Prerequisite

Getting a magical tattoo is a painful process and takes time to imbue the magic into your body,
which if done improperly or too fast, can cause serious unwanted side effects. Starting at level 5
you may receive 1 tattoo of up to medium power, you can gain another tattoo at level 10 of up
to high power, you can gain one more at 15th level of up to high power, and again at level 20
you can gain one more tattoo of up to high power. You must wait at least one month between
each tattoo to allow you body time to balance out the magic that has been placed on you. You
may receive only one high power tattoo.

Tattooist's Tools

This kit comes in a sturdy briefcase of some description and contains a variety of various colored
inks, needles, and medical supplies needed for sterilization. The kit may also include a
sketchbook filled with original tattoo designs, or magical templates that the artist may find on
their journey.

Tattooist's Tools are needed to create any tattoos, weather they have magical properties or not.
Each set initially contains a variety of ink colors but does not include any specialty inks from the
specialty inks table.

As you create tattoos, you will use up the supplies in your tool kit, which will need to be
replaced every so often. Every small tattoo uses 1 ounce of ink, Medium tattoos take 2 ounces,
and large tattoos take 4 ounces.

Each color of ink costs more or less depending on the dye used to make the color. Purple, for
example, is the most expensive color as minerals and plants that produce appropriate colored
dyes are harder to find and acquire than other dyes.

Creating Tattoos

Magical tattoo templates are often crafted by masters of their arts, which are few and far
between. Finding drawings and schematics for magical tattoos can be a difficult task, as such
pieces of art are exceedingly rare. Some of the most powerful tattoos come from personal
inspiration, these class of tattoos are often self administered with unique ink which can yield
special effects. When a character wishes to draw a tattoo onto either themselves or another
creature, they must follow the rules below.

Tattoo Application

There are many variables that go into applying a tattoo which must be taken into account before
choosing to apply one to the skin. Such variables include the size of the tattoo, the intricacy of
the tattoo, the cleanliness of the procedure and the time that the procedure takes.

Tattoo Size

In order to apply a tattoo of any type, there must be room to draw it into the skin. Every tattoo
has a size and location. Every creature only has so much space on their bodies to draw tattoos
and are so limited in the number they can possess. The scale of a tattoo adjusts depending on
the size of the creature it is being applied to. Because of this, a Large chest tattoo would take up
the same space on a human, a Halfling, or a giant, as the size of the tattoo stays proportional to
the size of the creature it is applied to.

The number of tattoos allowed on a creature are as follows:

Body Part Number of Tattoos

Head | 1 medium tattoo, or 2 small tattoos

Chest | 1 large tattoo, or 2 medium tattoos, or 4 tattoos

Back | 1 large tattoo, or 2 medium tattoos, or 4 small tattoos

Arm | 1 medium tattoo, or 2 small tattoos

Leg | 1 medium tattoo, or 2 small tattoos

If allowed, tails, wings, may also be tattooed, given that they are not covered in feathers, fur, or
scales and are a sufficient size. They count as an arm or leg-sized body part.

Time to Apply

Tattoos take time to apply based on their size and intricacy. A large but simple tattoo may take
the same amount of time as it would to create a small but detailed one. Sessions may be broken
into chunks of 4 hours per short rest. Use the following table to determine how long the
procedure will take.

Size (intricacy) Time

Small (simple) | 1+1d4 hours

Small (average), Medium (simple) | 2+1d6 hours

Small (ornate), Medium (average), Large (simple) | 4+1d8 hours

Medium (ornate), Large (average) | 6+3d6 hours

Large (ornate) | 8+3d10 hours

Risk of Disease

Even with sterile tools, there is still a chance of disease from being tattooed. The creature
receiving a tattoo must make a Constitution saving throw, the DC of which depends on how
sterile the procedure was.
 Cleanliness Constitution save DC

Appropriate medical supplies used | 5

Improvised medical supplies used | 10

Poorly improvised medical supplies used | 12

No sterilization | 15

Actively unsanitary | 20

If a disease in contracted, the GM decides what disease it will be by either choosing one from
pages 256-257 of the Dungeon Master's Guide or another appropriate source. Once the tattoo is
applied successfully, the tattooed creature may utilize the effects of their new tattoo after their
next long rest.

Specialty Inks

In very large cities, it may be possible to acquire rare and unique inks with which one may create
tattoos. These inks may have special cosmetic or inherent magical properties and are generally
very expensive.

