Today’s all about that most classic of fantasy treasures: the magic ring!
Of course, the genre’s great flagship is literally named after the damn things. Back at Uni, I had a mythology prof who said that stealing a ring from a giant was right up there with the swan wives as one of the oldest human story tropes. Odin’s magic rings are one of the core treasures of the Norse mythos. And there are the comic book rings: Green Lantern and the Mandarin, to say nothing of the various sorcerous Marvel characters.
People really like rings.
But, of course, that thematic ubiquity means that most of your players will have already seen a few rings of invisibility by the time they hit your table. So try some of these weird little guys instead!
Ring of Loyalty
Created by the paranoid King Banji, these gaudy-looking little trinkets cause their wearer to age at half-speed, require no food or air, become immune to disease, and command the crystal guardsmen of the glass palace. Additionally, should the wearer of such a ring harm another ring-wearer, the ring will instantly shatter, dealing 8d6 slashing damage to all creatures within a 20ft radius (DC 15 Dex save for half).
Now imprisoned in the buried palace, the Glass Palace’s remaining residents still wear their rings. They’ll attempt to trick interlopers into murdering their rivals. If a ring could be retrieved, it could protect you from the old king’s maddest retainers.
Ring of Cycles
This ring has two powers, depending on the season and time of day.
During the day, its user is immune to magical sleep and can cast Haste once. During the night, the user is immune to magic that reveals alignment or forces truth-telling; additionally, they may cast Slow once.
The ring also allows its user to Wild Shape, as the Druid ability, once per day. The animal form is a Polar Bear in Winter, a Bird of Paradise in Spring, a Coyote in Summer, and a Raven in Autumn.
Ring of Bells
Worn by the Jester-General of the Jingling Army, this ring allows its wearer to speak and hear through any ringing bell within 10km (6 miles, if you live in Liberia or Myanmar). Given the bells festooned to every inch of the general’s minions, this makes him near omnipresent!
Additionally, when the wearer hears a bell begin to ring, they may, as a Reaction, teleport to the location of that bell. Use this to create a memorable recurring antagonist!
Ring of Rolling
Upon shouting the command word, the wearer turns into a 10ft diameter golden ring and rolls 80ft in any direction. Creatures in the way must make a DC 10 Dex save or take 6d10 bludgeoning damage. This takes an action, but can be used as many times per day as needed, although it cannot move uphill or through difficult terrain. Once favoured by the Roll-Knights of the Emerald Hills, the now-defunct order left many tombs full of these magic rings.
Ring of Holes
Just as the arrow is about to hit, a doughnut-hole-like tunnel appears in the ring-bearer’s flesh! The arrow whistles clean through!
As a Reaction, the wearer may ignore a ranged attack. Additionally, the ability to create a hole in yourself may be used to give Advantage on a Sleight of Hand check. If a PC carries this ring for three or more levels, DMs may choose to level-up the ring by allowing them to use the Ability to ignore a single source of piercing damage.
Steal ’em! Mutate ’em! Give ’em to a good home! Take these rings, and steal something else before you go. Check out the recent Round-Up for a big ol’ menu of stuff, or take a look at an old classic: these Dream Themed magic items. And if you’re into PDFs over blogposts, maybe toss a coin to your Watchers and buy a module or game.