Wishes

As I mentioned I converted the adventure Aesirhamar (written by Roger E. Moore for Dragon magazine 47) to Swords & Wizardry and my players just finished successfully completing the adventure. The original published text made the reward a wish (or possibly 2 wishes) for each character. Given that I am tired of dumping gold on the group I decided to keep this in the rewrite (though I kept it to 1 wish).

I looked online for resources for dealing with wishes and did not find much. What I ended up communicating to my players was the rules for wishes from Dragon Magazine 49 (excerpt below).

The General Principles of Wishes

I: Wishes are 9th-level magic spells and are limited in power accordingly; Limited Wishes are 7th-level spells that are even more limited.

II: Wishes cannot change what has already happened, but they can be used to alter or negate the result of some prior happening. 

III: Wishes cannot directly affect that which will happen, except in the sense that everything that will happen is a direct result of what is and has been happening.

IV: Wishes are bound by the laws under which they themselves are brought about and used.

V: Wishes have no authority and no power over the abstract, the insubstantial, or the non-concrete.

VI: Wishes will always act in the simplest manner possible while abiding by the wording of the Wish itself.

VII: Wishes are general-purpose spells, and as such may be used voluntarily in a number of ways, with varying chances for success.

VIII: Wishes will rarely achieve more than one end, and never more than two.

IX: Wishes will fulfill, to the limits of their power, not only the desired end but the means by which that end is brought about.

X: Wishes are impartial, objective, and consistent.

As you can read, the rules still leave a lot up to the Gamemaster to adjudicate. In this case, the wishes were being granted by a god who was giving them as a reward. The god in question told the characters he would grant the wishes if they were within his power to grant. But I figured he would not be inclined to deliberately bend the wish to mess with the characters. It was a reward after all.

Of my 5 players, 3 used their wishes immediately and I do not feel any of what they requested was outside the bounds of the rules. I also had predetermined what the 2 NPCs would wish for.

Session 102: Wishes and fishes

Lakima (human, 10th level magic-user), Eathwund (human, 9th level fighter), Alrix (couatl zero-level monster sorcerer), Domago (human, 9th level cleric), Flora (elven, 9th level thief), Fenris (human, 9th level thief NPC), Lantosh (human, 7th level fighter NPC).

It only takes a few hours for the confusion spell on the dwarf to wear off, but it takes two days of hard travel through the desolation to reach the river. The two giants are waiting by their ferry. The giants do not say anything, but the mountain giant reaches out with an enormous hand to demand payment and Lakima pays him. The horses and the wooly mammoth are led onto the barge. The enormous barge barely moves when the mammoth steps onboard. They cross the river and find the land on the other side is a meadow under clear skies. They no longer feel the endless cold and thirst of the Jotunheim desolation.

Another two days of travel find the party approaching the enormous walls that surround Asgard. As they near the gate, a giant figure strides toward them. It appears to be the god Ragin. Ragin greets them and tells them that he has viewed their trek across the meadows and knows they have captured one dwarf and he assumes they have the weapon. He gestures to the sled that the mammoth is dragging. Ragin congratulates them and offers to transport them to his Hall. But first, he asks about the other dwarf Brokkir. Lakima drags Brokkir’s remains out of the bag of holding. Ragin nods and asks them to hand over the hammer and the dwarf.

Lakima is suspicious and asks why Ragin is meeting them here. Ragin tells him that he sought to shorten their journey. Lakima is still suspicious and asks Ragin what they discussed when last they met. Ragin correctly tells Lakima that they spoke about his father. Concerns assuaged, Lakima has Lantosh pull aside the tarp they have placed over the weapon. Ragin easily lifts the 500 lb, 8-foot long war hammer in one hand.

“Aesirhamer”, he exclaims. Ragin looks at the dwarf and says, “What mischieve you have gotten up to Dwalin.”

Ragin places golden manacles on the dwarf Dwalin and removes the other bonds and gags. Dwalin immediately tries to cast a spell but he finds he cannot speak.

Ragin opens a portal, through which they can see his hall. “Shall we go?”

Lakima asks, “what about our reward?”

Ragin agrees to give them their reward now. He gestures at them and each feels a prickling feeling on the underside of their right wrist. On each hero's wrist, a small, black tattoo of a wolf’s head appears.

