201+ 5e Wish Spells: Unlocking Magical Possibilities

Last Updated on August 31, 2024 by James Wilson

This comprehensive guide delves into the vast potential of the Wish spell in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. From essential adventuring tools to world-altering events, we explore over 200 creative and powerful uses for this ultimate magical ability.

Whether you’re a player seeking inspiration or a Dungeon Master looking to balance this formidable spell, this resource provides insights, cautions, and endless possibilities for incorporating Wishes into your campaign.

Discover how to harness the raw power of desire and reshape reality itself with our extensive collection of Wish spells.

Essential 5e Wish Spells for Adventurers

The Wish spell in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is the most powerful magic available to players. It allows characters to alter reality, granting almost any desire. This section explores essential Wish spells that adventurers commonly use, from healing and resurrection to creating magical items and altering the fabric of reality itself.

• Heal all party members to full health
• Resurrect a fallen comrade without material components
• Create a permanent magical item of rare quality
• Gain immunity to a specific type of damage for 8 hours
• Teleport the entire party to any location on the same plane
• Reverse time by up to 6 seconds
• Grant the party invisibility for 1 hour
• Summon a powerful creature to aid in battle
• Remove all curses affecting the party
• Create a fortress that lasts for 24 hours
• Grant the ability to breathe underwater for 24 hours
• Increase a party member’s ability score by 2 permanently
• Create a portal to another plane of existence
• Grant proficiency in all skills for 1 hour
• Create food and water for 100 people
• Instantly grow a forest in a barren area
• Change the weather in a 5-mile radius for 24 hours
• Grant immunity to all spells of 5th level or lower for 1 minute
• Create an exact duplicate of a non-magical item
• Alter the memories of a creature for the past 24 hours

Creative Wish Spells for Roleplaying

Roleplaying opportunities abound with the Wish spell. This section delves into creative uses that enhance storytelling and character development. From altering personal histories to gaining unique abilities, these Wishes can dramatically impact a campaign’s narrative and provide memorable moments for players and Dungeon Masters alike.

• Gain the ability to speak with animals permanently
• Alter a character’s personal history
• Create a pocket dimension for the party to rest in
• Grant the ability to read minds for 1 hour
• Change a character’s race or appearance
• Bring a fictional character to life
• Create a sentient magical item companion
• Grant the ability to fly at will for 24 hours
• Bestow a unique supernatural ability
• Create an unbreakable vow between two creatures
• Gain the memories and skills of a historical figure
• Create a magical tattoo that grants a daily power
• Transform into any creature for 1 hour
• Create a personal demiplane
• Grant the ability to speak all languages for 24 hours
• Create an illusory duplicate that can act independently
• Instantly master a new skill or profession
• Grant the ability to see the future in dreams
• Create a magical disguise that fools even true sight
• Bestow a legendary reputation across the realm

Wish Spells for World-Changing Events

The Wish spell’s power extends beyond individual benefits, allowing for world-altering effects. This section explores how Wishes can reshape kingdoms, alter landscapes, and influence the course of history. These grand-scale Wishes demonstrate the spell’s potential to impact entire campaign settings and create epic storylines.

• End a centuries-long war instantly
• Create a new landmass or island
• Permanently change the climate of a region
• Bring a long-extinct species back to life
• Alter the orbit of a celestial body
• Create a new school of magic
• Erase a city from existence and memory
• Instantly build a wonder of the world
• Change the dominant species of a continent
• Create a permanent portal between planes
• Alter the fundamental laws of magic in an area
• Raise an ancient sunken civilization
• Create a new sentient race
• Instantly advance technology by 100 years
• Bring peace between warring gods
• Create a new ocean or sea
• Alter the alignment of an entire nation
• Permanently change day to night or vice versa
• Create a self-sustaining ecosystem in space
• Rewrite the ending of a major historical event

jkl;\Wish Spells for Epic Level Campaigns

In epic-level campaigns, characters face cosmic threats and wield godlike powers. This section explores Wish spells suitable for high-level play, where the stakes are nothing less than the fate of universes. These Wishes push the boundaries of what’s possible, even for the mightiest of spells.

