Making Tattoos

[kevin_video]

So I'm going to have a tattooed mercenary group attack a bunch of PCs. They aren't going to be one-time deal tattoos (ie psionic tattoos), and they aren't all going to be tattooed monks either. This is something that lets you know exactly who they are. Kind of like how you can tell a yakuza from a regular tattooed person.

I saw this on an EN World forum, but can anyone verify it for me?
I believe the DMG mentions (in one of the gameplay sections) a variant type of magic item called Magic Tattoos- basically, if you double the cost on a magic item, it doesn't take up a slot- so you can have Tattoos of Ogre Power on your hands that grant you a +2 to strength, don't take up a slot, and cost 8,000 gp.
I know I couldn't find it in the DMG.

Any other suggestions? Any way to make a psionic tattoo permenant, and not just there for a one time deal?

There were also mentions of various prestige classes that could put tattoos on themselves, but I'd like to avoide that. Also, Faerun (3.0 and 3.5) talks about one-time deal magic tattoos that'll last 24 hours thanks to a 2nd lvl spell cast which gives you a small list to choose from, but again I'm looking for permanent. Even if it's just once per day. That's fine so long as it lasts for an entire (lengthy) combat.

[PhaedrusXY]

The thing about making unslotted magic items for 2x the cost is in the section on creating new magic items in the DMG. I usually use the SRD, so I don't know what page or anything. In the SRD, it is in the table named "estimating magic item gold piece values": http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm#

No space limitation     Multiply entire cost by 2

It has a footnote that says this:

An item that does not take up one of the spaces on a body costs double.

There is a section later talking about the various body slots.

You could use that, or this awesome stuff on making psionic tattoos permanent.

[kevin_video]

The thing about making unslotted magic items for 2x the cost is in the section on creating new magic items in the DMG. I usually use the SRD, so I don't know what page or anything.

Oh I know about that, and I use the SRD as well, but there's nothing saying "Tattoos count as an unslotted item that you can have a billion of."

You could use that, or this awesome stuff on making psionic tattoos permanent.

Ooh, a handbook. Those are always fun to read.

[PhaedrusXY]

The thing about making unslotted magic items for 2x the cost is in the section on creating new magic items in the DMG. I usually use the SRD, so I don't know what page or anything.

Oh I know about that, and I use the SRD as well, but there's nothing saying "Tattoos count as an unslotted item that you can have a billion of."

There is. I edited my post with the link.

[kevin_video]

There is. I edited my post with the link.

No, I'm saying that if you go Cntl + F and type in "tattoo" or "tatoo" or any other variant of spelling it, nothing comes up as that. If there is, I can't find it. At least not by standard means. As for 2x cost for unslotted magical items, I've got one in my game (quiver) so I know they exist. It's just scribing a tattoo is what's bugging me. Is this one of those "Don't look for RAW" deals?

[veekie]

You could probably count it as the 30% mitigation thing, since a tattoo is not usable by any other character, nor is it removable. Thus the item requires a specific character to use.

[kevin_video]

You could probably count it as the 30% mitigation thing, since a tattoo is not usable by any other character, nor is it removable. Thus the item requires a specific character to use.

That's not too bad. I read further, and I saw that piercings can also be imbued with abilities too. Makes sense.

Any idea how to make psionic tattoos permanent though. If only 1/day?

[PhaedrusXY]

Any idea how to make psionic tattoos permanent though. If only 1/day?

Read the handbook I linked? The special tattoo in there called a Capacitor does that. If you link a Transducer to it also, you can recharge it with your own power points (at double the normal cost to manifest the power). If not, it drains 1 power point per day from you till it is charged.

[kevin_video]

Any idea how to make psionic tattoos permanent though. If only 1/day?

Read the handbook I linked? The special tattoo in there called a Capacitor does that. If you link a Transducer to it also, you can recharge it with your own power points (at double the normal cost to manifest the power). If not, it drains 1 power point per day from you till it is charged.

Yeah I read that, but it said it was a slot. I've been reading the rules on and off, and I know it says you can have a limit of 17 slots, but I don't really understand that.

[Nanshork]

You could probably count it as the 30% mitigation thing, since a tattoo is not usable by any other character, nor is it removable. Thus the item requires a specific character to use.

That's not too bad. I read further, and I saw that piercings can also be imbued with abilities too. Makes sense.

Any idea how to make psionic tattoos permanent though. If only 1/day?

Have access to third party material?  Then you want to look at the book Hyperconscious.  There is the Pattern Master, a prestige class 100% centered around psionic tattoos, and also feats such as Permanent Tattoo which lets you activate the tattoo 1/day but the tattoo takes up 4 slots (the pattern master gets this feat and others for free, and at 9th level gets his tattoo slots doubled for a total of 40).

