....for centurys , tattoos and body piercing have been a way of showing the strengths and abilitys in many races and cultures. There should be a few more places that will perform these services to reflect a characters uniqueness and culture. I beleive that there is more to say about a person from how they decorate thier body than the clothes they wear. I am not pushing the point that there must be a 'tribal body art' shop in the crossing, but closer to players than across the big pond and a long boat trip. It could be in Theren or River Haven at the Barbarian guild for example. A place where one can get work done to the face, scalp, hands, ears,......ect.

> Am I the only one who doesn't agree with these post, tattoo's are speacial, they shouldn't be easy to get, leave um where they are, makes um more unique.

Heh, I think tattoos should be more available, every dockyard in the Realms should have a tattoo parlor, but I also think they should be more deadly - that dirty needle should be able to kill you.

I think that we should be able to have more than one tattoo. I understand limiting them, but perhaps limit it to two or three, not just one. Everyone knows tattoos are very addictive. As a player, I have three myself.

Leftey

<<As there's only 15 standard designs, there's nothing unique about them.>>

As I remember, there are actually 40. That was from when the tattoo place first opened until the last time I remember hearing about it.

<<The only "special" tattoos are the altered ones, and those are always going to be difficult to get.>>

Exactly. The same could be said for other items. That's why you don't see people collecting visored helms from crossing armor shop. Also, why people pay 100s of plats for stuff just because its a bit different, eventhough it has the same appraisal as a store bought item.

Tattoos are just another part of the character. Yes, I was lucky enough to get one altered. I did wait a couple hours for it though and it did cost a few plat. It was fun though sitting around and watching what all others got too.

Lots of people wear wolfclan leathers, they aren't "special" or anything. But everyone wears them. Such is life...

Hawkman

"B. R."

The point is, tattoos aren't elite - either in RL or in DR. The whole "tattoos are special" argument is a hoot ("I went to Hara'jaal and all I got was this lousy tattoo").

I only suggested the "tattoos can kill you" thing to sorta make the process a true rite of passage - if you survive it - sorta like high school graduation, a bar/bat mitzvah, a debut (hehe), whatever - it doesn't have to be that way, just a suggestion. Heck, even altered tattoos require you to wait and sweat it out in the alterer's line (will they get to me before they leave? how much do I have in the bank anyways? what if I ghost when it's my turn?). Hara'jaal tattoos just require a bit of coin and some travel time - bet most folks logged off as soon as they got on the ship(s) anyways, didn't even wait it out. What's so special about that?

There's obviously a demand for them, so why not set more tattoo parlors around the lands, give people more options and drain some coins from people's bank accounts? Clan tattoos, devotion/god tattoos, guild tattoos, pretty tattoos, gruesome tattoos, tattoos with local flavor (um, I dunno, a Smelly Cat tattoo in Riverhaven? map of Undershard tattoo in Shard?) - there's been lots of great ideas.

And you are right, Hawkman, I checked my list - 40 tattoos offered in Hara'jaal. I guess it just seems like only 15 because people seem to pick the same ones over and over. (Has anyone really ever gotten "a green fly perched on a haunch of rotted meat" tattooed on their body? I think I've seen one person with it. How special.)

Baboushka

they should put a parlor in shard and haven, with each place having different ones and then just move the better looking tats to the islands so someoen willing to take the time can get it.