I'm a magpie when it comes to D&D accessories. My games have more clutter than a dragon's cave, with a toy or tool for almost any scenario. That means I've tested a fair few play aides, and I've come to favor those that are both beautiful and practical. The stackable condition rings created by Wasted Wizard tick both boxes for me.
Condition rings have been a popular tool for in-person D&D DMs for some time now. They're simple circles that can be placed around a mini's base to show which effects that character is currently afflicted by. Most of them are made of acrylic, with bright colors that are easy to read and distinguish. I have a set of my own just like this, and they've served me pretty well.
However, they have one major design flaw. When a character is affected by more than one condition - say, concentration and the grappled condition - the rings become extremely difficult to read. The text explaining what each ring represents is printed on top, and it's immediately obscured by any additional ring that joins the stack.
Wasted Wizard has addressed this problem by printing the name of each condition on the ring's side. This means the rings are smaller but thicker, and they're designed to slot together with a satisfying 'clunk' when stacked.
It's a choice made for practical reasons, but it ups the quality of the ring, too. Stackable condition rings are a better fit around the base of your standard DnD miniature. That stops your oversized ring from colliding with any nearby terrain or characters. Plus, it just looks snazzier, as if the condition rings were meant to be part of the scene all along.
Wasted Wizard's rings have more muted colors than most condition rings, which tend to come in different shades of neon. They're still easy to distinguish from each other, but I think they have a more mature, appealing look. Plus, if you're feeling extra upmarket, you can invest in an extra felt lining to protect any maps they come into contact with. Just be aware that you'll need to apply the lining yourself - a soothing or a monotonous task, depending on what kind of person you are.
Wasted Wizard's condition rings starter set features 120 rings, covering 30 conditions and spells. This covers the most common effects you'll see in D&D, including Rage, Bless, Hunter's Mark, and Banishment. There are also some more general 'magical effect' and 'physical effect' rings for anything the set might have missed.
The downside here, of course, is that many of these conditions are unique to D&D. You could use rings like 'Blinded' and 'Invisible' in a Pathfinder game, but there are no rings to cover conditions like 'Clumsy', 'Dazzled', or 'Doomed'.
The rings also present another issue, though this is true of almost all condition rings. They're so well-fitted for standard character minis that they can't be used on any of an odd size. Tiny minis can sit inside the rings with relative ease, but anything larger than a one-inch battle map square will need to hang the ring from an ear, arm, or wing.
Perhaps the only other thing that might make a curious DM think twice about these rings is the price. The Wasted Wizard website sells a starter set for $34.99, which is slightly more expensive than your average acrylic set.
That being said, I think the price is fair for the quality of the product. Wasted Wizard even presents the rings in a swanky foam-lined box. As someone who received my previous set of condition rings as a birthday present, I can see these being a thoughtful gift for a dedicated DM.
What's your most treasured D&D accessory? Tell us in the Wargamer Discord. Or, if you'd like to build a fresh character, here's all you need to know about DnD classes and DnD races.