How do you handle runeward tattoos in game?


GM Discussion

Scarab Sages 5/5

.... knows when such a spell or a spell-like ability has been cast withing 60 feet.

It is that last section about knowing when a spell or spell like ability is being cast - for 8k someone can get every school - and for 1k a fairly low level person could have one or two (conjuration allows one to tell if someone teleport/dimension door'ed vs turn invisible and find healing potions).

Do you have them ping all the time in cities or for PC casting or use? do you block the 60 range like detect magic or allow it to pick up monsters one is not likely to see for many rooms?

I had the first one recently and without pinging constantly it seemed like they picked out the spell like ability use with it quickly.

TIA

Silver Crusade 5/5 5/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Germany—Bavaria

Since the range is 60 ft. (same as detect magic) and detect magic is in the construction requirements, I am tempted to say, that anything that block line of effect blocks this.

The Exchange 4/5 5/5

I treat it just like detect magic (including the obligatory "Really? Are you going to be 'that guy'" if a player insists that they are spending a standard action every round forever to concentrate on the effect).

Also note that if they are concentrating on the illusion tattoo effect they can't simultaneously concentrate on the conjuration tattoo effect. So to search all around you requires a minimum of 32 rounds. (8 schools x 4 cones to cover all around you). Add another round each time there is an effect of that school. (So every time a cone passes through an ally with magical items they'll have to spend another round to make sure that no extra auras are in that cone.)

Honestly most players use it to auto-identify the school of things being cast in combat (and for the save bonus). I haven't had any "detect-o-matics" yet.

Sovereign Court 5/5 RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

Ok I read it differently. I've not had anyone use it yet, I was looking at it for my bard and slayer.

I read it as if the spell is cast in 60' it pings. Not where or what, but it pings.

So it won't find healing potions. (Already existing, not cast) or that guy who is already invisible (ditto). If the invisible guy casts a conjuration spell it pings, but doesn't say "configuration spell coming from that square." just "conjuration spell going off in 60'"

Silver Crusade 5/5 5/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Germany—Bavaria

Matthew Morris wrote:

Ok I read it differently. I've not had anyone use it yet, I was looking at it for my bard and slayer.

I read it as if the spell is cast in 60' it pings. Not where or what, but it pings.

So it won't find healing potions. (Already existing, not cast) or that guy who is already invisible (ditto). If the invisible guy casts a conjuration spell it pings, but doesn't say "configuration spell coming from that square." just "conjuration spell going off in 60'"

Well you can kinda get both, you can use the detect magic effect to detect that single school, and it is always one at a time even with several tatoos, and you get the ping, however that might not be that usefull, since it says nothing about the effective level.

Shadow Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area North & East

I'm with Matt on this. It's automatic and passive, no actions or concentration required.

I've found it's most useful with illusion and enchantment, since most other spells are obvious enough. But if someone's trying to mess with your head, you want to know when it happens.

For instance, it was very helpful when a Suggestion spell was cast on me. I get an urge to go do something at the same time an enchantment spell pings on my radar. I still failed the save and go do the suggestion, but am quite vocal about "I'm being enchanted!" while I do it, helping out the group a bit.

The Exchange 4/5 5/5

Matthew Morris wrote:

Ok I read it differently. I've not had anyone use it yet, I was looking at it for my bard and slayer.

I read it as if the spell is cast in 60' it pings. Not where or what, but it pings.

So it won't find healing potions. (Already existing, not cast) or that guy who is already invisible (ditto). If the invisible guy casts a conjuration spell it pings, but doesn't say "configuration spell coming from that square." just "conjuration spell going off in 60'"

No, we are (sorta) saying the same thing. It automatically pings if someone casts, but you can also use it as a detect magic for existing auras of that particular school (subject to the same requirements as that spell and limited to whatever school tattoo you are concentrating on). So you can indirectly find a healing potion if you concentrate on the conjuration tattoo. It doesn't let you identify it, you just discover "there are 4 items with conjuration auras in this cone."

4/5

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okay - the source material
Magical Marketplace, 2014.
and Core Rulebook
and Inner Sea Magic (Feat:Inscribe Magical Tattoo)

Runeward Tattoo:

Slot: none
Price: 1,000 gp
Weight: —
Description:
Each of these tattoos is keyed to a single school of magic. The bearer can use detect magic at will, but only to sense auras of that school. The bearer gains a +1 insight bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities of the keyed school and knows when such a spell or spell-like ability has been cast within 60 feet.
Construction Requirements: Inscribe Magical Tattoo (ISM), Detect Magic, Guidance; Cost 500 gp

So it seems to have 3 functions;
1) Detect Magic @ will. So a std actn with conc, does not provoke AoO.
2) +1 nsgt on saving throws vs Spl & SLAs of {school} (but not Su abilities...).
3) knows when a Spl & SLA of {school} is cast within 60ft.
so my read on #3 is that it is a passive always on ability and yeah, Line of Effect would count except it's the old "The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it." which gives it some squiggle room. So basically doors won't stop it but your standard 5' thick dungeon wall will.
Usually it's going to be "Evocation cast!" ohh look - incoming fireball, DODGE (with +1 nsgt bonus)...

I'll add that there are rules about how many tattoos you can have and where, and it probably applies here... someone will look it up...

4/5

most common exterior brick walls are 2-6 inches of wood (the wall) and 3-8 inches of stone(the brick or stone facade). Older "sturdy" walls tend to be on the thicker end of the range. Still it's not enough to stop the detection.

I would assume that any summoning room or magical experimentation room or vault has lead lining and an inner stone lining (for durability) and usually some wardings. That IS going to stop detections and (the wardings) most inter planar shenanigans. There's that old alchemical method of using gorgon's blood in the mortar from 3.5 days.

Shadow Lodge 4/5 Venture-Lieutenant, Florida—Jacksonville

My take is you can use one in turn. So like one person pointed out, looking for healing magic..you'd ping with your conjuration tat, then work from there. You can use one school at a time. So it would take multiple rounds to ping all the tats wheras anyone with detect magic gets them all at once.

Scarab Sages 5/5

Stephen Ross wrote:


I'll add that there are rules about how many tattoos you can have and where, and it probably applies here... someone will look it up...

Tattoos may be inscribed on the following slots: belt, body, chest, feet, hands, head, neck, shoulder, ring (up to two), or wrist.

They don't take up the slot but they still go on an item slot - no more than one per

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