Magical Tattoos?

[Barak]

Technically, I don't see why it couldn't fall under the Craft Wondrous Item feat, with the appropriate modifiers to cost/exp, and the requirement of a MW tattoo.

 

[reason]

...

Planescape:Torment tattoos:

http://www.gamebanshee.com/planescapetorment/tattoos/pageone.php

(Plus links to pages two through five on the right).

Reason
Principia Infecta

 

[Klaus]

Technically, I don't see why it couldn't fall under the Craft Wondrous Item feat, with the appropriate modifiers to cost/exp, and the requirement of a MW tattoo.

I'm just thinking of how to balance them, though. Since they can't be stolen or sundered, that's a major bonus. But they also can't be traded in, so you can't remove your tatoos of armor and get tatoos of archery instead. You *could* turn your tatoos of armor into tatoos of armor and archery, though... And maybe an Erase spell could force a caster level check or completely erase one tatoo...

 

[Gallo22]

Regarding balance:

Keep in mind you could always say that once you have a tattoo on a certain spot, lets say bracers of some sort, you could never wear actual magic bracers (or the like). I guess what I'm saying is the tattoo is permanent, and you would have to go through great lengths to have it removed. You could not just exchange your tatto on a whim to get a better tattoo or magic item. I think this balances out the issue of not being able to have them removed or sundered, etc.

This is just a suggest of course...

Gallo

 

[Barak]

That's what I mean by appropriate modifiers.

If you decide they are unslotted magic items, there's a modifier for that. If you decide they -are- slotted, then there's that.

As for the unstolable/sunderable.. Yeah, I'd say that's offseted by the unsalable nature of the thing, unless that's something (theft/sunder) that happens often in your games. Personally, I've never have had it happen.

 

[Klaus]

Regarding balance:

Keep in mind you could always say that once you have a tattoo on a certain spot, lets say bracers of some sort, you could never wear actual magic bracers (or the like). I guess what I'm saying is the tattoo is permanent, and you would have to go through great lengths to have it removed. You could not just exchange your tatto on a whim to get a better tattoo or magic item. I think this balances out the issue of not being able to have them removed or sundered, etc.

This is just a suggest of course...

Gallo

Yeah, I'm thinking of making them slotted. So if you don bracers over your "tattoo bracers", the tattoo ceases functioning.

One way to balance it is that the bearer of the tattoo must pay the XP cost for it. And the Erase spell can permanently remove a tattoo (making it the tattoo-equivalent of Mord's Disjunction... )

 

[Barak]

And if the PC starts bragging about his unremovable "item", remind him that someone with a knife can remove it.

 

[Voadam]

Quintessential Wizard has magical tattoos as a variant form of spellbook.

Everything else I can remember has already been mentioned.

Relics and Rituals (new slotted item type)
Forgotten Realms (red wizard feat and prc)
XPH (psionic tattoo potions)
Complete Book of Eldritch Might (feats and prestige class)
Complete Warrior (tattoo monk)

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Just use it as an additional ability of magic item, adding +30% of the base price in that they can't be removed or sundered, but still take up a body slot. So you could tattoo a pair of bracers of armor on your forearms, or tatoo a cloak of the bat on your back, or a pair of eyes of the eagle around your eyes...

Wasn't there a PrC in Hyperconscious or something that allowed the creation of permanent psionic tattoos?

 

[Sir Brennen]

I my own campaign, tattoos are actually used instead of spell memorization rules for wizards; you draw the spells you want to cast for the day on yourself (with a familiar's aid), and they disappear when cast. Yes, they can be erased. Spellbooks still exist in their normal form, but contain more illustrations and information on the tattoo application ritual for each spell.

Metamagic feats require a permanent tattoo, regardless of class.