Some of The Best Magic Tattoos in Pathfinder

 I've been holding off a little while on this entry, but I figured this week would be an appropriate time for it since my supplement 100 Fantasy Tattoos (And The Meaning Behind Them) just dropped from Azukail Games! So this week I thought I'd talk about the unique mechanic of magic tattoos in Pathfinder, and which ones I think you should consider checking out.

And remember, when it comes to tattoos, you get what you pay for.

While the following entries will be wondrous items, feats, and spells, I won't be including class feature magic tattoos in this list. Though if folks like this initial step into this under-utilized mechanic, I might write a follow-up for some of those as well.

Lastly, if I missed some of your favorites, make sure to leave it in the comments along with why you think that particular magic tattoo is so good!

#1: Potion Tattoo

Pick your poison!

Speaking of spells that give you tattoos, this one out of Inner Sea Magic has some serious strategic implications. This spell, available to alchemists, sorcerers, wizards, witches, and bards, allows you to mix special inks into a potion, and drink it. Once you've drunk it, the potion appears on your chest as a tattoo, ready to be used.

What makes this spell so useful is that the potion is there permanently. While it could be dispelled, it can't be stolen, you don't have to spend an action to draw it, and enemies can't take an attack of opportunity to slap it out of your hand. It's a little pricey at 500 gold for the components, and you can only have one at a time, but it's a nice little ace in the hole.

#2: Runeward Tattoo

Little protection never hurt anybody.

Found in the supplement Magical Marketplace, Runeward tattoos seem pretty blase on their face. Each of these tattoos is geared toward a particular school of magic, and they give you the ability to use detect magic at-will for that school of magic. The helpful thing, though, is that they give you a +1 bonus to saves against spells and spell-like abilities of that school, and you always know when a spell of that type is cast within 60 feet of you.

These tattoos are fairly cheap, at only 1k (assuming you don't take Inscribe Magic Tattoo and do it yourself), and if you're going to be facing a particular type of magic fairly often then this is going to be a godsend. Whether it's keeping the fighter from falling under enchantment effects, or so that you always know when someone casts an illusion spell in your vicinity, it can be a lovely heads-up warning that won't break your budget.

#3: Animal Totem Tattoo

Deadly ink!

Another feat, this one also found in Magical Marketplace, animal totem tattoo grants the bearer the 5th-level totem transformation ability of the appropriate animal shaman druid type. Which, for those who select bat, dragon, or eagle, means you have a fly speed for 5 minutes per day that goes everywhere with you! The other animal types offer other benefits, of course, but for my money flight trumps them every time.

It's pretty expensive at 12k, but if you have someone in the party who's taken the Inscribe Magic Tattoo feat then 6k and a lot of nights spent with your shirt off by the campfire is not a bad price to pay for something that can come in quite handy.

#4: Tattoo Transformation

Open your mind... absorb my power!

Another feat worth considering is Tattoo Transformation, out of the Monster Summoner's Handbook. This feat requires you to first take Tattoo Attunement, which allows you to absorb creatures you've summoned into your body as tattoos. This suspends their duration, keeping them present for a number of hours equal to your caster level. It's a standard action to release them, and the idea is that this allows you to get full use out of your summon monster spells.

Tattoo Transformation, however, allows you to absorb some of the summoned creature's protections. If they have energy resistance, you can make use of it as if it was yours (though you only get 1 category if they have multiple resistances). If the creature has an energy immunity, you gain a resistance of 20 in that category. If you're going to be summoning monsters anyway, this is a great way to keep a menagerie up your sleeve, and help stop yourself from getting blasted by an evoker while you're at it.

#5: Weapon Tattoo

Where was I keeping that? Wouldn't you like to know.

 

Found in the Dirty Tactics Toolbox, this unique tattoo allows someone to store a single weapon sized for them in a magical space on one forearm (though the tattoo prevents the other forearm from being used as a space, even though it only stores one weapon). When stored, the weapon appears sheathed on the forearm, and it can be drawn as a swift action, appearing in the hand it's tattooed near. It takes a full-round action to put away, of course, but it's the ultimate in clandestine armaments and back-up weapons for the adventurer who doesn't want to appear strapped.

It is extremely expensive, at 10k gold pieces, but again if you've got someone in the party crafting it for you 5k isn't too bad for a weapon that goes wherever you go. Especially since this is a tattoo that can be used all the time, and it's ideal for those sneaky, undercover missions where you can't go in armed to the teeth.

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