ToME WikiFrom IRC:
<Neil> well in 3 we should probably ditch the whole nazgul ring dropping thing entirely
<Neil> maybe let them only drop when the nine get completely destroyed
<Neil> then let them be husks of their former power
<Calamarain> But at that stage of the game - would they be at all useful?
<Neil> no, the Nine wouldn't be useful at that stage of the game
<Neil> unless they filled a precise resistance hole or something
<Neil> we could design them with that in mind
<Neil> but mostly they'd be there for flavor
TobiasParker: I think making the nine true artifacts is a better idea. Maybe killing all nine nazgul could be a precursor to being able to find the One. To put it slightly more clearly. After killing the necromancer you would have to seek out the nine before any potential ring bearers can drop the one. I also think that the Nazgul should not be summoned by every major Unique, they should be a.) Dungeon Masters b.) only generated at level creation.
NeilStevens: They are true artifacts now though. All I'm suggesting is that they be generated once instead of indefinitely, and be designed as resistance hole-fillters instead of being generated randomly.
Anyway, as for seeking out the nine, that sounds incredibly boring, having to kill 9 mini-bosses. But the plotline's being rewritten for ToME 3 anyway, so whatever we do is wide open at this point.
EricDerKonig: I have to agree with Neil in the IRC chatlog. The Nine rings were held by Sauron at this time (according to the FAQ of the Rings), and were completely under his domination, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea to wear them.
RavenRed: Although this is a slight tangent, the Nazgul should all have NO_DIE=true until their master is destroyed, absolutely unkillable until the One is a pile of slag. And the Nine rings should, as Neil says, be relative junk… mere shadows of their previous selves(although maybe this could be different for Melkor worshippers). Apart from the One Ring and perhaps The Three, putting on a Ring of Power should be a STUPID thing to do (Perma-curse, DG curse or whatever) for a relatively small reward. Sauron didn’t make the rings to make anyone’s life easier but his own… on the placing of the Nazgul, I certainly belileve they're viable as Dungeon Monsters (though not guardians), although they should probably be placed rather than randomly generated.
ShrikeDeCil: The rings (not just the 9, but the 7 & the 3 as well) should have some serious benefits. It wasn't a matter of forcing them on people - the benefits lured kings to wear them. Gandalf wears his, and makes some comment in the books about the others. Clearly wearing the rings was stupid in hindsight - but it always seemed to me to be a long-term 'sneaking up on one' curse like the effects of The One on Frodo/Bilbo. Not 'Poof, you're a Nazgul, gotcha.' And Sauron is better served by a slave with +X to STAT better than a slave without same.
NeilStevens: Yes, the rings should be useful. But afte the One and the Three, and the remaining one of the Seven, it starts to get silly to add nine more great rings. So that's why I think the Nine should be nice, but more along the lines of ToME 2's Barahir or Tulkas, instead of Vilya or Nenya. The thematic explanation being that the Nine were so bound up with Sauron, that his death weakened them. That works because I want the Nine only to be generated when the riders actually die, not just when they're driven away temporarily (a.k.a. when they're 'killed' before Sauron is dead).
ZasVid: Hoom... Nazgul were Sauron's hunters, so placing them in some fixed location is rather not-in-theme. I'd say have them rarely appear randomly, but when the player carries the One Ring they should be cropping up *often*. As for their Rings, in some Angband variant (I think it was PosBand) it was quite cleverly resolved -> the Nine were an amulet (rings joined with a chain) with power to control Nazgul and some nifty qualities. What would even better - have the rings be generated only once, at random chance every time you banish a Nazgul (small chance initially, higher when you have the One Ring) and when you have more than one - you can join them to make an amulet, with powers depending on how many and which rings form it. This could be a one-time deal (making players collect the rings to get a more powerful artifact) or continuos thing, when you add newfound rings to your amulet. Additionaly, Nazgul could not be reincarnated without their ring - encouraging players to fight them, because *maybe* they'll die this time.