Lesser Ring /
Artifact • Ring
Str: +1
Res: -1
Bearer must be a unique character.

Ring of Power /
Artifact • Ring
Str: +1
Vit: +1
Res: -2
To play, spot a or card.
Bearer must be a unique character.

• The Master Ring
Artifact • Ring
Legendary.
Plays to your support area.
Assignment: Assign a character (except the Ring-bearer) bearing a ring to another character (except the Ring-bearer). The Free Peoples player may add a burden to prevent this and assign those characters.
Response: If the Ring-bearer puts on The One Ring, discard this artifact to add a burden.

The biggest problem I see is that they are far more helpful for Shadow, since there is no drawback for them (since minions obviously have no resistance).

I also think the easy vitality bonus of the latter one could be broken in many, many ways.

No cultural enforcement = very bad. Put some in, and I think I’d be happier with it.

• The Master Ring
Artifact • Ring
Legendary.
To play, spot 2 cards.
Plays to your support area.
Assignment: Assign a character (except the Ring-bearer) bearing a ring to another character (except the Ring-bearer). The Free Peoples player may add a burden to prevent this and assign those characters.
Response: If the Ring-bearer puts on The One Ring, discard this artifact to add a burden.

Better. I think the assignment ability should end with an "instead", but it may not be necessary. You could easily build a deck around this card...although it requires some help from the FP player, of course.

Which is why I wanted Sauron to be able to hand out rings to people’s companions. That is after all what he does with the Nine (and by some accounts, the Seven).

I just wanted something to represent the effect of long life that the Rings of Power have.