Last Updated on January 22, 2023
A single strip of bronze bent to form a two-finger ring. The ring is engraved with a flowing, ancient script, and its edges are tattered as though the piece was made of paper rather than magically infused bronze.
This is a Ring of Spell Storing, one of Dungeons & Dragons 5e’s more interesting magical items.
Capable of storing arcane effects cast by powerful mages that can be released again at a later date by its wielder, a Ring of Spell Storing is one of those fantastic items that immediately sparks new ideas for adventures, worldbuilding, business opportunities, and general shenanigans.
Want to cast find familiar and then give that familiar its own familiar? Of course you do.
What Is a Ring of Spell Storing in DnD 5e?
A Ring of Spell Storing is a rare magical ring that stores spells of 1st to 5th level until the attuned wearer of the ring chooses to cast them.
Any creature can store a spell in the ring by casting the spell while touching it, and the spell remains inside the Ring of Spell Storing until it is cast by the creature attuned to it.
Basically, it’s a wizard flash drive.
Up to 5 levels worth of spells can be stored in a Ring of Spell Storing at once, meaning that a ring could contain five 1st-level spells, one 5th-level spell, or some combination of intervening levels.
Once a spell is cast from the ring, space is freed up for more spells to be added.
Ring of Spell Storing
Ring, rare (requires attunement)
This ring stores spells cast into it, holding them until the attuned wearer uses them.
The Ring of Spell Storing can contain up to 5 levels worth of spells at a time. When found, the ring contains 1d6 − 1 levels of stored spells chosen by the GM.
Any creature can cast a spell of 1st through 5th level into the ring by touching the ring as the spell is cast. The spell has no effect, other than to be stored in the ring.
If the ring can’t hold the spell, the spell is expended without effect. The level of the slot used to cast the spell determines how much space it uses, not the original level of the spell.
While wearing this ring, you can cast any spell stored in it. The spell uses the slot level, spell save DC, spell attack bonus, and spellcasting ability of the original caster but is otherwise treated as if you cast the spell.
The spell cast from the ring is no longer stored inside it, freeing up space to add new spells.
The potential applications for a Ring of Spell Storing are highly varied.
Whether you want to use your ring to boost the spellcasting abilities of your dedicated spellcaster, to prevent unused spell slots from going to waste, or to give your party’s monk the ability to cast fireball because it’s funny and you played too much Street Fighter growing up, the Ring of Spell Storing is going to have you covered.
How Do I Store Spells in a Ring of Spell Storing?
Whether you’re storing your own incantations or hanging around the local mall like an environmental activist looking for signatures to your latest petition, storing spells inside a Ring of Spell Storing works relatively simply.
The caster can be anyone who intends to store a spell of 1st through 5th level in the ring (you can’t just throw your hand in the way of a passing fireball and hope your ring schlorps it up), not just the person attuned to it.
The person who wants to store a spell in the ring touches the ring while otherwise casting the spell as normal.
Rather than take effect, the spell is then transferred into the ring, from which it can then be cast again later.
Rings of Spell Storing can only hold up to 5 levels of spell at a time, meaning you may have to play around with different combinations to fit in as many of the spells you want as you can.
You can achieve a decent amount of variety within a ring of spell storing.
How Do I Cast Spells From a Ring of Spell Storing?
Unlike a lot of spellcaster-centric magic items, a Ring of Spell Storing does not require its wearer to be able to cast spells in order to attune to it.
Once you’re attuned to a Ring of Spell Storing, you can cast spells stored within the ring as though they were your own – although the spells retain the spell-slot level, spell-save DC, spell-attack bonus, and spellcasting ability of the original caster.
Spells also retain their original casting time. This means that, while you can ritual cast a spell into the ring rather than using a spell slot, the wearer of the ring has to cast that spell as a ritual again when they release it later.
Interestingly, a spell stored and then cast via a Ring of Spell storing only requires components (be they Verbal, Somatic, or Material) at the time of their initial casting; casting the spell again from the ring does not require its components to be used again.
I think this rule exists to cut down on pricey material components, but it has the extra effect of making all spells cast from a Ring of Spell Storing effectively free from the gesturing and arcane shouting that they’d normally require.
The perfect tool for a magical assassin, perhaps?
How much does a Ring of Spell Storing Cost?
That probably depends on the spells stored inside it to begin with. The base price for a rare magic item can be between 501 and 5,000 gp.
Because any spells stored in the ring at the point of sale would function similarly to spell scrolls:
Add 50gp for each 1st-level spell, 100 gp for each 2nd- and 3rd-level spell, and 500 gp for each 4th- or 5th-level spell to the final price (assuming you’re getting a good deal; those figures could as much as double depending on where you are, who’s selling you the item, and how much they value one spell over another).
