Scales are regularly shed, so a tattoo on a dragonborn or lizardfolk would be temporary. Is there a way to put an equivalent permanent mark on scales? I'm not really asking for game purposes, since if a scaled PC wanted a spell tattoo I'd just say it works, because magic. It's more a curiosity.
it occurred to me that there are large surface-area scales, and there are fine ones.
For small tattoos, it might be possible to do a regular one inbetween, as Lyran suggested,
although i also thought you might be able to get a kind of more expensive imprinting, by someone using a stencil to apply a glyph with some material component that is used to bind a spell in a similar way, just not as word-by-word so to speak - so say if a normal tattoo requires straight lines, curved lines, prism shapes, runes,.. you might not have the same writing (verb) going on,.. but perhaps the person invoking it or creating the enchantment, just needs to be a more skilled one, that requires LESS writing, or,.. drawing, in this case?
The complexity of a glyph or single-pattern, or single-placement? single-imprinting? (all different verbs, this is, i mean ) would STILL BE COMPLEX, but perhaps then the spellcaster invoking it or imbuing it, would need to sort of ... do it in one-go? instead of perhaps, several casting-stages ;
so say for many spells, normally they might be something like ;
1 spoken evocation or arcane stuff,
2 conjuration wisps/workings/ethers/whatever (that are catalytic or transformative of other things to complete the spell),
3 consumption of material components
what i meant is, that say for putting a spell like that INTO a tattoo, if normally (at regular cost for a tattoo) only step 2 would be significantly different (you're not just making conjurations in the air, you're having to use them to create something 1/2 way, INTO a tattoo and without it going-off (volatile)) ...
... for a spell like that, that still requires materials to be consumed, and still requires verbal,.. when doing a glyph from a stencil, you might have to get the spell alllllmost ready to be completely cast, and then imbue it into the tattoo all in one transfer,.. rather than conjuration-by-conjuration.
Sort of like, if one was trying to pack a series of springs into a amusement-trap-box before setting it, one would normally need to do it one-by-one ... however if you were having to do it in a draw in a desk when having to get the trick in there, ready to go in a single opening of the drawer for some reason (the space of time when someone standing next to it is momentarily distracted, say),
it'd have to be ready to 'put into' the draw, in a moment, otherwise it might 'go-off', or come-apart, or, one of the springs might dislocate, slip, causing the whole complex thing, to not work.
So,
maybe not impossible, but more difficult?
something like, +10% - +25% the cost? (25% is normal additional cost, near 10% only if the imbuer is received favorably as-a-customer/friend ? )
All tattooing is is implanting ink into skin. For magic tattoos I'd say the magic ink works this way on the more fleshy beings, a scaled being gets its scales infused instead. In other words, versatile ink. Furry being would probably have the patterns expressed through the fur rather than bald patches. Ink gets planted in the skin but comes up through the fur. Kenku etc. same delivery and affecting the plumage. I don't think a PC should be penalized in coin for having a something other than a dermis as their outward facing layer. I mean what if Thri Kreen are brought back and now you're tattooing exoskletins/chittin.
In the instance of shedding and molting the new covering takes on the qualities of the shed (which magically loses the design).
Update: Apparently you can tattoo scales, and particular needle heads exist for this. Zoos and research centers do this to help distinguish individual animals when that's needed. And yes, shedding removes the tat.
If you are talking of the in-game mechanic for magical tattoos, I certainly wouldn't penalise a player and make the magical tattoo temporary just because they chose to play a dragonborn. I'd handwave it. It's a magical tattoo, it doesn't have to (and, in fact, already doesn't) follow the real world rules for tattoos.
Scales are regularly shed, so a tattoo on a dragonborn or lizardfolk would be temporary. Is there a way to put an equivalent permanent mark on scales? I'm not really asking for game purposes, since if a scaled PC wanted a spell tattoo I'd just say it works, because magic. It's more a curiosity.
You can tattoo between scales. Or practice scarification instead of tattooing (or tattoo the scars).
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I had the same Q,
it occurred to me that there are large surface-area scales, and there are fine ones.
For small tattoos, it might be possible to do a regular one inbetween, as Lyran suggested,
although i also thought you might be able to get a kind of more expensive imprinting, by someone using a stencil to apply a glyph with some material component that is used to bind a spell in a similar way, just not as word-by-word so to speak - so say if a normal tattoo requires straight lines, curved lines, prism shapes, runes,.. you might not have the same writing (verb) going on,.. but perhaps the person invoking it or creating the enchantment, just needs to be a more skilled one, that requires LESS writing, or,.. drawing, in this case?
The complexity of a glyph or single-pattern, or single-placement? single-imprinting? (all different verbs, this is, i mean ) would STILL BE COMPLEX, but perhaps then the spellcaster invoking it or imbuing it, would need to sort of ... do it in one-go? instead of perhaps, several casting-stages ;
so say for many spells, normally they might be something like ;
1 spoken evocation or arcane stuff,
2 conjuration wisps/workings/ethers/whatever (that are catalytic or transformative of other things to complete the spell),
3 consumption of material components
what i meant is, that say for putting a spell like that INTO a tattoo, if normally (at regular cost for a tattoo) only step 2 would be significantly different (you're not just making conjurations in the air, you're having to use them to create something 1/2 way, INTO a tattoo and without it going-off (volatile)) ...
... for a spell like that, that still requires materials to be consumed, and still requires verbal,.. when doing a glyph from a stencil, you might have to get the spell alllllmost ready to be completely cast, and then imbue it into the tattoo all in one transfer,.. rather than conjuration-by-conjuration.
Sort of like, if one was trying to pack a series of springs into a amusement-trap-box before setting it, one would normally need to do it one-by-one ... however if you were having to do it in a draw in a desk when having to get the trick in there, ready to go in a single opening of the drawer for some reason (the space of time when someone standing next to it is momentarily distracted, say),
it'd have to be ready to 'put into' the draw, in a moment, otherwise it might 'go-off', or come-apart, or, one of the springs might dislocate, slip, causing the whole complex thing, to not work.
So,
maybe not impossible, but more difficult?
something like, +10% - +25% the cost? (25% is normal additional cost, near 10% only if the imbuer is received favorably as-a-customer/friend ? )
All tattooing is is implanting ink into skin. For magic tattoos I'd say the magic ink works this way on the more fleshy beings, a scaled being gets its scales infused instead. In other words, versatile ink. Furry being would probably have the patterns expressed through the fur rather than bald patches. Ink gets planted in the skin but comes up through the fur. Kenku etc. same delivery and affecting the plumage. I don't think a PC should be penalized in coin for having a something other than a dermis as their outward facing layer. I mean what if Thri Kreen are brought back and now you're tattooing exoskletins/chittin.
In the instance of shedding and molting the new covering takes on the qualities of the shed (which magically loses the design).
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Update: Apparently you can tattoo scales, and particular needle heads exist for this. Zoos and research centers do this to help distinguish individual animals when that's needed. And yes, shedding removes the tat.
We went with the carved/scarred style, then filled with ink.
If you are talking of the in-game mechanic for magical tattoos, I certainly wouldn't penalise a player and make the magical tattoo temporary just because they chose to play a dragonborn. I'd handwave it. It's a magical tattoo, it doesn't have to (and, in fact, already doesn't) follow the real world rules for tattoos.
Yeah, I'd definitely never require realism to create a disadvantage for a PC. Even for an NPC, the 'truth' of it would be whatever the plot needs.