Just for my own amusement, and because I’ve been playing a bit of LOTRO lately, I did something my 12-year-old self would approve of: I did very rough stats for the One Ring as if it were a D&D artifact. These are extremely rough notes, though, reflecting the Ring from the films more than the Ring from the books (if only because that Ring is easier to quantify, and is more distinctly malevolent).

One major problem with these notes, as I see them, is that they don’t represent the Ring as a withering force. I’ve always preferred the idea that Frodo is worn down by the Ring’s efforts to change him, rather than being penalized by the Ring’s displeasure with his behavior… but I’m following the lead of the artifact rules here.

The One Ring is a ring of invisibility with fell abilities.

Enhancement: +4 AC

Property: The Ring is invulnerable. It can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom.

Property: When worn, the Ring gives its wearer sight into the world of wraiths and evil spirits. The wearer sees the land as wraiths see it, twisted and shadowed. Likewise, the Ring is highly visible to such creatures when it is worn — the wearer who is invisible to the living becomes highly visible to shadow creatures. Creatures with the shadow origin gain a +8 bonus on Perception rolls to detect the Ring’s wearer.

Property: The Ring is a scrying device for Sauron. If he is strong enough to scry when the Ring is donned, the Dark Lord may scry through the Ring and thereby discern the wearer’s location. Sauron also gains a +8 bonus to Intimidate rolls made through the Ring.

Goals of the One Ring

• Attach itself to a person who will return it to Sauron — or a being that will use the Ring to sow more hatred and destruction than even Sauron could.

Roleplaying the One Ring

The Ring wants to be returned to Sauron, but it is not so short-sighted as to latch on to any lowly and misbegotten goblin. It is smart enough to escape the grip of Isildur, who might have been persuaded by the Wise to surrender it, and it was patient enough to wait out long years with Gollum, a creature it felt it could control. When the time came, the Ring managed to leave Gollum’s cave with Bilbo Baggins. Now the Ring has shed that owner and is bound for Mordor in the hands of younger Hobbits…

The Ring doesn’t communicate outright with anyone but Sauron, but it is easily detectable by minions of the Dark Lord and can serve as a vessel for his own communication. To wear the Ring is to risk contact with the Dark Lord himself. The Ring is insidious—it can twist itself in midair to fall onto a grasping hand; it can twinkle or shine to attract the gaze of an idle river-Hobbit.

Concordance

Owner dons the Ring: +1

Owner enters Mordor: +1d8

Owner chains or otherwise restrains the Ring: –1d4/month

Owner does a noble deed while wearing the Ring: –1d4/encounter

The Ring grants powers to Sauron that it does not grant to all other creatures (plus, Sauron is an Epic-level character in a Heroic-level world, so the Ring is just one, albeit essential, component of his power). The Ring’s Paragon and Epic powers have never been revealed (aside from its ability to kill 1d8 soldiers with a single blow), and this write-up does not speculate about them. Suffice to say, if the Ring gets into the hands of a Paragon or Epic character, it becomes a different artifact (and perhaps changes the wearer’s alignment gradually to Evil).

Pleased (16–20)

“…but the hearts of Men are easily corrupted, and the Ring of Power has a will of its own.”

The Ring is comfortable in the presence of the current owner, but is also bent on returning to its true master. As the Ring is doubtless being worn often at this point, it is also doing its best to be seen by creatures of shadow. At this level of concordance, the Ring no longer grants invisibility, but is nonetheless highly visible to beings of shadow.

Property: The Ring grants temporary hit points equal to 10 + Concordance + one-half the wearer’s level when it is donned. These temporary hit points persist even if the Ring is thereafter removed.

Property: The Ring calls out to creatures of shadow, granting them a +12 bonus to Perception checks to locate the Ring’s wearer.

Property: The wearer gains a +5 bonus to Will defense against creatures who are Good or Lawful Good. The wearer gains a +8 bonus to Intimidate and suffers a –8 penalty to Diplomacy.

The Ring makes the wielder feel powerful and entitled, even invincible. Yet the Ring grants no actual invincibility or additional protection unless the wearer succeeds at a Charisma attack against the Ring’s Will defense (10 + Concordance; attack can be made once per day, when the Ring is worn), in which case the Ring grants the following effects until it finds a new owner:

Property: The wearer gains resist 10 to all forms of damage.

Property: Any weapons wielded by the wearer are considered +3 terror weapons.

Satisfied (12–15)

“That is no trinket you carry.”

The Ring believes it has found a worthy vehicle to return it to Sauron and grants effects suitable for keeping the wearer alive until he can reach Mordor. At this level of concordance, the Ring is still a ring of invisibility.

Property: The Ring grants temporary hit points equal to  Concordance when it is donned. These temporary hit points persist even if the Ring is thereafter removed.

Property: The Ring calls out to creatures of shadow, granting them a +10 bonus to Perception checks to locate the Ring’s wearer.

Property: The wearer gains a +3 bonus to Will defense against creatures who are Good or Lawful Good. The wearer gains a +4 bonus to Intimidate and suffers a –4 penalty to Diplomacy.

Normal (5–11)

“It wants to be found.”

The Ring wants to be worn and wants to be found. It encourages the wearer to acts of wickedness and evil in an attempt to gain more control over the wearer. At this level of concordance, the Ring is a ring of invisibility, with the following side effect:

Special: The owner suffers a –2 penalty to Charisma.

Unsatisfied (1–4)

“It could’ve been mine! It should be mine!”

The Ring seeks either a new owner, or the corruption of this owner to the point where the owner can be located by Sauron’s minions. The Ring remains a ring of invisibility.

Property: The wearer gains a +2 bonus to Will defense against creatures who are Good or Lawful Good. The wearer gains a +4 bonus to Intimidate and suffers a –4 penalty to Diplomacy.

Special: The owner suffers a –4 penalty to Charisma.

Angered (0 or lower)

“Precious? It’s been called that before…”

The Ring seeks either a new owner, or the corruption of this owner to the point where the owner can be located by Sauron’s minions (and thus a new owner). The Ring remains a ring of invisibility.

Property: The wearer gains a +3 bonus to Will defense against creatures who are Good or Lawful Good. The owner gains a +4 bonus to Intimidate and suffers a –4 penalty to Diplomacy.

Special: The owner suffers a –6 penalty to Charisma.

Moving On

“And for two-and-a-half thousand years, the Ring passed out of all knowledge… until, when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer.”

When the Ring is convinced that its current owner is no longer a viable means to return to Sauron, it slips off the owner’s finger or out of the owner’s grip at a moment that the Ring would then be out of reach or go unnoticed. (In Gollum’s cave, the Ring may have tried this several times before it met with success — as Gollum loved the Ring, but would not wear it, the Ring came to loathe him.) The Ring often leaves behind Charisma penalties in its wake, whether or not it was pleased with its owner. Regardless, the Ring leaves behind only woe and emptiness when it moves on.