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====== Magical Tattoos & Scars ======
(//[[tag:brock|Brock]]//)

The druids of the barbarian peoples living in what are now Ellesland and Chaubrette were able to draw tattoos on the bodies of willing people of the tribe and then to imbue those tattoos with magic to provide some protection in combat.

  * A Rank 4 Elementalist could imbue tattoos with an Armour Factor of 1.
  * A Rank 8 Elementalist could imbue tattoos with an Armour Factor of 2.

(There are stories of greater protection being possible, but this might be purely the stuff of legend.)

{{ :items:magicaltattoos.png?300|Magical Tattoos by Brockprint}}For the tattoos to be effective, they had to be visible, so the bearer had to cast off most (if not all) their clothes to benefit from the Armour Factor.  Magical tattoos were therefore incompatible with armour of any kind; if
armour is worn, then only the armour's AF will count.

As well as offering some protection against weapons and magic, the tattoos offered protection against bruises, scratches, and some weather effects (e.g., hail), but do not protect against long-term exposure to long-term weather
effects (e.g., cold or damp); the northerners thus had to wrap up warm despite the magic adorning their bodies.

The inscribing of such tattoos is almost a "lost art" in the northern lands of 10<sup>th</sup> Century Legend, but a similar magic persists in the uncharted lands of the Mungodan continent.

===== Ritual Scarring =====

Scarring their bodies according to tribal designs, some peoples of Mungoda are able to imbue their body with a natural Armour Factor. The effect is exactly the same as that described above.

The heat and humidity of Mungoda, which make heavier armours rare and uncomfortable, have ensured this ritual magic has retained a purpose it gradually lost in northern lands.

==== Game Notes ====

Only Elementalists can imbue tattoos or scars with protective magic and, of these, only a minority know the necessary rituals. Earth Elementalists seem to be the principal practitioners of this craft, although the skill is not exclusive.

The ritual takes a full day (to inscribe the tattoos or scars) and one night (to imbue the design with magic). It can only be performed on nights of the full moon. The Elementalist must have his full Magic Point allocation in his primary element, which is then fully expended in casting the ritual.

Inscribing tattoos causes 1d4 Health Points damage, which must be allowed to heal naturally or the magic within the tattoos will be damaged and lost.  Ritual scarring must also be allowed to heal naturally but causes 2d3
Health Points damage.

It is possible to improve the magical protection gained from AF 1 to AF 2. The process is risky; there is a 5% chance the magic will tear into the bearer's body and kill them.

//This article first appeared in [[https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/350778/Casket-of-Fays-4--a-Dragon-Warriors-RPG-fanzine|Casket of Fays Issue 4]].//