[RPG] Are there limits or costs to Wishing forever for ability score increases

dnd-5espellswish

Are there any drawbacks to using a wish spell to increase ability scores? If not then what would stop players from just using wish repeatedly and raising their ability scores to 30?

I'm just getting back into RPGs with D&D 5e after not playing for years, and I seem to remember this being covered in the editions we played back then.

Best Answer

The stress of casting this spell to produce any effect other than duplicating another spell weakens you. After enduring that stress, each time you cast a spell until you finish a long rest, you take 1d10 necrotic damage per level of that spell. This damage cannot be reduced or prevented in any way. In addition, your strength drops to 3, if it isn't 3 or lower already, for 2d4 days. For each of those days that you spend resting and doing nothing more than light activity, your remaining recovery time decreases by 2 days. Finally, there is a 33 percent chance that you are unable to cast wish ever again if you suffer this stress.

A part that could be up for debate by some; is the 33 percent chance to be unable to cast wish again only if you cast another spell before recovering from wish, or does it only apply at a time you cast a wish that does not duplicate another spell.

The mention of stress in the last part of the quote ties it back into the first part where you suffer stress for casting wish that does not replicate a spell, and therefor each part applies, to such a casting.

When casting wish that does not replicate a spell,

  1. You cannot cast another spell without taking 1d10 damage/level of the spell.
  2. Your strength drops to 3 and takes 2d4 days to recover.
  3. There is a 33% chance you can never cast wish again.

This is one of those spells that DM's need to be very careful what they do and don't allow. But basically every time they try cast wish in this manner they run the risk of never being able to cast wish again.