Report 1273

Report #1273
Skillset: Tattoos Skill: None
 Org: Tahtetso Status: Completed Sept 2013
Furies' Decision:
Solution 1, will also look into reducing time.
Problem: Far too many of those with the tattoos skillset refuse to use the
skillset to help players, especially newer players. It is too time consuming and
too self-sacrificing to be a tattooist. As a tattooist, you'd be better off
hunting or influencing. As to novices, imagine you're a new novice monk and
you're told in the help files to use tattoo armour, so you ask, but your guild
mates tell you to buy robes because they're not going to take the time to give
you tattoos until you've proved you are going to stick around.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: New skill: Preparation: Using magical ink,
 powerstones, and KA, prepare your skin as armour.
 Each use gives 10/10 up to a max of 40/40. This would
 allow for functional protection for novices, while
 still encouraging them to eventually upgrading for
 normal great robes protection (remember if the
 protection granted is too low, then they're being
 pressured into just getting greatrobes). This would
 require and encourage them to take tattoos and so
 wouldn't be a free pass. *** To clarify KA armour
 would still top out where it currently does.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: New skill: Imbue: Keep tattoos permanent, but have
 their power run out (like a battery), thus requiring
 recharging by a tattooist or preserved with a new
 artifact. Suggestion, 1 power and 1 sip magicink per
 1 weight, needle reduces power cost and halves time.
 Time 2 minutes per 100 weight. The empowering should
 not be a short period of time, nor should tattoos
 have to deplete before being recharged. Suggest 100
 game months. Prefer INK IMBUE x <tattoo number>.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #3: Allow self-tattooing and reduce time: Allow reach
 able parts of the body to be self-tattooed. Exempt
 back and waist (if waist goes around the back). Time
 is the killer. It is too much, too long. Cut
 non-artifact tattooing by 60%. For the needle
 artifact, cut cost to 200-225, have it use less inks
 (half?), and if imbue or self-tattooing is accepted
 (keep credit cost) and it becomes well worth it. If
 self-tattooing not allowed, consider allowing it with
 use of an artifact needle. Being able to switch out
 your own tattoos makes it well worth it. Additional
 idea to give value to needle: new verb, REWORK, keeps
 or replaces a tattoo design while keeping or
 replacing the tattoo power (same com and power costs).
Player Comments:
---[Enyalida on 9/11 @ 17:07 writes]:
It's almost always better to just bash for gold, no matter your trade -
especially considering the very high cost of transing a trade skillset. It would
take an extreme amount of time to make back your credit investment just selling
trade goods or services. Solution 1: 40/40 is hardly minimal protection.
Solution 2 is fantastic, though the numbers could use a bit of wrangling (and it
would NEED to be with a solution to cut down the time on tattooing drastically).
It's what we suggested when tattoos came out and had a bunch of issues. Solution
3 is fine too.
---[Steingrim on 9/12 @ 10:11 writes]:
Updated solution 1 to removed the wording minimal.
---[Thoros on 9/13 @ 15:31 writes]:
Why not just make tattooing an instant process? The tattoo needle could be
changed to save you 50% of the power it costs to ink a tattoo and maybe some
comms if thats what it takes to ink a tattoo
---[Talan on 9/16 @ 23:12 writes]:
Of these, I like solution 1. To take off on the idea, why not separate the
process of inking into 2 steps - outline, and color. The former can be much
quicker, and will provide maybe half of whatever effects, including the armor.
This might make doing regular tattoos easier too, if the time for coloring in
were slightly reduced, allowing people to get started in one session, and finish
the work in another. It's really disheartening to hear that people are not
-willing- to take the time to help their novices, though.
---[Xenthos on 9/18 @ 11:16 writes]:
I really like Thoros' suggestion. The other crafting skills do -not- take this
much time to put together a set of things (on top of finding and picking out the
designs which is the same for any of them). Tattoos should just be a flat 30s
action imo, allowing you to keep the RP sense of it but without making you sit
there for hours (potentially).
---[Wobou on 9/24 @ 05:02 writes]:
My thoughts are more or less aligned with Enyalida's, Solution 2+3.
---[Yurika on 9/25 @ 19:31 writes]:
I'm also more inclined to Thoros's suggestion rather on this.