There are few things as exciting for a player as having access to a Wish. And nothing more challenging to a DM than how to make the Wish go terribly, terribly wrong. Making a Wish spell go sideways can add drama, unpredictability, and sometimes even humor to a game. Let's talk about that.
Perhaps the classic way to handle this is to be absolutely, autistically literal about the very precise wording of the wish. For example a magic-user wishes for “a mountain of gold,” and a literal mountain of solid gold materializes—crushing them and everything nearby. Or a thief wishes for “the strength of a dragon” and turns into a dragon, unable to fit through normal doors or communicate easily.
But there are many other ways to make the players wish they'd never had a Wish.
Malicious Genie / Trickster Magic
The wish is granted in a way that punishes or inconveniences the caster. Examples:
A fighting-man wishes to be the greatest warrior in the land, so every other warrior in the world is suddenly weaker—causing armies to collapse and civilizations to fall into chaos.
A magic-user wishes to be immortal but discovers that they cannot die… or heal from wounds, leaving them stuck in a broken, suffering state.
Unexpected Side Effects
The wish works, but with unintended consequences. Examples:
A cleric wishes to resurrect a fallen ally, but the soul is placed in the wrong body (like a goblin’s or a skeleton’s).
A nobleman wishes to be beloved by all, only for people to become dangerously obsessed, following them everywhere and never leaving them alone.
Cosmic Repercussions
The wish affects the entire world, causing unintended large-scale problems. Examples:
A bard wishes to be the most famous person in the world, causing history to rewrite itself so they are credited with every heroic deed—making actual heroes furious at them.
A wizard wishes to understand all magic, but this overloads their mind, causing them to forget who they are and lose all ability to cast spells.
Summoning Unwanted Attention
Powerful beings (gods, demons, fey, or cosmic entities) take notice of the wish and demand a price. Examples:
The wish succeeds, but an archdevil or fey lord considers it a challenge and starts meddling in the caster’s life.
The act of wishing rips a hole in reality, releasing something ancient and powerful into the world.
Monkey’s Paw / Balance is Required
For every wish granted, something of equal value is taken away. Examples:
A magic-user wishes for eternal youth, but their closest loved ones begin to age at an accelerated rate.
A barbarian wishes for a legendary magic weapon, but the weapon was stolen from an ancient guardian, who now hunts them relentlessly.
7. Glitchy Magic / Incompetent Reality Shaping
Reality doesn’t quite cooperate with the caster’s wish. Examples:
A paladin wishes for a castle to call their own, and a castle appears—floating 100 feet in the air with no way to reach it.
A monk wishes to be faster than any creature but moves at uncontrollable speeds, making it impossible to stop.
Reinterpretation by Alignment
The force granting the wish is influenced by its alignment or nature. Examples:
A chaotic entity twists wishes into bizarre or ironic forms.
A lawful being grants the wish strictly by the rules, even if that makes it useless.
To round this out, here is a table of 100 Wish spell mishaps.