• Create a new plane of existence
• Grant godhood to a mortal
• Rewrite the fundamental laws of reality
• Merge two parallel universes
• Create a new form of energy or magic
• Erase a god from existence
• Grant immortality to all beings on a plane
• Create a sentient universe
• Alter the flow of time across all planes
• Bring about the apocalypse (or prevent it)
• Create a weapon capable of killing a god
• Reshape the multiverse
• Grant omniscience for 1 minute
• Create a new pantheon of gods
• Alter the nature of death itself
• Create a universe where magic doesn’t exist
• Grant the ability to travel through time at will
• Create a perfect utopia (or dystopia)
• Alter the cosmic balance between good and evil
• Create a being more powerful than the gods

Cautionary Tales: When Wishes Go Wrong

The Wish spell is notorious for its potential to backfire or be misinterpreted. This section explores cautionary tales of Wishes gone awry, serving as both entertainment and warning for players and Dungeon Masters. These examples highlight the importance of careful wording and considering unintended consequences.

• Wish for immortality, become an immobile statue
• Desire great wealth, be crushed under a mountain of coins
• Wish to rule the world, become a reviled tyrant
• Ask to be the strongest, turn into an immovable object
• Wish for endless youth, revert to infancy
• Desire to fly, be teleported to the vacuum of space
• Wish for ultimate knowledge, go unpredictable from the information
• Ask to never die, become undead
• Wish for infinite wishes, be trapped in a time loop
• Desire to be loved by all, become a mind-controlling monster
• Wish to see the future, be blinded to the present
• Ask for invulnerability, lose all sense of touch
• Wish to be in two places at once, be split in half
• Desire to breathe underwater, lose ability to breathe air
• Wish for perfect memory, be unable to form new memories
• Ask to never feel pain, become recklessly self-destructive
• Wish to be the fastest, move so quickly you can’t interact
• Desire to read minds, be overwhelmed by others’ thoughts
• Wish for a long life, age rapidly but be unable to die
• Ask to be the center of attention, become a hated celebrity

Balancing Wish Spells in Your Campaign

Balancing the Wish spell can be challenging for Dungeon Masters. This section provides guidance on incorporating Wish spells into campaigns without breaking the game. It explores methods for limiting Wish usage, interpreting results, and maintaining narrative tension even with such a powerful ability available.

• Limit Wish spell availability through rare components
• Implement a “monkey’s paw” effect for greedy Wishes
• Create a Wish economy with long-term consequences
• Use Wishes as plot devices rather than problem solvers
• Require skill checks or quests to cast Wish successfully
• Introduce rival Wish-users to create tension
• Limit Wishes to affecting only the caster
• Create a Wish registry to track and balance usage
• Implement a cooldown period between Wishes
• Use Wishes as narrative tools for character development
• Require sacrifices or trade-offs for powerful Wishes
• Introduce cosmic entities that regulate Wish usage
• Create a Wish-granting item with limited charges
• Use Wishes to introduce new plot complications
• Implement a karmic system for Wish consequences
• Require group consensus for Wish decisions
• Create a Wish-based magic system with clear rules
• Use Wishes as rewards for major campaign milestones
• Implement a “rule of three” for Wish limitations
• Create a Wish council that approves or denies requests

Wish Spells in Different D&D Settings

The Wish spell manifests differently across various D&D campaign settings. This section explores how Wishes function in popular worlds like Forgotten Realms, Eberron, and Ravenloft. It highlights unique limitations, cultural attitudes, and cosmic rules that affect Wish magic in each setting.

• Wish in Forgotten Realms: Influenced by the Weave
• Eberron’s Wish magic: Tied to Dragonmark houses
• Dark Wishes in Ravenloft: Corrupted by the Dark Powers
• Spelljammer Wishes: Altering the flow of Wildspace
• Planescape’s Wish economy: Currency of the multiverse
• Wishes in Greyhawk: Bound by ancient pacts
• Dragonlance Wishes: Granted by the gods of Krynn
• Dark Sun’s defiling Wishes: Draining life for power
• Mystara’s Wish traditions: Tied to Immortal patrons
• Birthright’s bloodline Wishes: Altering divine heritage
• Nentir Vale Wishes: Reshaping the Dawn War’s aftermath
• Al-Qadim’s genie-bound Wishes: Djinn bargains
• Ghostwalk’s spectral Wishes: Altering the veil of death
• Jakandor’s Wish conflict: Charonti vs. Knorr magic
• Pelinore’s Wish quests: Seeking the Fountain of Wishes
• Blackmoor’s techno-magical Wishes: Blending science and sorcery
• Thunder Rift’s localized Wishes: Confined by valley walls
• Hollow World’s preserved Wishes: Maintaining lost cultures
• Council of Wyrms’ draconic Wishes: Scales of cosmic power
• Masque of the Red Death’s gothic Wishes: Tempting dark fates

Wish Spells in Pop Culture and Mythology

The concept of reality-altering wishes extends far beyond D&D. This section explores how Wishes are portrayed in various mythologies, folklore, and popular media. By examining these diverse interpretations, players and DMs can draw inspiration for their own Wish-based adventures and understand the cultural significance of this magical trope.

