Ring of Agonizing Deceit

Description

A simple silver band that appears utterly unremarkable at first glance—no gems, no engravings, nothing to suggest it holds any power at all. It floats serenely above water as if weightless, radiating a subtle invitation to be worn. The moment it touches flesh, however, its true nature reveals itself: the metal turns ice-cold and seems to fuse with the skin, impossible to remove by normal means as waves of excruciating pain course through the wearer's body.

Mechanics

Ring of Agonizing Deceit (Rare, cursed)

This ring was created by Seylon Vane as a trap for those who would seek his hidden treasures without earning the right. It appears to be one of his legendary Rings of Power but is instead a punishment for thieves and the unworthy.

Activation: When a creature puts on this ring, they must immediately make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the ring fuses to their finger and begins its torture.

Crucio Effect: While the ring is worn, the creature suffers the following effects:

• At the start of each of their turns, they take 3d6 psychic damage as waves of agony tear through their mind and body
• They have disadvantage on all ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws due to the overwhelming pain
• They cannot concentrate on spells
• Their movement speed is halved as they writhe in agony

Removal: Removing the ring requires one of the following:

• The wearer must use their action to attempt a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, they wrench the ring free, taking an additional 2d6 psychic damage as it releases
• The ring slips off automatically if the wearer's hand changes shape in a way that removes the finger (polymorph, shapeshifting malfunction, amputation)
• Remove Curse cast at 5th level or higher
• The wearer dies, whereupon the ring releases and resets

Reset: Once removed, the ring floats gently to the nearest body of water (or the ground if none is nearby) and returns to its dormant state, appearing innocent once more.

Story

This ring was discovered floating above a circular pool in the Circle of Eight dungeon beneath Frostwell Village. When the imposter posing as Oleg Mirnov grabbed it and put it on, the ring immediately began torturing him. His form shifted uncontrollably through different faces as shadowy tendrils of pain lashed out from the ring. The torture only ended when the ring slipped off a finger—the shapeshifted form he'd taken was missing one.

Otto Noxley bound the collapsed imposter with Incarcerous, but before the party could interrogate him, he disapparated during the fight with the wight guardian.