Tattooist (5e Class)

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Tattooist

A Tattooist is a class that is similar to a monk but with more diversity. It is based on both the official Monk class and on the other homebrew classes on dndwiki(Tattoo Mystic, Ink Master, Ink Summoner And Elemental Dancer).

A Way Of Life

A Tattooist is an individual who has magical tattoos on their body and can use these in different ways. These tattoos can be runes (which may cause different abilities depending on the magic imbued into them), moving tattoos that can change shape and position at will, or even tattoos that can go out of the body and manifest into the world (as a weapon like a spear or as an ink companion). The magic is determined by what composes the ink and original shape of the symbol. Many gain these tattoos via cults, religious orders, or by self-studying.

Creating a Tattooist

When creating a Tattooist, think about how your character obtained their tattoos. Did they gain them by undergoing an initiation of religious nature? Did they study the magic certain symbols can create and imbue it into their own skin? Are their tattoos a mark of ownership or obligation to a greater or evil being? It is important to establish why your character has their tattoos.

Quick Build

You can make a Tattooist quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength. Second, choose the Mystic background.

Class Features

As a Tattoist you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Tattoist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Tattoist level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: none
Weapons: Simple, shortsword
Tools: tattooist tools, calligrapher’s tools
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Strength
Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Athletics, Arcana, History, Investigation, Religion, Stealth, Perception

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) Simple weapon or (b) shortsword
• (a) Explorer's Pack or (b) Scholar's Pack
• (a) tattooist tools or (b) caligrapher's tools

Table: The Tattoist

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Imbued With Ink	Ink Points	Features
1st	+2	1d4	0	Ink Manifest, Stronger Than Steel, Imbued With Ink, Intelligent Design
2nd	+2	1d4	2	Tattoo Technique
3rd	+2	1d4	3	Ink Type, Unexpected Weapons
4th	+2	1d4	3	Ability Score Improvement, Deflect Missiles
5th	+3	1d6	3	Extra attack, Tattoo Adiction
6th	+3	1d6	4	Gravity Tattoo, Ink Surge
7th	+3	1d6	4	Magic Imbued Strikes, Magic Absorption
8th	+3	1d6	4	Ability Score Improvement, Flowing Through Magic, Tattoo Reputation
9th	+4	1d6	4	Hard As Metal, Ink Absorption
10th	+4	1d6	4	Heart Tattoo, Specialization Ability
11th	+4	1d8	5	Skin Burster
12th	+4	1d8	5	Ability Score Improvement, Unblocked Flow
13th	+5	1d8	5	Tongue And Ear Tattoo
14th	+5	1d8	5	Harmony
15th	+5	1d8	5	Magic Infused Body
16th	+5	1d8	6	Ability Score Improvement, Inkwell
17th	+6	1d10	6	Spirited Away
18th	+6	1d10	6	Inkest Night
19th	+6	1d10	6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	1d10	7	One With The Ink

Intelligent Design

The tattoos etched on you are drawn with your intellect of many subjects and they imbue your body's movements with their style. When you make a Dexterity saving throw, you may instead treat it as an Intelligence saving throw.

Imbued With Ink

Mystic tattoos allows magic to flow through your body. You can use this ability’s damage in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or other weapon. You have profiency in unarmed strike. Your modifier to hit is your Proficiency Bonus + your Strength mod. On a hit, you deal 1 + your Strength Modifier of Bludgeoning Damage, and 1d4 + your Intelligence modifier of Force Damage. This die changes as you gain levels, as shown in the Imbued With Ink column of the Tattooist table.

Stronger Than Steel

The care with which your tattoos were created improves your skin resistance. While you are not wearing armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals to 11 + your Strength modifier + your Intelligence modifier.

Ink Manifest

You can manifest your tattoos in a form that best showcases your art of ink. The vibrant rivulets on your skin come to life with limber movement and your body starts to flow in equal motion. Starting 1st level, you may manifest your ink with a bonus action. While in manifestation, you gain the following benefits:
• You have advantage on all Strength saving throws and checks.
• You can Dash or Disengage as a bonus action.
• When you use the Attack action with a weapon which in you possesses proficiency on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if you take the Attack action and attack with a quarterstaff, you can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven’t already taken a bonus action this turn.
Your manifestation lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious. You can also end your manifestation on your turn as a bonus action. Once you have manifested the maximum number of times allowed, you must finish a short or long rest before you can manifest ink again. You may manifest a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence mod.

