The Painted Mage is a variation on the traditional mage, perhaps surprisingly developed by the grel, but spread from there by escaped grel prisoners. Their art remains rare, and its origin as a grel corruption of pixie-fairy magic makes it controversial, but its practitioners are enthusiastic about the great potential of being a painted mage.
The Whole-Body Spellbook
Painted Mages can learn and prepare spells much like other mages, though they cannot memorize their highest level of spells... a 1st level painted mage will know 2 Apprentice, 1 Journeyman, and 1 First level spell. However, they cannot memorize that 1st level spell, only cast it without memorization, or through their tattoo. At 2nd level, they would be able to memorize a 1st level spell, but not a 2nd, at 3rd they could not memorize a 3rd level spell, and so on.
What makes Painted Mages unique is the art that gives them their name; they are covered in tattoos. Each tattoo is a spell, and each tattooed spell can be cast as if it were memorized, and without additional spell components. Because of this, Painted Mages will have many, many tattoos, often seeking to cover their body in their spell knowledge. This art is not without its costs, however.
First of all, the spell must be known, then turned into a tattooed representation. This requires Arcane Lore and Magical Transcription, but also Advanced Mastery in Artistry: Drawing. Like deciphering a spell scroll, this task is easier if the mage can take their time with it; it is Very Difficult to do this in one hour, but each doubling of time reduces the difficulty by one level; Difficult at two hours, Average at four, Easy at eight, and Very Easy at 16 hours. At the end of this time, the Painted Mage must make both Artistry and Arcane Lore checks; failure on either means that the creation is flawed Using a tattoo that failed in this stage increases the SVR of the spell by the degree of failure of the design; add the amount by which the Arcane Lore and Artistry checks failed by, divide by 10, and round up; that is the increase to the SVR of this spell, whenever used. Another Painted Mage can check the designer's work; this takes only ten minutes, and will require an Average check for both Arcane Lore and Artistry: Drawing.
The design must then be tattooed on one's body, a delicate and painful process. The tattooist must have at least Advanced mastery in Artistry: Drawing, and proficiency in tattoo needles. Mastery in Arcane Lore and proficiency in Magical Transcription are helpful, but not necessary; proficiency in Magical Transcription adds +5% to the Artistry check, as does each mastery rank in Arcane Lore. Inscribing the tattoo is an Average Artistry: Drawing check, and requires an hour per level of the spell (minimum one hour), and costs as much as transcribing a spell into a spellbook (on page 147 of the PH; this does not include paying the tattooist), plus the costs of any material components or catalysts.
Acquiring the tattoo only does 1d3p damage, but the Painted Mage experiences pain as if taking a wound equal to that damage, plus 1/10th the spell point cost of the spell; if it exceeds their Threshold of Pain, they will need to make a trauma save. If the Painted Mage fails the trauma save, then the Artistry check becomes Difficult, unless someone is able to restrain the mage (contested Feat of Strength between the mage and whoever is restraining them), or the mage fails the trauma save so badly that they pass out. Weaker Painted Mages will often use magic or drugs to avoid the pain, but this is seen as shameful; doing so reduces their honor by 2 points. Being restrained or fainting during the tattooing reduces honor by 1 point... sure, you didn't tough it out, but at least you TRIED.
Painted Mages may try to tattoo themselves. However, the tattoo must go someplace they can reach (usually the chest or legs), and it becomes a Difficult artistry check. Obviously, if they fail a trauma save, they cannot continue their tattoo, so many more will use magic or drugs to resist the pain. On the other hand, tattooing your own spell is pretty hard core, and doing so grants two honor.
Failure during the tattooing process can be disastrous. A failure on the Artistry roll by less than 10 can be "touched up", an Average artistry test. Failure by more than 10 means that the spell created is flawed. A flawed spell will see its SVR increased by 1 point for every 10 points, or portion thereof, by which the artistry roll failed. Of advantage to the painted mage, however, is that a flawed, but unhealed, spell can easily be erased with magical healing. Once the spell is healed, removing it is a much more difficult process.
Once the spell is tattooed, and the wound heals (the actual wound is only 1d3p, remember, but cannot have magical healing applied), the spell may be used forevermore as if memorized.
