Wild Shape and tattoos

[scott2978]

So, if a druid wild shapes into a bear and gets a magic tattoo while in the form of a bear...

1. What happens to the tattoo when she reverts to her natural form?
Is the tattoo still there? Does it function?

2. What happens when she wild shapes into a bear again?
Is the tattoo still there? Does it function?

 

[Loonook]

So, if a druid wild shapes into a bear and gets a magic tattoo while in the form of a bear...

1. What happens to the tattoo when she reverts to her natural form?
Is the tattoo still there? Does it function?

2. What happens when she wild shapes into a bear again?
Is the tattoo still there? Does it function?

Don't see a reason why the tattoo would not remain in some form between the two. Also, it would be very embarrassing to explain the new tattoo to all of your buddies depending on where it was drawn on the bear in relationship to the humanoid body you would change back into...

I mean, a Dragonmark tramp stamp is still a tramp stamp

Slainte,

-Loonook.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

That dancing girl on your arm will look utterly bizarre when you change into a bat.

Could be worse...you could have a tat like Kelsey Grammer's sub commander character in Down Periscope...

 

[Empath Negative]

I dont know that you would keep said tattoo.

When you wildshape you are healed. This leads us to belue e new flesh is created rather than a simple transformation. What percentage of new flesh is created is open to speculation but a tattoo formed on bear flesh that reverts to a human shape is unlikely to be "all there". That excess bear flesh fades away (in the same vein the excess flesh was originally created). Hence you would end with onky a partually formed (and therefore nonfunctional) magic tattoo.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

It's a tattoo....
...that's magical.

it works however the DM decides. I don't think there is a clear RAW on this. Does there exsit any rules for what happens to a Druid's equipment in animal form upon reverting back to humanoid?

 

[kitcik]

Don't pass out drunk on the forest floor.

You might wake up with your butt fur shaved and a tattoo of a satyr.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

It's a tattoo....
...that's magical.

it works however the DM decides. I don't think there is a clear RAW on this. Does there exsit any rules for what happens to a Druid's equipment in animal form upon reverting back to humanoid?

The SRD says...

Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the druid reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land at the druid's feet.

How that interacts with a tattoo is anybody's guess. If I were running the game, I would be tempted to have the tattoo become non-functional in the original form, and functional in bear (and only bear) form.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

The SRD says...

"Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the druid reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land at the druid's feet."

When I read, "Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional." by itself, I'd figure this would go both ways, from humanoid to animal, AND animal to humanoid.

However, the following line, "When the druid reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional." Implies only the one-way change from humanoid to animal involves gear melding, and the change back returns the gear.

No mention of putting gear on in animal form and what happens when they change back.

Absolutely no mention of ink under the skin.

If I was DMing, I'd allow it, just for being creative.

 

[Sekhmet]

You're trading in your human/bear skin for bear/human skin.
Tattoos seem to be irrelevant. If your natural form has tattoos, every time you go into your natural form you would have your tattoos. Whenever you were outside of it, you represent a typical animal of that type, which means no tattoos.

 

[kitcik]

You're trading in your human/bear skin for bear/human skin.
Tattoos seem to be irrelevant. If your natural form has tattoos, every time you go into your natural form you would have your tattoos. Whenever you were outside of it, you represent a typical animal of that type, which means no tattoos.

I see it that the skin changes, not that it gets traded / replaced.

Therefore, what happens to tattoos is ambiguous.