Wish is the mightiest spell a mortal creature can cast. By simply speaking aloud, you can alter the very foundations of reality in accord with your desires.
The basic use of this spell is to duplicate any other spell of 8th level or lower. You don't need to meet any requirements in that spell, including costly components. The spell simply takes effect.
Alternatively, you can create one of the following effects of your choice:
You create one object of up to 25,000 gp in value that isn't a magic item. The object can be no more than 300 feet in any dimension, and it appears in an unoccupied space you can see on the ground.
You allow up to twenty creatures that you can see to regain all hit points, and you end all effects on them described in the greater restoration spell.
You grant up to ten creatures that you can see resistance to a damage type you choose.
You grant up to ten creatures you can see immunity to a single spell or other magical effect for 8 hours. For instance, you could make yourself and all your companions immune to a lich's life drain attack.
You undo a single recent event by forcing a reroll of any roll made within the last round (including your last turn). Reality reshapes itself to accommodate the new result. For example, a wish spell could undo an opponent's successful save, a foe's critical hit, or a friend's failed save. You can force the reroll to be made with advantage or disadvantage, and you can choose whether to use the reroll or the original roll.
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. For example, wishing that a villain were dead might propel you forward in time to a period when that villain is no longer alive, effectively removing you from the game. Similarly, wishing for a legendary magic item or artifact might instantly transport you to the presence of the item's current owner.
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 can't 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.
How Wish plays
Wish has two modes. The safe one: you cast any spell of 8th level or lower, ignoring every requirement including costly components. No Simulacrum ruby dust, no diamonds for Resurrection, and nothing else to track.
The risky one: you ask for something bigger. The spell lists five effects it can reliably do, such as healing twenty creatures completely, granting ten creatures resistance or immunity, creating a 25,000 gp object, or forcing a reroll of any roll in the last round. Beyond those, you state your wish and the DM decides what happens, and the bigger the wish, the more likely it goes wrong. Any use other than copying a spell also weakens you: your Strength drops to 3 for days, casting other spells hurts you until your next long rest, and there’s a one-in-three chance you can never cast Wish again.
When to use Wish
Most of the time, copy a spell. Being able to cast any spell up to 8th level from any class list, with no material costs, is already the most flexible thing in the game.
Save the risky mode for when it truly matters: undoing a critical hit that would kill a friend, or saving a city.
Word it carefully. The DM has wide latitude, and the spell text itself warns that a sloppy wish might send you forward in time or into the lair of an artifact’s owner.
Common questions
Is it safe to use Wish to copy another spell?
Yes. Duplicating a spell of 8th level or lower causes no stress, no Strength loss and no risk of losing Wish.
What happens if I use Wish for something else?
You suffer the stress: until you finish a long rest, every spell you cast deals 1d10 necrotic damage per spell level to you, which can’t be reduced. Your Strength becomes 3 for 2d4 days. And there’s a 33 percent chance you can never cast Wish again.
Can Wish copy a spell from another class?
Yes. It duplicates any other spell of 8th level or lower, not only spells on your own list.
Can Wish bring someone back from the dead?
Yes, by duplicating Resurrection or Raise Dead with no diamond needed. It can’t duplicate True Resurrection, which is 9th level.
Can I wish for more wishes?
Not reliably. It’s beyond the listed effects, so the DM decides, and the spell warns that greater wishes are more likely to go wrong.
The 2024 Player’s Handbook revised many spells, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new text. What changed from the 2014 version above:
Same level, casting time, range, components, duration and dice; the text is reworded for the 2024 rules glossary.
Casting time
Action
Range
Self
Components
V
Duration
Instantaneous
School
Conjuration
Level
9
Classes
Sorcerer, Wizard
Wish is the mightiest spell a mortal can cast. By simply speaking aloud, you can alter reality itself.
The basic use of this spell is to duplicate any other spell of level 8 or lower. If you use it this way, you don't need to meet any requirements to cast that spell, including costly components. The spell simply takes effect.
Alternatively, you can create one of the following effects of your choice: Object Creation. You create one object of up to 25,000 GP in value that isn't a magic item. The object can be no more than 300 feet in any dimension, and it appears in an unoccupied space that you can see on the ground. Instant Health. You allow yourself and up to twenty creatures that you can see to regain all Hit Points, and you end all effects on them listed in the Greater Restoration spell. Resistance. You grant up to ten creatures that you can see Resistance to one damage type that you choose. This Resistance is permanent. Spell Immunity. You grant up to ten creatures you can see immunity to a single spell or other magical effect for 8 hours. Sudden Learning. You replace one of your feats with another feat for which you are eligible. You lose all the benefits of the old feat and gain the benefits of the new one. You can't replace a feat that is a prerequisite for any of your other feats or features. Roll Redo. You undo a single recent event by forcing a reroll of any die roll made within the last round (including your last turn). Reality reshapes itself to accommodate the new result. For example, a Wish spell could undo an ally's failed saving throw or a foe's Critical Hit. You can force the reroll to be made with Advantage or Disadvantage, and you choose whether to use the reroll or the original roll. Reshape Reality. You may wish for something not included in any of the other effects. To do so, 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 be achieved only in part, or you might suffer an unforeseen consequence as a result of how you worded the wish. For example, wishing that a villain were dead might propel you forward in time to a period when that villain is no longer alive, effectively removing you from the game. Similarly, wishing for a Legendary magic item or an Artifact might instantly transport you to the presence of the item's current owner. If your wish is granted and its effects have consequences for a whole community, region, or world, you are likely to attract powerful foes. If your wish would affect a god, the god's divine servants might instantly intervene to prevent it or to encourage you to craft the wish in a particular way. If your wish would undo the multiverse itself, your wish fails. The stress of casting Wish 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 can't be reduced or prevented in any way. In addition, your Strength score becomes 3 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.
2024 version from the SRD 5.2. Most tables settle on one edition, so check which one yours uses.
