Sepulchrave II
Legend
Description
This plain and unadorned gold band grows or shrinks to fit the finger of its wearer. If exposed to fire, fine writing can be seen both inside and outside of its circle. The script is Elvish, but the language is that of Mordor.
Intelligent Item?
The One Ring should be regarded as having Intelligence 1 Wisdom 10 and Charisma 30. Its sentience – in the conventional sense of the word – is negligible: on a par with animals, perhaps. However, it possesses extraordinary force of ‘personality,’ for want of a better term.
Its alignment is Lawful Evil, although it bestows no negative levels upon its bearer, irrespective of his or her alignment. It cannot speak, or communicate in any other form with its bearer. It does, however, have a special purpose: Find Sauron. Its rudimentary perceptions of the environment around it will indicate when the most opportune moment for the Ring to ‘move on’ is, and at these moments it will attempt to place itself in a position which will bring it closer to its maker. It may slip off a finger, cause its wearer to don it and reveal himself, or suggest some other course of action which might expedite its return to Sauron. For all such purposes, the One Ring is considered to have an Ego score of 14.
Initial Contact with the One Ring
Any creature who views the One Ring for the first time must make a Will saving throw (DC 23), or be affected by a special suggestion. The exact nature of the suggestion varies according to the strength, status and disposition of those who see it. Typical suggestions might include:
“Sauron is destroyed. You are my rightful inheritor. Perhaps you should not consign me to the fire, but rather keep me.”
“It’s your Birthday! How dare your kinsman steal your present! You should do something about it.”
“Why not put me in your pocket? I might prove useful later.”
“If you wielded me, you could heal the hurts of Middle-Earth.”
“Why not take me? You could bury me deep in Minas Tirith, only to be used as a last resort against the Enemy.”
And so on. The suggestion is not framed in words, but rather manifests as a feeling or inclination. If the Will saving throw is successful, the subject is aware of his or her own desire for ownership, and may act to ignore it, avoid it, or let the Ring pass out of his or her provenance.
Each subsequent time that a creature views the Ring, he or she must make the saving throw again. Each time, the DC of the save increases by +1. If a creature at any time touches the Ring, the cumulative DC immediately increases by 10 points. Hobbits and Good creatures receive a +4 bonus to their Will saves to counteract this effect: for Good Hobbits, the bonuses are cumulative.
If the initial save is unsuccessful, the viewer need not act immediately, but may bide his or her time indefinitely, until an opportune moment to enact the suggestion occurs.
If the ring is removed from his or her vicinity for an extended length of time, he or she feels an overwhelming urge to be near it again, and unless he or she makes a further Will save (DC 24) is effectively under the effect of an indefinite geas to return to the Ring’s presence. If the Will save is successful, the suggestion effect is dispelled, and the subject may count his or her blessings.
Emotion
At crucial times, as indicated by the its perception of its environment and its special purpose (Find Sauron), the One Ring can effectively arouse a strong emotion in any person (including the bearer) who is in its immediate vicinity. The subject need not see the Ring for this to occur, but merely needs to be aware of its presence. The One Ring can evoke Hate in the subject, directed towards the Ring’s owner, Despair at the prospect of losing the Ring or the inevitability of Sauron locating it and punishing the subject (either in the owner himself, or in another who desires it but does not possess it), Fear in the owner that others desire to take the Ring by force, Rage in either the possessor or those who desire it, or any combination thereof.
The emotion effect lasts for 1d6 minutes. Against those already under the influence of its suggestion effect, no saving throw is allowed. Other subjects are entitled to a Will save, DC 24. After arousing emotion, the Ring falls quiescent for at least 1d20 days, although any suggestion effect remains in place. Hobbits and Good Creatures receive a +4 bonus to their Will saves to counteract this effect. Again, for Good Hobbits, the bonuses are cumulative.
“It draws them to me…”
Against the following divinations used by servants of the Enemy, or by Sauron himself, the One Ring acts as an Amulet of Inescapable Location: Locate Object, Locate Creature (the Ring’s bearer), Detect Evil, Detect Magic. For example, a Ringwraith – under the effect of a permanent enlarged Locate Object: The One Ring divination cast at 40th level - would be capable of perceiving its presence and direction within 6,000 feet.
