Friday, August 17, 2018

DIY 30 #13: Three Magic Rings

Dragon Ring
This ring was created by a too-ambitious magic-user hoping to harness the power of the dragons, and though it certainly does benefit its wearer with certain powers, it ultimately comes with a major drawback.

First, the benefits: First, the wearer of the ring is able at will to detect precious metals within 60', able to determine direction, but not precise location. Second, the wearer gains the ability 3 times per day to breathe fire as a dragon. This breath attack extends from the wearer's mouth in a cone, 60' long and 15' wide at its furthest point, and it deals damage equal to the wearer's current hit points. Those caught within the cone are allowed a saving throw versus breath weapons to take half damage. Third and lastly, the wearer gains an aura of dragon awe, so that creatures entering melee against him must succeed in a morale check or forfeit their first attack (but are able to attack normally thereafter).

The wearer of the ring will ultimately discover that it is a curse, however. Immediately putting on the ring, the wearer will find himself unwilling to relinquish any wealth for frivolous purposes (including unwilling to remove the ring or otherwise give it up); this means that gold may be spent for lodgings and food, and to purchase necessary equipment, but for no other purposes: no carousing, no spell research, no wages for hirelings or mercenaries, no magic item creation, etc, etc.

After a month spent wearing the ring, the character's alignment changes to Chaotic as the draconic nature of the ring exerts itself on his spirit. Any class whose powers rely on alignment will suffer the full penalty of losing their class abilities, but be unable to atone without also removing the ring (e.g. a Lawful cleric who changes to Chaotic will lose all spells and undead turning abilities until/unless they atone or confirm their new alignment). It is at this point that the character's skin and eyes really take on a reptillian, draconic cast.

After a full year wearing the ring, a character is actually transformed bodily into a dragon. And no, this is not supposed to be a cool "I get to play a dragon" thing, it is rather at this point that the referee takes the character sheet away and informs the player that the dragon-character has settled down into a long draconic lethargy, sleeping on whatever wealth he has acquired, aroused only in defense of its hoard.


Ring of Cold
This ring is perpetually covered with a dusting of brown mold, which might be mistaken as rust. It is bitingly cold to the touch, and putting it on will reduce the wearer's hit points by one until the ring is removed (and the hp must then be healed back).

It otherwise acts as a ring of fire resistance, so that it grants +4 on saves against fire attacks, allows the wearer to ignore all normal fires, and reduces damage from magical fire attacks by 1 point per damage die (or per hit die of the creature in the case of a dragon's breath, which isn't rolled).

The fire resistance in this case, though, is granted because of the brown mold colony that has been enchanted into the ring. After suffering three major magical fire attacks, e.g. a fireball, dragon's breath, etc., the brown mold explodes forth from the ring, growing over the wearer's body. The mold deals 1d6 cold damage cumulatively for 5 rounds as it grows, after which it continues dealing 5d6 cold damage per round. This damage is also dealt to anyone within melee range. The body of the wearer will quickly be devoured and transformed into a brown mold colony once the character's hp reach 0, and continue to deal 5d6 cold damage every round to those within melee range.

Cold spells will cause the mold to go dormant for a number of rounds equal to the number of damage dice of the spell; and in the case of this ring, the mold is susceptible to acid damage, so that 8 acid damage will cause the colony to discorporate.


Ring of the Skeleton
This ring is formed of pale white bone. It acts essentially as a ring of sustenance or a ring of warmth; the wearer does not need to eat or breathe, and is immune to all kinds of cold damage. It further grants immunity to charm, sleep, and hold spells.

Unfortunately, its use entails certain downsides. The wearer may be turned as an undead creature of hit dice equivalent to the character's level (as close as possible). Furthermore, the wearer's body begins to show the effect of not-eating ... the character's body quickly wastes away until it seems only skin and bones remain. If allowed to continue (and the ring can only be removed with a remove curse spell) in this way, the flesh actually will wither away, leaving the character as only an animated skeletal figure. If the ring is removed at this point, the character will die. The character's charisma is permanently reduced by 6 due to becoming undead and a walking memento mori. As undead, the character will be destroyed by a raise dead spell, and cannot be merely raised from the dead if destroyed; once undead, only a wish spell or something similarly powerful is able to restore such a character.



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