For the Ethereal Plane:
"The conjuration cannot summon an entity from the Prime Material, Outer or Astral Planes. [snip]
Spells that call upon great powers, such as limited wish, wish, alter reality, and gate, work only if the Power called upon is a native to one of the permitted planes."
-Manual of the Planes, pg. 18
What they're saying is that when casting those spells, it calls on a Power (god) to grant it. If the Power (god) resides more than two planes removed from the Ethereal, they cannot grant those spells. Since most gods outside of the Mayan pantheon reside on the Outer Planes, those spells for most cannot be cast. Druids gain their power from nature, so their "god" resides in (in fact, is part of!) the Prime Material Plane.
Then we look at H4 Throne of Bloodstone:
"In the Abyss, we have other interesting problems. For example, the wish, limited wish, and alter reality spells are granted by the nearest Power capable of granting such a desire - in this case Orcus."
- H4 Throne of Bloodstone, pg. 8
Back to Manual of the Planes, where we read (concerning casting wishes on the Astral Plane):
"Gate, alter reality and wish require the attention of a Power-class being. Thus they function only if that being makes the Astral Plane its home."
-Manual of the Planes, pg. 69
And, concerning casting wishes on the Outer Planes...
"The wish, limited wish, and alter reality spells are granted by the nearest Power capable of granting such a desire. Powers examine these requests more carefully here than in the Prime Material; they deny those spells that would upset their realms. Some Powers refuse to grant wishes by travelers in their realms."
-Manual of the Planes, pg. 79
Now keep in mind, they are definitely NOT talking about beseeching a deity for aid, calling for the god to grant them a wish, i.e.:
"Great Odin! In your mighty name, we call on you to decimate the horde of frost giants, as we are helplessly outnumbered!"
In each source, they are clearly describing mechanics for how those spells (limited wish, wish, alter reality, etc) function when they are cast by player characters. That point is important to note. Here is why, and here is the question...
Where does it say anywhere in the DMG or PHB that limited wish ,wish and alter reality spells are granted by gods? These are, after all, wizard (ok, "magic user"
) and illusionist spells, not priest (cleric) spells. It seems as if in all the 1E books or modules that mention the subject, they indicate that when a wizard or illusionist casts one of those spells, the effect is being granted by a deity and that without access to that deity, they cannot cast those spells. Like in Throne of Bloodstone, where it explains that, well..."good luck casting a wish in this adventure, because Orcus has to approve it for it to take effect!" Essentially. But I have never found anywhere in the PHB or DMG anything stating that those spells are granted by gods (powers).
Is this just a written, common understanding that never made it into the core rule books? I have to check if that notion was retained in Planescape. Hang on.
Nope. Just checked. All it says is that priests cast as one level lower for each plane removed from the plane of their god. So that didn't make it into Planescape, as far as I can see at the moment.
So, back in 1E, where did this rule come from? Seems odd that it isn't addressed in the PHB or DMG. The implications are important. For example...
It can be argued that nature is a "god" or "power" since druids can simply worship nature (not a nature god) and gain spells. So going by the 1E precedent, if a wizard used a wish to clear a forest and create a huge city, Nature, being a "god" would simply deny the wish. Hell, even if he simply wished for all the mosquitoes in a small forest to be destroyed, Nature would not grant that.
Also, high level characters going to the Astral, Inner, or Outer Planes essentially cannot cast limited wish, wish, alter reality, gate, etc.
That's a pretty powerful limitation!
Then there's the issue of wizards having to worship gods. Even on the Prime Material Plane, or anywhere. If a wizard is casting a wish spell, who exactly is answering/granting it, if it must be granted by a god? How do we determine that if it must be granted by a god? Unless the wizard PC has indicated which god he worships (in a non-clerical/non-priestly sense), can he therefore never cast limited wish, wish, or alter reality? And if he doesn't worship any particular god, then would it be granted by whatever power decides to grant it as being in that power's interest? Because in that case, all the gods are the closest (except for the Mayan/Aztec gods) because they all reside on the Outer Planes. And what if Thor thinks it's a good wish to grant the wizard, but Loki does not? How is that arbitrated?
And I correct myself - the Aztec/Mayan gods reside (according to the 1E Deities & Demigods), on an Prime Material Plane in an alternate universe. So they're always the closest gods. Or are they further? Is an alternate Prime Material Plane farther away than a different Plane in the same universe? Is an alternate Prime Material Plane an alternate world sharing the same Ethereal and Inner Planes as every other Prime Material Plane? Seem to me they'd be alternate universes. You can have alternate worlds in a single Prime Plane, but how can you have two different Prime Material Planes in the same place?
See how this spirals out of control? I think my head hurts.
