[FOCI]
Worlds Numberless and Strange
Your enchanted heritage is etched upon you. Studying strange formulas, mystic runes, and magical glyphs to learn spells is one thing. Making spells truly a part of you is another, but that’s exactly what you do when you apply magical inks to create intricate spell tattoos across your body. Each tattoo you inscribe on yourself is not merely a design, but the keystone of a spell, giving you the ability to cast it at will. Because your tattoos are magical, you can continually add to those you’ve already accumulated without ruining the designs, allowing your mastery over magic to grow.
You often wear clothing that bares your arms and perhaps other parts of your body to expose your tattoos, so that others know you for a caster of spells.
Paradoxes and spinners often choose this focus.
If you have access to the Casts Spells focus in the character options book In Translation, you can substitute a spell from that focus when you advance in Inks Spells on Skin, or vice versa. Alternatively, the spells described in Casts Spells might serve as additional spells you can tattoo on your skin, if you can track them down and learn to inscribe them. Additionally, the GM may allow you to learn spells out of an artifact spellbook, if you find one.
A caster who Inks Spells on Skin doesn’t normally require the spellcasting aids that wizards of other traditions sometimes use. However, rumors suggest that one who uses her own blood to cast a spell could increase its power—at the risk of her soul.
Special ink and needle quill for inscribing tattoos, staff (light or medium weapon), a slab of basalt carved with strange glyphs, and 30 gold coins.
If you perform revisions or twists, you do so as spells you invoke, which involve an arcane gesture or two, a few mystical words, and possibly a pinch of dust or other material. (Your revisions and twists appear as spells codified in your spellbook.) This alteration changes nothing except how you trigger the effects.
A caster who Inks Spells on Skin compiles every spell she knows as tattoos on her body. However, she can cast only a subset of those spells—her “readied” spells—at any given time. For instance, though she has two spell tattoos at first tier, she can cast only the readied one; the other is merely an interesting design unless she changes out the readied spell with a different one of the same tier inked on her body. To switch out readied spells, the caster spends one minute in meditation, after which time one readied spell is changed. A caster can vary her spell selection up to twice per day, immediately after a one-hour or ten-hour recovery roll.
Your spell marks the target’s forehead with a glowing glyph of your choice for one hour.
Your spell marks the target’s forehead with a glowing glyph of your choice for one day.
You ink two spells onto your body. Choose one of the following spells as your readied spell for tier 1.
Poison visibly suffuses the flesh of the creature you touch, inflicting a minor wound (3 points) that ignore Armor and rendering the creature unable to move on its next action.
For the next ten minutes, a creature within immediate range can move an additional short distance each round when it moves. A normal creature affected by this spell could both move a short distance and take an action on its turn.
Action to initiate.
You ink two additional spells onto your skin. Choose one of the following spells as your readied spell for tier 2.
For the next ten minutes, light drains from an area within long range that is no bigger than an immediate distance in diameter. Light cannot enter the area of eclipse, and creatures that normally can see in the dark cannot see in the area. If you cast Eclipse on an object, the effect moves with the object and could be temporarily suppressed if the object is enclosed in wrapping or a container.
Action to initiate.
A level 1 creature in immediate range does as you suggest on its next action (but will not follow suggestions to harm itself or its allies). Instead of applying Effort to decrease the difficulty, you can apply Effort to increase the maximum level of the target. Thus, to suggest a course of action to a level 5 target (four levels above the normal limit), you must apply four levels of Effort.
You ink two additional spells onto your skin. Choose one of the following spells as your readied spell for tier 3.
You release a stroke of lightning, which travels in a relatively straight line for a long distance, inflicting a moderate wound (4 points) on all targets standing along that line (it’s hard to line up more than two targets when only a handful of foes are present). Effort applied to one attack counts for all attacks against targets along the line. If an attack misses, a target along the line still takes a minor wound (1 point) . Objects along the line that conduct electricity may retain a residual charge.
You or a willing target you touch, along with all carried equipment, is transformed into a colorless mist for up to one hour. Someone transformed to mist can flow in any direction, including upward, an immediate distance each round (even against a strong wind), penetrate any area that isn’t hermetically sealed, and enjoy immunity to mundane physical attacks. Someone transformed to mist cannot speak, interact with objects or carried equipment, or use special abilities. If you begin falling a short or longer distance, you can invoke Mist Flesh quickly enough to avoid striking the bottom (shorter falls do not provide enough time).
Action to initiate.
You ink two additional spells onto your skin. Choose one of the following spells as your readied spell for tier 4.
You and every target you designate within immediate range gains +5 to Armor against direct damage from one type of elemental damage (such as fire, lightning, shadow, or thorn) for one hour, or until you cast this spell again. Each level of Effort applied increases the elemental protection by 2.
Action to initiate.
A creature in short range collapses and is unable to move or take actions for one round. The target must be level 3 or lower. Instead of applying Effort to decrease the difficulty, you can apply Effort to increase the maximum level of the target. Thus, to incapacitate a level 5 target (two levels above the normal limit), you must apply two levels of Effort.
You ink two additional spells onto your skin. Choose one of the following spells as your readied spell for tier 5.
You create a level 6 granite wall within short range. The wall is 1 foot (30 cm) thick and up to 20 feet by 20 feet (6 m by 6 m) in size. It appears resting on a solid foundation and lasts for about ten hours. If you apply three levels of Effort, the wall is permanent until destroyed naturally.
Action to initiate.
You create a simple opening in a level 5 or lower barrier of wood, stone, metal, or other solid substance, which persists for an hour. The opening is no more than an immediate distance across, and it extends up to a short distance through the material. When the effect ends, the barrier returns to its original condition, and anyone using the doorway is swept back to the entrance. For each level of Effort you apply, you can increase the level of the barrier by 1.
Action to initiate.
You ink two additional spells onto your skin. Choose one of the following spells as your readied spell for tier 6.
A target within short range is turned to stone. You can incant this spell in reverse to turn a magically petrified target back into flesh. In either case, the target must be level 3 or lower. Instead of applying Effort to increase the maximum level of the target. Thus, to petrify a level 6 target (three levels above the normal limit), you must apply three levels of Effort.
A chain demon appears within immediate range, plucked from Abysm of the Sword Realms. If you applied a level of Effort as part of the summoning, the demon is amenable to your instructions; otherwise, it acts according to its nature. The demon persists for up to one minute before returning to its nether realm.
GM Intrusions: You lose your spellbook. The spell’s area includes an ally. The spell reflects back on you.