Wearing the Ring
A creature who places the One Ring upon his finger, even for the briefest moment, enjoys the benefits of immortality from that point onwards – assuming that he or she does not already possess this quality. He or she becomes invisible, and enjoys the power of true seeing for as long as the Ring is worn. Incorporeal and ethereal creatures can interact freely with one wearing the One Ring.
Ownership of the Ring
Mortals who possess the One Ring for an extended period of time begin to suffer from its burden.
1. Every decade that passes with the Ring in his possession, the owner must make a Fortitude Save (DC 10 + the number of decades of ownership) or lose 1 point of Effective Constitution. All Creatures have an initial Effective Constitution equal to their Constitution score. Whilst the loss of Effective Constitution has no implications for hit points, saving throws, ability checks or skill checks, it represents a gradual shift towards undead status. When the owner reaches an Effective Constitution less than half his actual Constitution, he or she begins to display physical signs of the Ring’s power over him: emaciation, a dislike of bright light, a desire for raw flesh, and insatiable hunger. He or she gains the Blindsight special ability. When his Effective Constitution reaches zero, the owner’s actual Constitution also falls to zero, and he or she becomes a Wraith (MM, p.185). He retains any class levels that he may have possessed in life. Hobbits receive a +4 racial bonus to Saving Throws to counteract these effects at all stages. Elves and other immortals are immune to this effect.
2. For every decade of ownership that passes, the possessor must also make a Will Saving throw (DC 10 + the number of decades of ownership) or suffer an alignment shift one place towards Lawful Evil. If, for any reason, the owner reaches zero Constitution before he becomes Lawful Evil, his alignment immediately shifts to bring it into accord with his new undead status. Hobbits receive a +4 racial bonus to Saving Throws to counteract these effects. Elves are not immune to this effect.
Frequent Wearing of the Ring
If the Ring is donned more than an average of once per year in any ten-year period, the Save DC to resist its alignment-changing powers (but not its undead-bestowing qualities) increases by +2.
Activation of the Ring’s powers (detailed below), precipitate more radical changes in the owner.
Mastering the One Ring
Unlocking the Ring’s potential is a difficult task, and requires great strength of will. It cannot be immediately mastered, but its powers reveal themselves to the determined owner over a period of time. The One Ring’s abilities must be realized sequentially, and at each stage a progressively harder check is required. The following abilities can be utilized at will as a spell-like ability by the owner if the initial Will Saves are met:
DC21: Command
DC22: Hold Person
DC25: Dominate Person
DC29: Dominate Monster
DC35: Rulership
The Rulership function acts as the rod of the same name, but 100HD of creatures per hit die and/or character level of the owner may be affected. Once a power is mastered, at least one week must elapse before the next power may be attempted. If, at any stage in the process of unlocking its potential, the bearer fails his Will saving throw, his ability to master the Ring’s power is arrested, and may not progress further. The save DCs to resist the Ring’s effects are equal to the initial DCs to master them. Effective spellcaster level is 40th, where appropriate.
Once the Rulership function is mastered, the owner of the Ring enjoys the following benefits as long as the Ring is worn: a +10 insight bonus to AC, a +10 insight bonus to attacks, a +10 enhancement bonus to Charisma, a +10 insight bonus to all saving throws, +30 to all Intimidate skill checks and SR35. All spells cast by the owner are enlarged and intensified where appropriate, and the owner benefits from an effective Spellcraft increase of +100 when determining Epic Spellcasting. Furthermore, XP costs normally associated with casting Epic Spells are ignored, and the maximum ceiling advanced from 10,000 to 50,000XP.
The Price of Power
Any use of the Ring’s higher powers precipitates a Will saving throw with a DC equal to the difficulty class of the power mastered. If it fails, the owner begins an irreversible shift in Alignment towards Lawful Evil, a process that takes 1 month plus one month of the owner’s Charisma modifier.
Mortal owners suffer from a greatly hastened degeneration, and the frequency with which they must successfully save against the undead-bestowing properties of the ring increases to once per year, with every year which passes since the initial realization of one of the Ring’s higher powers adding a cumulative +1 to the DC of the Saving Throw.
Hobbits do not receive a +4 racial bonus against this effect.
