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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!duke!unc!tim
From: tim@unc.UUCP (Tim Maroney)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: interesting uses of wishes
Message-ID: <5988@unc.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 9-Oct-83 17:04:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.5988
Posted: Sun Oct  9 17:04:50 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Oct-83 22:17:03 EDT
References: <360@ihuxe.UUCP> umcp-cs.3033
Lines: 53

This was one of the more interesting topics to hit this group in a while.
If I had been DMing, you would never have cast the second and third wishes
as you stated -- after the first, you would have realized that wording of a
wish is essential.  I am quite picky about the wording of any wish except
one for escape or resurrection.

>>1) I wish this short sword of cold that I'm holding will never break.
>>(purpose: to avoid rolling saving throws for the sword after every
>>fumble)

My approach here is basically the same as rabbit!jj's in terms of its effect
to you, but different in its execution.  "Never" is a very long time.  How
can the wish guarantee that the sword will never break?  Even artifacts can
be broken, after they are hit with a Rod of Cancellation enough times.  The
only possible way to guarantee your wish is to immediately turn the sword
irrevocably into some unbreakable material, such as water or air.

>>2) I wish that this ring of pro+3 that I'm holding and this ring of invis
>>that I'm holding will now merge into one ring keeping all their magical
>>properties intact.(purpose: to wear a third ring)

Unfortunately, one of the magical properties of the two rings is that if
they are both in effect on you, no other ring can be.  You would get a
single ring which would make it impossible to wear any other ring.  This
effect could be taken away using another Wish, or by carefully stating the
requirement that another ring be wearable when you first make the Wish.
(I assume that you "purpose" clauses weren't part of the Wish -- I require
complete sentences.)

>>3)I wish that my fighting ability with respect to hitting percentage was
>>always one level higher than a person with my experience would normally
>>be.(purpose: I was a L16 thief and greedily wanted to be fighting on the
>>L17 table. This is a considerable jump but only at this particular level
>>since when I do make L17 the wish will have no effect anymore. The
>>motivating factor however was we were about to run the drow/Lolth series)

Well, golly, gee, you just remember, it was once, and what's more, when it
was, it was that way all the time!  I think you meant to say "were", not the
past tense.  If the DM doesn't require literacy, the wish still doesn't
work right.  Instead of "person" you should have said "thief".  You would
get the hitting percentage of a magic-user with your experience.  (A wish
will always take the path of least resistance, and it is easier to hurt than
help in AD&D magic.)

Aside to rabbit!jj and others about experience levels:  Like hell your
character doesn't know about them!  Are we playing the same game?  What do
you think those titles on the level tables are for?  Why does the DMG say
that you have to spend weeks in training and spent mucho bucks on getting a
new experience level if you don't even know what one is?  I suppose this
urge just comes over you to go study with your mentor for a few weeks at
great expense, and you don't notice any improvement when you're done.  Right.

Tim Maroney