In the D&D 5th edition, rings are one of the nine types of magic items that adventurers can find on their travels. In order to wield a ring, the user must wear it on their finger or “similar digit”. If you want to wear a magic ring as an earring or something else, you’ll need to check with your DM.
If you’re trying to customize your character, they’ll probably let you. If you’re trying to wear all the rings you can, they’ll probably not let you. While it might seem like you would be able to benefit from ten rings, you are limited by the rules of attunement as well. Welcome to our thorough DnD Rings Guide.
Attunement
Most rings require you to tune to them in order to benefit from their magical ability. The only rings that don’t require attunement are the Ring of Swimming, Ring of Water Walking, Ring of Animal Influence, and the Ring of Three Wishes.
Every character in D&D can tune-up to three magic items at a time. This includes the wearing of magic rings as well as the other types of magic items from weapons to wands to wondrous items. The only exception is the artificer who, at higher levels, gains additional attunement slots reaching the maximum of six.
Uncommon Rings
Uncommon rings are the least powerful rings that you can find in D&D. Uncommon magic items are suitable for characters of any level. The value of magic items is broad and vague.
The DMG states that these rings could be worth between 100 and 500 gold pieces. While it is still more likely that you will find them on your adventurer in a dungeon, you might also find a vendor at a larger town, city, or metropolis selling one.
Ring of Jumping
While wearing this ring, you can cast the Jump spell on yourself as a bonus action. Jump triples your jump distance for the next minute. This includes both your long jump and high jump.
However, the distance you can jump is always limited by your speed. The distance you can long jump is determined by your Strength score with a 10-ft run-up. Without the run-up, you can jump half that distance.
For example, your character with a Strength score of 15 can long jump 15 feet. Let’s assume you have a movement speed of 30 feet. On your turn, you spend 10 feet of movement on the run-up and 15 feet of movement long jumping, with 5 feet of movement left over.
If you cast the Jump spell on yourself, you can now long jump 45 feet. You spend 10 feet of movement getting a run-up and your remaining 20 feet on jumping. Since your speed is 30 feet, you cannot move further than this on your turn unless you increase your speed in some way such as the Dash action.
Ring of Mind Shielding
This ring has a gem-like array in the shape of a brain on its face. While wearing this ring, people cannot use magic to read your mind, determine whether or not you’re lying, know your alignment, and your creature type.
If someone tries to communicate with you telepathically, you can allow or disallow it. Moreover, you can make the ring turn invisible whenever you would like.
In addition to a few interesting effects, this ring has one key stipulation: if you die, your soul enters the ring, unless there’s already one in there. If there is a soul in there, it can telepathically communicate with you and you cannot prevent it.
This is a fun ring to introduce an interesting NPC whose soul is in the ring, or for an enemy to have so that your party’s divination spells never work on the bad guy. If your casting of Detect Thoughts keeps failing, start grabbing your enemy’s fingers to feel for an invisible ring.
Read our full Ring of Mind Shielding Guide.
Ring of Swimming
While wearing this ring, you have a swimming speed of 40 feet. Creatures with a swimming speed don’t attack with a disadvantage with melee weapons underwater, making this useful for sea-faring campaigns.
Ring of Warmth
This ring gives you resistance to cold damage and you are unaffected by extremely cold environments.
Ring of Water Walking
This ring lets you walk on any liquid surface like solid ground. Although the name suggests you walk on water, it works on any liquid. Also, the description says you can walk on liquids, suggesting that you can also choose not to if you want to swim but you don’t want to take the ring off.
Rare Rings
The next tier of rings is Rare. Rare magic items can vary in value from 500 to 5,000 gold pieces, which isn’t exactly helpful when figuring out if you can afford to buy one in a shop. Although it depends on your campaign, you probably won’t be able to find these for sale unless you’re in a metropolis.
The books suggest that rare magic items are suitable for adventurers 5th level and higher. However, many DMs will begin rewarding these to players sooner than that.
Ring of Animal Influence
This ring looks like the Game of Thrones opening credits and lets the wearer cast Animal Friendship, Fear on beasts with an Intelligence score of 3 or lower, and Speak with Animals.
Each of these spells cost the ring one of its three charges, regaining 1d3 charges each day. Since you won’t have a d3 sitting around, roll a d6, divide your roll by two, and round up.
