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Help Finish My Skill (Supernal Illustrator)
Thu, 11/22/2012 - 12:25pm | 
Ascent
I need help finishing this. I had the idea, but I can't seem to come up with anything to fit to it. I'm looking for original ideas.
Supernal Illustrator
Uses illustrations, such as tatoos, skin beading, color crystal chippings, paintings and cave drawings, to perform magic with art that comes to life.
Score: half LOG +10 per thief level
» Craft (perform two dimensional aesthetic art)
» Permanent Ink (Use magic item creation rules to produce permanent magic art.)
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I'm curious what the craft ability would look like in an actual game. Can you describe an example to me?
1) An ability could be centered around the idea of the character quickly etching, drawing, carving, etc.. an image of something. Then he uses his supernatural ability to bring that very thing into being.
Example: If it is a picture of a ravenous otherworldly monster, he could reach into the picture and pull it into our dimension or simply through time and/or space into his immediate surroundings.
2) She could draw an image of an object or event that changes the conditions of reality within X amount of spaces surrounding the Illustrator.
Example: She draws a picture of a volcano and upon activating it or setting it down the ambient temperature around the Illustrator begins to rise 10 to 50 degrees fahrenheit. It begins to rain ash making the ground slippery and anybody within the ash cloud has trouble breathing or is slowed due to the fatigue the ash is causing on their lungs.
3) Images could be drawn of constructs. An image of a golem would create a temporary golem that would last X amount of turns in combat before fading away.
Could the illustrator produce tattoos of protection?
Only one tattoo could be drawn on each person (rule that the tattoo has to be over the heart) but they would give protection (+20 resistance against one type of attack?) all the time.
Tattoos around the eyes for better vision. Tattoo on legs for faster movement, lots of potential but could be over powered quite quickly.
May need to rule that the tattoos require expensive ingredients like magic items.
The Illustrated Man (Ray Bradbury) was the inspiration, but also M.C. Escher, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and a host of other similar concepts of bringing 2-D images to life. I don't wish to pigeonhole the user. In whatever way they want to bring it to life, they can. But I certainly don't plan a second skill roll with the same ability. The craft ability is simply for determining the artistic value of what they create, whether for realism or aesthetic beauty. It could come into play as a plot device where a king needs an artist or a rich man commissions a portrait.
Since the skill gives access to spell use, I don't want to duplicate or sidestep spells of any kind.