THE LORD OF THE RINGS
THE ONE RING
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 18 DEX 24 13 - OCV: 3/DCV: 3 25 INT 15 14- PER Roll 11- 35 EGO 50 16- ECV: 3 40 PRE 30 18- PRE Attack: 2d6 4 SPD 12 Phases: 6, 12 Total Characteristics Cost: 131 Cost Powers & Skills Powers of the One Ring: 377 Aid: 12d6, Enhance Character's Nature : All Powers of Special Effect (+2), Continuous (+1), Uncontrolled (+1/2), 0 END (+1/2), Usable By Others, Doesn't Lose Power (+1/2), Only to Enhance Character's Nature, IIF (-1/4) 52 Mind Control: 12d6 , Telepathic (+1/4), Single Command: Take Possession of and use the Ring (-1/2), 0 END (+1/2), IIF (-1/4) 6 Major Transform: 1 pip, to Slave of the Ring, No Normal Defense [DEF: Successful Ego Roll] (+1) Continuous (+1), Uncontrolled (+1/2), 0 END (+1/2), Persistant (+1/2), Gradual (every day), IIF (-1/4), Only vs. Wearer of the Ring (-1) 64 Invisibility: Normal Sight, Sight, No Fringe, 0 END (+1/2), Usable By Others, Doesn't Lose Power (+1/2), IIF (-1/4) 3 Life Support: Immune to Aging, Usable By Others, Doesn't Lose Power (+1/2), IIF (-1/4) 12 Astral Vision, Usable By Others, Doesn't Lose Power (+1/2), IIF (-1/4) 514 Total Powers & Skills Cost 645 Total Character Cost 75+ Disadvantages 15 Distinctive Features: Feels heavy, has phrase written inside (EC) Hunted: 10 Saruman (AsPow) 8- 10 Sauron (AsPow) 8- 20 Psychological Limitation: Intensely Evil (Common, Total) 10 Reputation: Repository of Sauron's Power, ext 8- 5 Watched: The Wise (AsPow) 8- 500 Ruling Ring Bonus 645 Total Disadvantage Points
HISTORY
The One Ring was the greatest of the Rings of Power, forged in secret by Sauron at Orodruin, after helping the elves of Eregion forge the other nineteen. At the last, Celebrimbor the smith perceived Sauron's evil design for the Rings, and kept the three elven rings free of his stain of evil. For the One Ring was created to dominate the wearers of the other Rings of Power, and so to bring the leaders of the Free Peoples under Sauron's dominion.
Sauron succeeded with the nine Rings of Man, and they created his most powerful servants, the great nazgul. The seven Dwarven Rings failed to bring the dwarves to his service, but did make them petty and miserly, and so brought the seven houses of the dwarves to ruin.
In addition, Sauron placed much of his power into the One Ring, causing him to become far greater when wearing it, but far weaker without it. Most of his great works, such the towers of Barad-D˚r and Dol Guldur were tied up with its power and were eventually destroyed when it was. More importantly, although his form could be destroyed, as long as the One Ring existed, Sauron could not be permanently slain. Only by destroying the Ring could the Dark Lord be forever destroyed.
When the Last Alliance of Men and Elves defeated Sauron in Second Age 3441, Isildur, Elendil, Cirdan, Gil-Galad and Elrond defeated Sauron. Anarion was killed, and Elendil lay dying. Isildur cut the ring from Sauron's hand, but refused to cast it into the Sammath Naur, as the elves counselled him to do, but took it for his own.
Two years later, as he rode north to resume the kingship of Arnor, he was slain by a band of orcs on the Gladden Fields, and the One Ring slipped from his finger and was lost in the mires of the Anduin for many centuries. About the year Third Age 2463, the hobbit DÈagol found the ring while diving in the shallows, and his brother SmÈagol immediately murdered him to take possession of it.
Under the influence of the Ring, SmÈagol became evil and was driven out by his family. Having no great ambitions, SmÈagol received no great power from the Ring, which used him to transport it to the Misty Mountains. It granted him an incredibly long life, but no extra life. Instead, it stretched out the life he had into one long, agonizing now, slowly transforming the hapless hobbit into the monstrous Gollum, who lived only to eat and possess the Ring.
Gollum lived by eating fish and waylaying small orcs for five hundred years until the Ring slipped from his finger just before the arrival in Third Age 2941 of Bilbo Baggins, who was on his way to Erebor. Bilbo possessed the Ring (and was also preserved from age, if not from time) for sixty years. He gave the Ring to Frodo in 3001. Frodo possessed it until 3018 when he began the Quest of the Ring. Taking the Ring to Orodruin, in Mordor, Frodo was at last overcome by it's power, and refused to destroy it. Only Gollum's intervention caused the Ring's destruction, thus permanently preventing Sauron from ever taking shape again.
The Ring was a plain band of gold, which felt slightly heavy in the hand. When heated in a fire, glowing words appeared on it in Black Speech: Ash nazg durbatul˚k, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatul˚k, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul. This tranlates as: One Ring to Rule them all, One Ring to Find them. One Ring to Bring them all, and in the Darkness Bind them. It could only be destroyed in the fires of the volcano Orodruin, where it was forged.
The Ring was sentient. It left Isildur because it did not wish him to have it's power, and found Bilbo because it knew that Sauron's return was at hand. Those who wore it entered halfway into the Spirit World, thus becoming invisible and capable of seeing spirits (like the nazgul) as they really are. The Ring also exerted a powerful call to those around it, offering them power and all they desired if only they would take it and use it.
Finally, the Ring had great power to enhance the spirit of the wearer, but for evil causes. Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel all refused the Ring because they knew it would make them into another Dark Lord. Saruman wanted it for that very reason. Boromir correctly saw that he could defeat Sauron and bring Gondor to dominion over the earth if he wore the Ring. Even Sam Gamgee the hobbit saw that he could make the entire world into a garden under his control with the Ring. Only the very wise, such as Gandalf and Aragorn, or the very simple, such as Sam Gamgee, could avoid it's powerful call.
The Ring was known as the One Ring, The Ring, The Ruling Ring, The Ring of Power, The Great Ring, the Ring of Rings, The Master Ring, Isildur's Bane, The Burden (by Frodo) and Preciouss (by Gollum).
NOTES
1. I have represented the Ring as a Spirit and bought all its powers through a focus. This is in keeping with the Ring's sentient nature.
2. The "Only to Enhance Character's Nature" limitation means that the Ring does not grant bolts of power. It enhances what the character already does. Gandalf would become an even more powerful wizard. Boromir would become an unbeatable general and physical powerhouse. Gollum became even more pathetic. Galadriel would become a powerful, cleansing spirit, burning the world in her zeal.
3. I have bought the Aid as 10 points per die, instead of 5. I feel this is the reasonable price for Aid.
4. Note that the powers belong to the Ring, not the wearer. The Ring can grant those powers with the "usable by others" advantage to the wearer.