Honestly, this method might end up pricing a Ring of Spell Storing a little bit low, as even the supposed maximum price of 10,000 gp is pretty affordable for an item that lets non-spellcasters cast spells and spellcasters cast more.
I’ve seen Rings of Spell Storing cost as much as 25,000-50,000 gold pieces.
As always, consider the economics of your game, how much gold your players are earning, etc.
Who Should Use a Ring of Spell Storing?
There are a number of different people who can make good use of a Ring of Spell Storing, but they basically boil down to a spellcaster who wants more spell slots per day or a non-spellcaster who hangs out with wizards.
Spellcasters
For spellcasters with a lot of spell slots per day, like bards, sorcerers, and wizards in particular, starting a long rest with a few juicy 3rd- or 4th-level spells left in the tank can feel like a serious waste.
Granted, some wizards I’ve run games for have worked “shooting fireballs as high as they can into the nearest forest and dancing in the light of the flames” into their bedtime routine (right between brushing their teeth and getting under the covers), but even then, the spell isn’t really being used to its fullest potential.
A Ring of Spell Storing fixes that issue to some degree. Whenever you have a spare spell at the end of the day and space in the ring, fill it up.
If you have a day of prep time, you can get more intentional with the spells you put in the ring, or possibly even get another (more powerful) spellcaster to put something special in there.
Wizards and other spellcasting classes are defined by how many spells they can cast, and being able to fill your ring with five different 1st-level utility spells or just a massive 5th-level area-of-effect nuke like Cone of Cold (or some combination of 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-level spells) is never going to go amiss.
You can either use a Ring of Spell Storing as a very active item, constantly using it to store leftover spells, collect interesting magical effects, and buff your damage as you hot swap enchantments in and out on a daily basis or you can use it as kind of a “rainy day” item.
Using a Ring of Spell Storing to have something situational on hand in case of a last resort can be a very literal lifesaver.
The Teleport spell, linked to a home base, for example. Or perhaps just Invisibility, or Misty Step, or Darkness – something that you can always keep on hand in case you and your allies need to get out of dodge right now.
Non Spellcasters
For non-spellcasting classes like fighters, rogues, monks, and barbarians, being able to suddenly cast even one or two spells a day is a huge advantage.
It’s basically the only thing that whole subclasses like the Eldritch Knight or the Arcane Trickster are based around.
Giving a barbarian the Spiritual Weapon spell is a perfect way to dish out more damage using your bonus action while raging.
What about a fighter with Blur? Or an Assassin rogue (who automatically crits against surprised enemies) with something like Steel Wind Strike who can now potentially inflict 60d10 force damage in single action?
Find Greater Steed
If there’s a paladin in your party who can cast the spell Find Greater Steed (or you just happen to know a high-level paladin who owes you a favor), then having them deposit the spell into a Ring of Spell Storing is basically the only way for non-paladins to magically summon sweet flying mounts like Griffons and Pegassi.
If you have the time to spare, then it wouldn’t take more than a few days for a party to store the spell, re-attune the rings, cast Find Greater Steed, and pretty quickly kit out the entire adventuring group with sweet flying mounts that don’t disappear unless they die or you dismiss them.
Also, martial subclasses that have a dash of spellcasting usually have below-average spellcasting modifiers and DCs because they have other important stuff to focus on, like punching things.
A non-spellcaster with a Ring of Spell Storing, however, is going to cast those spells with the modifier and DC of the original caster, meaning they get to be as good at casting spells as a wizard or a sorcerer.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Ring of Spell Storing
Who Can Use a Ring of Spell Storing?
Anyone who has the ability to attune to a magic item. Once you spend an hour forging your bond with a ring of spell storing, you can cast any spells stored within it. You don’t have to be attuned to the ring to store a spell in it.
Can You Store Cantrips in a Ring of Spell Storing?
No. You can only store spells of 1st through 5th level in a Ring of Spell Storing.
Does Metamagic Work on Spells From a Ring of Spell Storing?
Yes. Jeremy Crawford has confirmed that as long as you’re the one casting the spell, you can affect it with metamagic.
Because – in all respects other than the spell’s slot level, spell-save DC, spell-attack bonus, and spellcasting ability – you are the one casting the spell, you can apply metamagic effects like Twinned Spell, Quickened Spell, and Empowered Spell.
That should be everything you need to start exploring the possibilities of a Ring of Spell Storing. Remember, the only limit to this fantastic magic item (other than the whole 5-levels-worth-of-spells-at-a-time thing) is your imagination.
Stay safe out there, and, until next time, happy adventuring.
I played my first tabletop RPG (Pathfinder 1e, specifically) in college. I rocked up late to the first session with an unread rulebook and a human bard called Nick Jugger. It was a rocky start but I had a blast and now, the better part of a decade later, I play, write, and write about tabletop RPGs (mostly 5e, but also PBtA, Forged in the Dark and OSR) games for a living, which is wild.
