Gear Guide: DnD 5e Magic Rings for Every Tier of Play

Last Updated on January 22, 2023

Magic Rings go back in folklore and mythology for millennia. They are as iconic as a Wizard’s staff.

In Dungeons and Dragons, the ring is one of the most potent types of magic items, usable by pretty much anyone and powerfully magical.

In many games, you won’t even find a ring until at least Tier III (10^th level), which is a bit of a waste, honestly. Those are expensive, and at that point, you might not even need one.

For more on that, check out our post on magic item pricing.

So, we put together a list of magic rings you can use at EVERY tier of play. Most of these will be in the WoTC published material, but there will be some homebrew thrown in as well.

A Brief History of Magic Rings

It is important to remember the history of the Dungeons and Dragons when playing. This game was invented, essentially, by a gaming group that was super into medieval military history.

They would play an old (although not too old — many people who played the first edition are still alive, after all) miniature war game called Chainmail.

They would get together with their pieces, array them on the table in formation, and then start rolling dice.

These guys may have been historical-military buffs, but they were also very much into mythology and folklore, and in mythology, magical rings were Not To Be Trifled With.

Consider The One Ring in Tolkien’s epic masterpiece. It may seem to be a simple Ring of Invisibility that allows someone to see into the shadowrealm.

That’s not particularly powerful in Dungeons and Dragons. It’s not like he’s summoning a kaiju.

Wrong. That is very powerful. Remember, mythology is meant to be told alongside real life, and a Ring of Invisibility in real life wouldn’t just be an easy way to get sneak attack.

The truth is that a Ring of Invisibility meant a magical way to avoid ALL accountability, and that, to many people, is the root of all power.

To those people, the ones who would abuse the ring, power means being immune to the consequences of your actions. For them, zero accountability equals ultimate power.

The creators of Dungeons and Dragons inherited this legacy and worked it into the early editions. Hell, in most settings before Forgotten Realms, you wouldn’t see a +1 Sword until at least 12^th level.

Magic was when your character stopped being historical and started being a legend.

For that reason, magic rings were uncommon all the way through 3e, and even in 5e, it is a bit difficult to find one at lower levels.

Rings in Tier I

Tier I magic items are generally considered “common” in rarity — rings, even more so.

There are exactly zero magic rings in the Common Category. As such, if you find a ring in Tier I, it is either Uncommon or Homebrew and should cost anywhere between 50-100 gp.

Uncommon rings tend to be a bit more powerful for early levels and should be handed out by a patron if the players need to go into a harsh environment.

Here is our list for Tier I magic rings followed by a detailed explanation of how and when to use them.

Ring of Warmth

More often than not, you will see this ring (or one like it) when your party needs to do a significant amount of overland travel in an extreme environment.

You could easily make similar rings suitable for humid swamps or dry deserts.

While this ring wouldn’t completely negate the need for a ranger in the party, it certainly frees up the ranger to do other things than make sure you don’t die.

Ring of Swimming

As a DM, you will know if your group needs to get underwater. It isn’t fair to expect a group of low-level adventurers to suddenly know how to deep-sea dive.

If the group is stuck on a boat, this ring will make them bolder and less afraid of taking risks to defend themselves when the pirates attack.

Just don’t give one of three rings to the Druid or the Lizardfolk. They don’t need it.

Ring of Hygiene

As gamers, we all know the value of hygiene. In what other activity can you expect to be up all night in a poorly ventilated and confined basement space stuffing your face with chips and cheap frozen pizza while all hopped up on Mountain Dew because you know that it is easier to stay awake until work the next day than only get an hour of sleep?

This magic ring will rinse the funk from your party’s flesh and breath after a night of zombie slaying. You’ve got to look good for the prince/princess, after all.

Ring of Sparking

Starting fires is an activity as old as thumbs, rocks, and determination. You can be the Prometheus of the party with nary an arcane or divine focus in sight.

Have you ever actually used a flint and steel to light tinder and get a fire going? It takes time. With this ring, you could even light said torch in the midst of combat.

One minute you’re drinking with your pals, the next you are throwing Molotov cocktails! Skol!

Rings in Tier II

In Tier II, magic is starting to get a bit more accessible. Magic rings could be found in small treasure hoards, attached to important bad guys, or on display at a magic item shop for 500-1,000 gp.

Ring of Mind Shielding

This ring grants you immunity to the detect thoughts spell and other intrusive telepathic abilities and magic.

