2000AD [2000AD] What kind of "magical artifacts" could be found in world of 2000AD?

kingpin000 · Jun 19, 2019

Hi there,
for a Judge Dredd campaign I rewrite an old Shadowrun campaign about finding magical artifacts for an organisation. The premise for Judges will be the break up of an artifact smuggling ring. I am not sure if the origins of the Shadowrun artifacts fit into the 2000AD world without changing the backstories of the items. What could be the origin of a typical "magical artifact" in 2000AD?

Thanks in advance

Morrus · Jun 20, 2019

Probably not in a Dredd campaign. Magic fits in with a bunch of other worlds of 2000ad but Dredd is more sci-fi.

Maybe if they were psionic artifacts instead?

kingpin000 · Jun 20, 2019

One of Dredds arch enemies is "Judge Death": A zombie and dark magic user from an another dimension. PSI-Judges can specialize in exorcism for ghost hunting. The supernatural in form of magic doesn't seem to be too far away from the Judges...

Psionics always needs a living mind to be created, so its a little tricky to create psionic items except all items are alive. I've read about some aliens in the JD wiki, so maybe advanced alien tech could cover sci-fi and magic-like ablities, right?

Tonguez · Jun 20, 2019

Judge Anderson has fought demons and entered the Hell dimension too, while Judge Fauster was the head of the magic sub sector of Psi-Division who made a pact with demons to gain immortality. I recall a vampire Judge as well

There was the guy who nailed a fetish mask to his own face too, he could create undead and kill at a distance

Hmmm most Dredd magic seems to involve zombies and demons and other things for Judges to slaughter

Irishrelief · Jun 24, 2019

So one of the coolest things about Judge Dredd is that it exists in one of the most awesome universes. The Predator race comes to Megacity 1 in a short arc. This also means that it exists with Alien, Die Hard, and Commando. There is even the suggestion that 40k is the same universe just 38k years more advanced. Alien and Predator offer a great opportunity to use advanced (even for Dredd) technologies as "magic artifacts". Just think of how science and technology would look to someone in the middle ages, a zippo would probably get you killed as a sorcerer.

As for alien interactions there are alien substances that are banned, not just tech, because of their extraction process. IIRC there is an alien race that has an organ that is used to extend human life. It's not unimaginable with LUNA-1 giving us more rules for space flight, and the existing WOIN N.E.W. source materials to find tech that could seem "magical". Cheers mate, glad to see others still interested in this game.

KainGuru · May 10, 2020

Absolutely yes magic items can exist in the Dredd universe. In the current timeline (ie post Chaos day) there is the, still living, head of Sabbat the WARLOCK deep under the Earth where Dredd and Johnny Alpha left at the conclusion of Judgement Day - which was basically Zombie World. The was the origin of the Oracle Spice during the Judge Child Saga (one Murd and a Giant Toad). PSI Division has encountered magic on many occasions and Specialist Psi Judges who wield and investigate magic related occurrences (Check the Sprirt Walker in the recent Judge Anderson story where she goes on a Hot Dog Run with several PSI Cadets).

TL;DR: Judgement Day bought about irrevocable changes to Dredd's world . . . where they noted that there would be an increase in occult phenomena (ie: magic)