D&D 5E Anyone ever try a lord of the rings esque campaign?

[Evenglare]

I was thinking about making a magical artifact. A ring, allows you to go invis when you put it on, boosts all stats to 20 (possibly 25 seeing how epic it is) and basically just let all hell play out throughout. You could do it a few ways. You could go by the book and have a few hobbits have it in the beginning. You could have it appear in bree. Or whatever you want. Then, though, after it gets found and shenanigans start ensuing and word gets out to the wizards and eventually to sauron.... then the campaign starts. I'd like to see how it worked out. Perhaps only let the ring start at maxing all stats at 20, then whenever someone else gets it , or tries to get it if they successfully steal it the NEW owner's stats are maxed up one more, or perhaps you have have kept the ring and fought off such attempts and the ring rewards you with +1 stat increases across the board. No matter how you handle it, the ring would need the ring's identity. I just would love to see what would happen to it within a D&D group. Make it as tempting as hell for every player. I want to hear about the chaos.

 

[Riley37]

There is room for debate and disagreement about whether "there's this one powerful magic ring" is actually the defining trait of the LOTR stories.

What if Sauron had put his power into a pendant, or a vest, or a sock?

I think one of the more important aspects, is that the item can corrupt the person who uses it.

 

[MasterTrancer]

I think one of the more important aspects, is that the item can corrupt the person who uses it.

This, and also that the item wants to go back to its creator, which would gain more power (but it was a thing peculiar to Sauron, otherwise Frodo would have been able, for instance, to rule over the Ringwraiths)

 

[Ashoka]

What if Sauron had put his power into a pendant, or a vest, or a sock?

"Lord of the Sock" sounds pretty epic.

 

[wedgeski]

Centering the game around a single, epic-powerd, all-corrupting artifact that is already in the players' hands sounds like a great basis for a game.

 

[Umbran]

"Lord of the Sock" sounds pretty epic.

And the crossover potential with the Potterverse ("You have given THE sock to the Dark Lord Dobby! Now DIE!!!!!1!") is not to be missed.

 

[amerigoV]

The D&D version: The Sock of Vecna.

 

[D'karr]

I was thinking about making a magical artifact. A ring, allows you to go invis when you put it on, boosts all stats to 20 (possibly 25 seeing how epic it is) and basically just let all hell play out throughout. You could do it a few ways. You could go by the book and have a few hobbits have it in the beginning. You could have it appear in bree. Or whatever you want. Then, though, after it gets found and shenanigans start ensuing and word gets out to the wizards and eventually to sauron.... then the campaign starts. I'd like to see how it worked out. Perhaps only let the ring start at maxing all stats at 20, then whenever someone else gets it , or tries to get it if they successfully steal it the NEW owner's stats are maxed up one more, or perhaps you have have kept the ring and fought off such attempts and the ring rewards you with +1 stat increases across the board. No matter how you handle it, the ring would need the ring's identity. I just would love to see what would happen to it within a D&D group. Make it as tempting as hell for every player. I want to hear about the chaos.

You should definitely do it. Take a look at this campaign for how it can turn out.

 

[Joe Liker]

Getting back to Tolkien, I don't see any reason to have the ring boost stats. The One Ring doesn't seem to have that effect in the fiction. A simple ring of invisibility is already legendary-caliber in power.

Any legendary item that is made available at the start of the game is going to be supremely tempting to the players.

 

[wedgeski]

Getting back to Tolkien, I don't see any reason to have the ring boost stats. The One Ring doesn't seem to have that effect in the fiction. A simple ring of invisibility is already legendary-caliber in power.

It's a way to model the players coveting the item, especially in the way the OP suggested, where its powers escalate every time it changes hands. Yes, you could just leave this in the role-playing realm, but having a mechanical backbone to the idea won't do any harm.