No. Ability Damage and Ability Drain are 2 different things.
Suffering Ability Damage means you are naturally injured, but like Hit Points, you can recover them from resting.
Suffering Ability Drain means you have a reduced maximum attribute, something you can't get back through normal means; however, spells like Restoration and the like can (help) restore such Ability Drain loss back to what the score was originally.
Kind of treat this like a Level Drain like what Vampires do. They can drain you of levels, something you can't get back by normal means. If an ability or some other feat lowers your effective level, it is a temporary loss that will come back in time.
So let's take your Shadow example again; it deals a Strength Drain. The Minor Ring will only ward off 1 point of Strength Drain damage. If the Shadow rolled a 2 for its roll, you would only suffer 1 point of Strength Drain.
If, however, it was Strength Damage, and the Shadow rolled a 2, you would not suffer any Strength Damage.
While this answers your question, I too am somewhat perplexed by some of its functions. Does the ring work cumulatively (in that the effect applies to each time you are dealt damage/drained), or is it a limited basis, in that it can "soak" up to the numbers stated for Drain and Damage effects?
**Edit** Either way, it's a really nice ring to pick up, especially for those debuffs/conditions that reduce your physical prowess.
@ Salazar
Yeah, I'm re-reading the text again, and it seems it would function on a cumulative basis. If it was a limited soak, it would have no way to recuperate itself, or it would become useless.
It's still a very nice item to have. I'm thinking about picking one up for my Mobile Fighter.
No. Ability Damage and Ability Drain are 2 different things.
Suffering Ability Damage means you are naturally injured, but like Hit Points, you can recover them from resting.
Suffering Ability Drain means you have a reduced maximum attribute, something you can't get back through normal means; however, spells like Restoration and the like can (help) restore such Ability Drain loss back to what the score was originally.
Kind of treat this like a Level Drain like what Vampires do. They can drain you of levels, something you can't get back by normal means. If an ability or some other feat lowers your effective level, it is a temporary loss that will come back in time.
So let's take your Shadow example again; it deals a Strength Drain. The Minor Ring will only ward off 1 point of Strength Drain damage. If the Shadow rolled a 2 for its roll, you would only suffer 1 point of Strength Drain.
If, however, it was Strength Damage, and the Shadow rolled a 2, you would not suffer any Strength Damage.
While this answers your question, I too am somewhat perplexed by some of its functions. Does the ring work cumulatively (in that the effect applies to each time you are dealt damage/drained), or is it a limited basis, in that it can "soak" up to the numbers stated for Drain and Damage effects?
**Edit** Either way, it's a really nice ring to pick up, especially for those debuffs/conditions that reduce your physical prowess.
Ahem...
Strength Damage (Su)A shadow's touch deals 1d6 points of Strength damage to a living creature. This is a negative energy effect. A creature dies if this Strength damage equals or exceeds its actual Strength score.
As you can plainly see the ring will work on this since it's not strength drain as you suggest.
Also the ring handles each case separately so if the shadow does 2 damage one round against someone with a lesser ring of inner fortitude then he'll take no damage where as on the next round when he is hit for 5 points of strength damage he'll take 3 instead.
I made a case with both subjects. If the Shadow rolled a 2 Strength Drain V.S. a Minor Inner Fortitude Ring, 1 Strength Drain would bypass it. If it was Strength Damage (as per the link you mentioned), then there would be no Strength Damage.
It's important (especially with the Ring) that a character does not confuse Ability Damage and Ability Drain; while similar, they function on two different levels, and must be resolved in their own methods.
Absolutely I wanted to be sure we were aware of which we were talking about here since it is plainly damage not drain (which acts much differently as you pointed out).
At 18k for the least of the rings it had best be good.