“Your reward is this gift, touch my symbol and request any boon and if it is within my power I shall grant it”, Ragin says. Ragin has granted each adventurer a wish.

Lantosh immediately touches the symbol on his wrist and says, “I wish to be the captain of the Copperhead!” Ragin nods and tells Lantosh that his wish has been granted. He explains that there is no need to use the wish now. They can use it at any time or never use it. It is up to them. Ragin then opens the portal and they are all transported to Himinbjorg (Ragin’s Hall). Ragin gestures toward the Hall and tells them that a feast has been laid out in their honor. He will speak to them again soon but first, he needs to go to Valhalla with the dwarf and the hammer to seek the advice of the other gods.

Lakima asks about the bet he made with a Valkyrie. Ragin assures him that the Valkyrie Hilda will be his server at the feast and if he still wishes to risk the consequences of the bet he may.

Ragin leaves and the heroes enter the hall where they find many Einharjar awaiting. Some eating and some serving. Serving Lakima is the Valkyrie Hilda. Lakima asks her about his reward for winning their bet. The Valkyrie smiles at him and tells him that if that is the reward he wishes she will abide by the terms. Lakima thinks about it for a moment. Alrix advises caution. But then Lakima tells her that he wants to receive her kiss. The Valkyrie kisses Lakima on the cheek. He feels a brief sensation of being flushed but soon recovers none the worse for wear that he can tell.

The feast continues with everyone drinking and eating their fill. Fenris stands up and states, “I wish to be immune to poison!” A moment later a silver chain appears around his neck. He seems a little let down as if he was expecting something more dramatic. Later that night Eathwund states, “I wish I could withstand more injuries without falling!” Those near him notice that he seems sturdier than he did before. Lakima stands and declares, “I wish to be smarter!” As far as anyone can tell nothing happens. Those that have taken their reward look at Flora and Domago but the pair shake their heads. They need to think this through longer.

The next morning they awake, without hangovers. Ragin returns and tells them they can return on the Bifrost bridge to their homes or they can remain in Asgard if they wish. They all elect to return. Ragin takes a moment to speak alone with Eathwund. He tells Eathwund that the creature he is destined to meet in combat, the White Worm, grows in strength with every passing day as it consumes more and more magic users. Eathwund bows and thanks Ragin for this information. He immediately tells Lakima what he has learned.

They lead their horses up onto the Bifrost bridge and travel along it until they come back down in a meadow. The air is cold and crisp and there is light snow on the ground. Looking to the north they see the Valen Peaks and the towers of Edgerton closer to them. At this moment they realize that Lantosh has not journeyed across from Gladsheim with them.

“We have lost Lantosh back to the sea,” Lakima says.

The adventurers ride into Edgerton and find a few changes since they left. A few new shops and the main square shows signs that the Harvest festival has come and gone again. They arrive at their Manor and knock on the door. A surprised man-servant Huntley received them.

“My word! You have all returned,” he says, “the lady of the house will be most anxious to see you. She is recently returned from Dolmvay.”

The adventurers settle down at the manor. They learn that they have been gone for a little over a month. Alayna is initially cross with Lakima but then is more excited to tell him about the ball she attended in Dolmvay where she met the Duke’s son Simon.

They learn that Clearwin was looking for them a few weeks ago because he wanted to hire them. Lakima sends a message to Clearwin that they have returned. They also find messages from Wexley Windham in Whetwhistle who updates them on the copper mine. The miners have dug deeper and reached some far older workings

The next day, Clearwin sends a message asking them to meet him at his shop. Eathwund heads over to his Tavern. The rest go to Clearwin’s shop where they learn that Clearwin was robbed 2 weeks ago by a trio of adventurers. They stole a magical item called the crystal claw. Two of these adventurers are men he has bought from and sold to many times in the past without incident. The third was a halfling he did not recognize. Lakima asks what happened and Clearwin explains that while he showed the warrior Drake a two-handed sword, the mage Pellerax distracted him, and the halfling reached behind his counter and stole the case holding the crystal claw, and dashed off. Drake and Pellerax also left during the commotion he raised. After the incident, he realized that the three were likely working together. Since the Company of the Black Dragon was not around, he hired a quartet of adventurers new to the area. He paid them 500 gold in advance and never heard from them again. He posted a reward with the local gangs but it appears that the thieves have left town. Clearwin begs Lakima to help him and get the crystal claw back. Lakima asks about the pay and Clearwin moans that he has already paid one group of adventurers. When Lakima responds that they expect to be paid, Clearwin suggests that he pay him with two unique spells he recently purchased. He assures Lakima that these are long-lost spells that no other mages in the area would know.

