D&D 3E/3.5 3.5E Ring of Invisibility

[Gizzard]

The Ring of Invisibility says that "By activating this simple silver ring, the wearer can benefit from invisibility, as the spell."

In 1E the ring just made you invisible for as long as you wished. Is this still true or does the wording "as the spell" imply that it has a finite duration? If the duration is finite, is it 3 minutes? Also, since the word "activating" now appears, does this mean that the ring has a command word? Or that it is a standard action to activate?

 

[dcollins]

There have been mixed signals on this issue. The actual DMG says this:

Use Activated: A character has to... wear a ring... However, some items made for wearing, such as a ring of invisibility, must still be activated. Although this activation sometimes requires a command word (see above), usually it means mentally willing the activation to happen.

Which sounds less like command-word activation and more like use-activation. But, here's the 3.0 (most recent) FAQ entry:

Does a ring require an “activate a magic item” action? Also, how frequently can one use a ring?

A ring is command activated (see page 192 in the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide), unless the ring’s description says otherwise. Any such item requires a standard action to activate. Unless otherwise stated in the ring’s description, there are no limits on the number of times it can be used or on how frequently it can be used. Since activating a ring requires an action, it usually cannot be activated more than once a round. Note that most rings function continuously once activated, which allows for virtually unlimited use unless the ring produces an effect that can be broken.

Which sure sounds like it's command-activated, and works as long as it worn without interruption. However, here is more recent personal email from the Sage:

Skip, I'm looking at the various command-activated magic rings in the DMG that have no specified duration to their powers (like blinking, invisibility, and spell turning). Are these effects (a) unending until deactivated, or (b) limited in duration according to the prerequisite spell and caster level (for example, 150 minutes duration for a ring of spell turning), or something else entirely?

In general, it's the latter.

Which clearly indicates the effect turns off after a duration similar to the spell. In general, it seems like the rules are shifting towards magic items being in all ways limited just like the spells which inspired them.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Considering the obvious precedent for a ring of invisibility I think it is a shame that it isn't use activated (put it on and you go invisible, take it off and you come back again).

It seems even weaker if, by the book, it is merely invisibility and not greater invisibility. What will hobbit rogues *do*?

 

[Hypersmurf]

It seems even weaker if, by the book, it is merely invisibility and not greater invisibility. What will hobbit rogues *do*?

It's never been greater/improved invisibility. In 3E attacking broke invisibility, requiring a standard action to reactivate; even in 1E it was "as the magic-user invisibility spell", although with the less-clearly defined action types, "at will, instantly" meant that you could interpret it as only a flicker of visibility before you could go invisible again.

-Hyp.

 

[Plane Sailing]

It's never been greater/improved invisibility. In 3E attacking broke invisibility, requiring a standard action to reactivate; even in 1E it was "as the magic-user invisibility spell", although with the less-clearly defined action types, "at will, instantly" meant that you could interpret it as only a flicker of visibility before you could go invisible again.

I never said that it used to be better in the game, I was still talking about the icon ring. You know, the One Ring?

 

[Darklone]

I never said that it used to be better in the game, I was still talking about the icon ring. You know, the One Ring?

That One was use activated ?

 

[Plane Sailing]

That One was use activated ?

You put it on and you went invisible. Doesn't that count as use activated? Used by putting it on?

 

[Fester]

IMO it's "invisibility until you attack", when you become visible and need to activate the ring in order to become invisible again.

Invisibility is made permanent using the "permanancy" spell, which does exactly what it says on the tin. Permanancy is not 3 minutes. Since the description for the ring of invisibility says as the spell and the spell description says that the "spell ends if the subject attacks any creature", then the subject becomes visible at this point and the ring requires reactivation (ie a standard action).

I've seen it played that you "flicker" when you attack (ie come visible for a moment and then go invisible again), but this just seems a bit silly to me. I just don't get that reading from the RAW, but to each their own...

 

[Plane Sailing]

IMO it's "invisibility until you attack", when you become visible and need to activate the ring in order to become invisible again.

Just to make it clear I have no doubt in my mind that this is what it is and always has been in D&D... Just surprised that since so much was originally drawn from Tolkein (hobbits, ents, rangers, balrog to name a few) this item has never been portrayed in the literary way (a ring which makes you invisible when you put it on, visible when you take it off, can fight when invisible).

Just surprised, Ttat's all.

 

[robberbaron]

I guess the "can fight while invisible" was thought to be a little overpowering for the original game. Not so bad now we have rules for fighting invisibly / invisible opponents.

Let's face it, if they were Greater Invisibility, unless you made them artifacts, everybody would have one.