Can a familiar carry items as a tattoo


Rules Questions


1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.

So I was looking over the Tattooed Sorcerer and got to wondering if I had a little monkey (think Aladdin's Abu) as my familiar if I made it a little backpack would the backpack transform into a tattoo with it?

I'm mainly wondering in the realm of trying to smuggle things (less than 1 lb to keep him unencumbered) past guards or keep things from getting stolen.

Case in point: "During the night the the watchman falls asleep and the party is robbed., check your belongs, I look at my arm and my monkey is still there, "I'm good, I put all my stuff in the Portable Hole before bed" and gave it to my monkey"

Is my logic sound? I see nothing saying for or against it working.


Tattooed Sorcerer wrote:
Unlike most familiars, her familiar can transform itself into a tattoo that she carries in her flesh.

Itself. That's all. So not objects that it is carrying.

Scarab Sages

Unfortunately, since the ability does not say whether it does or does not convert worn items... this will be a GM call.

Though, normally anything that converts your physical form includes any worn items.


"Noooo... how will I ever get my cool 'Cat in Sunglasses' tattoo if I cannot bend the laws of the universe?!"

-said the sorcerer that can't even boil water if he doesn't cast a spell.


Lorewalker wrote:
Unfortunately, since the ability does not say whether it does or does not convert worn items... this will be a GM call.

Well, everything's a GM call, but I don't see any explicit support in the ability description for including items.

Lorewalker wrote:
Though, normally anything that converts your physical form includes any worn items.

That is often true. Polymorph spells do that by default. Some non-polymorph spells, like Enlarge Person, explicitly call out the effects on worn objects. That suggests to me that including worn objects might not be the default for non-polymorph spells.

On the other hand, looking at a few class abilities that transform the character, like the Cabalist Vigilante's Living Shadow ability, I see that some don't mention worn items even though they clearly would transform as well.

One possibly important difference is that abilities like Living Shadow transform the character possessing the ability, while in this case the character is transforming a different creature. Maaaaybe that changes the assumptions?

Personally I don't think this ability was intended to be a backdoor method for storing wands, weapons, etc. in a tattoo, but your assumption that items are altered by default doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

Dark Archive

Me personally, the way I would do it would be that it only includes items specifically usable by the familiar, but not usable by the sorcerer.

So for example, if you took Improved Familiar: Imp, then no your wand that you gave your imp will not store in your tattoo with him.

However, to slightly modify your Abu example, look at Jack (the monkey) from Pirates of the Caribbean. He has the little jacket which would transfer but any items he might have in his pockets (like coins he stole) would fall to the ground.


Zelda Marie Lupescu wrote:

Me personally, the way I would do it would be that it only includes items specifically usable by the familiar, but not usable by the sorcerer.

So for example, if you took Improved Familiar: Imp, then no your wand that you gave your imp will not store in your tattoo with him.

However, to slightly modify your Abu example, look at Jack (the monkey) from Pirates of the Caribbean. He has the little jacket and fez, those would transfer but any items he might have in his pockets (like coins he stole) would fall to the ground.

Interesting idea. Or maybe only items that fill specific slots on the familiar? So the jacket (chest), and fez (which is cool and takes up the head slot), but not the little backpack (which I'm assuming is slotless like a handy haversack)? Since the coins don't occupy slots, they would still fall as they did in your example.

Dark Archive

Gisher wrote:
Zelda Marie Lupescu wrote:

Me personally, the way I would do it would be that it only includes items specifically usable by the familiar, but not usable by the sorcerer.

So for example, if you took Improved Familiar: Imp, then no your wand that you gave your imp will not store in your tattoo with him.

However, to slightly modify your Abu example, look at Jack (the monkey) from Pirates of the Caribbean. He has the little jacket and fez, those would transfer but any items he might have in his pockets (like coins he stole) would fall to the ground.

Interesting idea. Or maybe only items that fill specific slots on the familiar? So the jacket (chest), and fez (which is cool and takes up the head slot), but not the little backpack (which I'm assuming is slotless like a handy haversack)? Since the coins don't occupy slots, they would still fall as they did in your example.

Sort of, yeah. Basically, if a player without a familiar would be able to use the item, then it can't be stored. So, the backpack would be a no because you could still stow items in it as a very small bag. However, regular clothes, tiny armor, even magic items I'd allow, as long as they are only usable by the familiar.

Dark Archive

Also, I would add that since I generally allow players to play their own familiars, I would even include rings and such... as long as the player understands that the second it transfers to tattoo form with the familiar, the familiar is taking full ownership of the item (could even say that the magic of the tattoo binds the item to the familiar) and the sorcerer is not allowed to use it.


Personally i would rule it as the equipment of the familiar and any items they hold would just transform with him like the polymorph/transformation rules normally go at.

But i would not allow the sorcerer to have access to any of the stored items while the familiar is in its tattoo form as its technically one and the same form.


Dracoknight wrote:

Personally i would rule it as the equipment of the familiar and any items they hold would just transform with him like the polymorph/transformation rules normally go at.

But i would not allow the sorcerer to have access to any of the stored items while the familiar is in its tattoo form as its technically one and the same form.

that's basically how I figured it would work I just figured I should ask before confirming with my GM since as previously stated its ultimately its up to them

Wayfinders

Can a developer have an input on this?

A tattoo familiar with back of holdings will 'break' all smuggling type scenarios or games.


Maybe extra-dimensional spaces can't transform. That should keep it from 'breaking' any games.

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