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While reviewing this related question, I think that a sorcerer's Wild Magic Surge, which has a chance to be triggered when a sorcerer casts a spell, can be forced. Looking at how the ring of spell storing works I think that two Wild Magic Sorcerers could cast the same spell back and forth into two rings of spell storing (each Sorcerer being attuned to one) and eventually trigger a wild magic surge on purpose.

  • The necessary assumption is that the chance for a Wild Magic Surge is rolled for every time a spell is cast by a sorcerer. While that is not a hard and fast requirement in the PHB, it is the only way I've seen that class played the one time we had one in a party.

Here's how it works (I think) but I am unsure of one detail: attunement.

Wild Magic Resonance

Chaos Bolt is cast into an empty ring of spell storing by a Sorcerer at spell level 1 using a single first level spell slot. Her colleague also has an empty ring of spell storing. There are no restrictions based on spell slot size nor on spell level.

Ring of Spell Storing

... This ring stores spells cast into it, holding them until the attuned wearer uses them. Any creature can cast a spell of 1st through 5th level into the ring by touching the ring as the spell is cast.

{we will get back to this later}

The spell has no effect, other than to be stored in the ring.

The Sorcerer who cast Chaos Bolt into her own ring now turns to her colleague and casts it into her colleague's ring to store it. (Her colleague is the attuned wearer). The colleague, shortly thereafter, casts it back into the original sorcerer's ring to store it. They keep doing this, back and forth.

Each time one of these two Wild Magic Sorcerers casts the spell into the other's ring to be stored, a check is made to see if a Wild Magic Surge is triggered. Eventually, the check will result in the table being consulted and a d100 roll for a Wild Magic Surge. Hilarity ensues.

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 in it, freeing up space.

The only obstacle I can see to this prank by two sorcerers (aided no doubt by a few glasses of elven wine) is whether or not they can cast a spell into the ring of spell storing without being attuned to it. I am sure you have to be attuned to it in order to cast spells from it, but I am not sure if you have to be attuned to it in order to cast a spell into it.

Is attunement required in order to cast a spell into the ring of spell storing, or is attunement only required to cast a spellfrom the ring?

I don't think attunement is required, but am open to answers to show how this prank may not work.

And yes, I would expect that Wild Magic Sorcerers could easily be the kind of undisciplined PCs who would get a kick out of a prank like this.

Laughter

haha, you're a potted plant!

KorvinStarmast
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3 Answers3

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You don't have to be attuned to the ring to cast spells into it

Putting aside the problem of spell slots, you don't have to be attuned to the ring to cast spells into it.

Any creature can cast a spell of 1st through 5th level into the ring by touching the ring as the spell is cast.

Elsewhere, the ring refers to the attuned user as "you", like other magic items:

While wearing this ring, you can cast any spell stored in it.

But, spells must use a slot in order to be cast into the ring

A ring of spell storing states:

The level of the slot used to cast the spell determines how much space it uses.

While there is some ambiguity, it seems clear that the intent is for the ring to only store spells that consume a spell slot when cast. The only alternative is that the ring can store an infinite number of spells that don't expend a spell slot (such as spells from magic items, racial spells, etc.) This is a far less reasonable conclusion.

Note that casting the first spell into the ring uses a spell slot, but casting a spell out of the ring does not use a spell slot. A spell exiting the ring has a slot level, like all spells, but that is not the same as using a spell slot. Racial spellcasting would be the primary example of this.

Therefore, the first casting into the ring works as expected, but subsequent castings from ring to ring do not work.

Though no longer considered official rules (merely rulings), Jeremy Crawford tweeted that this was the intent at the time he wrote the tweet.

However, staff of the magi lets you guarantee a surge

For the low, low price of one staff of the magi, you have infinite spellcasting at your disposal.

You can also use an action to cast one of the following spells from the staff without using any charges: [...] enlarge/reduce

Enlarge/reduce is a sorcerer spell of 1st level or higher, so feel free to spam it until a (favorable) surge happens.

Unfortunately, this only requires one sorcerer, which kinda puts a damper on the whole drunken prank thing. If only your sorcerers had adventured during the Great Adventurers League Staff of the Magi Glut...

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Red Orca
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  • @MarkWells I would asume that only applies for things that depend on Spellslot. i.e., actually means you can not buff the power anymore during release. – Christopher Apr 08 '20 at 16:06
  • @MarkWells That quote applies on the way out of the ring, not in. – Red Orca Apr 08 '20 at 16:09
  • @MarkWells The ring doesn't say "the level of the spell cast into it determines how much space it uses", it says "the level of the slot used to cast". If there is no slot used to cast, then the level of the slot used to cast is undefined, so it can't enter the ring. – Red Orca Apr 08 '20 at 16:22
  • @MarkWells Yes and No. "Using a magic item that stores a spell" and "casting a spell" are not the same thing. You can store something in the ring by "casting a spell" - not by "using a magic item" - on it. – Christopher Apr 08 '20 at 16:22
  • While I am glad that you answered the related question as well, I specifically chose a level 1 spell to avoid the "spells that do not use a spell slot" (such as cantrips) issue. – KorvinStarmast Apr 08 '20 at 17:08
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    @KorvinStarmast I've added an alternative method of guaranteeing a surge. – Red Orca Apr 08 '20 at 18:10
  • @RedOrca Thank you. :) But as that item is even harder to find than a campaign that lasts to legendary level ... :p – KorvinStarmast Apr 08 '20 at 18:11
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    @KorvinStarmast I have four staff of the magi (staves of the maguses?) on AL characters, I'll have you know :p (But I'll concede that my situation is a smidge atypical...) – Red Orca Apr 08 '20 at 21:01
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    Red, I am not sure that I follow your point about spell slots. 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 in it, freeing up space Slot and space are referred to in spell casting. The size of a slot used coincides with space - and it retains the slot size - but I think this may be a different question in its own right. – KorvinStarmast Apr 09 '20 at 12:37
  • @KorvinStarmast My quibble is that space used in the ring is determined by the "level of the slot used to cast". This is different language from any other magic item (except the similar ioun stone of reserve). Staff of the magi's Spell Absorption is worded differently, gaining "charges equal to the absorbed spell's level". The ring doesn't say "spell's level", like the staff; it specifically checks the level of the slot used. I believe that is intentional. – Red Orca Apr 09 '20 at 18:51
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Casting the spell into someone else's Ring isn't a problem.

