The Ring of P'hul

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=   The Ring of P'hul    
Base item ring of free action
Affiliation
When carried
When worn
When invoked none
Base price 5000 zm
Weight 3

The Ring of P'hul is the Barbarian quest artifact in EvilHack and Hack'EM. It is the prize for completing the Barbarian quest, and is chaotic for wishing purposes. Its base item type is a ring of free action made of gemstone.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (EvilHack). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

In 0.9.0, the Ring of P'hul and The One Ring each have unique base items, per commit f9ba45f.

Generation

For Barbarians, the Ring of P'hul is always generated on the goal level of the Barbarian quest, where it is placed on the same square as Thoth Amon along with the Bell of Opening.

If the Ring of P'hul is wished for by another role, there is a 1x chance (where x is the amount of previous artifact wishes) of it being created successfully, and an effective x(x+1)² chance of a hostile Pelias generating next to the character with the artifact in his possession.

Description

While carried, The Ring of P'hul grants immunity to sickness. While worn, the Ring also confers magic resistance in addition to its usual free action.

Strategy

The Ring of P'hul is a valuable lightweight source of magic resistance for Barbarians - it is also a tempting artifact wish for any chaotic character, but only those prepared to take down Pelias while he is equipped with the artifact should attempt such a wish.

Origin

As indicated by a comment in artilist.h, The Ring of P'hul is derived loosely from Lawrence Watt-Evans's The Lords of Dus fantasy series. The encyclopedia entry originates specifically from The Sword of Bheleu.

Encyclopedia entry

Shandiph rose again; his knees were growing tired. "That's all
right. Yes, we already possess one; it was the Ring of P'hul
that first permitted the Council of the Most High to gain what
power we now hold, at the end of the Twelfth Age. It has been
kept carefully hidden ever since, because it is far too dangerous
to use; it was the Ring which caused the Great Plague that wiped
out the Royal Eramman Army and thereby put an end to the Racial
Wars before the overmen could be wiped out. It was the Ring that
laid waste the Plain of Derbarok. It always did what was asked
of it, but never in the way desired; it ended the Racial Wars only
by killing the army and ended the war with Orun only by ruining
what both sides fought for."
[ The Sword of Bheleu, by Lawrence Watt-Evans ]