[PhaedrusXY]

Any idea how to make psionic tattoos permanent though. If only 1/day?

Read the handbook I linked? The special tattoo in there called a Capacitor does that. If you link a Transducer to it also, you can recharge it with your own power points (at double the normal cost to manifest the power). If not, it drains 1 power point per day from you till it is charged.

Yeah I read that, but it said it was a slot. I've been reading the rules on and off, and I know it says you can have a limit of 17 slots, but I don't really understand that.

It is 1 slot per character level. So yeah, you'd be limited to only a few.

[kevin_video]

Have access to third party material?  Then you want to look at the book Hyperconscious.  There is the Pattern Master, a prestige class 100% centered around psionic tattoos, and also feats such as Permanent Tattoo which lets you activate the tattoo 1/day but the tattoo takes up 4 slots (the pattern master gets this feat and others for free, and at 9th level gets his tattoo slots doubled for a total of 40).

I have that book, yes. Or rather, I have access to it. Again, my question is does this only work for the character in general (ie like a personal touch spell), or can this person put these tattoos on everyone that becomes part of the clan?

It is 1 slot per character level. So yeah, you'd be limited to only a few.

Yeah, see I'm really new to psionics. I was only introduced to them a little while ago, and not for very long. A player had an elan/half-lich psion, and I only knew what she had for powers. So that 1 slot per character is in reference to the person making them, or the person that's wearing them?

[PhaedrusXY]

Yeah, see I'm really new to psionics. I was only introduced to them a little while ago, and not for very long. A player had an elan/half-lich psion, and I only knew what she had for powers. So that 1 slot per character is in reference to the person making them, or the person that's wearing them?

Wearing them.

And actually... I was wrong, lol. It is 20 slots, regardless of your character level. I think that Pattern Master doubles that at some level, but I don't own that book.

[Nanshork]

Have access to third party material?  Then you want to look at the book Hyperconscious.  There is the Pattern Master, a prestige class 100% centered around psionic tattoos, and also feats such as Permanent Tattoo which lets you activate the tattoo 1/day but the tattoo takes up 4 slots (the pattern master gets this feat and others for free, and at 9th level gets his tattoo slots doubled for a total of 40).

I have that book, yes. Or rather, I have access to it. Again, my question is does this only work for the character in general (ie like a personal touch spell), or can this person put these tattoos on everyone that becomes part of the clan?

The feats can be applied to any psionic tattoo.  They are item creation feats designed exclusively for psionic tattoos and so apply to any tattoo the creator makes, including those placed upon other people.

Also, if a Pattern Master is making the tattoos for the whole clan then he can make tattoos of up to fifth level powers that when activated are affected as if the Extend Power metapsionic feat had been applied to them.  This makes the tattoo take up more slots, but if everyone only has one psionic tattoo that shouldn't be an issue.

[kevin_video]

Wearing them.

And actually... I was wrong, lol. It is 20 slots, regardless of level.

Excellent. Good to know. And thanks to that handbook, I know roughly how much the NPC villains will be paying for regarding the WBL table. Granted, it'll 30% off since it's a clan thing.

The feats can be applied to any psionic tattoo.  They are item creation feats designed exclusively for psionic tattoos and so apply to any tattoo the creator makes, including those placed upon other people.

Also, if a Pattern Master is making the tattoos for the whole clan then he can make tattoos of up to fifth level powers that when activated are affected as if the Extend Power metapsionic feat had been applied to them.  This makes the tattoo take up more slots, but if everyone only has one psionic tattoo that shouldn't be an issue.

Again, that's good to know. With knowing now that you can have 20 slots on a person, and at 4 slots a tattoo, that'll be 12 slots (one tattoo, two earrings). That still leaves 8 to play with. That should just about cover it. Have to look over that handbook again.

[PhaedrusXY]

It is 1 slot per tattoo, for those containing 3rd level or below powers. The "special" tattoos from the article/handbook also use up slots. For 4th level powers and higher, the number of slots per tattoo increases based on the table in the "handbook".

[kevin_video]

It is 1 slot per tattoo, for those containing 3rd level or below powers. The "special" tattoos from the article/handbook also use up slots. For 4th level powers and higher, the number of slots per tattoo increases based on the table in the "handbook".

Right, so 4 slots for making it permanent (1/day) + 1 slot for a power 1st-3rd. So makes it 5 slots for each, total of 15. Still got 5 to play with. 4th level ability adds two more each, or a 5th for three, or 6th for five. So you could have two 3rd, and one 6th, each permanent and be exactly at your maximum. I think I'll give myself a little more room than that though.

[kevin_video]

Breathing life back into this thread.

How do you make psionic tattoos that have Energy Burst on them, and act as a kamikaze move?