d100 Mishap
01 The Wish succeeds but leaves the caster permanently mute.
02 The wish summons a genie, fey lord, or devil who mocks the caster and grants the wish with a terrible twist.
03 The Wish fails spectacularly, causing the caster to forget how to speak for 1d10 days.
04 The caster is now allergic to magic, suffering 1d6 damage whenever they cast a spell.
05 A random enemy of the caster benefits from the wish instead.
06 The wish is granted, but the caster's alignment flips (e.g., Lawful to Chaotic).
07 The caster is permanently followed by a tiny rain cloud that only hovers over them.
08 The Wish rewrites history, causing a paradox that attracts the attention of powerful beings.
09 A nearby town disappears, erased from existence as part of the wish’s energy cost.
10 The caster gains true sight but can never again see illusions, disguises, or dreamlike images.
11 The Wish creates a perfect duplicate of the caster who now believes they are the real one.
12 A powerful outsider (god, archfey, fiend) claims that the caster is now in their debt for the wish’s fulfillment.
13 The caster ages 10d10 years but gains no other benefits.
14 The Wish succeeds, but the caster is cursed to speak only in rhyme forever.
15 Every time the caster sleeps, they wake up in a different part of the world.
16 The Wish only lasts for 1d10 days, then violently reverses itself.
17 The caster’s shadow comes to life, stealing from them at night.
18 The wish works, but the caster is now a target for bounty hunters who believe they stole a divine relic.
19 The wish creates a prophecy about the caster, attracting cults and doomsayers.
20 The Wish functions normally, but the caster loses the ability to make decisions, requiring others to guide them.
21 The caster can no longer lie, no matter what.
22 The caster loses all memories of the past year.
23 The Wish summons an alternate timeline version of the caster who resents them.
24 The caster is permanently invisible but cannot interact with the physical world.
25 The Wish turns all metal in a 1-mile radius into gold, collapsing economies.
26 The caster’s voice now booms like thunder, even when whispering.
27 The caster attracts a trickster god’s attention, and they start altering small things in their life.
28 The Wish summons a creature from another universe that doesn’t belong here.
29 Every time the caster speaks, they accidentally cast a random spell.
30 The Wish creates a permanent illusion of the caster's worst fear in their presence.
31 The caster can now hear the thoughts of every living creature nearby, causing madness.
32 The wish is granted, but the caster is now an undead creature.
33 The wish replaces the caster's memories with those of a different person.
34 The wish attracts a swarm of imps or gremlins who begin following the caster around.
35 The caster's name is erased from history, and no one remembers them.
36 The Wish summons an ancient dragon, who believes the caster owes them a favor.
37 The caster's skin turns into an unbreakable gemstone, making it impossible to move.
38 The caster becomes permanently ethereal, unable to interact with the material world.
39 The Wish succeeds, but the caster forgets why they wished for it.
40 The caster now glows in the dark, making stealth impossible.
41 The Wish turns the caster into a random small animal for 1d10 days.
42 The caster gains the ability to speak to plants, but they never stop talking.
43 The Wish fails, and instead a massive chasm opens where the caster stands.
44 The caster permanently sees ghosts and spirits, even when they don't want to.
45 The Wish creates a permanent eclipse over the caster’s current location.
46 The caster’s next 1d6 wishes automatically fail.
47 Every time the caster casts a spell, something random teleports nearby.
48 The caster’s reflection talks back to them, giving unwanted advice.
49 The caster is now trapped in their own mind, experiencing time differently.
50 The Wish succeeds, but a random god demands a favor in return.
51 The caster can no longer be physically harmed, but they feel all pain at 10x intensity.
52 The Wish creates a permanent rain of frogs in the region.
53 The caster gains a doppelgänger who tries to steal their life.
54 The Wish succeeds, but everyone around the caster forgets them.
55 The caster loses all emotions permanently.
56 The Wish makes the caster the ruler of a kingdom they have never heard of.
57 The Wish summons a cosmic horror that starts hunting the caster.
58 The caster can now only communicate in riddles.
59 The caster’s ears disappear, making them deaf.
60 The Wish creates a black hole, sucking in everything nearby.
61 The caster is transformed into a living statue—aware, but immobile—for 1d100 years.
62 The Wish creates a magical copy of the caster’s worst enemy, empowered and set loose.
63 The caster permanently emits a distracting musical jingle wherever they go.
64 All of the caster's gold turns into screaming faces for 1d10 days.
65 The caster is transported to a mirror dimension, where everything is reversed.
66 The Wish draws the attention of Time Wardens, who claim it violated cosmic order.
67 A cataclysmic storm forms and follows the caster wherever they travel.
68 The caster's body and soul separate, each developing different personalities.
69 The Wish creates a "perfect future", which is actually a sterile dystopia.
70 The caster is now cursed to speak the opposite of what they mean.
71 Every animal the caster meets now talks, but only insults them.
72 The caster’s soul is now visible to others, glowing and vulnerable.
73 A mysterious organization believes the caster is a messianic figure—and won’t take no for an answer.
74 The Wish causes a localized time loop, repeating the same day until undone.
75 A random deity adopts the caster as their chosen one—and expects obedience.
76 The caster begins uncontrollably leaking raw magic, causing random effects each day.
77 The caster's bones become rubbery, giving them disadvantage on Strength-based checks.
78 The caster now sees the future in fragments, but cannot control when.
79 The Wish succeeds—but only in another plane of existence.
80 The caster is replaced by an identical person with completely different memories.
81 The caster’s shadow grows 10x larger and begins acting independently.
82 The caster is cursed to believe the Wish did not work, no matter what.
83 The Wish wipes out an entire species somewhere in the world.
84 The caster’s blood turns to silver, beautiful but poisonous to themselves.
85 All written records of the caster are erased, even magical ones.
86 The Wish opens a permanent rift to a chaotic plane nearby.
87 The caster loses the ability to dream, and cannot benefit from long rests.
88 A phantom version of the caster haunts them, whispering doubts.
89 The caster’s teeth turn to gemstones, valuable but awkward.
90 The Wish turns the caster into a myth, warping reality so they never truly existed.
91 The caster now radiates a wild magic aura, triggering surges frequently.
92 The Wish is granted by an ancient machine god, who now tracks the caster.
93 The caster’s body becomes a portal to an unknown world—sometimes it opens.
94 The caster gains a curse that affects all future wishes they or allies make.
95 The caster forgets how to read and write, permanently.
96 The Wish merges the caster with a random creature, creating a bizarre hybrid.
97 The caster is now the center of a new religion, complete with fanatical followers.
98 The Wish causes the stars to realign, bringing about a prophesied end-time.
99 The caster is split into two entities, each with half their stats and personality.
100 The Wish causes the universe to reboot, changing class, race, and identity of everyone in the party (and confusing the DM).
