When using wish to replicate a spell, what school of magic does it count as?

Question

Wish is a conjuration spell that is able to be used to duplicate lower level spells as follows:

The basic use of this spell is to duplicate any other spell of 8th level or lower. You don't need to meet any requirements in that spell, including costly components. The spell simply takes effect.

When used in this way, does the resulting spell count as a conjuration spell or whatever the school duplicated spell is?

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As an example (since there was some confusion): say I used wish to cast geas on a creature. After a period of time passes I cast detect magic on the creature. What school of magic do I detect?

Answer 1

The spell's school is whatever the duplicated spell's school normally is

The basic use of this spell is to duplicate any other spell...

Duplicate here mean to "make or be an exact copy of". Note that the wording says the entire spell is duplicated, not just its effects. An exact copy of a spell means that it is identical in every aspect, which includes school.

If wish was intended to only take some of the characteristics of the spell and not others it would say so. In fact, it does say so, but only for two specific things.

Wish specifically indicates things that are not duplicated from the spell

You don't need to meet any requirements in that spell, including costly components.

Wish tells us that only one thing is different casting a spell using wish versus casting it normally: requirements of the spell do not need to be met.

...The spell simply takes effect.

Also, it is implied by the wording "the spell simply takes effect" that wish also overrides the casting time of the duplicated spell.

Since no other exceptions are noted the spell should be treated exactly as if the spell had been cast normally including duration, range, school, etc.

Wish only lasts for an instant

Wish is an instantaneous spell which means no matter what it is gone the instant after you cast it. But say you used wish to cast a spell, say geas, on a creature using wish. The instant after wish is cast the only effects remaining are going to be of the spell it is duplicating not wish itself.

Wish conjures a duplicate of another spell

Essentially, it seems that using wish to duplicate another spell would result in the casting of a conjuration spell with an instantaneous duration which then results in another spell taking effect with all the details that that spell has (including school). Wish conjures the other spell into existence and then disappears leaving only the conjured spell's effects.

Answer 2

The spell that is cast is a conjuration spell

Wish states (emphasis mine):

... You don't need to meet any requirements in that spell, including costly components. The spell simply takes effect.

The general rule is that spells do what they say they do. The text of wish states that it duplicates a lower level spell and that the effects of the spell just happen. It does not change the nature of the spell you have actually cast (Wish is a conjuration spell).

Side Note:

If we were to treat it as being a pure duplication of the spell, this would technically include the duplicated spell's casting time, however the casting time of Wish is 1 action, and (as already mentioned) the text of wish states that "the spell simply takes effect".

As a result there is no change to the casting time of Wish by duplicating another spell. The same logic applies to the school of magic of the spell.

Answer 3

The Resulting Spell's School Still Applies

BUT - So does Wish's - there are two spells

Wish is a Conjuration spell; RAW states:

Conjuration spells involve the transportation of Objects and creatures from one location to another. Some spells summon creatures or Objects to the caster’s side, whereas others allow the caster to Teleport to another location. Some conjurations create Objects or effects out of nothing.

The only part of that description that could apply to Wish is the last bit: So basic use of the Conjuration Spell Wish "[creates] ... effects out of nothing" - namely: a spell - not just said spell's effect. From Wish's description:

The basic use of the spell is to duplicate any other spell of 8th level or lower. You don't need to meet any requirements in that spell, including costly components. The spell simply takes effect.

Not only does RAW specify that the spell (rather than just its effects) is duplicated, it also goes on to state that said spell takes effect - something it could not do if it were not first called into existence by the Conjuration spell Wish.

The character casts Wish, with all it's own attributes: Level, Casting Time, School, Components. Wish causes a second spell to manifest (it "simply takes effect") without the need to cast it, but with all it's other attributes. The only ones that are irrelevant are those that relate only to casting. One spell is cast who's effect is to conjure (rather than cast) a second spell, who's effects then manifest.

RAW states the Range/Area of Wish as "Self"; you don't cast Wish on another character, or an area or anything else like you may be able to cast another spell. The implication here is that while Wish is conjuring a spell, this secondary spell behaves as though cast by you (rather than by the metaphysical entity that is Wish). The only specified changes to this spell in RAW are it's requirements; nothing else is changed:

You don't need to meet any requirements in that spell, including costly components. The spell simply takes effect.

So in the case of Geas:

You cast Wish on yourself, which manifests the spell Geas as though cast by you, along with all it's attributes aside from requirements. Geas then affects the creature, and the spell effects you'd detect using Detect Magic subsequently would be those of Geas, including the school. You wouldn't detect Wish's presence on yourself, as it's duration is instantaneous:

Many spells are instantaneous. The spell harms, heals, creates, or alters a creature or an object in a way that can’t be dispelled, because its magic exists only for an instant.

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Role play and flavour here are a fun side effect:

Roland (Ranger): Here - this is the perfect spot to make our final stand against the horde. Gideon, could you do something to help us out? Keep the Skeletons from getting too close while we pick them off?

Gideon (Cleric): Sure, if you give me the day and I gather the last of my incense stash, I could cast Hallow which will...

Flora (Sorceror): *Mutters under her breath ... Done. Also fixed it so you won't get all scaredy cat on us again Gideon.

Roland: *Sniggers

Answer 4

It makes the most sense to detect as conjuration, as the outcome is not from a spell being cast, but from the spell effects being conjured by the wish spell.

The basic use of this spell is to duplicate any other spell of 8th level or lower. You don't need to meet any requirements in that spell, including costly components. The spell simply takes effect.

It's used to duplicate a spell's effects, not to actually cast that spell, which is why the requirements of the other spell are not met. Essentially, the character is wishing for the effects of that spell; ie, they aren't wishing to cast a fireball, they are wishing for a fireball.

The idea of the Range being "Self" as a limitation is rather undercut by the spell's examples of use:

• You create one object of up to 25,000 gp in value that isn't a magic item. The object can be no more than 300 feet in any dimension, and it appears in an unoccupied space you can see on the ground.

• You allow up to twenty creatures that you can see to regain all hit points, and you end all effects on them described in the greater restoration spell.

• You grant up to ten creatures that you can see resistance to a damage type you choose.

• You grant up to ten creatures you can see immunity to a single spell or other magical effect for 8 hours. For instance, you could make yourself and all your companions immune to a lich's life drain attack.

So it's clearly not intended to affect just the caster. Very large objects can be created or a decent number of other creatures can be affected. A cube of matter 300ft on a side is 27mil cubic feet. In the latter examples, depending on how you define "creature", that could be 3500lbs worth of creature; assuming roughly human sized at 175lbs each. If extended to something like Ancient Gold Dragons, that is a whole lot of creature that can be affected.

Ultimately, it's more important to make a decision and keep things consistent. If the effects of a spell cast through a wish are conjuration, make sure that any other device or creature that provides wishes also has spells or spell-like effects detect as conjuration. It can be also be used as a clue for clever players to uncover. If they discover a geas on someone, but it detects as a conjuration, they can guess the NPC they are chasing has access to possibly multiple wish spells or devices, which is far more dangerous than an NPC with access to multiple geas spells or devices.