Ring of Evasion
Despite its name, The Ring of Evasion is not as good as the Evasion class ability. While wearing this ring, you can use your reaction to turn a failed Dexterity saving throw into a success.
Each use costs the ring one of its three charges, recharging 1d3 charges each day. See the Ring of Animal Influence for how to do this.
Ring of Feather Falling
While wearing this ring, you do not take damage from falling. If you are falling, you descend 60 feet per round. This ring can and will probably save your life at some point.
Ring of Free Action
This is another ring with a deceiving name. This ring has nothing to do with your action and has everything to do with your movement. Why it is not called the Ring of Free Movement is a mystery.
While wearing this ring, you aren’t slowed down by difficult terrain and you are immune to magical effects that reduce your speed, paralyze, or restrain you.
Ring of Protection
While wearing this ring, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC and saving throws. This includes the six ability saving throws as well as the death saving throws.
Check out our Ring of Protection Guide.
Ring of Resistance
Inset in this ring is one of ten possible gemstones that correspond to a damage type. While wearing this ring, you gain resistance to the associated damage type.
Excluded from the list of damage types are three physical damages: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing.
Ring of Spell Storing
This ring can hold up to five levels of spells inside it. This means that you could have five 1st level spells, three 1st level spells and one 2nd level spell, one 5th level spell, or some other combination stored inside.
While the wearer of the ring is the only one who can cast spells that have been stored in the ring, anyone can cast a spell into the ring to be stored. Any components must be provided when casting the spell into the ring.
Have your cleric stored Revivify in the ring and store up an extra resurrection for your party, or store a Fireball inside and send the barbarian running in headfirst with a bomb on their ring finger.
The user of the ring becomes the caster for concentration purposes when the spell is released. Otherwise, the spell’s power depends on the person who originally cast the spell into the ring.
Read our full Ring of Spell Storing Guide.
Ring of the Ram
This ring with iron horns extruding from its top has two abilities. The first summons a giant spectral ram’s head to butt people within 60 feet of you while the second is to break an object that isn’t being worn or carried.
If attacking a creature, make a ranged spell attack roll with a +7 bonus to hit. On a hit, the target takes 2d10 force damage and is knocked back 5 feet. If attacking an object, make a Strength check with a +5 bonus. Use the second option if there’s a door you can’t get through and you have no Strength-based characters in your party.
Each of these abilities costs the ring one of its three charges, regaining 1d3 charges each day. See the Ring of Animal Influence for how to do this.
Ring of X-Ray Vision
This ring bears a curiously realistic eyeball on its face. Spend an action to see through solid matter for 1 minute in a 30-foot radius around you. You can see through 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. Hopefully, your DM has the wall thicknesses of every surrounding building ready for you.
If you try to use this more than once a day, you must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or gain a level of exhaustion. It’s not good to have so much screen time in a day.
Very Rare Rings
Very rare magic items can cost anywhere between 5,000 gold pieces and 50,000 gold pieces. As the name suggests, there aren’t many of these in the world.
You would be hard-pressed to find any of these in any shop, even magic item shops. Your best chance at finding them is by dungeon-delving or taking them from the fingers of your enemies. Very rare items are suitable for adventurers 11th level and higher.
Ring of Regeneration
While wearing this ring, you regain 1d6 hit points every ten minutes, as long as you have at least 1 hit point. You can also regrow limbs that have been lost. This isn’t designed to be a boon during combat, but rather between encounters, you are always healing yourself.
Ring of Shooting Stars
This ring is a powerful offensive item. In addition to the more powerful abilities, you can spend an action to cast the cantrips Dancing Lights or Light at will.
You can also use the ring for the following properties:
- Spend one charge to cast the spell Faerie Fire.
- Spend two charges to create one to four balls of lightning. If you choose one ball, it deals 4d12 damage, two balls deal 5d4 damage, three balls deal 2d6 damage, and four balls each deal 2d4 damage. A creature that comes within 5 feet of a ball causes it to discharge its lighting at that person. They must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take the appropriate damage.
- Spend between 1 to 3 charges. For every charge, you shoot a small star to a point within 60 feet of you. Each creature within 15 feet from that point must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 5d4 damage on a failed to save or half on a success.
