wish to duplicate any spell of 8th level or lower, bypassing any requirements of the original spell (including material components).
  • Use the Wish spell to heal creatures completely (and remove negative effects on them), summon massive amounts of wealth, and gain damage resistance.
Section 1 of 5:

Wish Spell Overview

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  1. As a 9th-level spell, it’s available to spellcasting PCs (player characters) reaching the height of their power. The spell’s only component is verbal (meaning no extra materials are required to cast it), and there’s no need to make a spell saving throw (meaning no creature can resist its effects). In other words, it’s so powerful it’s nearly game-breaking! [1]
    • Casting Time: 1 action
    • Target: Self
    • Duration: Instantaneous
    • School: Conjuration
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Section 2 of 5:

Who can cast Wish in D&D 5e?

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  1. If you’re playing D&D as a sorcerer or wizard, regardless of subclass, you’ll automatically get access to the Wish spell when your character is at a high enough level to cast it. Bards can also cast the Wish spell, provided they choose it as part of their Magical Secrets feature when they reach level 18. [2] Other ways to cast the Wish spell include:
    • Playing a warlock with the Genie patron subclass
    • Playing a cleric with the Arcana domain subclass
    • Finding magic items like the Efreeti Bottle, Luck Blade, or Ring of Three Wishes
Section 3 of 5:

What can the Wish spell (5e) do?

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  1. The Wish spell’s primary use is duplicating spells. You don’t need to meet any of that spell’s usual requirements, and the spell takes effect instantly—which is incredibly useful. That means you can cast spells you wouldn’t normally have access to, bypass a spell’s costly components, and take an action to cast spells that usually have longer casting times. [3]
    • For example, if you have the Wish spell, you can cast Resurrection to revive a dead party member while ignoring the Resurrection spell’s class restrictions (cleric and bard), casting time (1 hour), and material components (a diamond worth 1,000 gold).
    • Some of the most expensive spells include Sequester (5,000 gold), Clone (3,000 gold), and Simulacrum (1,500 gold). When you cast Wish, you’ll ignore those spell costs.
    • Time-consuming spells include Hallow (24 hours), Awaken (8 hours), Planar Binding (1 hour), and Mirage Arcane (10 minutes), which you can cast as an action with Wish.
    • Pro Tip: Reproduce any spell with Wish and cast it at a higher level so long as that level is 8 or below. For example, if you cast Counterspell (normally a level 3 spell), you could nonetheless cast it at level 8 with Wish.
  2. In a difficult fight, timely healing is often the difference between life and death for your D&D party. Use the Wish spell to restore the health of up to 20 creatures your character can see and end all effects on them just like a Greater Restoration spell would. [4]
    • Greater Restoration is a 5th-level spell used to undo negative effects on creatures. For example, it can lift a curse, undo a charm spell, end petrification, or fix an ability score or hit point reduction.
    • The Wish version of this is even more powerful; Greater Restoration ends a single negative effect, but Wish ends all of them. So, if a character is charmed and cursed, Wish could end both effects.
  3. Even for bold adventurers who slog through dungeons to find treasure, 25,000 gold pieces is a lot of money! Create a single object worth up to 25,000 gold with the Wish spell, so long as it is no more than 300 feet in any dimension. The object you choose to create then appears in an unoccupied space you can see on the ground. [5]
    • Despite the monetary and size restriction, it’s possible to conjure some truly powerful items with this spell.
    • For example, you could conjure a diamond worth 25,000 gp if you wanted to cast the True Resurrection spell in the near future.
    • According to the 5e rules, “very rare” magic items typically cost between 5,000 and 50,000 gold, which means your DM may rule that you can summon one with Wish—like a Carpet of Flying, Robe of Regeneration, or Staff of Power.
    • Since the prices of magical items are only estimated in 5e, it’s up to your DM to make a final decision on how much they all cost.
  4. When you cast Wish, give up to 10 creatures resistance to a particular type of damage (which you choose). Alternatively, cast Wish to grant up to 10 creatures immunity to a single spell or magical effect for 8 hours—which you also choose. [6]
    • For example, if you knew the party was about to face an ancient red dragon (with a fire breath attack), you might make the party resistant to fire damage with the Wish spell.
    • If you were planning to cast a Firestorm spell (a powerful 7th-level spell dealing widespread fire damage), you might choose to make your party immune to it, ensuring they wouldn’t take damage when you cast it.
    • This spell can also help creatures resist magical effects like a lich’s life drain attack.
  5. When a battle isn’t going in your character’s favor, use he Wish spell to change fate by forcing a single re-roll of any roll made within the last round. Choose to make the new roll with advantage or disadvantage—and whether to use the re-roll or the original roll afterward. [7]
    • If an enemy dealt one of your fellow party members a critical hit that killed them, forcing a re-roll might cause the enemy to miss them instead (or at least land a regular hit and negate the extra critical damage).
  6. The rules of Wish can get a little murky—and that’s partially why it’s such a devastatingly powerful spell! According to the official 5e rules for Wish, you can try to make a Wish that surpasses the options above, so long as you tell the DM what you’re hoping to achieve. The DM then decides whether your wish comes true and if there are any consequences. [8]
    • The 5e rulebook also states that the greater the wish, the greater the likelihood that something goes wrong. The spell might fail, or you might succeed only to encounter the consequences of your wish later on.
    • For example, if you wish for an enemy to die, you might be transported to a time and place when that enemy is no longer alive—which fulfills the terms of your wish but also takes your character out of the game entirely.
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Section 4 of 5:

