Wizard: Living Spellbook Arcane Tradition

by Navermil

Search GM Binder Visit User Profile

Arcane Tradition:
Order of Tattooists
Created by: u/navotj
Art by: Midjourney
Version: 1.1.0

Order of Tattooists


Everyone knows that a wizard and his spellbook are inseparable, however some wizards choose to take this saying more literally than others, going as far as turning their own bodies into a spellbook by tattooing spell formulas on their own skin, becoming a living spellbook.


Arcane Needle

2nd-level Order of Tattooists feature
You have learned how to inscribe spells in your own skin, allowing yourself to always be prepared and never be without your spellbook.

As a bonus action, you can magically create a Tiny needle in your free hand. The magic needle has the following properties:

  • The needle doesn't require ink. When you tattoo with it, it produces ink in a color of your choice on the skin.

  • Instead of copying spells into a spellbook, you can copy them onto your skin, using your own body as a spellbook.

  • You can use an action to hide or unhide any of your tattoos, turning them invisible or visible.

The needle disappears if you create another one or if you die

Arcane Conduit

2nd-level Order of Tattooists feature
By using your own body to store spells, you become closer to the weave, granting you the following benefits:

  • You can use a free hand as a spellcasting focus.

  • You gain the benefits of the detect magic spell with a range of 5 times your proficiency bonus in feet.

  • When you cast a spell that is inscribed on your body, you can choose to overcharge the spell tattoo, casting the spell as if it was 1 level higher than the expended spell slot. You can upcast a spell in this way a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses at the end of long rest. When you upcast a spell in this way you can't cast that spell again until you finish a long rest.

Temporary Spell Tattoo

6th-level Order of Tattooists feature
You learn how to store spells not just in your skin, but also that of those around you.

As a 10 minute ritual, you can expend a spell slot to inscribe a spell that you have prepared onto a friendly creature that you can touch, granting them the ability to cast the spell themselves at the expended spell level, using your spell attack bonus and save DC.

The spell must have a casting time of 1 action or lower, require no concentration, and the spell slot must be of 3rd level or lower.

The temporary spell tattoo lasts until you finish a long rest, until the creature casts the inscribed spell, or until you inscribe a new spell tattoo onto the same creature.

You can inscribe a temporary spell tattoo a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Absorb Magic

10th-level Order of Tattooists feature
Having used your body as a spellbook and a spellcast focus, you become closer to the weave, able to absorb external magic to empower yourself.

As a reaction which you can take before you roll a save against a damaging magical effect, you can attempt to absorb part of the effect, causing you to take half damage on a failure, or no damage on a success.

On a successful save, the first time you cast a damaging spell on your next turn, that spell deals an additional 2d8 damage of the triggering damage type.

Alternatively, on a successful save against a spell, instead of increasing the damage of your next spell you can restore a spell slot of a level equal to half that of the original spell.

Once you use this feature you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Emboldened Tattoos

14th-level Order of Tattooists feature
You become able to focus your efforts to embolden some of the spells you have inscribed on your skin in order to have their magic constantly flow through you.

Choose a number of spells of 3rd level or lower that you can cast on yourself, require no concentration, have a duration of 1 minute or longer, and have a combined level of 5 or lower. You gain the benefit of all these spells indefinitely, affecting only you even if they normally affect more than 1 creature.

As part of a long rest, you can use 1000 gold pieces worth of magical inks and tattoos to choose different spells to embolden, losing the effects of the previous ones.


(Compatible spells:
1st: Comprehend Languages, Disguise Self, Feather Fall, Longstrider, Mage Armor, Jump
2nd: Air Bubble, Darkvision, Nystul's Magic Aura, See Invisibility, Borrowed Knowledge
3rd: Blink, Nondetection, Speak with Dead, Tongues, Water Breathing)