• Aladdin’s three wishes: Lessons in careful wording
• Monkey’s paw wishes: Cautionary tales of unintended consequences
• Wishmaster’s twisted interpretations: Horror-themed wishes
• Greek mythology’s wish fulfillment: Gods granting boons
• Fairy godmother wishes: Magical transformations
• Wishbone artifacts in video games: Power-ups and plot devices
• “Be careful what you wish for” in literature: Moral lessons
• Wishing wells in folklore: Simple wishes and offerings
• Birthday candle wishes: Modern wish-making traditions
• Genie bottles in pop culture: Wish-granting companions
• Wishing on stars: Celestial wish symbolism
• Cosmic cubes in comics: Reality-warping artifacts
• Wishcraft in urban fantasy: Modern magical wish systems
• “The Butterfly Effect” style wishes: Altering past events
• Dimensional wish-granters: Interdimensional beings and wishes
• “It’s a Wonderful Life” wishes: Alternate reality exploration
• Immortal wish-granters: Entities bound to grant wishes
• Time travel wishes in sci-fi: Paradoxes and consequences
• Ritual-based wish magic: Ceremonial wish-granting
• Wish-granting AIs: Technological interpretation of wishes

Mechanical Aspects of the 5e Wish Spell

Understanding the mechanical aspects of the Wish spell in D&D 5e is crucial for both players and Dungeon Masters. This section delves into the rules, limitations, and potential interpretations of the spell as written in the Player’s Handbook. It provides clarity on how to implement Wish spells within the game’s framework.

• Spell level and class availability: 9th-level for specific classes
• Casting time and components: Verbal only, 1 action
• Replicating lower-level spells: Safe usage of Wish
• Stress and inability to cast: Consequences of pushing limits
• Probability of success: DM interpretation and dice rolls
• Material creation limits: 25,000 gp value restriction
• Healing capabilities: Mass healing and restoration
• Damage and resistance granting: Temporary combat benefits
• Undoing recent events: Time manipulation limits
• Creating non-magical objects: Instant crafting potential
• Teleportation capabilities: Group transportation
• Ability score increases: Permanent character changes
• Resurrection limitations: Bringing back the long-dead
• Reality alteration scope: Balancing narrative and mechanics
• Interaction with other high-level spells: Synergies and conflicts
• Wish scrolls and items: Alternative sources of the spell
• Multi-classing considerations: Access for non-traditional casters
• Concentration and duration: Immediate effects vs. lasting changes
• Spell failure consequences: Narrative and mechanical repercussions
• House rules and variations: Common DM modifications

Building Adventures Around Wish Spells

Wish spells can serve as excellent focal points for entire adventures or campaigns. This section provides ideas and guidelines for crafting engaging stories centered around the pursuit, consequences, or aftermath of powerful Wishes. These concepts can help Dungeon Masters create unique and memorable experiences for their players.

• Quest for a Wish-granting artifact: Ancient relic hunt
• Wish-powered villain’s plot: Thwarting reality-altering schemes
• Monkey’s paw adventure: Dealing with a cursed Wish item
• Time-travel Wish consequences: Fixing altered timelines
• Wish-created dungeon: Navigating a reality-bending maze
• Genie-realm negotiation: Bargaining in a plane of Wish magic
• Wish-apocalypse survival: Adapting to a drastically changed world
• Cosmic Wish trial: Proving worthiness to alter reality
• Wish-stealing heist: Reclaiming a stolen desire
• Wish-powered tournament: Competing for a reality-altering prize
• Undoing a catastrophic Wish: Reversing world-altering magic
• Wish-crafting quest: Gathering components for the ultimate spell
• Wishes across time: Connecting multiple eras through desires
• Wish-economy intrigue: Navigating a society built on granted desires
• Protecting the Wish-giver: Escorting a powerful but vulnerable entity
• Wish-fueled war: Battling in a conflict of reality-warping proportions
• Investigating Wish-related crimes: Magical detective work
• Wish-driven character evolution: Personal quests for transformation
• Rescuing Wish victims: Helping those trapped by poorly-worded desires
• Cosmic Wish responsibility: Weighing the consequences of limitless power