Tattoo Magic

[Angle]

I'm thinking up a system of magic based on Tattoos. Basically, you get a tattoo with a special kind of ink, and it gives you magic powers. The tattoo are made up of multiple different symbols, which give different results depending on their combinations. In order to use tattoo magic, you must get a spell circle inscribed. This uses up a quantity of high-grade spell ink, which is very expensive, but if successful it allows you to then have spells inscribed in that circle. The spells can be in either high-grade or normal spell ink. If high-grade, they will be permanent and the spell circle will be useful for nothing else, if normal they will fade after a month, allowing other spells to be placed therein. Spell circles have a maximum size, and a certain number of symbols they can take-one primary, and some number of secondary ones. One circle might have two secondary slots, while another might have three. Sometimes, multiple spell circles will share a secondary symbol.

My question, then, is how exactly to model this. I'm thinking of going with some variation of Modular Abilities, but am unsure exactly how to structure it. I know it should have the limitations Only Advantages -10%, Trigger: Common -20%, and Maximum Duration: 1 month -0%. But it also takes an hour of time, requires a skill roll by someone skilled in making magic tattoos, and has many odd limitations for symbols. How would I model this? Should the time limitation reduce the base cost of the modular abilities, or should It have Immediate Preparation Required: 1 hour -75%? I would think that an hour cost in time would be worth more than 1 point. I assume that the number of symbols someone has on their spell circle would have some effect, but I'm not sure how exactly. So a circle that allows one secondary symbol should be worth less than another circle of the same size that allows two secondary symbols.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Angle

I'm thinking up a system of magic based on Tattoos. Basically, you get a tattoo with a special kind of ink, and it gives you magic powers. The tattoo are made up of multiple different symbols, which give different results depending on their combinations. In order to use tattoo magic, you must get a spell circle inscribed. This uses up a quantity of high-grade spell ink, which is very expensive, but if successful it allows you to then have spells inscribed in that circle. The spells can be in either high-grade or normal spell ink. If high-grade, they will be permanent and the spell circle will be useful for nothing else, if normal they will fade after a month, allowing other spells to be placed therein. Spell circles have a maximum size, and a certain number of symbols they can take-one primary, and some number of secondary ones. One circle might have two secondary slots, while another might have three. Sometimes, multiple spell circles will share a secondary symbol.

My question, then, is how exactly to model this. I'm thinking of going with some variation of Modular Abilities, but am unsure exactly how to structure it. I know it should have the limitations Only Advantages -10%, Trigger: Common -20%, and Maximum Duration: 1 month -0%. But it also takes an hour of time, requires a skill roll by someone skilled in making magic tattoos, and has many odd limitations for symbols. How would I model this? Should the time limitation reduce the base cost of the modular abilities, or should It have Immediate Preparation Required: 1 hour -75%? I would think that an hour cost in time would be worth more than 1 point. I assume that the number of symbols someone has on their spell circle would have some effect, but I'm not sure how exactly. So a circle that allows one secondary symbol should be worth less than another circle of the same size that allows two secondary symbols.

Interesting. In my Pyramid article, The Old Ways, I treated tattoo magic as temporary charms (of which you can only have up to your ST score, which represented your mass). I've also got a upcoming Pyramid article which will cover in some depth "Body Modification Magic" (mostly tattoos, but including piercings, scarification, etc.).

For your spell circles, this seems like flavor text mostly. why not treat each tattoo as a specific advantage or set of traits and then purchase all other linked tattoos as Alternative Abilities?

[trans]

Queequeg in Moby-Dick has something like this.

[Angle]

Each tattoo is an advantage, that advantage being Modular Abilities with a number of modifiers. Say you have a 20 CP Spell Circle with two modifiers tattooed on your chest- This lets you inscribe a spell in it based on one main symbol and two modifying symbols. So if you had, or example, the symbol or Fire (Burning Attack- 1/day, -40%) and the symbols for Large (Explosive 2, +100%) and Reach (Range x20, +40%) You could start with fire and add the other two, for Burning Attack 2 (1/day, -40%, Explosive 2, +100%, Range x20, +40%) [20] or you could only put down the fire symbol, and get Burning Attack 6 (1/day, -40%) [18], or you could take the fire symbol and the reach symbol, for Burning Attack 4 (1/day, -40%, Range x20, +40%) [20]. You could even start with the fire, us it as is for a while, then add the reach symbol and change to the latter example.

In addition, each of those symbols probably has multiple meanings- Fire would have the (Burning Attack- 1/day, -40%) as it's main, but if put in a secondary circle, it might give a Follow Up burning attack, or some other modifier, as appropriate. Large might have Growth as it's main ability and have both Area Effect ad Explosive as modifiers.Reach might give Warp or Enhanced Movement as a main, and allow increased 1/2d or Max range as mods in addition to Increased Range. Depending on how a symbol is written, it would be possible to change which modifier it grants, or even how many levels of the modifier- SO you could get Large to give you area effect 3 and Reach to give increased 1/2d 1, if that suited your needs better.

