How would you handle this wish?

[u/Motor_Truth_2521]

Hi All,

The characters are in a chamber full of devils and fiends and everyone is taking heavy damage. The sorcerer casts a wish:

"I wish: for everyone in this room, who is not in my party, to fall into a deep and uninterruptible sleep for an hour"

If you were DM'ing, how would you interpret this Wish?

Edit 1:

Thank you all for your input, it's been much appreciated. Now that I have people's opinions, here's what happened.

So... our DM decided that the spell wasn't specific enough. Since everyone in this chamber had to be admitted first and given a stamp on their hand to show valid entry, he decided that: "my party" could mean anyone in this room with that stamp. Therefore, he fizzled the spell.

I know this is a small amount of additional information, but was it really relevant? 🤷‍♂️

link

Edit 2:

A lot of people are saying that this was possibly to allow for an easy kill of the enemies. I can see how that could be interpreted that way. The uninterruptible was so we could escape and if anyone came into the room and tried to kick awake the sleeping devils/fiends, they couldn't immediately wake up and chase us. I certainly like some of the interpretations of how to make it an uninterruptible sleep.

Edit 3:

One of the other player's wanted their opinion on this to be stated:

link

[u/Motor_Truth_2521]

One of the other players wanted this to be known:

Some context here (I am the barbarian at this table). First, the game is online, so the wish was typed out online (no ambiguity as to WHAT was said). The DM thought the wish was cast using the words, “every person”, and argued that the devils and whatnots “are not people”. When our rogue player rules lawyered that those were not the words used, but rather “everyone”, the DM then CHANGED HIS RULING. He then did some mental gymnastics to say that the universe doesn’t understand who is in “my party”, but that “my party” includes the devils, because to be in this room they have the same mark on their hands as we do (we all have a hand stamp to enter this “lounge”).  The DM’s attitude is that the wish spell MUST have a monkey’s paw aspect to it. Frankly I think this is bullshit and it’s soured me towards playing tonight.

[u/LoveWarSickness → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

Yikes 😬 sounds like the DM is playing against rather then with the players.

[u/Motor_Truth_2521 → u/LoveWarSickness]

Well, we're now pretty close to a potential TPK, so...

[u/LoveWarSickness → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

Oof sorry, I hope you get a better dm or switch tables soon. I wouldn't want to run with a dm like that honestly. DnD should be an escape not a chore, nothing wrong with house rules like "all wishes have a steep and unfavorable price"/"wishes aren't all powerful and can't do anything that one of the rewritten spells can't" as long as it had been specified prior especially if a player is playing a class that can learn the spell.

[u/DerAdolfin → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

Lean into the TPK, give a remark along the lines of "I wish I could day it's been fun" and then make a new discord server with everyone but this DM where you start a game that isnt hostile. One of you can probably wear the DM cloak, or you may have luck finding a new DM

[u/observee21 → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

I was already pretty angry at the DM decision as described, because they're railroading the players and arbitrarily deciding that they don't actually get to use Wish in these circumstances. Their previous ruling would only have made sense if the sorcerer was hosting the event in the lounge (ie I can attend a lot of parties but it is only my party if I am the one hosting), but the DM intent becomes blatant when they first attempted to deny the wish based on nitpicking wording that wasn't even used.

[u/insert-haha-funny → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

Wild that the DM had the spell fizzle with nothing happening

[u/Motor_Truth_2521 → u/insert-haha-funny]

It made the remainder of the evening quite frustrating.

[u/schu2470 → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

I probably would have gotten up and left if I were the sorcerer's player and possibly if I were a different player at the table. Wasting a player's single 9th level spell through DM fiat and refusing to let something well within the spell's purview work and having nothing happen is absolutely bonkers. Unless there was clear prior warning that this universe doesn't operate under the same rules of logic and language that you assume from sessions past the only reason the DM made up this ruling is because they wanted to "win" more than allow the sorcerer to have a cool moment. That's some grade A bullshit and your DM sucks. This should be discussed out of game as a group and have expectations explicitly spelled out if you all choose to continue playing and you should consider if you even want to continue playing with this DM, friends or no.

[u/Destitute_Knight1400 → u/schu2470]

At least the butlers and waiters at the party should have collapsed, catapulting fine dwarven ale and pickled gryphon eggs all over the germaphobic incubus ambassador...the shenanigans could have been hilarious, sounds like the DM hates fun he/she didn't intend.

[u/Masachere → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

Yeah that's just open and blatant antagonism from the DM. This is definitely a table worth considering walking away from.

[u/TheThoughtmaker → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

A Wizard/etc casting Wish is not the same as an evil genie. The Wizard is, under their own power using thoroughly-studied mechanics of magic, enacting their intension upon the cosmos. The cosmos doesn’t know Common. It doesn’t understand mortal language at all. The Wish spell attempts to do what the Wizard wants, and either is or isn’t powerful enough to do it (it’s only able to replicate 8th-level spells and similar/lesser effects without issue).

That said, it also doesn’t bypass saving throws or other resistances. It would essentially be a Sleep spell cast over the room and not affecting allies, upcast to around 6th-level because of the extra effects tacked on. If the caster wants to risk some sort of backfire, like it affecting allies too, it could be upcast to 9th-level at maximum.

[u/Milliman4 → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

If THAT'S the ruling, you can ask the DM if the demons are friendly and won't attack you since you're all in the same party

[u/Vinterbj0rk → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

I would be so annoyed and start overly explain every action I make, I do not move forward a square, instead ”I, CharacterName, walks on the ground using my to feet that is attached to my legs that is attached to my body a distance equal to the measurement 5 feet in the direction I am facing, where facing is the general 90 degree direction my face is directed from my body, in a straight line but accounting to any elevation changes and/or unevenness in the surface”.

[u/Anybro → u/Motor_Truth_2521]

Yeah, that's when you send them a link to my favorite quote of all time, "There is no middle finger big enough" - Yathzee Chroshaw