If you have watched the Matrix movies or have some knowledge of iconic movie scenes, then you would probably recognize one of their most iconic scenes: the Matrix Bullet Dodge. That is when a soldier that turned into Agent Smith begins shooting at Neo, yet Neo dodges the bullets by bending completely backward while the camera slows down to see the bullets whiz past him.
It is an awesome scene because of how Neo dodges bullets that shoot in a blink of an eye. Who wouldn’t want to be as flexible and nimble as that? Despite it being complete science fiction, you can still replicate that feeling by playing D&D and having a character as nimble as Neo. “Is that even possible?” you may be wondering to yourself; indeed, it is possible if your character has a high Dexterity saving throw.
Technically, dodging attacks is part of the overall description of the Armor Class (or AC) system. When an attack roll does not reach its target’s AC, the DM or the player can flavor it to interpret that the attack was blocked or the target dodged the attack. However, AC is usually described as the former explanation. Plus, Dexterity saving throws fit more into the description of dodging as your character uses their dexterity to save themselves.
But how do you get a high Dexterity saving throw? There are many methods, such as having a high Dexterity ability score in the first place or taking a class that has proficiency in Dexterity saving throws like the Rogue class or the Ranger class. This Ring of Evasion 5e Guide talks about a magic item that lets you succeed in a failed Dexterity saving throw: the Ring of Evasion.
What is the Ring of Evasion?
The Ring of Evasion is a major-tier rare magic item that can be found in the Dungeon Master’s Guide on page 191. In appearance, it is a thin golden ring with three jade-like gems embedded into it, along with an ornamental hummingbird with its wings spread out.
The bird’s tail and the main structure are made of gold, with jade or emeralds designed into its body, resembling the feathers of the bird. There are hints of blue gems possibly made from sapphire on its wings and lower body.
Its user must be attuned to the ring for its magical abilities to work; attunement is the bond between a magical item and a creature. Some attunements have prerequisites, such as being a certain class or being a spellcaster.
For the Ring of Evasion’s case, there is no prerequisite. To be attuned to it, one must spend a short rest focusing on the item through physical contact. If the short rest is interrupted, then the attunement process fails. The next section talks more about how the Ring of Evasion works.
How to use the Ring of Evasion
When you have successfully attuned to the Ring of Evasion, you can use its magical abilities to turn a failed Dexterity saving throw into a successful one. But first, how Dexterity saving throws work must be discussed.
How Dexterity saving throws work
There are many instances wherein you need to dodge out of the way of something so that you would not get hit. Perhaps you triggered a trap in a dungeon, and you need to get out of an incoming arrow’s way. Maybe a spell has been cast against you that would require you to roll for a Dexterity saving throw. In any case, you roll for it using a 1d20. Then, you add along with it your Dexterity modifier.
That final number would then be compared to the Difficulty Class (or DC) of the attack or circumstance. A DC determines how hard something is to do; if a saving throw reaches the required DC, then it is a successful save, and you manage to get out of the way. If not, you suffer the consequences. Some things are harder to do than others; thus, DC varies from each attack or circumstance.
Every class in the official sources gives the character proficiency in two saving throws. For example, the Barbarian class grants proficiency in Strength saving throws and Constitution saving throws. When a certain class grants proficiency in Dexterity saving throws, you add in your proficiency bonus to your saving throw roll.
So, for example, your level one character with a +2 Dexterity modifier needs to make a Dexterity saving throw. You roll a 1d20 and roll a 10. Level one characters have a +2 as their proficiency bonus. So, the final saving throw would then be 10 (1d20) + 2 (Dexterity modifier) + 2 (proficiency bonus) = 14.
How the Ring of Evasion works
You roll for your Dexterity saving throw after an incident that demands you to roll for one. You compute the 1d20 result along with the necessary modifiers. However, it does not reach the required DC to succeed. This is called a failed saving throw. Say, for instance, you try to dodge out of the way from an incoming arrow after triggering a trap. If you fail your Dexterity saving throw, that arrow will hit you, making you lose hit points or even possibly being poisoned.
Saving throws are an essential part of keeping a character safe. This is where Ring of Evasion comes to the rescue. When you failed your Dexterity saving throw, and you are wearing an attuned Ring of Evasion, you can use your reaction to use one of the item’s charges and succeed in the saving throw instead. So in the example above, your DM tells you that you have failed your saving throw. You can then use your character’s reaction to use a charge of the ring to let your character get out of the way.
If this happens in battle, remember that you can only have one reaction per turn. So if you have already used your reaction on your turn, you cannot use the Ring of Evasion’s effect on the same turn. If some spells or effects prevent you from taking a reaction, the usage of the Ring of Evasion also fails since it requires you to use your reaction.
This D&D ring has a maximum of three charges, and charges can be regained daily at dawn. When the ring is recharging at dawn, you roll a 1d3; the resulting number will dictate how many charges are restored into the ring. For example, you have two remaining charges left.
It is already dawn, and so you roll a 1d3 to see how many charges are regained; you roll a 2. So, the ring is fully charged with three charges since that is the maximum amount of charges the ring can have.
For example, your enemy is a spell caster and casts the Fireball spell towards you. Because of this, you must make a Dexterity saving throw to reach the spellcaster’s DC. However, you failed your saving throw and must take 8d6 fire damage. When you have a few hit points left, that can mean disaster for your character; they would be toast!
If you are wearing the Ring of Evasion that is attuned to you and you have a charge left in it, you can instead use its charge to turn that failed saving throw into a successful one. Thus, you would only take half the amount of damage you would have suffered from the Fireball. If your character is a rogue, you cannot use your Uncanny Dodge class feature because it costs a reaction. You can only take one reaction at a time.