For combinations where multiple main circles share a modifier circle, you only have to inscribe that modifier once, and thus only pay for the Ink once, but get the modifier to both abilities. So for example, if you have two 20 CP circles, both share one modifier, and one has a second modifier, then you can make two abilities- Say, Burning Attack 2 (1/day, -40%, Explosive 2, +100%, Range x20, +40%) [20] and Burning Attack 4 (1/day, -40%, Range x20, +40%) [20]. Both share the Reach symbol, s you only need to inscribe it once.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Angle

Each tattoo is an advantage, that advantage being Modular Abilities with a number of modifiers. Say you have a 20 CP Spell Circle with two modifiers tattooed on your chest- This lets you inscribe a spell in it based on one main symbol and two modifying symbols. So if you had, or example, the symbol or Fire (Burning Attack- 1/day, -40%) and the symbols for Large (Explosive 2, +100%) and Reach (Range x20, +40%) You could start with fire and add the other two, for Burning Attack 2 (1/day, -40%, Explosive 2, +100%, Range x20, +40%) [20] or you could only put down the fire symbol, and get Burning Attack 6 (1/day, -40%) [18], or you could take the fire symbol and the reach symbol, for Burning Attack 4 (1/day, -40%, Range x20, +40%) [20]. You could even start with the fire, us it as is for a while, then add the reach symbol and change to the latter example.

In addition, each of those symbols probably has multiple meanings- Fire would have the (Burning Attack- 1/day, -40%) as it's main, but if put in a secondary circle, it might give a Follow Up burning attack, or some other modifier, as appropriate. Large might have Growth as it's main ability and have both Area Effect ad Explosive as modifiers.Reach might give Warp or Enhanced Movement as a main, and allow increased 1/2d or Max range as mods in addition to Increased Range. Depending on how a symbol is written, it would be possible to change which modifier it grants, or even how many levels of the modifier- SO you could get Large to give you area effect 3 and Reach to give increased 1/2d 1, if that suited your needs better.

For combinations where multiple main circles share a modifier circle, you only have to inscribe that modifier once, and thus only pay for the Ink once, but get the modifier to both abilities. So for example, if you have two 20 CP circles, both share one modifier, and one has a second modifier, then you can make two abilities- Say, Burning Attack 2 (1/day, -40%, Explosive 2, +100%, Range x20, +40%) [20] and Burning Attack 4 (1/day, -40%, Range x20, +40%) [20]. Both share the Reach symbol, s you only need to inscribe it once.

Ah! Okay. I see. You're ability to scribe tatto's is the Modular Ability itself. That's very cool take on it. I admit, I wouldn't have thought of doing it that way. Consider making a new set of Modular Ability for it. Let's see, probably 7 points for nearly anything plus 2 points per point in that slot. Hmmm.

[Angle]

It should probably be significantly lower than 7 points base. Each symbol is it's own IQ/Hard skill and most are carefully guarded secrets or even lost lore, so most players will probably only have a small handful (like 5 to 10). A mage that's dedicated might learn as many as twenty, but even that is rare. And what limitations would be applied to that? Only Advantages -10% and Trigger: Common -20% fr certain, what else? I assume no time limitations are appropriate, because those are represented by the reduced price of the second part.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Angle

It should probably be significantly lower than 7 points base. Each symbol is it's own IQ/Hard skill and most are carefully guarded secrets or even lost lore, so most players will probably only have a small handful (like 5 to 10). A mage that's dedicated might learn as many as twenty, but even that is rare. And what limitations would be applied to that? Only Advantages -10% and Trigger: Common -20% fr certain, what else? I assume no time limitations are appropriate, because those are represented by the reduced price of the second part.

Actually you could apply time limitations, it represents the amount of prep work you'd need to do before you could activate you pool. So Preparation Required could mean the tattooing process, while the time to assign points could mean imbuing them with magic. As for the slot cost, you'd need to decide exactly what could be acquired as magical ability. Only physical abilities? Mental ones? Both? A specific subset of those? A small list?

[Nyarli]

Powers have limitation Minimum duration. If you want to be frugal use "up to one month" for -25%, but since everyhing more than 1 week is also -25%, I would say duration is one month and a day, and therefore qualified for -30%.

[Angle]

A small list, which would be only magical. Most would be Innate attacks, afflictions, or other abilities without a clear mental or physical basis. I think most of those are classed as mental, right? Though I suppose some such as Growth are classed as physical. The month and a day limitation is good, I should use that. What about the limited Modifiers? I could add that as a modifier. How much do you think it would be worth? I'd say -20% or so, just from eyeballing it, +5% for each secondary symbol on that circle. Shared secondaries don't change in value, because the benefits are offset by the difficulties.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Angle

A small list, which would be only magical. Most would be Innate attacks, afflictions, or other abilities without a clear mental or physical basis. I think most of those are classed as mental, right? Though I suppose some such as Growth are classed as physical. The month and a day limitation is good, I should use that. What about the limited Modifiers? I could add that as a modifier. How much do you think it would be worth? I'd say -20% or so, just from eyeballing it, +5% for each secondary symbol on that circle. Shared secondaries don't change in value, because the benefits are offset by the difficulties.

Innate Attacks are actually classed as physical. So "Tattoo Magic" slots would cost 4 (for the slot) plus 2 (per point in the slot). Since you are limited it to a small list of prechosen abilities most of the other modifiers become redundant. Maybe add Preparation Required too.