Wild Shape and tattoos

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'll say this: don't mess with anyone willing to tattoo a bear.

 

[scott2978]

The SRD says...



How that interacts with a tattoo is anybody's guess. If I were running the game, I would be tempted to have the tattoo become non-functional in the original form, and functional in bear (and only bear) form.

I think this is how I'll handle the situation.

 

[Sekhmet]

I see it that the skin changes, not that it gets traded / replaced.

Therefore, what happens to tattoos is ambiguous.

Okay, you can see it that way. Human and bear skin isn't too far apart.
Then you have scaled creatures, creatures far too small to be a compacted version of yourself without having a specific localized gravity, colossal creatures far too large to be contained within a "changed" skin.

At some point, you create and destroy parts of yourself at a cellular level.


Back to the purpose of the thread.
I played a Dwarven Defender as a hireling to a small party I had going (two players, their AC was 17 and 19), because I was trying to get them up to the level of the main group.
During the adventure, he contracted lycanthropy (bear).
He was a grumpy dwarf.
He was fiercely protective and loyal.
He was Grumpy Bear.

The Ranger tattooed Grumpy Bear's stomach thing on my stomach after I'd been knocked out in a fight, but before they healed me.
I decided I'd let it stay visible in my werebear form, because Hell, why not? Gave my players a laugh, it gave me no bonuses or penalties, so who really cares?

 

[kitcik]

Okay, you can see it that way. Human and bear skin isn't too far apart.
Then you have scaled creatures, creatures far too small to be a compacted version of yourself without having a specific localized gravity, colossal creatures far too large to be contained within a "changed" skin.

At some point, you create and destroy parts of yourself at a cellular level.

Ignoring "scaled" for a moment, the same thing would apply with Enlarge / Shrink, but I wouldn't argue that tattoos are impacted by those spells.

This is magic we're talking about, and in ALL cases, I see wild shape as a change, not a replacement. Your skin grows scales/scaly and expands, but it is still your skin.

Note that in wild shape, you retain your type and subtype, as opposed to Polymorph where they change.

That doesn't make the answer to the OP any less ambiguous IMHO, but it is a consideration.

 

[Sekhmet]

I might agree if you weren't healed involuntarily when you Wild Shaped. There are actual physical changes, and not just illusory ones, when you Wild Shape.
Tattoos actually permanently damage your skin, any DM could easily rule that a person using Wild Shape or receiving magical healing runs a chance of undoing that damage, but that would be a silly way of removing fluff for no real reason.

 

[frankthedm]

What book source is this "magic tattoo" from?

If the tattoo is functionally a long duration spell, then I would rule it works either side of wild shape. If the tattoo is functionally a magic item that can't be sundered, then I would rule it becomes non functional out of bear form.