Tattoos

Tattoos are most frequently found on the bodies of sailors, yakuza, and common criminals, and they are enough of a social handicap as to bar their wearers from certain hot springs, inns, restaurants, and even court situations. Low-level yakuza tend to wear their tattoos small and discretely - bosses are often covered head to toe. Intricate high-quality tattoos can enhance the honor of yakuza, but any kind of tattoo will besmirch the honor of noble classes (samurai, kensai, etc.) if discovered and made public.

FIRST, PICK THE COMPLEXITY OF THE TATTOO

Simple - DEX check with -2 bonus - 5 yen

Complex - DEX check - 10 yen

Intricate (includes colored designs) - DEX check with +2 penalty - 25 yen

THEN, THE SIZE

Small (a square inch) - single check - x1 to cost

Medium (wrist cuff, thigh, small of back, etc.) - two checks - x4 to cost

Large (full back, neck and face, entire leg, etc.) - four checks - x10 to cost

THEN, THE SKILL OF THE ARTIST

Journeyman - single tattooing proficiency - normal cost - no bonus or penalty

Master - double proficient - triple the cost - -2 bonus to rolls

Grandmaster - triple proficient - five times the cost - -4 bonus to rolls

CALCULATE THE COST

Example: Complex Tattoo, Medium Size, Master Tattoo Artist: 10 x 4 x 3 = 120 yen. Divide the cost by 40 to figure out how many days of work the tattoo will take to complete.

Make the rolls - two rolls for medium; no bonus or penalty for complexity; -2 bonus to rolls for master; let's say the artist has a 16 DEX - he would need to roll a 19 or 20 to screw up the tattoo

20s always screw up a tattoo

If a tattoo is botched, roll another DEX check to see how badly; a failed check means it looks terrible, a passed check means it's salvagable, but drops a grade in perceived quality (from intricate to merely complex, for example). Terrible tattoos can be fixed only through magical means or consulting a grandmaster artist in a place like Sapporo or Edo. Refunds or compensation for botched work must be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

COMMON THEMES

Certain tattoos are linked with certain groups, such as the ocean and sealife tattoos of sailors and the Kato-kai, the rising sun and tiger tattoos of the Watanabe-kai, the dragon and cherry blossom tattoos of the Sugimoto-gumi, the oni and demon tattoos of the Kusarigama, the triple-mountain tattoos of the Stone Throwers, the lightning-themed tattoos of the Kokuryukai and so forth.