The Ring of Spell Storing says that "any creature" can cast a spell into it. Check.

Transferring a spell from one Ring to another should work.

The issue here, apparently, is that the Ring only accepts spells that were cast using a spell slot.

But the Ring also produces spells that are cast using a spell slot:

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...

Note: not "spell level" (which is an immutable part of the spell description), but "slot level".

Normally, the reason slot level matters is for upcasting. If you spend a 4th-level slot to store, say, thunderwave, then this property of the Ring means you will get the spell back out as a 4th-level thunderwave.

Upcasting features on spells are worded as "When you cast this spell using a spell slot of Nth level or higher, (you get a benefit) for each slot level above (the spell's level)." This shows that "slot level" is equivalent to "level of the spell slot used to cast the spell"--the benefit based on "slot level" applies if and only if an Nth-level spell slot was used.

So for the Ring to properly upcast spells, it must cast the spell as if an Nth-level slot had been spent. And if it does that, then the spell is eligible for storage in another Ring, or, in principle, the same Ring.

Casting from the Ring will trigger a Wild Magic roll.

The rest of that sentence:

...but is otherwise treated as if you cast the spell.

You're a Wild Magic Sorcerer, so when you cast a spell, you (can, at the DM's option) roll for Wild Magic when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher. This is such a spell, and it's treated as if you are casting it. Check.

Mark Wells
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    You may want to close the loop on the wild surge bit of Korvin's question. – NotArch Apr 08 '20 at 16:46
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    I agree that spells exiting the ring have a slot level, but I don't agree that they use a spell slot. – Red Orca Apr 08 '20 at 17:29
  • @RedOrca My argument is that "slot level" is shorthand for "the level of the slot the spell was cast with", because otherwise, there's no such thing as "slot level". Upcasting depends on the level of the spell slot used to cast a spell. If the Ring can upcast spells, then it can cast spells as if a spell slot was used to cast them. – Mark Wells Apr 08 '20 at 17:48
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    @MarkWells A wand of fireballs refers to "slot level", when there clearly isn't a spell slot being used. Also, spells can be cast at higher levels without consuming a spell slot, such as a tiefling's hellish rebuke. – Red Orca Apr 08 '20 at 18:09
  • @RedOrca There is still not, in general, a "slot level" separate from the level of the spell slot used to cast the spell. Strictly speaking, a tiefling's racial 2nd-level hellish rebuke is non-functional; hellish rebuke, like all upcast-able spells, says "when you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level" and you aren't. Practically speaking I would read the racial spell as saying "as if you had spent a 2nd level spell slot" because casting it "as a 2nd-level spell" is meaningless. – Mark Wells Apr 08 '20 at 18:31
  • You have multiple slots at a given slot level. The slot level isn't something that can be used where a spell slot can be expended. The ring is maintaining the magnitude of the spell cast into it, so spells don't come out with less power than they went in with. The user of the ring still is not using a spell slot. They have the same number of spell slots before and after they use the ring, so none were used. – GcL Apr 09 '20 at 21:05
  • @GcL If a spell cast with the Ring is considered to be cast without a spell slot, then it can't be upcast. In that case, why does the Ring's description say the spell keeps its original slot level? – Mark Wells Apr 09 '20 at 21:14
  • The line of logic that asserts casting a spell from the ring is using a spell slot, would allow putting that spell right back. Doing so would have interesting interactions with class features that trigger when they cast a spell of level 1 or higher e.g. Arcane Ward of the Abjurer. – GcL Apr 09 '20 at 21:15
  • @MarkWells It's a magic item that does what it says it does. If it says the effect is the same level as what went in. There's nothing in the rules that says an item can't cast a spell at a different power than the lowest available level of the spell. – GcL Apr 09 '20 at 21:18
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Sorcerer number one casts Chaos Bolt into her ring. She then turns to her colleague, and casts it into her colleague's ring to store it. (Her colleague is the attuned wearer). The colleague, shortly thereafter, casts it back into her (the original sorcerer's) ring to store it

So basically they are playing Ping Pong with the one spell, using 2 Rings of Spell storage?

The thing here is: Is using the ring to release the stored spell the Cast a Spell Action or Using a Magic Item Action (that just happens to have a spell stored)? Both are very different actions.

It is not possible to put spells into a Ring of Magic Storage from a Wand. You have to spend a spellslot. I assume this rule applies to all "Magic Items that can cast a spell".

https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/ring-of-spell-storing

This ring stores Spells cast into it, holding them until the attuned wearer uses them. The ring can store up to 5 levels worth of Spells at a time. When found, it contains 1d6 - 1 levels of stored Spells chosen by the DM.

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.

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 in it, freeing up space.

As you see, there is barely any relation between the Stored Spell and the Attuned user. There is nothing about even needing the abilty to cast spell to use one.

The only exception is "is otherwise treated as if you cast the spell". This could however relate more to stuff like need to spend a lot of time inactive with long cast times, concentration to maintain it after is cast, who can issue commands to the subject of a charm, etc. Stuff that absolutely has to be resolved at use time, not loading time.

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