Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-33719810-20180317041546/@comment-29773086-20180317073745

Sir Lazuli wrote: That’s a surprisingly difficult question. The ring’s side effects on its bearers are clearly explored and described in the books but it’s hard to imagine what it could do when wielded by one with the will to control it. I’m not knowledgeable enough to make a comprehensive list but I can give a few notes.

The One Ring controls the other rings - the Three, the Seven, and the Nine. This symbolically represents Sauron’s dominion over all the Free Peoples - the Elves, Dwarves, and Men (Ents aside).

The different rings behave differently and it’s hard to say exactly what they do. The Nine apparently gave some degree of power to their wearers. The Seven are more obscure - I recall something about creating gold for the Dwarves, though I could be mistaken. The Three helped the Elves create some of their most beautiful works and lands and protect them. Galadriel’s ring, Nenya, preserves Lothlorien for ages.

The effect of the One Ring on these rings is partially explored. It’s most obvious with the Nine, who were easily brought under Sauron’s dominion. They are his most powerful servants (though it’s interesting to note that there is practically nothing substantial behind them but pure terror).

It’s unclear what the One Ring does to the Seven, but we do know Sauron was interested in them and tried to collect all that remained (the rest were eaten by dragons I think).

If Sauron regained his ring (or if it was destroyed) the works of the Three would be undone. Lothlorien would lose its fairness and the strong places of the Elves would become vulnerable and their beautiful works would fade away.

A lot of it’s power seems to be psychological in my opinion. It has the power to rally one’s followers and destroy the morale of one’s enemies. For example, here’s how its power affects Frodo when Gollum swears to obey him.

“For a moment it appeared to Sam that his master had grown and Gollum had shrunk: a tall stern shadow, a mighty lord who hid his brightness in grey cloud, and at his feet a little whining dog.”

And Frodo isn’t even wearing the ring on his finger and doesn’t have the strength of mind to wield it.

It seems the ring also has the power to bend people to your will to some extent as well. I think it wouldn’t make Sauron completely invincible, but would give him control of all evil people of Middle-earth, to a more complete extent than he already had. Not so much that they couldn’t refuse, but rather they would see him as a glorious leader to victory. It could probably enslave people as well, I’m not sure. It would wreak havoc to the worlds of Men, Elves and Dwarves, Elves especially. All but the most stouthearted would likely quail before him.

Though the ring doesn’t make Sauron physically invincible. It’s not a complete armor, otherwise Isildur would never have been able to cut it off. It also doesn’t come with guaranteed victory in combat against one’s enemies.

That’s all I have for now, but I think there’s much more to it.

Although your summary is quite accurate, I have a few additions to make.

The Nine and the Seven aren't really different; they were all made by the Smiths of Eregion with the aid of Sauron. Just sixteen Rings taken by Sauron that he decided to distribute to Dwarves and Men, not seven rings of one type and nine of another. Their effect depends on the user, as seen in the results: nine Men used the Rings to enhance their natural skill of dominating and controlling (as well as their lust for those things), but were enslaved by Sauron; and the Dwarf-kings (and their successors who retained the Rings, in some cases) were resistant to some effects of the Rings (invisibility and loss of will; they could not be subverted by Sauron) and used them to enhance their natural skill of gathering wealth and riches (as well as their lust for those things). Naturally the Three were different, as Sauron had no hand in their making, though they still answered to the One created to dominate all Rings of Power.

Similarly to the other Rings, the One would have enhanced Sauron’s skills. It would have increased his physical prowess and allow him to manifest a form for battle, no longer dwelling as a spirit in his tower. Primarily, it would have increased his ability to dominate and subvert Men as he had done in Númenor (before the Ring) and as he controlled the Men of the East and South. The Elves and Dwarves would likely be overrun by his hordes, as the Three could no longer openly protect the Elven realms and the Dwarves would be vastly outnumbered, and the countries of Men would fall far easier, corrupted by his influence as Denethor was. I'd say the effect would be less psychological, and more manifest in his domination as well as stopping the Three from protecting their realms and wards any longer, though it would certainly be a blow to the morale of the Free Peoples that their defeat was inevitable save in the case of intervention by higher powers, the Valar and Eru.