Tattooed Mystic (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Tattooed mystics are renowned for both the artistry with which they adorn their bodies and the powerful magic they summon from these markings. Many learn the ways of tattooing from their forebears, the craft having been passed down through generations.

Class Information

This is a prestige archetype focused on the magic of tattoos.

Prestige Class: Tattooed mystic from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Paths of Prestige with elements from the tattooed sorcerer archetype from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Magic.

Build Classes: Wizard.

Role: Tattooed mystics develop a magic different from other wizards, but to their team they fulfill much the same role as any mage.

Alignment: Any. The personal nature of tattoo magic means many tattoo mystics are chaotic.

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills

The tattooed mystic's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

This archetype has all normal wizard class features, except as noted.

Familiar Tattoo (Su)

A tattooed mystic gains a familiar as an arcane bond, as a wizard equal to his tattooed mystic level. His tattooed mystic levels stack with any wizard or witch levels he possesses when determining the powers of his familiar—this ability does not allow him to have both a familiar and a bonded item.

Unlike most familiars, a familiar tattoo can transform itself into a tattoo that the tattooed mystic carries in his flesh. Transforming into a tattoo or back to normal familiar form is a move action for his familiar. In tattoo form, the familiar looks like a stylized version of itself, but does not count as a creature separate from the tattooed sorcerer. It continues to grant its special familiar ability, but otherwise has no abilities and can take no actions except to transform from tattoo into creature. A familiar tattoo cannot be erased or dispelled. This replaces arcane bond.

Spellbook Tattoos (Ex)

The tattooed mystic records his spellbook as tattoos, either on his own skin or on the skin another living creature. These tattoos take the form of complex glyphs and can be deciphered and copied in the normal way. They do not radiate magic or occupy any item slots or interfere with other magical tattoos. A tattoo mystic must be able to study these glyphs like a wizard studies his spell book, which requires the tattoo to be visible.

The spellbook tattoo for a particular spell can be cut away as a full-round evil action that requires the target to be helpless and inflicts 1d4 hit points of damage. Identifying the patch of skin that holds a particular spell requires a Spellcraft check (DC 15) as a separate full-round action. Such cut-away tattoos work just like pages from a spellbook.

Mystic Tattoo (Su)

A tattooed mystic inscribes ancient symbols of power on his skin to enhance his spellcasting. This replaces arcane school.

At 2nd level and every four levels thereafter, the mystic inscribes a new tattoo on his body, chosen from the list below. Mystic tattoos do not occupy magic item or tattoo slots on his own body. The mystic can select each tattoo more than once; the effects of multiple tattoos are noted in their descriptions.

Binding Trine: This triangular design allows the mystic to transform a hostile spell affecting him into a magical tattoo, similar to a reservoir tattoo. When the mystic fails a saving throw against a spell of 3rd level or lower that targets only him, he gets a chance to identify it with a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If he succeeds at this check, he can sacrifice a prepared spell of equal or higher level as an immediate action to bind the spell, suppressing its effects and suspending its duration for a number of rounds equal to his level. Only spells with a duration longer than instantaneous can be bound this way, and only one spell can be held at a time. While bound, the spell can be dispelled or removed as normal. The maximum spell level this tattoo can bind increases by 2 each time it's selected, to a maximum of 9th level.

Blistering Bands: These glowing, angular markings encircle the mystic's arms. Whenever the mystic casts an evocation spell that deals energy damage, he can spend a swift action to surround himself with an aura of that same energy until the beginning of his next turn. Creatures adjacent to the mystic when he activates the ability or that end their turns adjacent to him take 1d6 points of damage of the same energy type as the evocation spell. If the spell deals more than one type of energy damage, the mystic must choose which of those types of damage his aura deals. Selecting this tattoo additional times increases the damage dealt by 2d6, to a maximum of 7d6.

Flickering Eye: The skin beneath this stylized eye seems partially translucent and insubstantial. When the mystic spends a standard action to concentrate on an ongoing illusion effect created by one of his spells, he gains concealment (20% miss chance) until the beginning of his next turn. Effects that negate invisibility negate this miss chance. When this tattoo is chosen a second time, the miss chance increases to 50%. When it's chosen a third time, the mystic instead becomes invisible, as per the spell invisibility, until the beginning of his next turn.

Pouncing Beasts: These bestial pictographs seem poised to leap off the mystic's skin. The mystic can cast summon monster and summon nature's ally spells of up to 3rd level as a standard action, rather than a full-round action, provided all the creatures summoned enter play adjacent to him. The maximum spell level the tattoo can affect increases by 2 each time it's selected, to a maximum of 9th level.

Rune of Fangs: These jagged runes cover the mystic's face, giving him a bestial expression. While polymorphed or otherwise transformed into a form with natural attacks, the mystic gains an enhancement bonus on his attack and damage rolls equal to 1/2 his level with one natural attack, chosen when he assumes that form. Each time he selects this tattoo, he can choose one additional natural attack to apply the bonus to.

Swallowing Glyph: This ornate, shadowy glyph absorbs the souls of those the mystic slays. Any time the mystic slays a creature with a necromancy spell, he can spend a swift action to gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the spell's level. Temporary hit points gained from subsequent uses of this ability do not stack. The second time this tattoo is selected, the number of temporary hit points increases to double the spell's level. The third time it's selected, the number increases to triple the spell's level.

Twisting Script: The indistinct shapes that form this spiral tattoo twist into legible text when scrutinized. Creatures within 30 feet of the mystic that can see him are affected by his language-dependent enchantment spells, even if they do not understand the language he speaks. Creatures without a language are immune to this effect. The range of the effect increases by 30 feet each time this tattoo is selected, to a maximum of 150 feet.

Magical Tattoo Artist

At 4th level, a tattooed mystic gains Inscribe Magical Tattoo as a bonus feat. This replaces Scribe Scroll.

Skillful Tattooist (Ex)

At 8th level, as long as a tattooed mystic is using his Craft (tattoos) skill to craft magical tattoos, he can do so in half the time it would normally take. This replaces the bonus feat at level 5.

Tattoo Mastery (Ex)

At 12th level, a tattooed mystic can use his own ability score modifier and relevant feats to set the DC for spell tattoos he uses, and can use his own caster level if it is higher than that of the spell tattoo he is using (similar to a caster using a staff.) This replaces the level 10 bonus feat.

Potent Tattoos (Ex)

At 16th level, when a tattooed mystic uses his caster level to determine the DC of one the spell tattoos he uses, he does so at +1 caster level. This replaces the level 15 bonus feat.

Enduring Tattoos (Ex)

At 20th level, when a tattooed mystic activates a spell tattoo on his own body, he can expend a spell slot of the same level or higher instead of consuming the spell tattoo. The spell tattoo remains and can be used again. This replaces the level 20 bonus feat.

Table: Tattooed Mystic

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Cantrips, familiar tattoo	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Mystic tattoo	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3		4	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Magical tattoo artist	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4		4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Mystic tattoo	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5		4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Skillful tattooist	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6		4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Mystic tattoo	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7		4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Tattoo mastery	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8		4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Mystic tattoo	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9		4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Potent tattoos	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10		4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Mystic tattoo	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11		4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Enduring Tattoos	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

Summary of Lost Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Arcane Bond
• Arcane School
• Scribe Scroll
• Bonus Feats (all)

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