Inkwell Wizard

Lore

You've stumbled upon an ancient ruin and while exploring the interior you came upon a pool of inky blankness. Curiosity drove you to touch the liquid and as the ripples extended from your touch, you find yourself tumbling within. Your vision goes black and you can feel the cold ink seeping into your nose, down your throat, and into your lungs.

You aren't sure how long you were under.. Perhaps a few seconds.. a minute.. an hour.. Finally you emerge. Your finger tips are stained and your nails are long and pointed. Within your head you hear burbling words that instruct you to mark your own skin. As if watching from outside your own body, your hand begins to stab at your skin, permanently fixing the ink in an intricate, unique symbol. Your first tattoo. The voice in your head burbling, pleased, whispers further instructions of how to tap into this new power. How to mark your skin to be able to cast powerful spells at will. The voice goes silent. You hear it again occasionally, but not as intense as when you first encountered this inky entity.

 

Appearance

Your tattoos can be any single color you wish, and all of your known spells are written on your body. The spells you have prepared give off a soft glow, shimmer, or otherwise stand out among the rest.

Your fingers are permanently marred with the color of your chosen ink, and may reach further up your forearms depending on how messy you are. Your nails are long and pointed so that you may apply new tattoos to yourself and your allies. The items you pull from your body at later levels may drip as if pulled from a fresh pot of ink.

2nd Level - I AM my Spellbook

Adding a spell to your Spellbook requires expensive parchment and special ink.

You skin is your parchment and Ink magically flows from your fingertips at your command. You may ignore the material components required to inscribe spells when tattooing them to your skin.

You may wish to keep a copy of your spells in a book. Your body is subject to taking damage, potentially marring your spells and making them unusable. (This is up to the DMs discretion as to which spells may be destroyed depending on the damage taken) You may "repair" the tattoo during a long rest if copying from your backup Spellbook. 

When copying a spell into your Spellbook, you must have the parchment to do so but may ignore the ink requirement.

Because of the inherent nature of tattooing yourself, you are considered ambidextrous.

2nd Level - Ally Scrawl

During a short rest, you can temporarily tattoo a willing creature with ONE of your spells.

You can choose a spell level equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded down. The creature receiving this temporary tattoo will take 1d4 piercing damage per spell slot level. (E.g. 1st level spell = 1d4, 2nd level spell = 2d4, etc.) This consumes the spell slot on yourself. 

This tattooed spell may be cast by the creature ONCE as an action using your spell attack, spell DC, and damage values. The tattoo will then peel off and fizzle away, leaving behind a tingling sensation where the ink once was.

If the spell is unused, it will fade away if this feature is used again, or after a long rest is taken by the creature, or yourself.

You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

2nd Level - Protective Ward

The tattoos inked into your skin give you arcane protection against attacks. Your AC is 13 + your Dex bonus.

6th Level - Defensive Ward

You have learned to tattoo yourself with a defensive spell. You may choose between Counterspell or Shield, and use the spell up to three times without using a spell slot. The chosen spell is always prepared and does not affect your total prepared spells. Counterspell may only be cast at 3rd level using this feature, but may be upcast using spell slots as normal. Both spells may be cast using spell slots if necessary.

You may swap these defensive spell 'tattoos' whenever you level up, but may only have one at a time.

Defensive Ward - Counterspell

You have learned to tattoo yourself with a defensive spell. You may choose between Counterspell or Shield, and use the spell up to a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus without using a spell slot. The chosen spell is always prepared and does not affect your total prepared spells. Counterspell may only be cast at 3rd level using this feature, but may be upcast using spell slots as normal. Both spells may be cast using spell slots if necessary.

You may swap these defensive spell 'tattoos' whenever you level up, but may only have one at a time.

Defensive Ward - Shield

You have learned to tattoo yourself with a defensive spell. You may choose between Counterspell or Shield, and use the spell up to a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus without using a spell slot. The chosen spell is always prepared and does not affect your total prepared spells. Counterspell may only be cast at 3rd level using this feature, but may be upcast using spell slots as normal. Both spells may be cast using spell slots if necessary.

You may swap these defensive spell 'tattoos' whenever you level up, but may only have one at a time.

6th Level - Wait.. is this permanent?

You may add ONE of your attuned items to your body as a tattoo. When the item is 'pulled' from your body, it acts exactly like the item normally would with a few differences: it cannot be stolen or used by anyone else. If the item is dropped, it will fade away and 'return' to your body. The item may appear normal, or slightly altered and 'inky'.

You may add two attuned items to your body at 10th level, and three at 14th level.

10th Level - Ambidextrous Scrawl

You can simultaneously tattoo a SECOND spell onto a willing creature using your other hand while using Ally Scrawl. You may tattoo TWO spells onto one willing creature, or ONE spell onto two separate willing creatures.

This feature may only be used DURING Ally Scrawl.

You can choose a spell level equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded down. The creature receiving this temporary tattoo will take 1d4 piercing damage per spell slot level. (E.g. 1st level spell = 1d4, 2nd level spell = 2d4, etc.) This consumes the spell slot on yourself. 

This tattooed spell may be cast by the creature ONCE as an action using your spell attack, spell DC, and damage values. The tattoo will then peel off and fizzle away, leaving behind a tingling sensation where the ink once was.

If the spells are unused, they will fade away if this feature is used again, or after a long rest is taken by the creature, or yourself.

You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

10th Level - Thick Ink

Your tattoos become stronger and can protect you more than before.

As a reaction, you can make yourself resistant to slashing, bludgeoning, and piercing damage twice per long rest.

14th Level - Bottomless Inkwell

You are able to tattoo a bag of holding onto your skin. It cannot be stolen, or used by anyone other than yourself. The same rules apply as with a normal bag of holding.

14th Level - Perfect Ward

Your tattoos give you as much protection as possible.

You now have both Counterspell AND Shield tattooed at the same time using the rules from 6th level.

Also, once per long rest you may use your reaction to gain resistance to ALL types of damage.

Defensive Ward - Counterspell

Your tattoos give you as much protection as possible, allowing you to have Counterspell and Shield prepared simultaneously without taking up known spell slots, following the same rules as the defensive ward feature at 6th level.

Defensive Ward - Shield

Your tattoos give you as much protection as possible, allowing you to have Counterspell and Shield prepared simultaneously without taking up known spell slots, following the same rules as the defensive ward feature at 6th level.