AD&D Magic Item Spotlight: Ring of Truth

Some magic items are simple. A sword that hits harder. A cloak that hides you. The Ring of Truth is not simple.

At first glance, it sounds perfect. It makes lies obvious. A liar’s voice cracks into a falsetto, and you always know when someone is trying to trick you. But here’s the catch… the wearer cannot lie either. Any bluff, deception, or half-truth turns into honesty the second they open their mouth.

That’s why this ring is a mixed blessing. Yes, you can root out liars. But you can’t play cards, bluff enemies, or even keep secrets from your friends. The ring forces honesty in every direction.

At my table, I had a player try to abuse it by sticking the ring on NPCs during interrogations. “Are you working against us?” they asked. The problem is that the ring doesn’t force someone to speak plainly. It only flags falsehood. So the spy could answer with something technically true and pass undetected. That’s how I ruled it, and it made the game better.

Instead of being a perfect lie detector, the ring became a roleplay challenge. The players had to think about wording, context, and motives. It made the city adventure more tense and more interesting.

The Ring of Truth is not about catching liars. It’s about making words matter.

---

Things talked about on the podcast

• Support the show on Patreon – Patreon.com/TheEvilDM

• Watch on YouTube – youtube.com/@TheEvilDM

• Watch on Rumble – rumble.com/TheEvilDM