In one of the games I’m running for new-to-D&D players, the party just gained a pair of Rings of Shared Suffering. We were talking about additional uses they might have, beyond the simple “Keeping the Squishy Wizard Alive” functionality. They split damage between the two people wearing the rings, so I thought they’d be very useful for midwives, so labour pains can be shared with a partner, maybe?
I also wrote in a character who has a Sending Stone that has its pair in Candlekeep with her academic mentor. She’s said to the party, she can relay questions to Candlekeep and get short answers or longer answers in the mail. I’d thought this would be a neat way to be able to introduce game history and lore without it being a lecture, but obviously they’ve asked:
”What is the weirdest recorded use for a pair of Rings of Shared Suffering?”
So I figured I’d ask on here for how they’ve been used and misused in your campaigns, or if you have any hilarious theories for other uses?
Is there anything preventing the other creature from removing the ring if you're trying to use it for coercion etc?
One thing could be to alert the party of danger if you don't have another method. Say the rogue is scouting ahead and gets attacked. Suddenly, the paladin takes half of the damage the rogue just took, and the party now knows the rogue is in danger and should probably come to the rescue since the gig is up.
The midwives thing is interesting but makes me wonder about the logistics of that in how the damage/pain would be split to the second person who is NOT undergoing the specific biological processes of childbirth lol. Probably best not to think too much on that.
Maybe it could be used to help someone survive something that would normally be suicidal like jumping from a great height or wading through a pool of acid etc.
Is there anything preventing the other creature from removing the ring if you're trying to use it for coercion etc?
The ring require attunement, which is a willing act.
I guess you could trick someone into believe it attune to a different item then once it is, attach him so it cannot remove the ring and be forced to suffer the damage.
Forget midwives, this could be a whole occupation. If you're playing in Eberron, rich nobles of House Deneith could have a "pain boy" on hand for any number of reasons.
If you're removing the mark condition, these people could be on call in temples or sports arenas or battlefields to ease the pain of anyone with enough coin to spare.
Is there anything preventing the other creature from removing the ring if you're trying to use it for coercion etc?
The ring require attunement, which is a willing act.
I guess you could trick someone into believe it attune to a different item then once it is, attach him so it cannot remove the ring and be forced to suffer the damage.
Or try to put it on an annimal? A zombie?
Oh damn, pressed the wrong button and replied instead of quote-replied!
Yeah, I guess attunement relies on consent, but with there being cursed items that you attune to, I guess the (awful) implication is that it doesn’t have to be informed consent?
Forget midwives, this could be a whole occupation. If you're playing in Eberron, rich nobles of House Deneith could have a "pain boy" on hand for any number of reasons.
If you're removing the mark condition, these people could be on call in temples or sports arenas or battlefields to ease the pain of anyone with enough coin to spare.
Yes! It’s a FR setting, so I guess the Cult of Loviatar would pay handsomely for these!
Depending on how you define "suffering", the rings become a viable, if slow and frustrating, communication method.
Can the users each feel the other's non-damaging pain? I.e. one pinches herself and they both feel half the sting? In that case, you basically have pain Morse code - long pinch, short pinch, short pinch, long pinch...
There are also a number of spells one uses in reaction to taking damage. Rings of Shared Suffering could be used to double the chances of triggering an Absorb Elements or Hellish Rebuke. Simply imagine - every turn something damages the barbarian, that something gets burned by the wizard on reaction despite not being able to reach the wizard and stop it.
Depending on how you define "suffering", the rings become a viable, if slow and frustrating, communication method.
Can the users each feel the other's non-damaging pain? I.e. one pinches herself and they both feel half the sting? In that case, you basically have pain Morse code - long pinch, short pinch, short pinch, long pinch...
There are also a number of spells one uses in reaction to taking damage. Rings of Shared Suffering could be used to double the chances of triggering an Absorb Elements or Hellish Rebuke. Simply imagine - every turn something damages the barbarian, that something gets burned by the wizard on reaction despite not being able to reach the wizard and stop it.
Or armor of agathys. Granted, you have to be hit with a melee attack, so it won't work if you're damaged through the ring, but if a warlock is bonded to someone, that half damage will eat through the temp hp of the spell more slowly and potentially lead to more damage going out.
Depending on how you define "suffering", the rings become a viable, if slow and frustrating, communication method.
Can the users each feel the other's non-damaging pain? I.e. one pinches herself and they both feel half the sting? In that case, you basically have pain Morse code - long pinch, short pinch, short pinch, long pinch...
There are also a number of spells one uses in reaction to taking damage. Rings of Shared Suffering could be used to double the chances of triggering an Absorb Elements or Hellish Rebuke. Simply imagine - every turn something damages the barbarian, that something gets burned by the wizard on reaction despite not being able to reach the wizard and stop it.
