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[ShadowHammer]

Spoiler: background information (click to show/hide)

So I was DMing a DnD game today, and my friends the players are fighting the BBEG. He has this quest item with him, a magical box, which I wasn't expecting them to be able to take from him yet. Stupidly, I forgot two important details:
A) that the wizard could use Mage Hand to steal the box (which he did)
B) to decide upon the contents of the box.
So, they get their hands on this obviously important quest item, and they open it. I can't just say it's empty, because it was locked with a physical and several magic locks, so I decide to go with the good old magic ring. The wizard rolls an arcana check, and I'm hoping like crazy he won't make the DC to figure out the precise effects. He gets close, but not quite, so all I tell him is that he can detect an evil spell on it. Now I can put off deciding the enchantment until next session! Phew.

Then, the warrior, who is being well role played as a total meathead, says, "I put the ring on. What does it do?"

*facepalm*

Being a new DM, I didn't realize until afterwards that I should have simply made it a delayed effect, so I had to tell them that I hadn't decided yet. Fortunately, the session was close to the end anyway, so we just packed up a few minutes early. To make up for my failure, I want to make it do something really cool. Any ideas?

tl;dr: Cool ideas for a DnD evil magic ring?

[Remuthra]

A cursed evil magic ring, or a normal evil one?

Does it have to comply with normal D&D rules?

Just how evil should it be?

[Bouchart]

Some kind of ring that occasionally takes control of your hand, like a Dr. Strangelove thing.

[ShadowHammer]

A cursed evil magic ring, or a normal evil one?

Does it have to comply with normal D&D rules?

Just how evil should it be?

1. Either way works
2. No
3. That's a really hard question to answer, due to the lack of a standardized evil-measuring system. After the first few posts, I'll tell you whether each proposition is too evil or not evil enough. I guess them being level two would be a relevant guideline.

[Doomblade187]

Some kind of ring that occasionally takes control of your hand, like a Dr. Strangelove thing.

How about instead of just your hand, though, you roll a d20 to decide what part of your body it controls?

'In the middle of combat, you feel your left big toe twitching. -1 to all rolls due to distraction.'

[LordBucket]

Cool ideas for a DnD evil magic ring?

First question that needs to be asked is why the the big bad evil guy wasn't wearing it

Two obvious answers come to mind:

1) It's a good-aligned artifact. He was keepign it in a box to keep it out of the hands of the local paladins he want him dead.

2) It's so bad that even wasn't stupid enough to put it on. For example, it's a cursed sentient item that shares consciousness with a demon lord who tries to mind control anyone who puts it on. And since it's cursed, even if it doesn't succeed right away over time it grows it have increasing influence over the character. But is also grants great power, and the BBEG was looking for a magicl way to retain the powers of the ring without the demonic influence, so he wasn't willing to simply throw it away. The box it was contained it was a mental influence blocker to keep it from telepathically affecting him. But since your player has now put it on, the BBEG is now released from his mental bondage and can go freely rage acros the countryside doing whatever he pleases while the demon lord attempts to take over the character instead.

Bonus points if the ring only acknowledges wizards, so since it was a warrior who put it on, nothing happens, he feels nothing and he can take it off freely. But it still radiates so much magic, so of course your party's wizard will want to give it a try. Fool.

EDIT:
Even more bonus points if the ring was the only reason the BBEG was evil, so now that he's free he immediately disbands his armies and joins the local priesthood to spend the rest of his life atoning for his misdeeds. The party now has unruly hoards of monsters formerly under his control on the lose with no leader to kill, while the party wizard keeps getting secret messages from the ring like "I can grant you 4 extra spellslots today, but I need innocent blood to power it. Why not kill those children over there? Nobody will miss them."

[Majestic7]

1) The ring makes the character function as undead regarding healing. He takes damage from cure spells and heals from inflicts. Once per day, the character can cast inflict X wounds (something higher than character levels should allow them to cast) targeted at someone else AND heal the amount inflicted. Effectively draining life from someone. This special inflict X wounds must always be inflicted at someone else. The ring is cursed and can't be removed easily. The longer he wears it, the more undead traits he starts accumulating. At some point forgetting to breath, heart no longer beats, not needing food etc. At that point, if the ring is removed, the character dies.

2) The ring is a dimensional link to an outerplanar creature. That creature starts talking to the fighter through it. Of course, it claims to be an angel imprisoned by the Big Baddie and wants the characters to free it. It can offer aid in the form of various divination spells, like contact other plane. Naturally, the creature is really a demon or devil or something who wants to enter the real world. The Big Baddie was really doing Awful Things to keep the Even Worse Thing locked away.