This plain and unadorned gold band grows or shrinks to fit the finger of its wearer. If exposed to fire, fine writing can be seen both inside and outside of its circle. The script is Elvish, but the language is that of Mordor.
Intelligent Item?
The One Ring should be regarded as having Intelligence 1 Wisdom 10 and Charisma 30. Its sentience – in the conventional sense of the word – is negligible: on a par with animals, perhaps. However, it possesses extraordinary force of ‘personality,’ for want of a better term.
Its alignment is Lawful Evil, although it bestows no negative levels upon its bearer, irrespective of his or her alignment. It cannot speak, or communicate in any other form with its bearer. It does, however, have a special purpose: Find Sauron. Its rudimentary perceptions of the environment around it will indicate when the most opportune moment for the Ring to ‘move on’ is, and at these moments it will attempt to place itself in a position which will bring it closer to its maker. It may slip off a finger, cause its wearer to don it and reveal himself, or suggest some other course of action which might expedite its return to Sauron. For all such purposes, the One Ring is considered to have an Ego score of 14.
Initial Contact with the One Ring
Any creature who views the One Ring for the first time must make a Will saving throw (DC 23), or be affected by a special suggestion. The exact nature of the suggestion varies according to the strength, status and disposition of those who see it. Typical suggestions might include:
“Sauron is destroyed. You are my rightful inheritor. Perhaps you should not consign me to the fire, but rather keep me.”
“It’s your Birthday! How dare your kinsman steal your present! You should do something about it.”
“Why not put me in your pocket? I might prove useful later.”
“If you wielded me, you could heal the hurts of Middle-Earth.”
“Why not take me? You could bury me deep in Minas Tirith, only to be used as a last resort against the Enemy.”
And so on. The suggestion is not framed in words, but rather manifests as a feeling or inclination. If the Will saving throw is successful, the subject is aware of his or her own desire for ownership, and may act to ignore it, avoid it, or let the Ring pass out of his or her provenance.
Each subsequent time that a creature views the Ring, he or she must make the saving throw again. Each time, the DC of the save increases by +1. If a creature at any time touches the Ring, the cumulative DC immediately increases by 10 points. Hobbits and Good creatures receive a +4 bonus to their Will saves to counteract this effect: for Good Hobbits, the bonuses are cumulative.
If the initial save is unsuccessful, the viewer need not act immediately, but may bide his or her time indefinitely, until an opportune moment to enact the suggestion occurs.
If the ring is removed from his or her vicinity for an extended length of time, he or she feels an overwhelming urge to be near it again, and unless he or she makes a further Will save (DC 24) is effectively under the effect of an indefinite geas to return to the Ring’s presence. If the Will save is successful, the suggestion effect is dispelled, and the subject may count his or her blessings.
Emotion
At crucial times, as indicated by the its perception of its environment and its special purpose (Find Sauron), the One Ring can effectively arouse a strong emotion in any person (including the bearer) who is in its immediate vicinity. The subject need not see the Ring for this to occur, but merely needs to be aware of its presence. The One Ring can evoke Hate in the subject, directed towards the Ring’s owner, Despair at the prospect of losing the Ring or the inevitability of Sauron locating it and punishing the subject (either in the owner himself, or in another who desires it but does not possess it), Fear in the owner that others desire to take the Ring by force, Rage in either the possessor or those who desire it, or any combination thereof.
The emotion effect lasts for 1d6 minutes. Against those already under the influence of its suggestion effect, no saving throw is allowed. Other subjects are entitled to a Will save, DC 24. After arousing emotion, the Ring falls quiescent for at least 1d20 days, although any suggestion effect remains in place. Hobbits and Good Creatures receive a +4 bonus to their Will saves to counteract this effect. Again, for Good Hobbits, the bonuses are cumulative.
“It draws them to me…”
Against the following divinations used by servants of the Enemy, or by Sauron himself, the One Ring acts as an Amulet of Inescapable Location: Locate Object, Locate Creature (the Ring’s bearer), Detect Evil, Detect Magic. For example, a Ringwraith – under the effect of a permanent enlarged Locate Object: The One Ring divination cast at 40th level - would be capable of perceiving its presence and direction within 6,000 feet.