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Sidebar: Tattooing Proficiency (1 CP/3CP)
Tattooing is the art of putting permanent images into people’s skins. For 1 CP, the tattooist is familiar with the use of a knife and rubbed pigments to create the image. For 3 CP, the tattooist is familiar with the use of needles and a hammer, as well. Using needles results in a less damaging tattoo and faster recovery time; a knife-made tattoo is also less capable of detail or varied colors. Knife-made tattoos impose a 20% penalty on the artist’s Drawing skill.
All tattoos inflict a wound upon the recipient; those made with needles inflict 1d3p points, while those made with knives inflict 2d6p points of damage (this assumes a tattoo roughly the size of the grel’s hand; truly large and elaborate pieces may be more). During the healing of this wound, no magical healing can be applied to the wound; if it is, the pigment will be expelled. Tattoo wounds can benefit from First Aid, and tattoo wounds should be monitored to avoid infection.
Tattooists are usually paid 1 cp per hour per level of mastery in Artistry: Drawing.
Prerequisite: Average skill in Artistry: Drawing.
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Tattooed spells must be touched to be cast. The Painted Mage touches the tattoo as part of the casting process (adding nothing to the casting time, if the tattoo is easily accessible), and performs the verbal and somatic components. If the spell was transcribed and inked correctly, the spell will function as normal, with normal chances of spell mishap based on the current situation (armor, damage, distraction, etc.). The painted mage can amp spells, as any other mage can. If the spell was transcribed incorrectly (failure in both Artistry and Arcane Lore during tattoo design, or failure during the tattooing), then the SVR is increased, and so is the risk and danger of a spell mishap.
The Limits of Tattooed Spells
In addition to the possibility of a failed transcription, the Painted Mage has a very real problem: There's only so much space on the body. A Painted Mage may only have a number of spell levels inscribed on their body equal to their BMI, plus their HP kicker for size. Thus, a human with a BMI of 20 would be able to have 30 levels of spells inscribed on their body; an elf with the same BMI would be limited to 25. Pixie-fairies do not become Painted Mages, as it takes up space that could better be given to their own tattoo magic. Apprentice and Journeymen spells count as 1 level.
Once tattooed and healed, a spell is more or less forever, without drastic action. With Expert First Aid and proficiency in tattoo needles, a difficult check can be made to remove a tattoo through bleaching the skin. This process takes as long as making the magical tattoo itself, and causes as much pain; on the bright side, the small damage from this can be magically healed. With less than Expert First Aid mastery, it can still be attempted, but it involves intentionally removing and scarifying the skin, then, hopefully, repairing the damage with healing magic. This process does 2d6p damage, and also inflicts pain equal to the spell point cost divided by ten, plus the damage of the wound.
Also, because tattoos are on the flesh, damage to the flesh can interfere with tattoo magic. Fresh wounds over a tattoo add an additional 10 SP per point of damage to the cost of that spell, and these additional points are a form of amping up of the spell, which can increase the SVR. The painted mage can get around this, if the damage is severe enough, by casting the spell without memorization, but they will then need the normal components and catalysts.
Minimum Requirements
Painted Mages have a minimum intelligence of 8, and a minimum constitution of 12. While they have no minimum size, they benefit from a high BMI.
Skills, Talents, and Proficiencies
Painted Mages begin with the Magical Transcription and Tattooing (Needle) Proficiencies. They begin with one purchase of Literacy (in their own language), Arcane Lore and Artistry: Drawing for free, but they must make additional purchases of Artistry: Drawing until they possess Advanced Mastery. They do not gain additional mastery in Arcane Lore automatically, but may, on odd levels, make one purchase Arcane Lore for 5 BPs. When they purchase Artistry: Drawing, they gain +2 on mastery rolls, unless their bonus from attributes is better.
Beginning Spells
Like other Mages, Painted Mages begin with two Apprentice, one Journeyman, and one first level spell. Any of these can be inscribed on their body. Painted mages often do maintain a traditional spellbook but, as their spells are written on their flesh, they are less likely to carry it with them.
As with other mages, a Painted Mage who seeks out spell knowledge during their level training will be able to transcribe a new spell equal to their new level. This may be transcribed into their flesh at the usual cost in silver, but the checks are considered to be passed automatically.
Painted Mages use the "Mage Advancement Table" from page 59 of the Player's Handbook.
