I have a player interested in using mystical tattoos, made via the invention rules. Has anyone done this before, or have a list of potential ideas for effects to use? I’m still new to Blades, so I’m struggling to come up with cool ideas that are appropriate to the setting and make sense mechanically for inventions.
I have a player interested in using mystical tattoos, made via the invention rules.
I have a player interested in using mystical tattoos, made via the invention rules.
Our assassins crew has a mystical tattoo that is multidimensional object, so in a way it is one tattoo that as different sections that appear in our 3D world on different people’s bodies. It’s secrets we’re granted to them by the Forgotten God Fortuna, a patron of one the PCs. But it’s basically just colour for where the crew gets its special abilities: Crow’s Veil and Bound in Darkness.
I guess it’s sort of alchemy-y?
I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
What does he want the tats to do? I’d either use alchemy / crafting. Or, you could hack the Whisper’s tempest ability, or a ritual where you spend the stress cost when it is activated.
As for effects, I’d lay that on the player. Have them describe an effect and use the magnitude table to set the cost.
Yeah tattoos could be arcane crafting if it’s all mystical symbols and occult magic. It could be alchemical crafting if it’s about weird substances and reactants. Or yeah part of some crazy ritual power.
If you go the crafting route, and you’re looking for effect ideas, I‘d first browse the crafting examples. Then I’d think about how combining that effect with a tattoo might create cool benefits or twists. Like trance powder in tattoo form could be some kind of mesmerising pattern that stupefies those that see it.
Other approaches is to think what is cool in the Blades setting. Like use demon blood ink to imbue folks with demonic powers, until the tatt needs re-inking. Or occult symbols actually work: maybe when you connect the tattoo on each forearm, you create a nexus that lets the thought tendril of a forgotten god into the world.