Tatoos as permanent magic items... has it been done yet?

[RangerWickett]

I like the idea, though I'd recommend a 30% upcharge on the price due to they can't be stolen or broken.

Plus if they only cost as much as an item, players would stop getting as muchb treasure off NPCs.

They also can't be sold when you want to trade up for the newest gadget. And when the bad guys capture you and cast detect magic to figure out what they have to remove from you so you can't escape . . . well, hope they're squeamish about skinning.

 

[Twowolves]

Scarred Lands has permenant tattoos like this. Most are once or twice per day use, don't take up a slot, but are limited by the owner's Constitution modifier, and many have a drawback that kicks in during or after use.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

I like the idea, though I'd recommend a 30% upcharge on the price due to they can't be stolen or broken.

Plus if they only cost as much as an item, players would stop getting as muchb treasure off NPCs.

you also can never get a better magic item for that slot. So i say they balance.

edit 1: ah someone already covered this. oh well...

edit 2: some things only balance for pcs. other times things only balance for dms. I don't agree with the analogy that if a dms spawns it and it hurts the players that its broken. Some things a dm shouldn't spawn.

 

[Slife]

They also can't be sold when you want to trade up for the newest gadget. And when the bad guys capture you and cast detect magic to figure out what they have to remove from you so you can't escape . . . well, hope they're squeamish about skinning.

There's a reason regenerate exists.

 

[Klaus]

you also can never get a better magic item for that slot. So i say they balance.

*ah someone already covered this. oh well...

Thanks for the replies so far!

I like the Tattoomancy (sorry, wangerricket, but the name is indeed bad... How's about "melanomancy" [ink] or dermomancy [skin]?).

I'd allow an upgrade of a tatoo, much like you can upgrade bracers +1 to bracers +3, or belt of strength +2 to +4, btw.

Keep 'm comin'!

 

[Edheldur]

This is very cool. I just really hate the name..

Actually, I agree on both terms.

 

[Bacris]

Hyperconscious: Explorations in Psionics by Bruce Cordell has a permanent tattoo feat to make psionic tattoos permanent, just FYI

 

[Moon-Lancer]

I like the infusions with positive energy as flavor, but i don't like it as a mechanic.

 

[RangerWickett]

I like the infusions with positive energy as flavor, but i don't like it as a mechanic.

Well, I wanted to balance the normal item creation time, without having some ridiculous premise of it taking days and days and days to do a tattoo. I know bad-ass Yakuza tattoos are made over a long period of time, but I figured most PCs would go to the tattoo parlor, get a magic tat in a few hours or less, and then go back to adventuring. In order to require some time investment, I included the positive energy requirement.

 

[Blackrat]

I once had one NPC with this kind of magic tattoos. His tattoos functioned like Bracers of armors, Gloves of dex, Belt of str and amulet of natural armor. Never bothered to create an actual system for creating them. So thanks Wickett, you have done great job with that feat. The time spending with cure spells was nice idea.