Tattoos Techniques

Starting at level 2, you learn to harness the power of your tattoos in a more direct way. You learn 2 tattoo techniques from the following list. To activate these techniques you must spend Ink Points. You regain ink points by taking a long or short rest. The number of Ink points your Character has is listed in the Ink Points Column in the Tattooist Column. You gain an additional tattoo technique, represented by a new tattoo at 5th Level, 9th Level, 13th Level, and 17th Level. You automatically add the tattoo to yourself if you still have tattooist tools. You can choose the size and localization of the new tattoo (except from the back localization).

• Dizzying Pattern-When a creature attacks you, you may use a Reaction to expend 1 Ink Point to make your tattoos move in a disorienting way on your skin, imposing disadvantage on any creature who attacks you until the triggering creature's next turn. Creatures with the Blinded Condition and creatures with Blind Sight, and True sight are immune to this effect.

• Saving Symbol- When you are forced to make a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution Saving Throw, you may expend 1 Ink point to allow mystic energy to enhance your body, allowing you to add your Imbued With Ink die + Your Intelligence Modifier to the Roll.

• Illusion Ink- As an action, you may use 2 ink points to make an illusion to change your appearance for 1 hour. The illusion must be of a humanoid of the same size category. A creature may attempt to see through the illusion my making an Investigation Check against the following DC. DC = 8 + Your Proficiency Bonus + Your Intelligence Modifier. On a success, the illusion has no effect on the creature and disappears for them only.

• Hidden Design- As a bonus action, you may use 1 ink point to change the colors and size of your tattoos to match your surroundings. You immediately make a free stealth check with advantage. Once stealth is broken, the effect is lost.

• Martial Pattern- You may use 1 ink point to enhance your combat prowess for 1 attack action. Add your Intelligence Modifier to your unarmed strike attack roll. On a hit, Deal your Imbued with Ink Die + Strength Modifier of Bludgeoning Damage, and your Imbued with Ink Die + Intelligence Modifier of Force Damage; instead of your normal damage. On a miss, deal your Imbued with Ink Die of Force Damage with no modifier. When you gain the Extra Attack feature, apply these bonuses for both Attacks.

• Ink Bind- When you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you may expend 2 Ink points to cause tattooed chains to appear on the target's skin. The creature must make a Strength saving throw of DC 8 + Your Proficiency Bonus + Your Intelligence Modifier. On a fail, the target suffers the restrained condition. On a Success, the tattoo chains disappear and the effect disappears. The Saving throw repeats at the end of each of target's turns.

• Tough Tattoo- As a bonus action, you may use ink points to make you tattoos hard and metalic. Increase your AC by the number of Ink points you choose to use. While this ability is in effect, creatures with an Intelligence less than 10 automatically target you in combat. This effect last until your next turn.

• Artistic Ability - You may choose to expend an inkpoint to enhance your skill. Add your Intelligence Mod to any Non-Intelligence based, ability check.

Ink Type

At 3rd level, you chose a Ink Type. Choose between Primordial Ink, Summon Ink and Motion Ink, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at level 3 and again at level 7, 10, 15 and 18th level.

Unexpected Weaponery

Beginning at 3rd level, when you use your bonus action to make an unarmed strike (as described in Ink Manifest), you can use one of your tattoos to strike again (by creating a pair of astral arms or by using the ink of your tattoos as a spear-like weapon). This allow you to do a double bonus action strike.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Deflect Missiles

When you reach 4th level, you can use your reaction to absorb the kinetic force of the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Strength modifier + your tattooist level. If you reduce the damage to 0 and if you have at least one hand free, you can spend 1 Ink point to make a ranged attack using the kinetic energy of the weapon as a projectile, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency and the kinetic missile has a normal range of 9 meters and a long range of 20 meters, and the missile counts as unarmed strike for the attack and damage roll.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you use the same tattoo in Unexpected Weaponery and improve it. You now can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn and you still benefit from the double bonus action attack from Unexpected Weapons.