Incidentally, if you die while wearing the ring, your soul becomes trapped inside and you can communicate with the new wearer. This is an interesting choice for an Uncommon ring, since magic jar is a 6^th-level spell.

However, as a DM, you could use this ability as a major plot device by trapping a very knowledgeable soul into the ring to guide or hinder the player’s progress.

Ring of Jumping

Ever wonder how Mario from the original NES could jump so freaking high all the time? He wore one of these. A ring like this could easily turn your game into a wire-fu Jet Li movie.

Alternatively, as a DM, you could place one of these out in a riddle or puzzle, and the players have to share the ring, choosing between this ring and other cursed rings in order to cross a chasm.

Ring of Water Walking

This is another ring that a conniving DM could use in a dungeon or as a means to survive a trap or riddle.

It doesn’t grant any extra special speed or ability to balance, but it will allow you to cross a lake to get away from all of those people on shore asking for more bread.

Ring of Confirmation Bias

When inspected, this homebrewed beauty seems to be a ring of strong Divination magic. It allows you to detect thoughts at will. At least, that’s what you think it does.

In truth, it projects your own prejudices of what you expect the target to be thinking back at you in the guise of a spell.

If you suspect the ring is not actually casting detect thoughts, you can make an Arcana or Insight check vs. a DC of 14. On a success, you feel the ring is lying to you. On a failed save, the ring convinces you the target is lying.

Magic Rings at Tier III

In Tier III, you are expected to be a powerhouse. Even in low-magic settings like Dragonlance you should have some ju-ju at your disposal.

These rings are flashy and useful — perfect for Tier III.

Ring of the Ram

Sometimes you just have to punch somebody who is too far away. This is the ring for just that time. By spending 1–3 chargers, you can make a ranged spell-attack roll within 60 feet and deal 2d10 force damage per charge spent.

You can also target the attack to break an object that someone else is carrying or wearing, which can cause distractions, change the objectives of the conflict, or otherwise ruin an opponent’s day.

Ring of Spell Storing

This is one of the most useful rings for spellcasters and non-casters alike. Even if you aren’t a spell caster, you can ask the wizard or cleric to fill up the ring before they take their long rest, thus giving you extra abilities on the field.

If you are a spell caster, put some of your one-off spells in the ring so that you won’t feel so bad about losing a spell slot for casting a simple jump spell.

As DM, you could store a silent image in the spell to replay back a memory of the previous owner they wanted to share. Perhaps how they died?

Ring of Evasion

This ring is simple enough. Up to three times per day, depending on the amount of charges, you can choose to pass a Dexterity save that you would normally have failed.

This is great for slow characters, such as paladins and clerics. It is also good for frail characters like Sorcerers and Wizards, who can’t take as many fireballs as they can dish out.

Ring of Resistance

There are quite a few of these. By Tier III, you should have some idea of who is in charge of your antagonists or what type of monsters you are hunting.

If you know you are gearing up to fight fiends, you should get the Ring of Fire Resistance. Celestials? Radiant resistance, and so on.

Magic Rings at Tier IV – for DMs

These rings are very rare, artifact, or legendary grade, which means they shouldn’t exist in your game unless you explicitly say so. All of these are world-changing.

Think about it, if someone could cast continual flame at will, they wouldn’t need to adventure any more.

They could just go into business selling light bulbs.

And these rings are much more powerful than continual flame.

Here are four game changing rings.

Ring of Elemental Command

This ring is more than just a free summon elemental spell. It grants additional bonuses depending on the type of elemental ring it is; but do not forget that this is also a character-flavor device.

If you have a player who does loads of fire damage, then give them the fire version of this ring.

Furthermore, some elementals can be intelligent, so if you are hopping planes at this Tier, it could be beneficial to have a friendly denizen of that plane in your corner for social clout.

Ring of Shooting Stars

This ring gives your player so many free and powerful attack options that you will have to throw extra baddies at them just to present a challenge. The versatility is great, but that also makes your job harder as a DM.

Ring of Three Wishes

Never give this item out. Just don’t. It will require too much work on your part. If you do give this item out, make sure you have planned a situation that will force them to use it.

Ring of Djinni Summoning

Djinni are intelligent and magical beings. More than just a pocket wizard you can summon to harass your foes and save your bacon, you summon a very specific Djinni.

It’s the same Djinni every time, which means you as a DM will have another NPC that you can use for information, plot hooks, or support whenever you need.

Final Thoughts

We hope you can use these items in your game tonight. Roll on!