Is the Ring of Evasion good?
It is a good rare magic item since there are a lot of spells requiring its target to make a Dexterity saving throw. When taking into account the Player’s Handbook, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Tasha’s Cauldron to Everything, and other supplementary sources, there can be up to 65 spells of varying levels that would need a Dexterity saving throw for it to miss, deal half damage, etc.
When compared to other saving throws in terms of spells, the Dexterity saving throw is as common as Constitution saving throws and Wisdom saving throws. Up to 63 spells require its target to succeed in a Constitution saving throw, while up to 55 spells require its target to succeed in a Wisdom saving throw. Thus, the Dexterity saving throw is the most common among the three.
Three charges are a good amount of charges to have in a magic item, and more so when the ring regains its charges at dawn by 1d3. Overall, it is a good rare magic item because it can be used during failed Dexterity saving throws in a lot of spells. Dexterity is one of the most important abilities in a character, and this ring helps in that aspect.
How rare is the Ring of Evasion?
The Ring of Evasion is a rare item, making it almost impossible to find during the early stages of the campaign. Though it is up to your DM, many recommendations from various DMs exist that can help guide others when to give out rare magic items. There is even a section about rarity from the Dungeon Master’s Guide on page 135. Below is a table from the said source that details how rarity is handled.
| Rarity | Character |
Level Value |
| Common | 1st or higher | 50-100 gp |
| Uncommon | 1st or higher | 101-500 gp |
| Rare | 5th or higher | 501-5000 gp |
| Very rare | 11th or higher | 5001-50000 gp |
| Legendary | 17th or higher | 50001+ gp |
Here, the Dungeon Master’s Guide recommends that you should give out rare magic items starting at level 5. Below is another suggestion from the same source about the starting equipment of characters depending on the campaign’s intensity in terms of magic; this is found on page 38. Again, this can be relied on when determining the starting equipment of characters if you just started your game on varying levels.
| Character Level | Low Magic Campaign | Standard Campaign |
High Magic Campaign |
| 1st to 4th | Normal starting equipment | Normal starting equipment | Normal starting equipment |
| 5th to 10th | 500 gp + 1d10 x 25 gp;
normal starting equipment |
500 gp + 1d10 x 25 gp;
normal starting equipment |
500 gp + 1d10 x 25 gp;
one uncommon magic item; normal starting equipment |
| 11th to 16th | 5000 gp + 1d10 x 250 gp;
one uncommon magic item; normal starting equipment |
5000 gp + 1d10 x 250 gp;
two uncommon magic item; normal starting equipment |
5,000 gp + 1d10 x 250 gp;
three uncommon magic items; one rare item; normal starting equipment |
| 17th to 20th | 20000 gp + 1d10 x 250 gp;
two uncommon magic items; normal starting equipment |
20000 gp + 1d10 x 250 gp;
two uncommon magic items; one rare item; normal starting equipment |
20000 gp + 1d10 x 250 gp;
three uncommon magic items; two rare items; one very rare item; normal starting equipment |
As shown in the table above, the Ring of Evasion can be introduced as a starting equipment for 11th to 16th level players in a high magic campaign setting. For 17th to 20th level players just starting their game, the magic item can be introduced as a starting equipment in a standard campaign as well as a high magic campaign plus another rare item. But then again, it is up to the DM; they can freely give the Ring of Evasion starting at level 1. Surely, a memorable story can be created through it.
Ring of Evasion 5e Guide: FAQs
Question: Is the Ring of Evasion a magic item?
ANSWER: YES, IT IS. TO BE MORE PRECISE, IT IS A RARE MAGIC ITEM THAT CAN BE FOUND IN THE DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE ON PAGE 191.
QUESTION: HOW MUCH DOES THE RING OF EVASION COST?
ANSWER: ACCORDING TO THE DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE ON PAGE 135, A RARE MAGIC ITEM’S PRICE RANGES FROM 501 TO 5000 GP. STILL, HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST IS UP TO THE DM’S JUDGMENT, TAKING IN THE LOCALE AND THE SETTING. FOR EXAMPLE, AN INNKEEPER MIGHT SELL THE RING OF EVASION FOR FAR LESS MONEY BECAUSE THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND ITS VALUE. A MAGIC ITEM CONNOISSEUR IN A LARGE CITY MIGHT CHARGE YOU FOR MORE.
QUESTION: DO YOU NEED ATTUNEMENT TO THE RING OF EVASION?
ANSWER: YES, THE RING OF EVASION NEEDS ATTUNEMENT TO ITS WEARER FOR IT TO WORK. TO ATTUNE YOUR CHARACTER TO THE RING OF EVASION, THEY MUST SPEND A SHORT REST FOCUSING ON THE RING WHILE HAVING PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH IT.
QUESTION: WHICH IS REQUIRED TO USE THE RING OF EVASION, AN ACTION OR A REACTION?
ANSWER: THE WEARER MUST USE THEIR REACTION TO ACTIVATE THE RING OF EVASION’S MAGICAL EFFECTS. KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU CAN ONLY TAKE ONE REACTION PER TURN.
QUESTION: WHICH SAVING THROW DOES THE RING OF EVASION CHANGE?
ANSWER: THE RING OF EVASION CHANGES A FAILED DEXTERITY SAVING THROW INTO A SUCCESSFUL ONE. YOU WOULD NEED A CHARGE TO USE IT AS A REACTION.
QUESTION: HOW MANY CHARGES DOES THE RING OF EVASION HAVE?
ANSWER: THE RING OF EVASION HAS A MAXIMUM OF THREE CHARGES; EVERY DAWN, THE RING REGAINS 1D3 CHARGES.
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