Tattoo Tradition

A tattoo to you is not just a symbol or artistic statement. It is a part of you, lending you its essence, boosting your own power. You can now have more tattoos by following the rules here https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Tattoos_(5e_Variant_Rule) with only a few exceptions that only apply to you:

• You are yourself a master tattoo artist and you can apply tattoos to yourself as long as it’s not on your back
• You take half the time to apply a tattoo
• You have advantage when you roll your constitution saving throw to resist disease
• You have advantage when you roll an Arcana check to identify a magical tattoo
• You possess one of each Ink and Specialty Ink
• You have a 50% discount to any Ink you will buy thanks to your business relations in the field
• You can apply 2 tattoos at a time instead of one

Gravity Tattoo

Beginning at 6th level, you learn to use your tattoos in a new ways. You can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your tattooist level. You can also use your reaction to increase gravity around an enemy when it makes a movement, forcing it to make a DC 13 Constitution save throw. If it fails, his movement range is divided by 3. If it succeeds, nothing happens. This ability has a range of 9 meters and you need to see the enemy.

Ink Surge

Starting 6th level, when you use your Ink Manifest, you additionally bulk your body with a random tattoo pattern that materializes from the ink on your body. Roll a d8 for the duration of your manifestation. You have one of the following effects depending on your roll:

d8	Surge
1	Your muscles bulge and you feel a surge of strength course through you from your tats. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. Additionally, you gain advantage in Strength (Athletics) checks and Strength saving throws until the end of your manifestation.
2	The wind of swiftness forms on your skin and makes you feel lighter. Your movement speed increases to 17 meters until the end of your manifestation.
3	A pair of inked wings appear on your back and grant you a flying speed of 10 meters until the end of your manifestation.
4	A guarding ink appears all over your body. Until the end of your manifestation, you gain a +3 bonus to AC.
5	Fuselines circle your skin and make you dangerous to hit until the end of your manifestation. Whenever a creature within 10 meters of you hits you with an attack, that creature takes force damage equal to your Wisdom or Intelligence modifier, whichever is higher.
6	The ink on your body issues out a slick material that makes you more elusive. You may use your Intelligence modifier to make checks resisting grapples, and opportunity attacks roll with disadvantage against you until the end of your manifestation.
7	A myriad of inked eyes appear on your body and allow for your sight to be enhanced. You have advantage in Wisdom (Perception) checks until the end of your manifestation. Additionally, you can no longer be surprised while you are not incapacitated or unconscious.
8	Voids appear in dark swirls of ink on your body, swallowing whatever harm comes to you. When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to absorb 1d10 + Intelligence Modifier of the damage taken. On your next turn, as a bonus action, you may consume said damage absorbed into becoming Temporary Hit Points for as long as you have the surge active.

Magic-imbued Strikes

Starting at 7th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Magic Absorption

Starting at 7th level, the attunement of your tattoos with magic lets your body absorb magical area of effects attacks, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Flowing Trough Magic

Starting at 8th level, your tattoos are now constantly channeling out negative magic out of your mind. You can now use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.

Tattoo Reputation

Tattoos have a bit of power in the social realm, sending signals to others based on the connotation. Your knowledge of these connotations go into the thought you have when negotiating, and this shows on your unarmored ink. Starting 8th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier to any Charisma (Persuasion) or (Intimidation) check you make.

Hard As Metal

Starting at level 9, you can use your tattoos to strengthen your skin, rendering it as strong as metal. Once per combat, you can use your bonus action to gain 1d10 + Intelligence modifier + proficiency bonus temporary hit points.

Ink Absorb

Starting 9th level, you become so entwined with ink in your being that it can even restore you if you absorb texts and their scripted essence, or just ink. As an action, you may absorb the essences of a source of ink you are touching. For every 2 grams, or 600 filled pages of text, of ink you consume, you regain hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier. If you regain over your maximum, you instead gain temporary hit points that last until the end of your next long rest.

Heart Tattoo

At 10th level, you focus while meditating and you manage to magically tattoo your heart, making it able to remove any substance that you want from you blood system. You are now immune to disease, poison and getting drunk (but only if you wish so).

Skin Burster

Starting 11th level, the ink within your skin is so virulent and apt to attack those who strike at you that it will burst from your own body in defense of you. When you fail a saving throw while you are manifesting, you can use your reaction to half any damage you take as a result.

