PDA

View Full Version : Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis vs. Ring of Invisibility



Tyger
2010-08-10, 09:56 AM
The two are comparably priced (22K for the continuous collar, 25K for the ring). The Collar gives Hide in Plain Sight at will (which admittedly isn't quite as nice as true invisibility), but also gives Darkvision, Superior Low-Light, some decent skill bonuses for the sneaky, cold resistance 10 and a +10 untyped movement bonus.

Seems like, for a sneaky character, the collar would win hands down. Any thoughts? My 9th level bard has 20K burning a hole in his pocket, and is thinking about ways to not be seen. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zekiZYSVdeQ)

That movement bonus is pretty handy, but hiding vs. actually being invisible... there's the catch. Thoughts? And yes, I am aware that the 10 minutes per day version of the collar is half the price, but as a bard, my first couple rounds are already spoken for... casting Inspirational Boost, starting singing, casting Improvisation, watching as my minions - er... allies - open up a proverbial can of whoop-butt... time is money folks. :smallbiggrin:

JeenLeen
2010-08-10, 10:03 AM
One thing to consider is what else can go in the slot, the opportunity cost, so to speak.

You have two ring slots, and there are many useful rings.
However, you only have one throat/neck slot. I tend to like amulets of Constitution or Willpower for my characters, although if you are a good enough sneak you can probably get by without the extra HP and Fort save bonuses. (Of course, using the MiC table to put attributes on another piece of equipment, like enhancement bonus to Con on a shirt, eliminates this problem.)

Even with that besides, since the ring deactivates when you attack, I'd go with the collar. You can keep using its effects and try to re-hide (albeit at the listed penalty) after attacking.
Also, as a 9th-level bard, you can have Invisability as a spell or at least could get a wand of it for utility purposes. You might even be able to get the party to cover some of the cost of the wand, if you use it to help them as well at times or to sneak the entire party through an area.

So, for those reasons, I'd go with the collar.

Akal Saris
2010-08-10, 10:14 AM
I'd say the collar wins hands-down for about 9/10 of the characters I tend to play. It just gives so many nice little bonuses, and I'll take HiPS and a good hide check over invisibility any day.

Tyger
2010-08-10, 10:16 AM
Yeah, I could be taking Greater Invisibility as my next spell, or trading out a spell for Invisbility but have other ideas for my spells, so its a second choice.

The MiC rules for common item effects are in play for this group as well, so stacking a CON bonus or an NA bonus on the Collar are also at no extra cost for us (well, just the regular cost that is), so no loss there. Yes, I would be getting a version that has my Badge of Valour incorporated into it, so there would be 1.5 times the cost on the Badge, but its cheap so that's not too much of an issue.

Lysander
2010-08-10, 10:31 AM
The big advantage of the ring is that you can walk with it activated all day long. Very useful if you enter an ambush - the enemy won't realize you're there. It's also useful if you plan to be sneaky for a very long period of time, like investigating a huge castle or spying on someone for hours. As a combat buff the collar seems better though.

Since you're going to be singing aloud during combat it seems like the enemy will probably know where you are regardless of which method you use. Hiding/invisibility will probably just grant you concealment.