Detection Ink

This ink is specially mixed and imbued with the ability to detect the presence of certain
creatures. The ink may come in a variety of colors and begins to faintly glow when within 100
feet of the creature in question. For example, an ink may be mixed in order to detect members
of the goblinoid family, in which case it would be referred to as ink of goblinkind detection.
Another ink may be imbued with the ability to detect the presence of undead, or even a specific
type of undead (zombies, liches, vampires, Etc.).

Elemental Ink

This ink is purely cosmetic in most circumstances, coming in a variety of elemental styles. Some
may make the lines of a tattoo appear to burn like molten lave, while others may cause it to
appear as if cool water flows through the lines of the subject's skin. Certain earth aligned inks
will cause the lines of a tattoo to appear as if they were filled with glimmering gemstones. While
this is normally cosmetic, if the appropriate elemental ink is aligned with a specific tattoo, it may
amplify the effects of such a tattoo. For example, a tattoo of the frozen fist would become much
stronger if drawn using ice aligned ink.

Glamor Ink

This ink causes lines drawn with it to glitter like a thousand stars. These inks come in a variety of
colors.
Glow Ink

Tattoos inked with this concoction are pale versions of their colors while in the light, but in dim
or dark conditions glow vibrantly with their appropriate color. A Large tattoo created with glow
ink shed dims light in a 5-foot radius.

Metallic Ink

Tattoos made with this ink make it appear as though the subject has organically-flexible metal
inlays embedded in their skin. These inks come in a variety of colors, from gold to silver to rusty
iron.

Mood Ink

While appearing as plain gray ink in a bottle, once applied to the subject, this ink changes color
depending on the subject's mood.

Mood Color

Anger, Irritation | Red

Nervous, Fearful | Orange

Surprised, Shocked | Yellow

Disgusted, Repulsed |
Green

Sad, Depressed | Blue

Happy, Infatuated | Purple

Prismatic Ink

Appearing to be a swirling mass of rainbow colors while in a bottle, this ink causes lines tattooed
with it to become a beautiful and iridescent in appearance.

Shifting Ink

One of the rarest and most prized inks among tattooist, shifting ink allows the subject
possessing the tattoo to switch between two different tattoos. Artists will often take this ink
whenever they can find it, regardless of whatever color they happen to find it in. In order for this
ink to display its true power, they must first have one tattoo made with shifting ink. Then, they
must use the ink's power to shift the ink through their skin, leaving the spot bare once more. A
second tattoo is then made in the same spot and of the same size. Once this is done the subject
has the ability to switch between two different tattoos every short rest and therefore change
their given magical effects.
Temporary Ink

This ink appears as normal black ink, only it is applied to top of the skin with a thin brush.
Tattoos made with this ink last up to one week or until they are washed away with water.

Three-Dimensional Ink

This ink comes in the same standard variety or colors as normal ink. When applied to a subject
the ink appears normal. However, the one who wears a tattoo made with this ink may take a
bonus action in order to create a stunning cosmetic effect in which the design of the tattoo
appears to float off their skin and hover above it. While this effect is active the tattoo may also
slightly, spinning, or curling around the body part on which it is printed.

Additional Information

Magical tattoos as well as non-magical tattoos should be recorded for future reference in order
to quickly check whether a character has room for a new tattoo. Unless specifically noted under
the tattoo description, a given tattoo can only be taken once. Any additional applications of the
same tattoo will not apply any magical effects. Magical tattoos radiate magic dimly under a
detect magic spell. A successful DC 20 Arcana check may be made in order to discern the nature
of a magical tattoo. If the person trying to identify the tattoo already has proficiency in
Tattooist's Tools, they gain a +2 bonus to identification. Dispel Magic will render magical tattoos
useless of 1d4 rounds. If the body part which a magic tattoo is on is lost, so are its magical
effects. Limbs regrown with magic or other wise do not come back with their tattoos. Spells suck
as raise dead generally keep the tattoos intact, given that the limb is still present. Reincarnation
will not bring the subject back with their tattoos intact. Clones made with the clone spell do not
have tattoos.

Supply Tables

(Note that all inks listed come in 1-ounce bottles)

Tattooist Supplies

Item Cost Weight

Tattooist's Tools | 70 gp | 5 Lbs.

Purple Ink | 15 gp | -

Blue Ink | 6 gp | -

Green Ink | 1 gp | -
 Yellow Ink | 3 gp | -

Orange Ink | 3 gp | -

Red Ink | 7 gp | -

Black Ink | 10 gp | -

White Ink | 10 gp | -

Full Ink Set | 50 gp | 1 Lb.

Needle Set | 5 gp | 2 lbs.

Medical Supplies | 15 gp | 2
lbs.