Lakima asks his companions if they would accept payment from him and in return, Lakima would receive the spells. Everyone present agrees. Lakima tells Clearwin, not to worry they will soon get his stolen goods back.

Meanwhile, at the Sign of the Purple Bugbear, Eathwund finds that his tavern/Inn is doing a fine business. However, his manager Yana tells him that without Eathwund around to sign the payments he has had to use a portion of the profits to buy supplies.

“But there are profits?” Eathwund responds. Yana assures him that things are going well. Eathwund tells Yana that he will make arrangements that will allow Yana to sign on his behalf up to a certain amount.

The next day, Lakima suggests everyone prepare for the next quest. Alayna asks if he is leaving again so soon. Lakima assures Alayna that this is a quick, local job for a friendly merchant. There is nothing to it. Taking the Arrow of Direction out, Lakima asks for the location of the crystal claw. The arrow points northeast. He tries this several times before it is clear that the crystal claw must be outside the town walls. The group heads back into town and goes to the stables to mount up on horses. They travel northeast along the wilderness road in the direction of Larm. After a few hours, they arrive at the familiar sight of the Restless Knight Inn. The owner, Lotti Fielding, warmly greets them. Lakima describes the three adventurers they are chasing and Lotti tells them they passed through 2 days ago and headed north to their keep on Wyrmsmir Lake. She also tells them that Pellarax and Drake acted as if they hardly knew her, despite having stayed over many times in the past. She also warns them that the legendary green dragon, Toxin, is awake from his latest 20-year slumber and has been seen in the area.

Lotti asks them to stay for supper but they tell her that they need to move quickly. Lakima tells her that he promised his wife he would be back soon. She does insist on packing meals for them. It takes a day and a half of travel to follow the Wyrmsmir stream back to its source. They spot the tracks of three travelers on foot ahead of them. The lake is a small one nestled in a valley. Mist clings to the surface of the lake. They see a small keep built right on the shores of the lake. A small stream of smoke rises from a chimney meaning that someone is home.

The group rides right up to the main door and ties off their horses to a nearby tree. Flora and Fenris check the door and find it is unlocked but barred from inside. Fenris disables this with a prybar but there is a loud bang as the bar falls to the floor inside. They open the door and step inside. The interior of the keep is cluttered with broken furniture. They check out a library and find signs of recent inhabitation. They also hear the front door close behind them. The sounds of other doors opening and closing can be heard nearby. When they open the door to the kitchen they are confronted by a dwarf clad in armor who immediately attacks Flora with a War Hammer. She is struck slightly as she tries to dodge out of the way. Lakima casts charm person on the dwarf and as he sees it taking effect he tells the dwarf to stop fighting his friends. The dwarf looks about confused but does lower his mace.

As that is happening, a warrior suddenly appears behind Alrix and strikes him in the back with a spiked mace. Alrix yells in anger and casts magic missile targeting the warrior who has just appeared. Eathwund points Wormbane at the man and tries to use its confusion ability but the man seems to resist (for now). Fenris stabs at the man and misses. The man strikes Alrix again with the bloody mace. Lakima casts dispel magic on the human and he also stops and shakes his head.

“We were charmed by that cursed Naga!” the man says.

“Charmed, what are ye daft, no we are all friends.” the dwarf says.

The man introduces himself as Drake Sakellaros and tells them that he and his companions led by the wizard Pellerax came to the keep looking for treasure and followed a tunnel out to an island in the lake where they met the naga. The naga charmed all of them. He warns them that Pellerax is upstairs and is a powerful wizard. Lakima suggests that they can sneak up on him but Drake shakes his head.

“We saw you approaching the keep, we put our defense plan into motion. Pellerax cast invisibility on me so I could trap you in the keep and attack once you started fighting Onyx”, he points and the befuddled dwarf, “Pellerax will be waiting upstairs with his lighting bolt spell at the ready.”

