This appendix collects house rules, rulings, and homebrew.
The Player’s Handbook description reads:
Luck Points. You have a number of Luck Points equal to your Proficiency Bonus and can spend the points on the benefits below. You regain your expended Luck Points when you finish a Long Rest.
Advantage. When you roll a d20 for a D20 Test, you can spend 1 Luck Point to give yourself Advantage on the roll.
Disadvantage. When a creature rolls a d20 for an attack roll against you, you can spend 1 Luck Point to impose Disadvantage on that roll.
House rule: Alternatively, you can choose to spend one of your luck points after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined; or when an attack roll is made against you. Roll a d20, and then choose whether to use the original roll or the re-roll. (Adopted from 2014 PHB.)
Homebrew
Proficiency with tattooist’s tools allows you to create intricate designs on the skin of a living creature. Tattoos can be a mark of allegiance, a symbol of faith, a superstitious ward, or a personal statement.
Ability: Dexterity.
Components. Tattooist’s tools include a selection of needles, a mortar and pestle for grinding pigments, ink pots, a sterilizing agent, and clean leather rags. These are typically kept in a sturdy leather case.
Arcana. Your knowledge of intricate symbols and magical script, combined with your artistic skill, can help you discern magical properties within a tattoo or identify ancient runic etchings.
History. Your knowledge of tattoos allows you to recognize traditional designs, from the markings of a remote tribe to the intricate scrollwork favored by an ancient magical order. You can identify the approximate origin or cultural significance of a tattoo.
Insight. Examining someone’s tattoos can reveal much about their background, affiliations, and personal history. You can often determine gang memberships, military service, religious devotions, or important life events from their ink.
Deception. You can create temporary tattoos or modify existing ones to help establish a false identity or allegiance, though such work fades after several days.
Medicine. Your understanding of skin, healing, and infection prevention grants you additional insight when treating wounds or skin conditions. You can use this knowledge to effectively clean and bind a wound, granting advantage on any Wisdom (Medicine) check made to stabilize a dying creature.
Apply Tattoo. You can apply a tattoo to a willing creature. The complexity and size of the tattoo determine the time and DC of the check. A successful check means the tattoo is applied cleanly and safely; a failed check might result in a poorly drawn tattoo, scarring, or a minor infection. A simple tattoo (DC 10) might take 1 to 2 hours, while an intricate or large design (DC 15+) could take 4 to 8 hours or more.
| Activity | DC |
|---|---|
| Identify a common tattoo’s meaning or origin | 10 |
| Create a simple, artistic tattoo | 10 |
| Cover or modify an existing tattoo | 15 |
| Create a temporary tattoo for disguise | 15 |
| Discern that a tattoo is fake or altered | 15 |
| Inscribe a hidden message within a tattoo | 20 |
| Perfectly replicate a complex tattoo | 20 |
Wondrous item (tattoo), rarity varies
Source: Homebrew, adopted from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Blending magic and artistry with ink and needles, magic tattoos imbue their bearers with wondrous abilities. The creation of a magic tattoo is a rare art, typically accomplished in one of two ways.
The first method involves binding the magic to the tool itself, creating a magic needle. This enchanted item holds the tattoo’s power latent within it, ready to be transferred. Anyone can then use this needle to inscribe the design and release its magic into a creature’s skin.
The second method requires a direct conduit of power. A warlock, using a mundane needle and ink prepared from powdered gems, can channel their patron’s energy through the tool as they work, infusing the ink with their pact magic as it is set into the flesh.
Once inscribed on a creature’s body, damage or injury doesn’t impair the tattoo’s function, even if the tattoo is defaced. When applying a magic tattoo, a creature can customize the tattoo’s appearance. A magic tattoo can look like a brand, scarification, a birthmark, patterns of scales, or any other cosmetic alteration.
Wondrous item (tattoo), rarity varies
Source: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, House Rule
Inscribed by a warlock who channels their patron’s power through a needle and specially prepared ink, this tattoo contains a single spell of up to 5th level. The warlock infuses the ink with otherworldly energy as they create the design directly on a creature’s skin. The tattoo’s appearance often reflects the nature of the patron who empowered it— fiery lines for a Fiend, twisting patterns for a Great Old One, or thorny vines for an Archfey.
Once the tattoo is on a creature’s skin, the creature can cast its spell, requiring no material components. The tattoo glows with an otherworldly light while the creature casts the spell and for the spell’s duration. Once the spell ends, the tattoo vanishes from the creature’s skin.
The level of the spell in the tattoo determines the spell’s saving throw DC, attack bonus, spellcasting ability modifier, and the tattoo’s rarity, as shown in the Eldritch Tattoo table.
| Spell Level | Rarity | Spellcasting Ability Mod. | Save DC | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantrip | Common | +3 | 13 | +5 |
| 1st | Common | +3 | 13 | +5 |
| 2nd | Uncommon | +3 | 13 | +5 |
| 3rd | Uncommon | +4 | 15 | +7 |
| 4th | Rare | +4 | 15 | +7 |
| 5th | Rare | +5 | 17 | +9 |
The rarer a magic tattoo is, the more space it typically occupies on a creature’s skin. The Magic Tattoo Coverage table offers guidelines for how large a given tattoo is.
| Tattoo Rarity | Area Covered |
|---|---|
| Common | One hand or foot or a quarter of a limb |
| Uncommon | Half a limb or the scalp |
| Rare | One limb |
| Very Rare | Two limbs or the chest or upper back |
| Legendary | Two limbs and the torso |
Source: Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, House Rule
We use the rules for crafting spell scrolls with modifications:
To craft an Eldritch Tattoo, you and any assistants must have proficiency in the Arcana skill. You must be proficient with Tattooist’s Tools and use them to create the tattoo. Any assistants must also have proficiency.
A spellcaster can transfer a spell onto a willing creature’s skin and create an Eldritch Tattoo, using the rules below.
Time and Cost. Creating a tattoo takes an amount of time and money based on the level of the spell, as shown in the Eldritch Tattoo Costs table. For each day of inscription, you must work for 8 hours. If a tattoo requires multiple days, those days needn’t be consecutive.
Prerequisites for the Tattooist. To create a tattoo, you must have proficiency in the Arcana skill and with Tattooist’s Tools and have the spell prepared on each day of the inscription. You must also have at hand any Material components required by the spell; if the spell consumes its Material components, they are consumed only when you complete the tattoo. The tattoo’s spell uses your spell save DC and spell attack bonus.
Cantrips. If the tattooed spell is a cantrip, the version on the tattoo works as if the caster were your level.
| Spell Level | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cantrip | 1 day | 15 GP |
| 1 | 1 day | 25 GP |
| 2 | 3 days | 100 GP |
| 3 | 5 days | 150 GP |
| 4 | 10 days | 1,000 GP |
| 5 | 25 days | 1,500 GP |