D&D 5E Let's break the Ring of Spell Storing

[James Gasik]

I know it's Necromancy, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the problem I ran into with the Ring.

Putting long-cast time spells like Rituals into the Ring, then releasing them with a single action. Like, say, Tiny Hut.

Of course, you can rule that using the Ring requires the same cast time (good call), but at the time this happened, the going ruling was that using a magic item is but an action...

 

[billd91]

I know it's Necromancy, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the problem I ran into with the Ring.

Putting long-cast time spells like Rituals into the Ring, then releasing them with a single action. Like, say, Tiny Hut.

Of course, you can rule that using the Ring requires the same cast time (good call), but at the time this happened, the going ruling was that using a magic item is but an action...

Sure, but that "going ruling" was one of those rulings that indicated that nobody was reading their DMGs on the topic. In the section there on Activating a Magic Item (page 141), it's explicit that any item that enables the user to cast a spell uses the normal casting time.

 

[James Gasik]

Sure, but that "going ruling" was one of those rulings that indicated that nobody was reading their DMGs on the topic. In the section there on Activating a Magic Item (page 141), it's explicit that any item that enables the user to cast a spell uses the normal casting time.

There was quite a bit of contention about the wording of what it meant when the user "casts a spell" and a lot of argument that the cast time had already been enacted to put the spell in the ring in the first place.

I had a thread on these very boards asking about the repercussions of a spell with two "casters" if that's what's really going on (the description states that "The spell uses the slot level, spell save DC, spell attack bonus, and spellcasting ability of the original caster, but is otherwise treated as if you cast the spell.", but doesn't mention what happens if either the primary or secondary "caster" has an ability that triggers "when you cast a spell")- and I asked questions about the activation time as well, and got mixed results. Either way, the AL organizer in my FLGS said it was as a standard action.

So if a DM you know is thinking to rule thusly, consider this a cautionary tale.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

We had, not one, but TWO rings of spell storing and an Ioun stone (3 spell levels) in a game we were in.

1. Paladin(who had been slowly raising an army of Knights) would gift his most loyal soldiers an Intelligent Steed
2. Every PC had a familiar
3. The Wizard cast a spell into it (usually Wall of Force) and let his raven Familiar wear it. Since the raven can speak short words, he can activate the spell and, thus, the wizard could have 2 concentration spells. A bit less strategy when laying it down, since Ravens are dumb, but it worked every now and then.
4. The paladin/sorcerer had shield and that spell that gives you resistance to elemental damage. Two reaction spells that gave him a buff and freed up slots for smites.
5. Use it for improved invisibility on the monk
6. We had no cleric so we would get NPC clerics to put in healing spells during our down time.

I must say that giving Find Steed and Find Familiar to everyone in the party is the most creatively game-changing use I've heard of. So much so that it makes me consider whether or not to allow it in my games, even though as a player I would absolutely try to do it now that the idea has been suggested.

 

[Baron Opal II]

The spells aren't fixed when the ring is made? It's just 5 levels of spells?

 

[James Gasik]

The spells aren't fixed when the ring is made? It's just 5 levels of spells?

5 levels of spells, but they can be whatever you cast into it. So any combination of 5 spell levels, from any casting class you have access to.

 

[billd91]

The spells aren't fixed when the ring is made? It's just 5 levels of spells?

If the magic was fixed, then it would basically be a Ring of X (the X being whatever spells were fixed in the ring).

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I must say that giving Find Steed and Find Familiar to everyone in the party is the most creatively game-changing use I've heard of. So much so that it makes me consider whether or not to allow it in my games, even though as a player I would absolutely try to do it now that the idea has been suggested.

Well,
1. most of the party forgot they had familiars. I don’t think familiars add much power to the game. Especially after 9th level. Also, we play with flanking gives advantage and we have a wolf totem Barbarian so we almost always have advantage to hit. Therefore, no cheesy using familiar to get advantage. I suppose you could spam that if you wanted but one aoe would get rid of all familiars.

2. Similar to Find Steed. I’m not sure why people find this so powerful. Every party member can just buy a trained warhorse and have almost the same effect. It’s not like a magical steed gets more HP. They have 19hp. So you have a smarter horse. Once again, one fireball can pretty much take them out and They aren’t going to follow you into a dungeon or anything. They might make a combat on a flat plains easier, I guess. We flew around in airships so The Paladin mostly gave it to his NPC followers and had an elite group of cavaliers that did side quests.

In any case, at the point where a party is getting a ring of spell storing, find ‘animal’ spells are hardly game breaking.

 

[Baron Opal II]

If the magic was fixed, then it would basically be a Ring of X (the X being whatever spells were fixed in the ring).

Well, that's what a ring of spell storing was. There was a small number of fixed spells that anyone could use, and a caster was needed to refill it.

 

[James Gasik]

Well, that's what a ring of spell storing was. There was a small number of fixed spells that anyone could use, and a caster was needed to refill it.

Yes, you're correct, the specific spells of the original Ring of Spell Storing were fixed (I checked my 1e DMG to be sure). I think the main reason it was changed is so you didn't need to track down a Wizard if your party's arcane caster is a Sorcerer (whose spell list excludes some Wizard spells).