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Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

The primary reason being that (in my opinion), the Ring's power (and its need to "take action" to avoid destruction) grows in strength the closer that it gets to Mordor.

Not sure about this. We have the Fellowship traveling with the Ring, and step by step they all get closer to Mordor. Boromir is affected, yet (as stated previously) I think the reason that he acted upon his desire at Parth Galen was that the Fellowship was at a crossroads. Boromir was soon to go East or West; the Ring was going East or West. Boromir tried to get the Ring to go West; the Ring most likely wanted to go East - why would it have wanted to go West (but that's an idea for another thread)? Anyway, my point is that the Ring's influence at Parth Galen was X.

So Sam and Frodo continue to approach Mordor, and then they are joined by Gollum. We are told that the Ring's power and influence is increasing as it approaches the Crack. We have three individuals by which we can measure this increase in power of the Ring. Unluckily our subjects are all of the same type (hobbits**).

Sam seems to be unaffected by the Ring's power. Don't remember a moment when he thought of taking it from Frodo - and after a moment of hesitation even returns it to Frodo. Yes, I know that he wanted to help Frodo carry it, yet I never read that as Sam wanting to possess the Ring - he just wanted to lighten his master's burden. Sam is present when the Ring is in the heart of Mordor, yet he is no more affected than when at Parth Galen.

Gollum wants the Ring back - he's a bit of a 'one note'. Now that he knows who carries it, and its location, he wants it more. Yet I did not read that Gollum wanted the Ring more at Cirith Ungol or when near the Black Gate or when in Ithilien when the three were 'closer' to Orodruin than they ever would be before entering Mordor. Only at the end, when Gollum sees that his chances of recovering the Ring are at a crossroads, does he act. But was this due to the Ring's or Gollum's desire?

Frodo, unlike the others, is affected more as the Ring approaches Mordor.

So it would seem, based on this thin data, that the power and influence of the Ring did not increase beyond X except for the Bearer.


**Note that humans and other Free Folk may be affected differently and could experience serious side effects including headache, intestinal discomfort and delusions of grandeur. Please consult with your Wizard before using any Ring of Power.