3) Oh, it is the Ring of Truth! The wearer can hear the thoughts of everyone closeby. He as well broadcasts his thoughts constantly, whether he wants it or not. Sounds cool? Take a second thought...  "Mmmm, nice ass" *slap* and so forth. If worn longer, it might grant other abilities like True Sight, but the social problems it causes are vast. Plus  of course, enemies always hear the fighters thoughts before they see him.

4) It is the ring of optimism, as in Oglaf!   Oglaf is usually NSFW, by the way, although these examples are clean. Oh yeah, the ring makes a return.  

Edit: 5) Sentimental option - it is the Big Bad Guys daughter's wedding ring. The ring is the last memory he has of the daughter, who is now dead. All the Bad Things he is doing are a misguided revenge for her death. The magic is a link to her memories. Wearing the ring and sleeping while wearing it lets the character have lucid dreams featuring the daughter, where he can interact with her. (Alternatively replace daughter with wife, mother, wife or whatever.)

[Remuthra]

A cursed evil magic ring, or a normal evil one?

Does it have to comply with normal D&D rules?

Just how evil should it be?

1. Either way works
2. No
3. That's a really hard question to answer, due to the lack of a standardized evil-measuring system. After the first few posts, I'll tell you whether each proposition is too evil or not evil enough. I guess them being level two would be a relevant guideline.

Every twenty-four hours, if not already infected, the wearer of the ring contracts a random disease, from the DMG or homebrewed. Don't tell the players about the property, but instead wait for the end of the incubation period and describe symptoms occasionally, preferably in a subtle manner at first to keep them guessing. In all other respects, including to Identify spells, the object behaves exactly like [Insert powerful ring your party would probably like to wear here, maybe Protection or Invisibility?].

[Shooer]

Make it a intelligent magical ring of spell storing(your choice of levels).  Give it the same alignment of the wizard and give it a decent ego score (look up intelligent magic items and choose either a tier you like or give it the same mental stats as the wizard). 

Say that the wizard was planning on becoming a lich or something and the ring was part of/or the entire part of becoming immortal and contains a part/the rest of his soul.  You get to keep the bad guy, the item would be detectable as evil (basic magical detection system shows school and not alignment for your day to day use) AND since it's probably going to be diametrically aligned to your warrior (and he probably has low wil saves) the ring will be able to both hide it's self, prevent it's self from being removed and attempt a take over of the warrior if it came down to it.

[Baijiu]

Hmm, an evil magic item? I think something simple is better.

Idea#1: When you put the ring on, any items currently on your person begin to heat up until they either burst into flames or begin melting.

Idea#2: the item has a chance to absorb/nullify any beneficial spells cast on the person wearing it.

[nenjin]

You could go more broad and general effects rather than specific combat or gameplay mechanics.

Like a ring that causes the wearer to be fabulously lucky. They can make a fortune out of a few coins if they put their mind to it, miraculously avoid getting killed by some things that should have killed them...

But on the other hand, NPCs from all across the world suddenly start seeking the player out for violent confrontations. Not just because rumor of the ring that carries the luck of the gods spreads far and wide....but because people feel compelled to hunt the owner down and destroy them. People have an almost prescient knowledge of where to find the player, and they like to show up at really inconvenient times. LG characters, CE character and everything in between. There's just something about that ring, something that causes the best and the worst things to happen...

And now you've got an item that lets you as the GM pick and choose what happens, when, without really giving the players a ring that shoots beams of annihilation, or something. Maybe put a few stats on there as well.

The best curses are the ones that are flexible and don't relegate themselves to just one corner of the player's life. (i.e, talking to NPCs, combat, sneaking around, ect...)

[Flying Carcass]

The ring grants a bonus to a particular stat, the amount of the bonus is dependent on how miserable the ring's user is.

If the character is perfectly content, no bonus.
If the character is a bit melancholy, minor bonus.
If the character is crying, moderate bonus.
If the character is lost to despair, major bonus.

[Remuthra]

The best curses are the ones that are flexible and don't relegate themselves to just one corner of the player's life. (i.e, talking to NPCs, combat, sneaking around, ect...)

This. Also, good curses are subtle enough to avoid detection as such. If the players willingly put the ring on more than once, you're doing it right.

[Mech#4]

A cursed ring that's stuck on your finger. It glows red whenever something bad happens.


A ring with a phylactery in it? The spirit of the lich could start warring with the warriors soul, influencing his decisions.

[Bouchart]

How about a ring that continuously makes modem static?