Could Durins Bane have become more powerful over time

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by denethorthefirst

Regarding Sauron and Numenor, Tolkien actually wrote in a Letter that "Sauron's personal 'surrender' was voluntary and cunning: he got free transport to Númenor! He naturally had the One Ring, and so very soon dominated the minds and wills of most of the Númenoreans." (Letter 211) So its not exactly clear if Ar-Pharazon "defeated" Sauron or how the battle would have went if Sauron had decided to fight it out.

The only reason Sauron 'capitulated' to Ar-Pharazon was that the mere sight of the Numenorean army was so intimidating that Sauron "could not trust even the greatest of his servants to withstand them".
Sauron may, or may not, have had evidence that his forces would refuse to fight out of fear, but at any rate he judged their chance of victory to be very small. Since Sauron's tendency was hardly toward feelings of inadequacy, I think his judgement was probably pretty sound in that instance.