Unblocked Flow

Your intelligent designs mix and empower your body to give you an astounding potency. The ink flows seamlessly between body and mind, making a perfect harmony within you. Starting 12th level, you are immune to being paralyzed or stunned. You have advantage in saving throws against being knocked prone or moved against your will.

Tongue And Ear Tattoo

Starting at 13th level, you create a special tattoo that you put on your tongue and below your ears. Theses tattoos allow you to understand and speak all spoken languages. However, any creature that can understand a language can understand what you say.

Harmony

Beginning at 14th level, your mastery of all of your tattoos grants you proficiency in all saving throws. Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 Ink point to reroll it and take the second result.

Magic-infused Body

At 15th level, your body is so infused with magic from your tattoos that it slows down your aging and takes care of your bodily needs. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year, and you cannot be aged magically. In addition, you no longer need food or water.

Inkwell

Starting 16th level, the ink that attunes your body with powers is elevated to that which connects you to powers of the universe. You have advantage in Intelligence saving throws while you are manifesting.

Spirited Away

At 17th level, your tattoos allow you to be closer to the astral plane. You can use an action to spend 4 Ink points to physically voyage into the astral plane. Nobody can see you from the mortal world but you can see everything in both the astral and mortal world. You can move through objects and you are not bound to any physical restrictions. You can stay 1 hour in this state before you are forced to return. You can only use this ability once per long rest.

One With The Ink

At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have no Ink points remaining, you regain 4 Ink points. Also, you can reroll once every time you roll a Surge dice.

Ink Type : Primordial Ink

You have absorbed samples of each primordial element and you can now infuse your tattoos with it.

Elemental Form

You magically infuse your tattoos with one elemental energy. However, you still cannot control so much different primordial energy at a time, so every time you roll Initiative, you will also roll a d6 to determine which element will activate for the fight. When an elemental form is active, your tattoos glow in the element’s color, emitting bright light in a 3 meters radius and dim light for an additional 3 meters. You also gain disadvantage in Stealth checks while an elemental form is active. You can end the Elemental Form with a bonus action but cannot activate another elemental form while in combat. Your training being still ineffective, you cannot use your elemental form outside of combat:

d6	Element
1	Fire
2	Ice/Water
3	Wind
4	Earth
5	Radiant
6	Necrotic

Once the combat ends, you lose all your adrenaline and you end your elemental form.

Elemental Attack

At level 3, every time you do an unarmed strike, your damage is converted into the corresponding element type of your active elemental form. Also, you can add different effects to your unarmed strike depending on which element is active in your tattoos:

• Fire: Every time you successfully hit a creature, add one flame counter to that creature. At the start of the creature’s turn, it takes fire damage equal to the number of flame counters on it. These flame counters can be removed as an action
• Ice/Water: Every time you successfully hit a creature, you slow that creature by 1 meter per hit for one turn. Creatures that have their speed reduced to zero become immobilized. Immobilized creatures cannot take actions.
• Wind: Every time you successfully hit a creature, you gain a wind counter. You gain 1 meter of movement speed for each wind counter. These wind counters decay after 10 minutes.
• Earth: Every time you successfully hit a creature, you gain 1 earth counter. As a reaction you can expend any number of earth counters to gain a bonus to AC for one turn equal to half the number spent rounded down. You cannot increase your AC over 30.
• Radiant: Every time you successfully hit a creature, you or an ally regains hit points equal to twice your Imbued With Ink Dice (2d4 at level 3, increases with level).
• Necrotic: Every time you successfully hit a creature, you deal additional damage equal to your intelligence mod and prevent healing until your next turn.

Improved Elemental Form

At level 7, you can now use and choose an elemental form outside of combat but only while there is no danger and you are able to focus/concentrate. If your concentration is interrupted or you enter combat, you instantly quit your elemental form before you roll your Initiative. Your focus needs improving so you are still not able to choose an elemental form while in combat. Also, depending on which elemental form you are in, you gain different bonuses:

• Fire: You gain the ability to create a small harmless fireball that hovers within 2 meters of you with a bonus action. It casts 20 meter of light from its location and shines through magical darkness. The fireball lasts as long as you wish and you stay in your fire form.
• Ice/Water: You way walk across surfaces of water
• Wind: You no longer need to breathe
• Earth: You gain + 1 AC
• Radiant: You can cast cure wounds a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier before you have to finish a long rest.
• Necrotic: You gain Darkvision 20 meters.