The ring has 6 charges and regains 1d6 charges each dawn.
Faerie Fire is useful for finding invisible creatures but the other abilities are much more interesting and still working against invisible creatures if that is your situation.
Note that the balls of lightning automatically discharge when next to a creature other than you. This includes allies, so be careful where you put them. This is a good way of controlling the battlefield and where enemies can or can’t move easily. If a creature succeeds in their saving throw against the lightning balls, they don’t take any damage.
Ring of Telekinesis
Wearing this ring allows you to cast the telekinesis spell at will but only on objects that aren’t being worn or carried. This subtracts the best uses of the spell: moving creatures and wrenching important objects out of someone’s hands.
However, you can still target objects up to 1,000 pounds which can include carriages that have people inside them.
Legendary Rings
The most expensive, valuable, and powerful rings are considered to be legendary magic items. These rings are worth any number north of 50,000 gold pieces. These rings are extremely powerful items only suitable for high-level adventurers, typically at least 17th level.
Ring of Air Elemental Command
While wearing this ring, you have an advantage on any attack made against an air elemental while they have a disadvantage on their attacks against you. When you fall, you descend 60 feet per round and take no damage from falling, and you learn the Auran language.
Moreover, the ring has 5 charges, regaining 1d4+1 expended charges each dawn. You can spend 2 charges to cast Dominate Monster on an air elemental.
If you help kill an air elemental while wearing this ring, you gain additional benefits:
- Resistance to lightning damage.
- Flying speed equals your walking speed and you can hover.
- You can spend 3 charges to cast Chain Lightning, 2 charges to cast Gust of Wind, or 1 charge to cast Wind Wall.
Read also: Comprehensive Air Elemental Guide.
Ring of Djinni Summoning
This ring allows you to summon a Djinni from the Elemental Plane of Air.
The djinni is friendly to your party and obeys your commands. It will fight for you and if it drops to 0 hit points, it returns to the Elemental Plane of Air. You can only summon it once a day but every time you do, you are summoning the same creature.
Give it a name, get to know its family, command it to summon an air elemental so you can kill it if you also have the Ring of Air Elemental Command.
Your djinni can cast Plane Shift once a day, giving you an extra way for your party to travel throughout the multiverse.
Ring of Earth Elemental Command
While wearing this ring, you have an advantage on any attack made against an earth elemental while they have a disadvantage on their attacks against you. You can move in difficult terrain made of rocks and dirt normally and you learn the Terran language.
Moreover, the Ring of Earth Elemental Command has 5 charges, regaining 1d4+1 expended charges each dawn. You can spend 2 charges to cast Dominate Monster on earth elemental.
If you help kill an earth elemental while wearing this ring, you gain additional benefits:
- Resistance to acid damage.
- You can move through solid earth as if it were difficult terrain.
- You can spend 3 cartoons to cast Stoneskin, 2 cartoons to cast Stoneshape, or 3 cartoons to cast Wall of Stone.
Ring of Fire Elemental Command
While wearing this ring, you have an advantage on any attack made against a fire elemental while they have a disadvantage on their attacks against you. You gain resistance to fire damage and you learn the Ignan language.
Moreover, the ring has 5 charges, regaining 1d4+1 expended charges each dawn. You can spend 2 charges to cast Dominate Monster on a fire elemental.
If you help kill a fire elemental while wearing this ring, you gain additional benefits:
- Immunity to fire damage.
- You can spend 3 charges to cast Wall of Fire, 2 charges to cast Fireball, or 1 charge to cast Burning Hands.
Ring of Invisibility
As an action, you can use this ring to turn invisible. The effects mimic the spell Invisibility with an indefinite duration but you reappear if you attack or cast a spell. Since you’re not casting the spell, it cannot be countered by an ability like Counterspell or Dispel Magic.
Just like the spell, this is primarily useful outside of combat, scouting, and any other uses you can think of. If you manage to find one of these, you should always be invisible, including while you’re sleeping.
Ring of Spell Turning
This ring gives you the ability you’ve been waiting forever since you heard about Counterspell. You gain an advantage on saving throws against spells that only target you. Since Yuan-Ti and Satyrs get this at character creation, that’s not the best thing about this ring.
