"Ring, engage the cloaking device" "Aye, aye, captain"

[KarinsDad]

There is potentially one way this would be better than greater invisibility:

- get hit invisibility with glitterdust
- attack and become visible
- have the ring turn you invisible again effectively negating the glitterdust.

Does that work by the RAW? I couldn't tell if the glitterdust would count as any other carried item at that point and also become invisible.

No, that should not work. IMO. Glitterdust negates invisibility, not the other way around.

Plus, Glitterdust is a spell with a duration. It's spell effects should only be negated by Dispel Magic or some similar means. Glitterdust is not actually a mundane dust that shines, it is a magic spell with a duration instead.

Granted, this is the standard irresistible force versus immovable object type of question. Which magic trumps the other? Can Invisibility trump Glitterdust? Can Invisibility trump Blur?

If you rule that Invisibility trumps Glitterdust and you cast Invisibility after someone has blinded you with Glitterdust, will the dust also become invisible and hence, you can see again?

 

[Plane Sailing]

Interesting to compare it with a ring of blinking, which gives unlimited sneak attacks, concealment that can't be beat by blindfighting, reduced damage on falls, walks through walls, target ethereal enemies... Seems less powerful than that to me.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Plus, Glitterdust is a spell with a duration. It's spell effects should only be negated by Dispel Magic or some similar means. Glitterdust is not actually a mundane dust that shines, it is a magic spell with a duration instead.

It depends if you consider the dust to be reflective or glowing.

If it's reflective particles, they'll go invisible. If it's glowing particles, they'll go invisible... but the light will still be visible, so the spell will still be effective.

It says "continues to sparkle until it fades", so I always read it as actively giving off light (so Glitterdust would allow you to see an affected person in the dark, for example)... and thus invisibility cast after Glitterdust would not prevent you from being visibly outlined.

-Hyp.

 

[HeavyG]

Interesting to compare it with a ring of blinking, which gives unlimited sneak attacks, concealment that can't be beat by blindfighting, reduced damage on falls, walks through walls, target ethereal enemies... Seems less powerful than that to me.

Blinking also slows you down and gives you a 20% miss chance (and also to miss with targeted spells you cast, IIRC).

Also, since it sends you to the Ethereal plane and back, it doesn't work on the Outer Planes ?%/$%/*?% Lord of the Iron Fortress.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Blinking also slows you down and gives you a 20% miss chance (and also to miss with targeted spells you cast, IIRC).

True, but a minimal cost compared to the benefits - especially for rogues. Definitely worth considering as a benchmark when considering the subject topic.

Good catch about the outer planes though

 

[irdeggman]

It can activate itself. The rules don't say how exactly, but presumably it's a standard action.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SRDUnlike most magic items, intelligent items can activate their own powers without waiting for a command word from their owner. Intelligent items act during their owner’s turn in the initiative order.

Thanks for the quote.

Then the following probably shouldn’t be allowed to happen or at least is limited to not making a game breaker due to its limitations.

What's the limit on intelligent items controlling their own powers?

For example, if an intelligent ring of invisibility could turn itself on and off, a PC could take a full action each round, and have the ring turn him invisible once more each round.

My logic here is that activating an item is indeed a standard action, the item’s actions occur during their owner’s turn in the initiative order and all of a character’s actions occur at the same time (I know, but it is the abstractness of the system itself) – only the 5 ft step is specifically called out as something that can be done between attacks when a character is allowed multiple attacks. If a character takes an offensive action he breaks his invisibility – and since both the invisibility and attacks are happening at the same time the invisibility is canceled immediately (i.e., no benefit).

Now he could still do a full action but it can’t be offensive, this makes things a whole lot less unbalancing. Easier to run away or to aid comrades but pretty much not effective for sneak attacks or attacking an enemy at all.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

The owner of the Ring can Delay and instruct the Ring to Ready an action. "Ring, make me invisible after I make my attack."

PC: Instruct Ring. Delay.
Ring: Ready.
PC: Attack.
Ring: Make PC Invisible.
PC: Move.

I am uncertain if this is really more powerful than Blinking, but it is a huge improvement on the normal Ring of Invisibility at a relatively modest price tag.

 

[Voadam]

item familiars from UA can be made with a ring and make them intelligent. That is what the arcane trickster in our group did with his ring of spell storing. No personality conflicts and it can activate one of its spells a round independently of the caster.

 

[irdeggman]

The owner of the Ring can Delay and instruct the Ring to Ready an action. "Ring, make me invisible after I make my attack."

PC: Instruct Ring. Delay.
Ring: Ready.
PC: Attack.
Ring: Make PC Invisible.
PC: Move.

I am uncertain if this is really more powerful than Blinking, but it is a huge improvement on the normal Ring of Invisibility at a relatively modest price tag.

I would absolutely rule against that. The ring doesn't function fully independently - it only gets the ability to activate itself it does not have an entire set of actions that are equivalent to those of the wielder (unless the actions it is capable are specificaly specified - in this case a ring physically has no movement it can essentially only talk (free action) and acitivate its power - which happnes on its wielder's turn in the initiative order). That is, the item does not have a move, swift, standard action structure - and it functions when the wielder does - so how does this fit into the equation without imbalancing the game?

Originally Posted by SRD
Unlike most magic items, intelligent items can activate their own powers without waiting for a command word from their owner. Intelligent items act during their owner’s turn in the initiative order

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I would absolutely rule against that. The ring doesn't function fully independently - it only gets the ability to activate itself it does not have an entire set of actions that are equivalent to those of the wielder (unless the actions it is capable are specificaly specified - in this case a ring physically has no movement it can essentially only talk (free action) and acitivate its power - which happnes on its wielder's turn in the initiative order). That is, the item does not have a move, swift, standard action structure - and it functions when the wielder does - so how does this fit into the equation without imbalancing the game?

I do not really disagree, but can you support this with the text of the RAW? Maybe what I wrote is how it is "supposed" to work (according to Patryn)? And how about familiars?