Lakima tells Fenris to sneak upstairs and check. Alrix casts invisibility on Fenris. Fenris sneaks upstairs but he makes enough noise that the wizard hears him and casts lightning bolt. The blast narrowly misses Fenris who comes running back down the stairs.

“He’s used his lighting bolt,” Lakima says, “now is the time to confront him!”

Lakima heads upstairs and spots the wizard in a decaying bed chamber. He casts feeblemind on the wizard and the man slackly falls back onto a bed. Drake rushes upstairs to see what has happened and Lakima assures him that he can remove the spell once he has rested and studied his spells again.

Speaking with Drake and Onyx (the dwarf still under 2 charm spells), they learn that the stairs descend to a cellar where they can find a tunnel to the naga lair. They descend the stairs and see a flickering light throw a partially open door. Entering the cellar they find a small room with a large hole in the floor. A rope attached to an iron spike descends into the darkness. As they discuss what to do Domago exclaims in alarm and reaches up to the hair on his head. He finds that his hair has suddenly become a patch of green leaves. Stunned, he pulls one leaf after another off of his head only for more to replace them.

“Wild magic!”, Alrix exclaims. Lakima suggests they descend immediately. Fenris grabs the rope and starts to descend but the rope snaps and he drops down the hole arriving at the bottom with a thump. Fenris calls up that he is alive. Eathwund takes out some rope and ties it off on the iron spike, noticing while he does this that the other rope was cut. Eathwund is the next to descend followed by Lakima. Domago exclaims in anger again, and Alrix and Flora see that his skin has turned blue!

“What is going on!”, Domago says and hurriedly descends the rope. As Domago descends from sight, the chamber is plunged into supernatural darkness. Both Alrix and Flora who can usually see in the dark find they cannot see anything. Alrix falls to his knees and crawls towards what he thinks is the center of the room. He feels the edge of the pit. At that moment his hand brushes against a shoulder and he feels a dagger slash at his wrist. There is the sound of footsteps nearby. Alrix uses his charm person ability and suddenly the darkness is gone. Standing beside him is a halfling with a surprised look on his face. The halfling tells Alrix that his name is Lucky. He sheepishly apologizes as he wipes Alrix’s blood off of his dagger. Alrix tells Lucky to head upstairs to his friends. Flora heads down the rope. As Alrix grabs the rope, Lucky pauses at the door to the cellar and tells him to look out for the traps.

The adventurers set out below down a long tunnel that heads out under the lake. Fenris triggers a spike trap and is badly injured. Domago uses healing magic on Fenris and Alrix. They continue on finding some flooded areas but never more than 3 feet deep. They arrive at another area where the tunnel is flooded. Carved into the stone wall is the message, “Beware the Fish”. Fenris asks Eathwund for his quarterstaff to test the water. He finds it is 3 feet deep. He splashes it around but does not see any fish. Lakima pulls a scroll out of the bag of holding and casts Lower Water. The water level in the tunnel drops in half. They splash through the tunnel and arrive in a flooded cave with three exits. The exits rise out of the cave and are dry. In one tunnel they spot a corpse. The skeletal remains of a man in armor. Eathwund uses his sword’s ability to detect magic and finds none. In the cave beyond, they see a large mass of brownish-yellow mud. They head to another tunnel and arrive in a cave with dim light streaming in from above. Lakima pulls out the efreeti bottle and summons Khisa.

Khisa appears and tells Lakima that he has enjoyed the respite from the constant summoning. Lakima tells Khisa that the company has been in Asgard.

“Ahh, that explains the mark of a Valkyrie on your cheek”, Khisa says. Everyone is surprised that Khisa can detect something that is not visible to them.

Lakima tells Khisa to fly up into the cave above and drop down a rope. The efreeti flies up out of sight and a moment later they see a flash and flickering light. Lakima calls up to see if everything is all right and Khisa tells them that he had to use his wall of fire to keep some giant frog-men at bay. Lakima tells Khisa to wait.

They decide to check the third tunnel and find a small chest. Flora manages to pick the lock on the chest and open it. Inside they find only a fragile glass vial full of gas. They realize that the vial would have broken and released the gas if they had broken open the chest. They return to the cave where the efreet waits and tell him to throw down a rope.