Wearing the Ring
A creature who places the One Ring upon his finger, even for the briefest moment, enjoys the benefits of immortality from that point onwards – assuming that he or she does not already possess this quality. He or she becomes invisible, and enjoys the power of true seeing for as long as the Ring is worn. Incorporeal and ethereal creatures can interact freely with one wearing the One Ring.
Ownership of the Ring
Mortals who possess the One Ring for an extended period of time begin to suffer from its burden.
1. Every decade that passes with the Ring in his possession, the owner must make a Fortitude Save (DC 10 + the number of decades of ownership) or lose 1 point of Effective Constitution. All Creatures have an initial Effective Constitution equal to their Constitution score. Whilst the loss of Effective Constitution has no implications for hit points, saving throws, ability checks or skill checks, it represents a gradual shift towards undead status. When the owner reaches an Effective Constitution less than half his actual Constitution, he or she begins to display physical signs of the Ring’s power over him: emaciation, a dislike of bright light, a desire for raw flesh, and insatiable hunger. He or she gains the Blindsight special ability. When his Effective Constitution reaches zero, the owner’s actual Constitution also falls to zero, and he or she becomes a Wraith (MM, p.185). He retains any class levels that he may have possessed in life. Hobbits receive a +4 racial bonus to Saving Throws to counteract these effects at all stages. Elves and other immortals are immune to this effect.
2. For every decade of ownership that passes, the possessor must also make a Will Saving throw (DC 10 + the number of decades of ownership) or suffer an alignment shift one place towards Lawful Evil. If, for any reason, the owner reaches zero Constitution before he becomes Lawful Evil, his alignment immediately shifts to bring it into accord with his new undead status. Hobbits receive a +4 racial bonus to Saving Throws to counteract these effects. Elves are not immune to this effect.
Frequent Wearing of the Ring
If the Ring is donned more than an average of once per year in any ten-year period, the Save DC to resist its alignment-changing powers (but not its undead-bestowing qualities) increases by +2.
Activation of the Ring’s powers (detailed below), precipitate more radical changes in the owner.
Mastering the One Ring
Unlocking the Ring’s potential is a difficult task, and requires great strength of will. It cannot be immediately mastered, but its powers reveal themselves to the determined owner over a period of time. The One Ring’s abilities must be realized sequentially, and at each stage a progressively harder check is required. The following abilities can be utilized at will as a spell-like ability by the owner if the initial Will Saves are met:
DC21: Command
DC22: Hold Person
DC25: Dominate Person
DC29: Dominate Monster
DC35: Rulership
The Rulership function acts as the rod of the same name, but 100HD of creatures per hit die and/or character level of the owner may be affected. Once a power is mastered, at least one week must elapse before the next power may be attempted. If, at any stage in the process of unlocking its potential, the bearer fails his Will saving throw, his ability to master the Ring’s power is arrested, and may not progress further. The save DCs to resist the Ring’s effects are equal to the initial DCs to master them. Effective spellcaster level is 40th, where appropriate.
Once the Rulership function is mastered, the owner of the Ring enjoys the following benefits as long as the Ring is worn: a +10 insight bonus to AC, a +10 insight bonus to attacks, a +10 enhancement bonus to Charisma, a +10 insight bonus to all saving throws, +30 to all Intimidate skill checks and SR35. All spells cast by the owner are enlarged and intensified where appropriate, and the owner benefits from an effective Spellcraft increase of +100 when determining Epic Spellcasting. Furthermore, XP costs normally associated with casting Epic Spells are ignored, and the maximum ceiling advanced from 10,000 to 50,000XP.
The Price of Power
Any use of the Ring’s higher powers precipitates a Will saving throw with a DC equal to the difficulty class of the power mastered. If it fails, the owner begins an irreversible shift in Alignment towards Lawful Evil, a process that takes 1 month plus one month of the owner’s Charisma modifier.
Mortal owners suffer from a greatly hastened degeneration, and the frequency with which they must successfully save against the undead-bestowing properties of the ring increases to once per year, with every year which passes since the initial realization of one of the Ring’s higher powers adding a cumulative +1 to the DC of the Saving Throw.
Hobbits do not receive a +4 racial bonus against this effect.
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