Specialty Inks

Item Cost Weight

Detection Ink | 1,000 gp | -

Elemental Ink | 100 gp | -

Glamor Ink | 100 gp | -

Glow Ink | 100 gp | -

Metallic Ink | 100 gp | -

Mood Ink | 150 gp | -

Prismatic Ink | 150 gp | -

Shifting Ink | 5,000 gp | -

Temporary Ink | 50 gp | -

Three-Dimensional Ink | 200 gp | -

Tattoo Costs

When determining the cost of a tattoo in a standard magic game, remember that tattoos do not
require attunement. On average low power tattoos should cost around 2000 gp, medium 5000
gp, and high powered 15000 gp. Remember that changing the cost or availability based on how
your character play is a valid strategy to help push more powerful effects to later levels.

When using anything but standard inks, a general rule is to increase the cost of the tattoo by
10% if the ink will have no additional effect on the tattoo and increase it by 25-50% if the ink will
add additional effects to the tattoo.

Feats

Inked

Prerequisite: Constitution 13 or Higher You really enjoy the look and feeling of having tattoos.
You may now take an additional 2 tattoos, one of which may be a high power.

Tattoo Compendium

Eye of Darkvision

Size: Small

Location: Head

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: Low

A complex tattoo of an eye with a slit pupil is made on the subject. This tattoo gives the wearer
60 feet Darkvision. If the wearer already has Darkvision up to 60 feet, their Darkvision expands
to 120 feet. If the wearer already has up to 120 feet Darkvision, this tattoo applies no magical
effect.

Eye of Truesight

Size: Small

Location: Head

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: Medium

A complex tattoo of an open eye to be placed on the forehead. This tattoo gives the wearer the
ability to activate truesight up to 60 feet once per long rest of 10 minutes.

Mark of the Ranger

Size: Medium

Location: Arm

Intricacy: Average

Power: Medium

This tattoo gives the wearer a +1 to attack rolls made with any bows or crossbows.
Mark of the Warrior

Size: Medium

Location: Arm

Intricacy: Simple

Power: Medium

This tattoo gives the wearer a +1 to attack rolls made with any melee weapon.

Mark of the Bull

Size: Large

Location: Chest or Back

Intricacy: Simple

Power: Medium

This tattoo increases the subjects hit point maximum by one up to their level. Whenever you
gain a level thereafter, your hit points maximum increases by an additional 1 hit point.

Mark of the Dryad

Size: Medium

Location: Arm

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: Low

This tattoo looks like some form of plant life (roses, ivy, etc) and spirals all the way along its
wearer's arm. As an action, the wearer of this tattoo may cast the entangle spell, you must finish
a short rest before you may use this property again. Constitution is your spell casting modifier
for this spell.

Mark of the Elvenkind

Size: Medium

Location: Any

Intricacy: Average

Power: Low
This mark imbues its wearer with the benefits of Fey Blood, granting them immunity to magical
sleep and advantage on saving throws against being charmed.

Mark of the Ghast

Size: Medium

Location: Arm

Intricacy: Average

Power: Medium

This tattoo resembles swirling mist which wraps up and around the arm of the wearer. The
wearer may activate this tattoo as a bonus action, causing the lines of this tattoo to glow slightly
and their arm to change shape. The wearer's arm pales in color and grows into that of a ghoul,
fingers sharpening and elongating into a terrible clawed hand. Any article of clothing not meant
to accommodate the change in limb size is destroyed in the process. If the arm is covered in
armor not meant to accommodate the change in limb size, the limb change does not take place.
A melee attack with this arm does 1d6 damage slashing and 1d4 cold damage. If the tattoo is
created with ice elemental ink the dice increases to 1d6 cold.

Mark of the Hummingbird

Size: Small

Location: Any

Intricacy: Average

Power: Medium

This tattoo gives the wearer +1 to initiative rolls.

Mark of the Pit Fiend

Size: Medium

Location: Arm

Intricacy: Average

Power: Medium

This tattoo resembles hellish imagery mixed with infernal runes which wraps up and around the
arm of the wearer. The wearer may activate this tattoo as a bonus action, causing the runes of
this tattoo to glow slightly and their arm to change shape. The wearer's arm grows
disproportionately larger and becomes scaly and red, their hand tipped with razor sharp, black
claws. Any article of clothing not meant to accommodate the change in limb size is destroyed in
the process. If the arm is covered in armor not meant to accommodate the change in limb size,
the limb change does not take place. A melee attack with this arm does 1d6 damage slashing
and 1d4 fire damage. If the tattoo is created with fire elemental ink the dice increases to 1d6
fire.

Mark of the Telepathy

Size: Medium

Location: Head

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: Low

This tattoo gives the wearer to open a two-way, telepathic conversation with an intelligent
creature within 120 feet. The two creatures must share a language in order to communicate.

