Bored of the Rings?

The Treasure Tome Will Alleviate Your Ennui!

Nov 18, 2024

Friends, Aurans, Countrymen,

Nothing is more epic than a powerful magical ring. And nothing is more mundane than a tired old magic ring you've seen countless times. Who wants a ring of three wishes when they can have a ring of three fishes? All right, that was a bad example. Everybody wants a ring of three wishes. But you get the idea.

Today we're going to look at some delightful magic rings found in the upcoming ACKS II Treasure Tome, currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter. If you’re not already backing the Treasure Tome, there’s still 11 days left to join in! If you’re already a backer, thank you for the support.

Before we review the rings, though, I want to ask you to block out your calendar tonight at 9PM Eastern. That's when I'll be live-streaming ACKS TO GRIND Episode #9 with the members of the Grey Brotherhood. For those of you who haven't watched The Chronicles of the Grey Brotherhood actual play series, the Grey Brotherhood is a re-gathering of old friends who played D&D together in the West Point Wargames Club 30 years ago. Tonight's livestream is intended as an "Ask Us Anything." These men have known me for three decades and have seen my best and worst gamemastering, game designing, and more. Hopefully the audience will have some entertaining questions that aren't too humiliating for yours truly.

Now, on to the rings!

Ring of Beyond

A black star sapphire is set in this thick silver band, reflecting light from an unseen source. Once per week the wearer may circle a finger round the gem and speak an incantation to reach beyond this world, either for counsel (as the spell contact other sphere, reaching out to the Chthonic sphere or the Outer Darkness) or for service (as the spell invisible stalker). Contact with the space beyond worlds is perilous to the soul; each use of the ring gives the bearer a cumulative -1 penalty to the d20 on his next Tampering With Mortality roll.

Ring of Fortune’s Favored Thief

This platinum ring sized for a man’s small finger features a large diamond in the center and smaller diamonds depicting dagger blades on each side. Legendary among denizens of the underworld, the ring has passed through the hands of a long line of thieves and other outlaws, its possessor typically changed by pickpocketing, theft, or murder. It is said that no owner has kept it for over a year; whether this is the fickleness of fortune, some will of the ring itself, or merely the inevitable fate of such wealth among criminals remains unknown.
The wearer of the ring possesses Calefa’s own luck in criminal endeavors. He is immune to traps: his steps miss tripwires, mechanisms fail momentarily, and so forth, with the wearer never springing a trap's trigger. The wearer does not notice or disarm any traps unless he succeeds on a throw to Detect Traps or Remove Traps as normal. If somehow required to make a saving throw to resist or avoid a trap’s effects, he automatically succeeds; if he is somehow the target of a trap which makes an attack throw, it automatically misses.
If caught at and charged for criminal activities, the ring's wearer is lucky in court, gaining a d8 bonus to any rolls on the Crime and Punishment table (see ACKS, p. 138 or Axioms 12, p. 12). Additionally, he rolls twice and receives the lower result for the amount of time spent languishing while awaiting trial.
Once each day, the two diamond daggers can be pressed to give the wearer 6 turns of extra luck. During those 6 turns, the wearer gains a +4 bonus to saving throws, and the next 1d4 attacks made against or spells cast against the wearer will miss or fail to take effect. This luck cannot make area-effect spells or attacks miss, but these do not reduce the wearer's remaining extra luck.
When worn, the ring shuns the sight of the law, remaining hidden to any creature of Lawful alignment unless they are able to detect invisible; similarly, its powers function only for wearers of a class with at least one thief skill.

Ring of Horrific Death

This cursed gold ring bears no external marking, but a thorough and careful examination will reveal an inner ring holding a thin layer of wax. The wax can be scribed with a short order; for most rings of this kind it reads “kill all present”. One turn after being put on a finger the ring pulses with dark energy, and its wearer must make a Death saving throw. If the save succeeds the ring simply expends its magic to no effect. If the save fails the target is subject to the effects of the spell fillet and serve: the bones of his arms horrifically claw and pull the skin from his body over the course of a round with great sprays of blood, until only a gore-strewn skeleton remains. The now-animated skeleton will obey the order written within the ring until completed or it is destroyed.

Ring of Inscrutability

This gold ring holds a pale green jade stone, carved to appear as an expressionless face. The wearer is immune to discern evil, discern good, telepathy, and any spells or powers which would allow someone to perceive his intentions or thoughts. Anyone attempting to read the ringbearer’s mind or gauge his reaction with a spell or power will know only that he is immune.

Ring of the Leviathan (AKA Ring of Three Fishes)

This silver ring is engraved with a simple pattern of rolling waves. Commonly (though incorrectly) referred to as a ‘ring of three fishes’, when thrice tapped against the surface of the ocean the ring calls a great leviathan of the waters: a sperm whale (see ACKS II Monstrous Manual for details). The whale arrives in 4d6 turns, or sooner if a pod of whales is nearby. The whale will understand the bearer’s speech and serve him faithfully for a day, or until dispelled or slain, though it will flee combat if reduced to less than half its maximum hit points. Such rings are found with 1d3 charges remaining, their engraving becoming rougher with each use until worn away entirely when the last of the ring’s magic is expended.

Serpent Armband

This gold and jade serpent armband moves around the body over time; the wearer may fall asleep with it on his arm and wake up with it as an anklet, necklace, or bracelet. It gives the wearer a +1 bonus to AC and saving throws, but it is capricious: should its bearer be struck down in combat it will bite, giving a -5 penalty to d20 rolls on the Mortal Wounds table.

Are You a Patron of the ACKS Patreon?

If you're interested in "what's next" for ACKS II, members of the Patreon are getting monthly updates and sneak previews from Before All Others: The Cyclopedia of Elven Civilization. One of the best perks of being part of the Patreon is the opportunity to help shape the design process by seeing the earliest drafts. Those who've been with us for the long-term know that Autarch (me, really) listens intently to the community's playtest feedback.

If you've never checked out the ACKS Patreon, you can find it here. The recurring revenue from the Patreon is what sustains the business during the long spells between Kickstarters, especially in 2023-2024 when sales of ACKS I have dried up during the transition to ACKS II. In today's economy, with inflation making every dollar count, I am exceptionally grateful to everyone who chooses to allocate some of it each month to helping keep Autarch in action.

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