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AD&D 2nd edition's version of wish has several drawbacks:

[...] All wishes age the caster 5 years. Stronger wishes impose a -3 penalty on Strength on the caster and require 2d4 days of bed rest for the caster due to the stresses the spell places on time, space, and the body.

When does the -3 STR penalty from using wish wear off?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Do not answer in comments. \$\endgroup\$
    – mxyzplk
    Sep 8, 2017 at 23:54

1 Answer 1

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Having scanned the DMG, the PHB, and the Complete Wizard's handbook, the rules don't specify. As with most things involving wish, the DM needs to make a ruling. Beyond what you cited from the PHB, in the Complete Wizard's Handbook (p. 125) says:

Since it can theoretically have any effect, no spell is more difficult for the DM to adjudicate than wish. {snip} DM is free to alter these suggestions in any way he sees fit. {snip} The nature of the penalty is up to the DM; possibilities include 2d4 days of bed rest, a temporary loss of 1-4 Strength points, a permanent loss of 1 Constitution point, damage of 2d10 points, or any combination of these penalties.

It would make sense for the loss of Strength points to last as long as the need for bed rest, 2d4 days, but the DM can adjust that to fit a particular situation.

Dungeon Master Option: High Level Campaigns duration = bed rest time

If you accept players option series of books(sometimes referred to as AD&D 2.5) the Dungeon Master Option: High Level Campaigns(p. 93) offers this guidance:

Wish: Most uses of this spell lower the caster's Strength/Stamina score by three points, and force the caster to take to his bed for 2d4 days. Lost Strength / Stamina return at the end of the rest period. If the caster's Strength score falls to 0 or less, he loses consciousness until he has rested.

(While I don't recall a Dragon Magazine Sage Advice article on this, there may be one ... that may take a while to dig up. Dragon Mag #146 had a great article on wishes that referred to D&D/BECMI, AD&D 1e and covered other RPG's as well. It had no treatment of the price/penalty of using wishes in a game).

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  • \$\begingroup\$ The "options" update of books are fine. The 2.5 is a community classification anyway. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 8, 2017 at 14:24
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Mindwin Edited to accommodate your comment. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 8, 2017 at 14:41
  • \$\begingroup\$ Just an fyi as far as Dragon Magazines go, Lowdown on Wishes (#19), Best Wishes! (#49), Rare Way of Viewing the Wish (#73), If You Wish Upon A Star (#143) are all 1e but have information relevant/usable for 2e. I only have about 25 issues above that (in the 2e range) and there is not much on wishes in those. Well, there may be a Sage Advice on it but the only one of those I can recall atm (that is useful here) was in issue #155 which opened up the possibility of off-setting the strength penalty by working a strength bonus into the wish. \$\endgroup\$
    – Leezard
    Sep 8, 2017 at 18:01
  • \$\begingroup\$ "I wish to not lose any strength points for the duration of this wish" - the most useless wish ever. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael
    Sep 8, 2017 at 18:14
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Michael for the duration of this wish - Wish is an instantaneous spell if you do not specify a duration. (almost made me do a spit-gag reading your comment). \$\endgroup\$ Sep 9, 2017 at 14:45

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