I *think* it’s purely defined as HP loss, but gosh, why stop at Morse? Imagine the computers you could build using a crowd of goblins with a “If you get hurt, hit the goblin in front” system to make logic gates…
Absorb Elements is an interesting thought because the description for the rings seems to suggest the damage loses its type when it transfers, so only the resistances of the creature being attacked come into play, presumably to avoid giving too much of an incentive to give the other ring to a werewolf?
It unusual that both users can switch on or off the damage sharing, which opens it up to some initiative-based abuse! But also potential for being really, really annoying!
The goblin computer could then have a “If you get hurt, switch your ring off” gate, too!
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In one of the games I’m running for new-to-D&D players, the party just gained a pair of Rings of Shared Suffering. We were talking about additional uses they might have, beyond the simple “Keeping the Squishy Wizard Alive” functionality. They split damage between the two people wearing the rings, so I thought they’d be very useful for midwives, so labour pains can be shared with a partner, maybe?
I also wrote in a character who has a Sending Stone that has its pair in Candlekeep with her academic mentor. She’s said to the party, she can relay questions to Candlekeep and get short answers or longer answers in the mail. I’d thought this would be a neat way to be able to introduce game history and lore without it being a lecture, but obviously they’ve asked:
”What is the weirdest recorded use for a pair of Rings of Shared Suffering?”
So I figured I’d ask on here for how they’ve been used and misused in your campaigns, or if you have any hilarious theories for other uses?
Get info from a bad guy, "if this is a trap you will die before I do"
Good thought! Expanding from that, they could be used to secure a peace treaty through mutually-assured-suffering!
I guess there’d also be uses like sending in a goblin to see if the air in a mine is safe by whether or not the goblin on the surface keels over!
Is there anything preventing the other creature from removing the ring if you're trying to use it for coercion etc?
One thing could be to alert the party of danger if you don't have another method. Say the rogue is scouting ahead and gets attacked. Suddenly, the paladin takes half of the damage the rogue just took, and the party now knows the rogue is in danger and should probably come to the rescue since the gig is up.
The midwives thing is interesting but makes me wonder about the logistics of that in how the damage/pain would be split to the second person who is NOT undergoing the specific biological processes of childbirth lol. Probably best not to think too much on that.
Maybe it could be used to help someone survive something that would normally be suicidal like jumping from a great height or wading through a pool of acid etc.
The ring require attunement, which is a willing act.
I guess you could trick someone into believe it attune to a different item then once it is, attach him so it cannot remove the ring and be forced to suffer the damage.
Or try to put it on an annimal? A zombie?
Forget midwives, this could be a whole occupation. If you're playing in Eberron, rich nobles of House Deneith could have a "pain boy" on hand for any number of reasons.
If you're removing the mark condition, these people could be on call in temples or sports arenas or battlefields to ease the pain of anyone with enough coin to spare.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Oh damn, pressed the wrong button and replied instead of quote-replied!
Yeah, I guess attunement relies on consent, but with there being cursed items that you attune to, I guess the (awful) implication is that it doesn’t have to be informed consent?
Yes! It’s a FR setting, so I guess the Cult of Loviatar would pay handsomely for these!
Depending on how you define "suffering", the rings become a viable, if slow and frustrating, communication method.
Can the users each feel the other's non-damaging pain? I.e. one pinches herself and they both feel half the sting? In that case, you basically have pain Morse code - long pinch, short pinch, short pinch, long pinch...
There are also a number of spells one uses in reaction to taking damage. Rings of Shared Suffering could be used to double the chances of triggering an Absorb Elements or Hellish Rebuke. Simply imagine - every turn something damages the barbarian, that something gets burned by the wizard on reaction despite not being able to reach the wizard and stop it.
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Or armor of agathys. Granted, you have to be hit with a melee attack, so it won't work if you're damaged through the ring, but if a warlock is bonded to someone, that half damage will eat through the temp hp of the spell more slowly and potentially lead to more damage going out.
I *think* it’s purely defined as HP loss, but gosh, why stop at Morse? Imagine the computers you could build using a crowd of goblins with a “If you get hurt, hit the goblin in front” system to make logic gates…
Absorb Elements is an interesting thought because the description for the rings seems to suggest the damage loses its type when it transfers, so only the resistances of the creature being attacked come into play, presumably to avoid giving too much of an incentive to give the other ring to a werewolf?
It unusual that both users can switch on or off the damage sharing, which opens it up to some initiative-based abuse! But also potential for being really, really annoying!
The goblin computer could then have a “If you get hurt, switch your ring off” gate, too!