If you roll at 20 on a saving throw against a spell of 7th level or lower that only targets you, the spell instead targets the caster. Turning a spell on a spellcaster is the ultimate reverse card and the most satisfying natural 20 You’ll ever roll as you make a wizard disintegrate themselves.
Ring of Three Wishes
Despite the power of the other legendary rings, this is arguably the best ring in the game. Wish is the most powerful spell in the game, by its own admission. This ring gives you the ability to cast it three times.
While you can’t wish for more wishes, you can technically wish for another Ring of Three Wishes. However, even the spell states that these sorts of requests could mean disaster. Instead, it could transport you to the item’s location at the bottom of the sea or on the ninth layer of hell.
Think long and hard about what you wish for before you use this ring and hope that your DM isn’t going to mess with you too much.
How’s this ring compared to the Wish Spell? Find out here.
Ring of Water Elemental Command
While wearing this ring, you have an advantage on any attack made against a water elemental while they have a disadvantage on their attacks against you. You can walk across liquid surfaces as if they were solid ground and you learn the Aquan language.
Moreover, the ring has 5 charges, regaining 1d4+1 expended charges each dawn. You can spend 2 charges to cast Dominate Monster on a water elemental.
If you help kill a water elemental while wearing this ring, you gain additional benefits:
- A swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
- You can breathe underwater.
- You can spend 3 charges to cast Control Water, 3 charges to cast Wall of Ice, 2 charges to cast Ice Storm, or 1 charge to cast Create or Destroy Water.
See also: Water Elemental 5e Guide.
Homebrew Rings
In addition to the officially published magic rings, you can work with your DM to create your own homebrew magic rings.
The easiest way of creating a homebrew ring is to take another magic item that exists in the Dungeon Master Guide or other sourcebook and make it a ring instead.
For example, you could change the uncommon Circlet of Blasting so that it’s a Ring of Blasting. Without changing the statistics, you can be confident that it is an uncommon magic item and suitable in power to any player.
If you’re wanting to create something new, look at the long list of spells in the game and replicate one’s effects in a ring of your creation. Note that a magic item that replicates a low-level spell is not necessarily an uncommon magic item.
The Ring of Invisibility replicates the 2nd level spell but is considered legendary because it has no maximum number of times you can turn invisible.
Another efficient way to ensure your homebrew item is not overpowered is to consider the number of charges it has. Despite having some good abilities, uncommon and rare rings typically only have 3 charges while very rare and legendary rings have six.
Lastly, if you’ve created a fun item to give to your player or ask your DM for approval, consider that if it looks good on paper, it might turn out different once you start playing. DMs always reserve the right to change the power level of items after some playtesting.
FAQ
Question: How Many Rings Can You Wear in D&D?
Answer: Seven. If you find the four rings that don’t require attunement and use your attunement slots for three more, you’ll have seven rings you’ll benefit from. 18th level artificers, with six attunement slots, can benefit from ten rings at the same time.
Question: How Many Magic Rings are there in D&D?
Answer: There are twenty-five published magic rings.
Question: Can Dragons Wear Rings?
Answer: Yes. Magic items that are meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Since dragons have claws, a magic ring could reshape to fit on its finger. Ultimately, it’s up to the DM whether this is allowed.
Question: Can You Attune to Two Rings of Protection?
Answer: No. You cannot tune to more than one copy of an item.
Question: How Much Does a Ring Cost?
Answer: The value of magic rings is determined by their rarity. Uncommon rings are valued between 101-500gp, rare rings are 501gp-5,000gp, very rare rings are 5,001gp-50,000gp and legendary rings are over 50,000gp.
DnD Rings Guide: Summary
Rings are one of the nine types of magic items that can be found in the D&D multiverse. While most adventurers can wear ten rings on their fingers, most rings require attunement and every class except for the artificer has three attunement slots.
Rings can be especially useful because they are easily disguised as a fashion choice. Even when visiting courts and dangerous meetings where weapons are surrendered, rings can act as a great backup if things go south.
Continue reading related Ring Guides:
- Armor of Agathys 5e Guide: What is Armor of Agathys? - August 3, 2022
- Oath of the Ancients 5e Guide - August 3, 2022
- Dissonant Whispers 5e Guide - July 20, 2022