D&D General Can a Wish spell move a moon to cause an eclipse?

Tonguez said:

Ask the DM who should do whatever makes the best story (and complicates the PCs lives)

• Tidal Disruptions: The moon’s gravity controls the tides thus moving it could cause massive tidal waves and innundate coastal cities.
• Biorhythm Disruptions: The rhythms, migration and survival of many creatures depends on the Moon, pulling it out of its natural orbit could confuse biorhythms causing premature migrations, throw out plant growth and fruiting cycles or cause and upsurge in Lunacy or even lycanthropy
• Unstable Eclipses: The moon could end up in an unstable orbit, leading to frequent, unpredictable eclipses.
• Rotational Disruption: It could affect the rotation of the planet or its atmosphere causing dramatic weather changes, time shifts or massive natural disasters
• Orbital Decay: If the moon’s motion is changed, it might either drift away from the planet or crash into it with catostrophic effect. It might even cause the Moon to be ripped apart

I hate the Wish spell

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Aa long as it retains at least some semblance of an elliptical orbit, it won't crash but will be ripped apart once it passes the Roche Limit. The planet will get a nice set of rings. Granted, a large moon getting to the Roche Limit would cause massive tidal interactions that would not bode well for the planet and its inhabitants.

Plotting out the apocalyptic demise of your campaign setting sounds exhausting. Far easier to have a smaller effect for the Wish spell.

Yes, yes it can. Definitely.

TheSword said:

Yes, yes it can. Definitely.

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It can, in theory.
Theory is this nice little town in Wyoming. Nobody lives in Theory.
In Practice, an overcrowded little hamlet just to the southwest of Theory, maybe yes, and maybe no. Maybe yes and no.

Asking for the Moon, kind of literally, is also asking for the GM to find ways for the spell to screw up, likely so that you sort of get what you want, but in ways that don't really help you in the long run.

and this one is so simple to screw up for you. Like...

I Wish the moon would eclipse the sun!
Sure - it will do so naturally, one thousand, four hundred and thirty two years from now. Wish granted.

Um, okay, that was cheap of you. So... I Wish the moon would eclipse the sun... Today!
Sure. You are moved one thousand, four hundred, and thirty two years into the future. There is now an eclipse for you today. Wish granted.

And so on.

Umbran said:

It can, in theory.
Theory is this nice little town in Wyoming. Nobody lives in Theory.
In Practice, an overcrowded little hamlet just to the southwest of Theory, maybe yes, and maybe no. Maybe yes and no.

Asking for the Moon, kind of literally, is also asking for the GM to find ways for the spell to screw up, likely so that you sort of get what you want, but in ways that don't really help you in the long run.

and this one is so simple to screw up for you. Like...

I Wish the moon would eclipse the sun!
Sure - it will do so naturally, one thousand, four hundred and thirty two years from now. Wish granted.

Um, okay, that was cheap of you. So... I Wish the moon would eclipse the sun... Today!
Sure. You are moved one thousand, four hundred, and thirty two years into the future. There is now an eclipse for you today. Wish granted.

And so on.

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Sorry i was answering the question literally. Moving a moon is a viable use for a wish spell.

I’d have the moon move and then return back from whence it came. That seems to me, fully within the reality shaping effects of the wish spell. The ramifications for this - tidal waves, a plague of rabid wolves, freak weather disturbances etc - would all be part of the fun of the spell and for the DM to determine.

I’d kill for players to use wishes creatively this way… particularly given the downsides of the spell.

With tidal waves as a result of a moon being moved, could that mean that terrors from the deep like Morkoths, Krakens and Aboleths awaken as a result? I guess that would be a thing especially if it's a wish from a villain who doesn't really care for the consequences.

Kobold Avenger said:

With tidal waves as a result of a moon being moved, could that mean that terrors from the deep like Morkoths, Krakens and Aboleths awaken as a result? I guess that would be a thing especially if it's a wish from a villain who doesn't really care for the consequences.

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Yes a Kraken or Morkoth that now finds itself deposited in the middle of a major flooded metropolis

TheSword said:

The ramifications for this - tidal waves, a plague of rabid wolves, freak weather disturbances etc - would all be part of the fun of the spell and for the DM to determine.

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The fun of the spell is.. thousands of deaths across the globe? The PCs being responsible for mass suffering of innocents because they don't know the impact of massive tidal changes... is the fun?

I'm reminded of this bit from the Malloreon. Garion, the current Chosen One, uses his magic to create a mighty storm as an intimidation tactic to stop a war. Doing so, however, caused total chaos for the world's weather patterns, spawning storm systems that ran rampant, forcing another magician to spend months cleaning up the mess.

Kobold Avenger said:

Something needs to be done on an eclipse, some the powerful archmage wishes for there to be an eclipse.

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Obviously a grand and puissant working of magic for an even greater end!

Kobold Avenger said:

Could their wish cause a actual eclipse where a moon gets moved to cover the sun?

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Yes.*

Kobold Avenger said:

And after the wish, if a moon gets moved what happens to it?

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It goes back about its business, and astrologers the world over are very confused.

That said, there are certainly complications that could arise. Such a monumental change in the heavens would have echoes through the mythosphere, and there would undoubtedly be some sort of prophecy about it. Antagonists (N/PCs of various stripe) would come out of the wood work to foil the success of such a grand ritual. Their fears may or may not be justified; either the goals or the consequences to the wish and concomitant ritual could be of concern.

That said, I use the 3.5e Wish rules to describe limits to wishes. I also impose a 5 year aging hit on the caster, unless the wish comes from a ring or boon. If you want a pile of treasure, there's a defined limit. You wish for a suitable gift for the Padashah of the City of Brass, you might end up with something a touch more. If there's a ritual that requires some major event like an eclipse, sure, a wish will address that need.

There will be consequences, but something other than a direct spanking.