Maw of the Dragon

Size: Medium

Location: Head or Arm

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: Medium

This tattoo has a different effect depending on where the subject has it placed. If placed on the
head the character gains a breath weapon. Once per long rest, as an action the wearer can
activate the tattoo to exhale energy of the chosen type in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that
area must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 damage of the chosen type on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If placed on the hand and arm the wearer can
activate the tattoo once per long rest as a bonus action, for 1 minute, all melee weapon attacks
deal an additional 1d4 damage of the chosen type.

Dragon Color Damage Type

Black/Copper | Acid

Blue/Bronze | Lightning

Green | Poison

Red/Brass/Gold | Fire

White/Silver | Cold

If drawn in elemental ink corresponding to the desired element instead, the ability can be used
twice per long rest.
Spirit Walker's Sigil

Size: Medium

Location: Any

Intricacy: Average

Power: High

This tattoo is a symbol of the astral plane. Once per long rest, as a bonus action you can activate
the tattoo, causing your physical body to softly dissolve into an ethereal mist. Until the end of
your turn you may move through solid matter with ease, if you end your turn while still in solid
matter, you are immediately ejected to the nearest open space and take 1d6 force damage per
5 feet you were ejected. If created with three-dimensional ink, this ability cam be used once per
short or long rest.

Tattoo of Chilling

Size: Small

Location: Any

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: Low

This tattoo allows the wearer to cast the Ray of Frost cantrip at will. Constitution is your spell
casting modifier for this spell. If this tattoo is created using ice elemental ink, attack rolls with
this spell are done so with advantage.

Tattoo of Flame

Size: Small

Location: Any

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: Low

This tattoo allows the wearer to cast the Fire Bolt cantrip at will. Constitution is your spell
casting modifier for this spell. If this tattoo is created using fire elemental ink, attack rolls with
this spell are done so with advantage.

Tattoo of Leaping

Size: Medium

Location: Leg (Both)

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: Low
This tattoo is to be placed identically on both legs and it causes the wearers jumping distance to
be double. (Horizontally and Vertically) If done in Three-Dimensional ink the wearers jump
distance triples.

Tattoo of Minor Protection

Size: Medium

Location: Any

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: Medium

This tattoo gives the wearer a +1 to AC and Saving Throws.

Tattoo of Major Protection

Size: Medium

Location: Any

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: High

This tattoo gives the wearer a +2 to AC and Saving Throws.

Tattoo of Striding

Size: Small

Location: Leg

Intricacy: Average

Power: Low

This tattoo gives the wearer an additional 5 feet of movement. If this tattoo was created using
three-dimensional ink the effect increases by an additional 5 feet of movement.

Venom Ward

Size: Small

Location: Any

Intricacy: Average

Power: Medium

This tattoo gives the user advantage on saving throws against poison.

Wings of Ink

Tattooing Time: 48 Hours over the Period of a 7 Days.

Location: Back

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: High

This exceedingly detailed and lifelike wing tattoo resembles the wings of a flying creature. This
tattoo must be inked with air elemental ink or three-dimensional ink. As a bonus action, the
wearer may sprout wings resembling those of the tattoo from their back, gaining a flying speed
equal to their current speed. These wings last until they are dismissed by using another bonus
action. Armor that is not specially designed to accommodate these wings will not allow you to
manifest them, and clothing not made to accommodate these wings may be ruined upon
manifesting them.

Tattoo of Ability

Size: Small

Location: Any

Intricacy: Ornate

Power: High

This tattoo gives the wearer +2 to an ability score of the wearers choosing up to a maximum of
20.

Tattoo of Skill

Size: Small

Location: Any

Intricacy: Simple

Power: Low

This tattoo gives the wearer expertise in one skill they are already proficient in. If this tattoo is
done in Prismatic ink the wearer gain proficiency in any skill of their choice.

Tattoo of Iron

Size: Small

Location: Any

Intricacy: Average

Power: Medium

This tattoo allows the wearer to use their reaction to active it and reduce bludgeoning, slashing,
or piercing damage they take by 1d8.
Tattoo of the Blazing Sun

Size: Medium

Location: Any

Intricacy: Average

Power: Medium

This tattoo gives the wearer resistance to fire damage and when you receive magical healing you
gain temporary hit points equal to half (rounded up) the healing you received. (Spending hit die
doesn’t count)

Tattoo of the Shining Moon

Size: Medium

Location: Any

Intricacy: Average

Power: Medium

This tattoo gives the wearer resistance to cold damage and your hit point maximum cannot be
reduced.