How to Cast the Wish Spell

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  1. To avoid any mishaps with the Wish spell (especially if you’re trying to achieve an effect outside the normal bounds of the spell), be as precise as possible with your wish. Tell your fellow players what you want to do, and work with them to phrase the wish effectively while being safe at the same time. [9]
    • For example, if your character wants to find their nemesis (who is hidden and shielded from all normal divination spells), cast Wish and say something like, “I want to learn Zariel’s exact current location and how to find her.”
    • You could even opt to hire an intelligent NPC (non-player character) like an archmage to help you with the spell’s phrasing if you have the coin. In short, that’s like asking the DM for help (without actually asking the DM for help).
  2. The Wish spell takes a toll on any character casting it, so be prepared for the consequences! After casting Wish, your character will take 1d10 necrotic damage for every other spell they cast, and their Strength ability score will drop to 3 for 2d4 days. If possible, give your character time to take a long rest after they cast the Wish spell. [10]
    • For example, if you cast Wish during a battle and your character ended up taking damage for it, ask the party if they can take a long rest once the battle is over.
    • There are 2 kinds of rests in D&D: long rests (which last 8 hours) and short rests (which last for an hour). However, a short rest won’t remove the negative effects of a Wish spell—only long rests can do that.
    • It’s important to note that duplicating a spell doesn’t cause those negative effects for characters. So, if you only use Wish to duplicate a spell, you won’t have to worry about resting afterward.
  3. After all, bigger wishes come with bigger risks—so think about what might happen after making your wish. How likely does that outcome seem? Is the reward you’re looking for worth the risk? This is a good way to make sure your Wish spell isn’t too big or unrealistic. Plus, casting Wish may also result in your character losing the ability to cast it again. [11]
    • For example, it’s theoretically possible to wish to become a god—but ask yourself what might happen. Your DM might allow it, or they might have all the existing gods rush to stop your character—and war with the gods may not be worth the trouble of making that wish.
    • According to the 5e rules, if your character is weakened while casting the spell (with the effects mentioned above), there’s a 33 percent chance they won’t be able to cast Wish again, which is why it's important to weigh the risks and rewards before casting it.
  4. Characters in D&D can go from level 1 to 20, while spells range from cantrips (level 0) to level 9. Only spellcasting characters at level 17 or higher can cast level 9 spells, as level 9 contains the most powerful spells in the game. Therefore, you have the option to use the Wish spell as a high-level spellcaster, so long as you have a level 9 spell slot available. [12]
    • Keep in mind that even the most powerful characters (20th level) only get a single level 9 spell slot, so use it wisely! You can only cast Wish once per in-game day at the most.
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Section 5 of 5:

How To Deal with Wish Spells as a DM

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  1. Sometimes it’s tough to be the DM! Because Wish is such an ultra-powerful, nearly game-breaking spell, it can be tempting to curb players by turning their wishes against them. However, letting players do what they’re trying to do and giving them a fair result can be pretty fun for you and them! Do your best to grant the wish and make it work with the story you’ve prepared. [13]
    • That doesn’t mean players shouldn’t have any consequences! Just try to make them feel natural and logical based on the nature of the wish, rather than saying, “Your spell fails,” or “No, you can’t have that” when they make a Wish.
    • For example, it might seem like too much if players wish for a diamond worth 25,000 gold, but there are some super fun roleplaying opportunities if you allow it!
    • If your players use it to try and resurrect someone, you could create an entire quest revolving around rescuing that character’s soul before the resurrection ritual can work.
  2. Wish is a massive spell with a lot of very different and flexible functions—basically, it’s not something any player should cast lightly. To drive that point home, talk to your players about the spell a little, either above the game or as an NPC with knowledge of powerful arcane magic. Emphasize how significant casting the spell should be so players have a sense of its magnitude. [14]
    • For example, if you’re worried about players casting Wish every other minute once they have access to the spell, let them know! You might ask them to restrict the number of times they cast it or remind them how significant the spell is.
    • You could say something like, "I know Wish is a cool spell, but I don't want to break the game here. Is it okay if I make an informal rule that you can only cast it once a week in-game?"
  3. Because there are so many different ways to stumble over the phrasing of a Wish spell, some players may try to make a super-long wish that takes them a long time to think up—which isn’t fun for other people at the table. To fix this, try imposing a time limit on wishes: the wish must be 1 or 2 sentences long and fit within 1 round (6 seconds). [15]
    • For example, a long-winded paragraph of a wish wouldn’t work. Players must condense their wish into something brief that they can say within 6 seconds for the Wish spell to work.
    • If your players agree, you might also put a time limit on thinking of a wish. For example, you could give a player who casts the Wish spell 60 seconds of quiet time to think, after which they have to tell you what their wish is.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/spellcasting/spells/wish/
      2. ↑ https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Ring%20of%20Three%20Wishes#content
      3. ↑ https://www.5esrd.com/database/spell/wish/
      4. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/spellcasting/spells/wish/
      5. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/spellcasting/spells/wish/
      6. ↑ https://www.5esrd.com/database/spell/wish/
      7. ↑ https://www.5esrd.com/database/spell/wish/
      8. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/spellcasting/spells/wish/
      9. ↑ https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Wish#content
      1. ↑ https://dumpstatadventures.com/blog/2019/1/5/deep-dive-the-wish-spell
      2. ↑ https://explorednd.com/gameplay/wish-5e-guide/
      3. ↑ https://explorednd.com/gameplay/wish-5e-guide/
      4. ↑ https://explorednd.com/gameplay/wish-5e-guide/
      5. ↑ https://explorednd.com/gameplay/wish-5e-guide/
      6. ↑ https://dnddispatch.com/dm-tips-advice-wish-spell/

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