[RPG] What are all of the published “off-label” uses of the Wish spell

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The spell wish offers several things you can wish for that are guaranteed to work. Wishing for other things can lead to consequences, at the DM's discretion:

You might be able to achieve something beyond the scope of the above examples. State your wish to the GM as precisely as possible. The GM has great latitude in ruling what occurs in such an instance; the greater the wish, the greater the likelihood that something goes wrong. This spell might simply fail, the effect you desire might only be partly achieved, or you might suffer some unforeseen consequence as a result of how you worded the wish.

However, some game features offer alternative uses of wish, for example, the spell geas can be ended via a wish spell:

You can end the spell early by using an action to dismiss it. A remove curse, greater restoration, or wish spell also ends it.

What are all of the game features that include one of these "off-label" uses of the wish spell?

Best Answer

Spells and spell effects

Spells and spell effects that name wish as an end condition:

  • Ending the effect of feeblemind
  • Reversing the hit point loss of create magen
  • Reversing the aging effect of time ravage
  • Ending the effect of geas
  • Reviving a creature killed by disintegrate
  • Creating an undead from a corpse protected by ceremony

Magic items

Many magic items have various interactions with wish:

  • Unmaking the Sword of Kas
  • Repairing a Daern's instant fortress
  • Dissolving sovereign glue
  • Reversing the curse of a hell hound cloak
  • Reversing the curse of a suit of scorpion armor
  • Reviving a creature slain with a Rakdos riteknife
  • Bringing back a creature destroyed by the ruinstone
  • Finding a creature sequestered by the Donjon effect of the deck of many things
  • Reversing the aging effect of Iggwilv's cauldron
  • Reviving a creature whose soul has been devoured by Blackrazor
  • Removing Azuredge from a surface it is affixed to

Monster abilities

Many monsters have abilities that inflict some curse or condition that can only be reversed by a wish spell, or have some other interaction with wish:

  • Returning to the party to their normal time after being affected by a Sphinx's lair action.
  • Reversing the transformation caused by a Blue Slaad's claw attack.
  • Obtaining the control gem from a control gem variant Slaad
  • Restoring a creature killed by Ygorl, Lord of Entropy's Scythe attack
  • Preventing a slain Guardian/Spirit Naga from returning to life.
  • Reversing the transformation caused by Molydeus' Snakebite attack.
  • Reversing the transformation caused by a Rutterkin's Bite attack
  • Reviving a creature slain by Kalaraq Quori's Soul Binding attack, or freeing a creature enslaved by Kalaraq Quori.
  • Reviving a creature killed by a Nightwalker.
  • Removing the exhaustion induced by an Oinoloth's Corrupted Healing
  • Reviving a creature devoured by a Nabassu
  • Reviving a creature that has been transformed into a Lemure by the effect of a Narzugon's Hellfire Lance
  • Entering an Astral Dreadnought's demiplane
  • Reversing the transformation caused by Sibriex's Warp Creature ability
  • Forcing a revenant's soul to go to the afterlife.
  • Separating the deformed duergar fused together by the Lich Arcturia
  • Reviving a creature that has been transformed into a Lemure by the effect of a Hellfire Engine's hellfire weapons.
  • Regaining your devoured brain from an Intellect Devourer.
  • Restoring a bodak to its former life.

Adventure specific effects

This section is for other effects that don't fit nicely into the other bins that are described in published adventures. As these are adventure specific, they will be hidden behind spoiler blocks.

The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

  • Restoring the ability to gain inspiration (Lost Things adventure hook)
  • End the haunting caused by stealing Nib's gold.
  • Waking a creature put to sleep by the Brigganock Mine
  • Reversing the transformation caused by Demonic Sludge
  • Reversing the doll transformation caused by the blue sphere Ioun Stone

Curse of Strahd

  • Wishing Strahd to be destroyed from a certain Luck Blade teleports Strahd directly to the blade's location.
  • Removing the trait or flaw associated with a dark gift from the Amber Temple.

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

  • Ending the feeblemind spell induced by drinking from the River Styx.

Candlekeep Mysteries

  • Reversing the transformation caused by a Meenlock's Telepathic Torment.
  • Reviving a character who has died after receiving an organ transplant from a certain donor.
  • Removing the Scrivener's Mark.
  • Opening the warded door in the Haven of the Red Quill.
  • Reviving Prince Hamukai after opening his sarcophagus.

Hoard of the Dragon Queen

  • Repairing the control mechanism of Skyreach Castle.

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

  • Reversing the alignment change caused by a chardalyn amulet.
  • Curing the madness caused by sitting on the chardalyn throne.
  • Curing a fully manifested arcane blight infection.
  • Temporarily restore High Transmuter Metaltra.

Waterdeep:Dungeon of the Mad Mage

  • Permanently destroying one of Halaster's gates, or forcing a gate to stay open for one hour.
  • Passing through a gate that Jhesiyra Kestellharp does not want one to pass through.
  • Bypassing Halaster's restrictions on teleporting in, out, or between levels of Undermountain.
  • Altering the walls, floors and ceilings of Maddgoth's Castle.
  • Reversing Arcturia's fusion of the duergar Blork and Muatha into one being.
  • Reversing Acrturia's transformation of the beholder Xebekal into a tapestry.
  • Removing the "death mark" that a character can obtain by crossing from one side of Zorak Lightdrinker's pit to the other.
  • Freeing the spelljamming vessel Scavenger from Undermountain.
  • Reversing Arcturia's transformation of the rabbit Rabbithead into a human.

Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep

  • Ending the effect of ruidium corruption.
  • Retrieving an item sacrificed on the altar to open the door of red energy.

Examples of some spells being made permanent via wish

We don't have anything that says "you can make a spell effect permanent with wish", but we do have a few published examples of this happening:

  • The Mad Mage Halaster Blackcloak owned a stove that was permanently animated by using wish to make permanent the effect of the spell animate objects.
  • The archmage Traxigor was polymorphed into an otter, and decided he liked his new form, so he made it permanent using a wish spell.
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