Unearthed Arcana Spells & Magic Tattoos: New Unearthed Arcana

WotC has posted a new Unearthed Arcana called Spells & Magic Tattoos. "This document provides a magical miscellany: new spells and a new type of magic item, magic tattoos. Most of the spells focus on an alternative style of summoning: conjuring forth a spirit that assumes a physical form you customize to suit the situation."

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I can get behind the spirit summoning spells. A lot of groups I see would have a problem with, "Use the Monster Manual, and pick a monster from the list". Which is probably why a lot of them having casting times of 1 minute, because they could slow the game down picking and choosing and trying to get the stats ready.

Acid stream is of little damage, but it's a cheap way of potentially making an enemy waste an action getting the acid off.

I like the tattoos, even though I don't think they need to reprint that attunement entry for every single tattoo.
Of other tattoos they should include.
-One with wings which give a fly speed.
-You learn a new cantrip (unlimited use, rather than once like Spellwrought).

 

[Weiley31]

Tattoos are also a big thing in Planescape. Planescape:Torment has tattoo magic item slots instead of armour slots.

Tattoos+Revived Subclass.
Keep this up and we can really go full on Nameless One.

 

[Weiley31]

Fur is easy - shave, get the tat, the fur grows back.

Feathers are more problematic, and it would depend on how the DM has decided the tats are obtained. They might rule that the magic ink can be injected into the base of the feathers, or use one of the Variant: Body Modification suggestions.

Magical Quill Pens that Aarachoka use to make spiral outlines on feathers. Or they literally pluck a feather from themselves and wear it like an adornment or something.

 

[Gadget]

Hmmm....Interesting. I've never really been into tattoo magic, but those summon spells look pretty nice. It seems the devs are finally getting a handle on how they want summoning to work. But do we really need a Summon Shadow Spirit and a Summon Undead Spirit? Seems to be a lot of overlap there, at least thematically.

 

[Marandahir]

Hmmm....Interesting. I've never really been into tattoo magic, but those summon spells look pretty nice. It seems the devs are finally getting a handle on how they want summoning to work. But do we really need a Summon Shadow Spirit and a Summon Undead Spirit? Seems to be a lot of overlap there, at least thematically.

I disagree. The Shadowfell has many of the undead, but they are not one and the same. Shadowfell entities are all sorts of gothic horror - think more Ravenloft. Undead could be from the Abyss too – remember that Orcus is the Demon Prince of the Undead, or simply be living dead arising from the material plane.

The Summoning of a Shadow Spirit is drawing forth a planar entity. Summon undead is more similar to Summon bestial spirit - it's a class of beings, but not a planar alignment. This is a bit tougher to explain in 5e since they merge creature class with creature origin. In the past you could have Elemental Demons and Elemental Humanoids and Celestial Humanoids and Fey humanoids and Fey Giants and Shadow Giants and Elemental Giants and Natural Giants… Now planar origin is mixed up with creature type, so elves are not exactly Fey because they need to be humanoids, and Giants are Giants regardless of where they came from…

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Acid stream is of little damage, but it's a cheap way of potentially making an enemy waste an action getting the acid off.

Actually, it could do quite insane damage for a 1st level spell - 30D4 - if the target is unable or not intelligent enough to wipe it off.

Really good against destructible objects. Huge steel vault door? No problem!

 

[Samloyal23]

I like the idea of dyeing feathers. A feathered creature would not be using what could technically be called tattoos, as they are not using a needle to inject dye into the skin, but would be using their own equivalent to a tattoo that functions the same way. That actually makes sense.

 

[MarkB]

Really good against destructible objects. Huge steel vault door? No problem!

Except that it specifically targets creatures.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Except that it specifically targets creatures.

It's an AoE, it would be difficult to justify how it manages to not hit any objects in the area.

 

[dave2008]

It's an AoE, it would be difficult to justify how it manages to not hit any objects in the area.

Its magic and only works on creatures like the spell says. Didn't seem hard to justify to me.