Avatar

At level 10, you now have enough experience with elemental tattoos to choose which element you activate (you don't roll the 1d6 from the Elemental Form ability) and you can maintain your elemental form outside of combat even when you are not focused.

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Ink Type : Summon Ink

You are known for your ability to summon certain creatures from the tattoos inscribed upon your body, using these summons to fight battles and aid in any situation.

Ink Calling

You can call out the creature living within the ink. As an action, you call upon the ink on your body and summon forth something of the image which it depicts. There are various callings that can come from one tattoo. You have 3 tattoos of your choice from the table which you can call from. These are not simple, small tattoos. They are laboriously made and quite large, enough to cover from an arm up to the neck. To add more tattoos, you must spend a number of days, equal to the highest CR calling of that tattoo, etching and inking the pattern on yourself. You must also expend Xd10 gp to properly infuse the tattoo with the summoning ability, where X is equal to twice the amount of days it took you to ink yourself. Your calling acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. When the calling drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, collapsing into a puddle of ink. While your calling is on the same plane of existence as you, you can communicate with it telepathically. As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your calling. It disappears back into your tattoo, where it can be resummoned. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action, while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 10 meters of you. You can't have more than one calling at a time. You can instead cause it to adopt a new form within the same tattoo category. To change tattoos, you must dispel the current calling and summon another. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining use upon finishing a short or long rest.

Tattoo	Callings
Tiger	cat, panther, lion, tiger, saber-toothed tiger
Snakes	poisonous snake, giant constrictor snake, swarm of poisonous snakes
Hawk	bat, hawk, owl, raven, axe beak, pteranodon, harpy
Fish	dolphin, quipper, hunter shark
Dragon	pseudodragon, hippogriff, any dragon wyrmling up to CR2
Wolf	wolf, mastiff, dire wolf, blink dog, death dog
Spider	spider, giant spider, phase spider
Bull	elk, camel, rhinoceros, cow, aurochs
Ape	ape, homunculus
Horse	warhorse, riding horse, mule
Bear	brown bear, black bear, polar bear
Insects	scorpion, giant centipede, giant crab, stirge
Skull	skeleton, zombie, ghoul, specter, minotaur skeleton
Demon	imp, dretch, grick, lemure
Elements	gargoyle, Any mephit up to CR2
Plants	dryad, violet fungus
Weapons	flying sword

Ink Parasite

Your ink mastery allows you to put one of your tattoo into another knocked creature if you touch it. This tattoo is a tattoo parasite that will hide himself somewhere on the skin of the victim. The parasite will allow you to know the exact location of the victim, wherever they are as long as it is in the same plane. The parasite will slowly lose its ink and it will disappear completely after 48 hours, losing its effect. You can use this ability only once per long rest and you have to use Ink supplies to recreate the parasite tattoo on your body.

Attune Ink

If you see something new, you can add that to your ink repertoire. Starting 7th level, you can now etch tattoos of creatures that are not listed in the above callings. They must be of CR3 or lower.

Ink Drinker

Starting 10th level, when you use your Ink Absorb feature, you regain one use of your Ink Calling.

Summon Manifestation

Starting at 15th level, when you permanently dispel your Ink Calling, you may enter into your Ink Manifest with no further action required. This does not count toward your total uses of manifestations.

Inkest Night

At level 18, you may, ONLY at night, use the fighter action surge. you can use this once per short or long rest.

Ink Type : Motion Ink

Your tattoos take the form of beast parts like wings, claws, teeth and tails. You can use these tattoos and manifest into the world beast parts, gaining wings of a giant eagle, claws of brown bears and tails of lizards.

Owl's Wings

Starting at level 3, as a bonus action, one of your back tattoos takes the shape of wings; feathered wings then sprout from your back. These wings allow you to fly at your walking speed for 10 minutes. You can use this ability per long rest a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier. While flying in combat, as an action, you can dive down into a creature at flying speed range, dealing 1d8 + Strength modifier. At level 10th, 17th, you add 1d8 to the damage.

Eagle Eye

Starting at level 3, you gain tattoos behind your eyelids. These tattoos allow you to gain True Sight 20 meters every time you close your eyes.

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