One of the classic standards of old school roleplaying that can be hard to do justice to in a system that relies on modern sensibilities is the Wish spell. I think this problem is best embodied in GURPS, where the Wish spells only apply to wishes that can be expressed in terms of altering a die roll. They could be called "Alter Fate" or "Probability Manipulation", but gamers expect there to be a wish spell and designers are loathe to leave anything like that up to the vagaries of GM fiat, so we end up with sharply limited spells that don't really satisfy the need they were created to fill.
But I think part of the problem is the idea that a magic wish is essentially a password for hacking reality; that when dealing with a wish situation, powerful magic will make whatever follows the words "I wish..." become instantly and irrevocably true, rather than what the situation was in the source stories: when you have a powerful magic being who is bound to do whatever you wish, you can get a lot of things done. Not everything. But a lot of things.
For this reason, I think the classic magic ring or lamp or bottle is best handled as a limited use summoning item, with a more powerful summons than the PCs could otherwise manage... but it can only be used for anything beyond casual conversation three times, or for three strictly defined services.
(D&D has had lamps and rings of assorted-flavors-of-genie-summoning, but then muddies the waters by making these same beings natural casters of the reality-hacking Wish spell.)
Does this mean that a Wish spell can't exist? No, it just means it needs to be redefined.
The Wish spell does not rewrite reality. Instead, it summons an aspect of a powerful spirit or being. Such beings are not all-powerful, but their powers surpass mortal limits and are not bound by any constraints a mortal mind can fathom.
Those who successfully summon such a being can make one request of them. This is a key point: the wish spell is not a magic password that allows you to overwrite reality according to the literal wording of a sentence, it's something that grants you an attentive audience with someone who may have the power to grant your request.
Requests likely to be granted include:
* The effects of any other spell, sometimes bypassing the practical limitations of that spell (like required materials; e.g., a body for resurrection), but the spell cannot be of a circle greater than the wisher would have access to at their character level. Wish is itself a 6th circle spell (the highest), but this applies even if cast from a scroll or magic item. The same spell's effects can be duplicated up to a number of times equal to the wisher's circle squared. So a character in the second circle—the point at which resurrection becomes an option—could wish four people back from the dead, while someone in the sixth circle could wish 36 people back. It has to be all in one go, though. You couldn't wish for your friend to be resurrected, then bank the other "uses".
* The ability to have one spell effect at a certain contingency (i.e., you get resurrected if you die), subject to the limitations above and without the multiplier effect.
* The ability to quick-cast any one utility spell of the first circle as an innate ability for the rest of your life. This is how wishes like "Never be hungry again" are usually resolved, as there are spells to create food or cure hunger. A child who wished to never fear the darkness might get a spell of night vision, or light creation, or even bravery.
* The creation (or destruction!) of any magic item the wisher could create, according to their level (but ignoring other prerequisites). A created magic item costs the wisher half the normal amount of Deed Points. The destruction of a magic item requires it to be present.
* The granting of any other boon that can be purchased with Deed Points. As with magic items, half the Deed Points must still be spent. The wish is mainly a convenient vessel for bringing the desired ends about, much more quickly than would othersie be possible.
* Instantaneous travel from any point in existence to any other point... except where it would be prohibited by a being of similar power. Not even a god or archdevil could deposit someone in the inner sanctum of another god or archdevil.
* Treasure/money of up to an amount determined by the wisher's level. This amount will surpass the wisher's means, but still be finite.
THE LIMITS OF WISHING
First, there's a reason that "three wishes" is a recurring motif in stories. Most mortals never get one wish, but even those who do rarely go beyond three. Under ordinary circumstances, even if you know and can cast the wish spell yourself, you will not be able to benefit from it more than three times. Repeated castings will still get you an audience with a higher power, but you will need to make your case against a skeptical being who may resent your presumption and greed. If you get anything, expect it to be less and expect to pay for it, often in advance.
Insofar as it's possible to understand these things, this limit is because the ability of such beings to interfere directly in mortal affairs are limited by both practical and political concerns.
Second, the willingness of beings to grant requests depends in large part in their interest in you as a mortal. This is why spell effects are limited to the circle of the wisher and things that would cost Deed Points still do. If you wish for a stronghold or followers at the start of your career, the response is likely to be "Why? What have you done to earn them?"
Third, interference in the affairs of other mortals is very rarely given. This represents "double dipping". To kill your enemy or make someone fall in love with you, the being would have to directly meddle in both your fates, which costs more power/capital. They have a direct pathway into your life and your permission to meddle, which can be understood to ease the way. This is why you can wish for beneficial spell effects (like resurrection) for others... if the subject is willing, it's not interference.
If you wish for something that cannot be given, what happens next will vary. If you have yet to be granted any wishes, the being will explain as much as is possible why this is not within its power and offer an alternative (make you forget your unrequited love, guide you towards someone else who might reciprocate, give you some means to kill your enemy yourself, et cetera), or offer advice for a completely alternative wish. If no boon can be agreed upon, the spell is "uncast"... even if it was from a one-shot scroll, the scroll reforms in your possession. Repeatedly summoning the greater power and dickering about what is possible/permitted will erode their goodwill.
If you've already been granted one wish, the entity will be less patient and may simply give you a lesser/alternative boon and expect you to be happy with it. This still counts as a granted wish.
Essentially, you can expect the being to be generous and helpful with a first wish, and less so with the subsequent two, and stingy and skeptical about anything after that.
The wish spell, cast as an arcane incantation, generally connects the caster with a random being who will be generally sympathetic to their plight. As a celestial or infernal spell, it connects the caster to an aspect or representative of their patron. Wishing items (such as rings) tend to be arcane or infernal, and are bound to a specific being. Only the very rarest wishing items can be possessed by one person or group and used repeatedly, even allowing for the lifetime limit on wishes.
Some wishing items may have a limited number of uses before the being is released from the obligation of answering mortal pleas; in other cases, the being controls the item and can teleport it elsewhere after granting a wish, if they don't like the attitude of the wisher. Still others carry a requirement that wishers pass the item on themselves in some prescribed manner, with a curse following them until it has been fulfilled.
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