Enchanted Tattoo

[hcobb]

Originally Posted by Skarg

Can't you already do Words of Command anywhere even without special tattoo magic?

Yes. So this is shading towards standard. How would you arm WG enforcers?

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by hcobb

How would you arm WG enforcers?

What's a WG enforcer, for what enforcement?

When the Wizards' Guild has wanted to use force, it's usually meant a WG official considers the task and available wizards or known affiliate guild wizards, and tries to get the wizards they pick to take on the task, usually just assigning funds and perhaps some security guards unless the task seems to call for specific equipment. The assigned wizard(s) then tend to act on their own discretion, perhaps with guidance or aid from the assigning official, which often includes hiring specific agents for the task.


In a RAW campaign with powerful wizards and un-house-ruled demons, demons would tend to seem like a good choice for enforcer, probably aided by some equipment from the demon handoff armory.

"Demon, deliver this order to comply to Pompom the wizard in Bolors, and ask for and return with his reply."

"Oh, he said 'make me?' Go use this explosive gem and this summon gargoyle gem on Pompom, them come back and let us know how it went."

But I tend to find that power rather too simple, effective, and immediate for routine use, so I prefer to house rule the Demons for that and other reasons.

[EKB]

This sounds like something I posted to the old Brainiac TFT list some years back.

(Checks) Yes, back in 2007:
https://tft.brainiac.com/archive/0701/msg00004.html

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The idea has been rattling around in my brain for a while, and I've just been inspired to write something out. My aim, with the following, is to produce something that will be interesting and useful to characters (PCs and NPCs) who have specialized needs wrt magic items, or who just find the concept especially nifty for roleplaying reasons. At the same time, however, I didn't want to create something so good that every character would rush to get a magic tattoo or three.

MAGICAL TATTOOS FOR TFT

NEW SPELLS:
IQ 14
MARTIAL ARTIST TATTOO ENCHANTMENT
Adding a martial artist tattoo to a character has the same cost and time requirements as adding an additional +1 bonus to a weapon or suit of armor via the Weapon/Armor Enchantment spell.

A Martial Artist Tattoo can only be placed on a character with the Unarmed Combat I talent. If the character loses the talent, the tattoo remains, but doesn't function. If the character regains the talent, the tattoo starts working again.

A character can have up to five Martial Artist Tattoos. Each tattoo gives a +1 to either the character's unarmed combat adjDx, his unarmed combat damage, or to his natural armor. A bonus to adjDx or damage only applies to those attacks where the UC I talent gives a bonus. A bonus to armor is not cumulative with any protection from armor worn, although it is cumulative with the armor protection of a ready shield.

A set of Martial Artist Tattoos counts as a single magic item under the Rule of Five. It reduces the number of other magic items (or equivalents) that the character can use by one. It also increases the cost of any other magic tattoos according to the usual doubling rule.

IQ 16
TATTOO OF OBEDIENCE
This spell enables a wizard to place a Tattoo of Obedience on a subject/victim. This requires 1 day in a wizard's lab, 15 St, and one Fear potion ($150). It also requires that the subject/victim be present and either willing or subjugated. When the tattoo is created, the creator must make a Rule concerning who the bearer must obey. E.g. "any female," "the creator of the tattoo," "any member in good standing of the Wizard's Guild," "any person within the walls of Castle Yod," or the like.

The bearer of a Tattoo of Obedience must obey any command given him by another figure who (a) meets the requirements of the tattoo's Rule, (b) can be heard by the bearer, and (c) speaks in a language that the bearer himself knows how to speak. (Note that a command in Sorcerer's Tongue will be understood but won't invoke obedience unless the tattoo bearer can speak it himself.)

If the bearer wishes to resist a command, he gets a 3d roll vs adjIQ to do so. If obeying the command would be immediately fatal, or if the command requires obedience continued obedience after leaving the command-giver's presence, then the bearer gets a second roll vs IQ. (Special case: The bearer does not get any rolls to resist commands against removing the tattoo. Standard practice is to give such commands as soon as the tattoo is in place.)

A Tattoo of Obedience counts as a magic item for the purposes of the Rule of Five. Unlike other magical tattoos, it will function even if covered or concealed.

IQ 18*
LESSER MAGICAL TATTOO ENCHANTMENT
A lesser magical tattoo works just like an enchantment created by the Lesser Magic Item Creation spell. It has the same cost and time requirements. However, a tattoo cannot be made if the Lesser Magic Item enchantment requires a specific sort of underlying object.

Each Lesser Magical Tattoo counts as a single magic item under the Rule of Five. It reduces the number of other magic items (or equivalents) that the character can use by one. It also increases the cost of any other magic tattoos according to the usual doubling rule. For example, if a character got three Magical Tattoos, the second one would cost twice normal, and the third one would cost four times normal. Furthermore, the character would only be able to use two additional magic items, rather than the normal five.

*Note: In my campaign, I've reduced Lesser Magic Item to IQ 15, so the Lesser Tattoo spell would be IQ 15 as well.

IQ 20
GREATER MAGICAL TATTOO ENCHANTMENT
This spell works like the Lesser Magic Tattoo Enchantment spell, only applying to enchantments that require the Greater Magic Item spell to put on items.

GENERAL NOTES ON MAGICAL TATTOOS:
A magical tattoo can be made to temporarily stop working by any spell or magic that will either temporarily stop the corresponding magic item from working or that will temporarily prevent a wizard from casting spells (e.g. the Magebinding spell).

A magical tattoo can be made to permanently stop working by any spell or magic that will disenchant the corresponding item, e.g. a Dissolve Enchantment spell. However, the tattoo will still count as a "magic item worn" for the Rule of Five unless physically removed.

Physically removing a tattoo inflicts 3 dice of damage. This is reduced to 2 dice if a Physicker spends 5 minutes removing the tattoo, or to 1 die if a Master Physicker spends 1 hour removing it. If the figure removing the tattoo knows the appropriate tattoo creation spell, the damage is reduced by 2 points. (E.g. to 2d-2 if removed by a Physicker who knows the appropriate spell.) Physically removing the tattoo also destroys its magic, if it wasn't already de-enchanted.

As an option, the GM may allow a called shot (or critical hit) to destroy a tattoo. Roll 3 dice, and on a result less than or equal to the damage taken by the tattooed character, the tattoo is destroyed.

With the exception of a Tattoo of Obedience, a magical tattoo will only provide its benefits if clearly visible on exposed skin. (I.e. not covered by clothing, armor, make-up, etc.) A partially covered tattoo will function if visible enough to be seen and recognized (GM's discretion as to how much exposure this requires.)

A character who knows the appropriate tattoo creation spell will be able to recognize a visible tattoo on a 3-die roll vs IQ. A character who knows only that the tattoo is magic will successfully guess its nature on a 6-die roll vs IQ.
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[David Bofinger]

TFT has several main mechanisms for creating magic effects (casting a spell, making a magic item, creating a potion or scroll) and I think it would be great to have other ones.

If the tattoo is permanent and gives you a capability then it sounds like it might be similar in effect to making a magic item which you can't drop.

If the tattoo is expended when used then it sounds like it might be similar in effect to the Vancian magic of D&D, or to scrolls, depending on what kind of limit there was on tattoos.

But a tattoo system that was an alternative to regular magic and had its own advantages and disadvantages, but was balanced overall, that could be a lot of fun.