Judge Mortis
Context
Mortis is one of the best-known monsters in the Judge Dredd stories, and works with Judge Death.
If you’re not familiar with this stuff, you can first read our Judge Dredd character profile and our Judge Death character profile.
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Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed.
- Marital Status: Single.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: Dark Judges.
- Base Of Operations: Deadworld.
- Height: 6’6” Weight: 80lbs. Age: Irrelevant.
- Eyes: None Hair: None
Powers and Abilities
Judge Mortis is an undead monster from an alien dimension, who inhabits human corpses.
In his most basic form, Mortis resembles a cloud of greenish fog. In this form, he is impervious to most attacks. He also can pass through small gaps (keyholes, etc.), but cannot pass through seamless barriers.
In this form, he can temporarily possess living victims (in DC Heroes RPG terms, Personality Transfer). However, he cannot display his other powers until he gains control of a suitably prepared corpse.
When inhabiting a corpse, Mortis is much more deadly. His touch brings decay. In this form, he is unable to disperse except for defence (no flowing through gaps).
Mortis and his fellow dark Judges have displayed other abilities on occasion, such as long-distance mental Control. These should be treated as plot devices to allow them to escape from confinement.
History
As Judge Death.
Description
Judge Mortis is, quite obviously, a walking corpse. He looks particularly macabre, because his skull has been replaced with that of a cow or steer. This doesn’t seem to impair him in any way. What little flesh remains on his figure is shrunken onto the skeleton, and is greenish in colour.
He dresses in a variation on the MC-1 Judge’s uniform, with a lack leather-like body-suit and silver-coloured accessories. All accessories are somewhat grisly : a skeletal pteranodon replaces the eagle on one shoulder, while the other shoulder is covered by a pad styled after the bars of a cell.
Mortis wears no gloves nor boots, nor knee and elbow pads. This emphasises his skeletal appearance.
If his host body is destroyed, Mortis will assume a gaseous form, with his cow-skull head visible within the vapours.
Personality
Pretty much a stooge for Judge Death, Mortis can speak, but rarely does. Give Death all the good lines.
DC Universe History
Four Dark Judges would make a credible threat for a low to mid-powered DCU team. They have the D-Jump: why not ?
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Judge Mortis
| Dex: 05 | Str: 06 | Bod: 06 | Motivation: Nihilist |
| Int: 07 | Wil: 10 | Min: 12 | Occupation: Dark Judge |
| Inf: 09 | Aur: 10 | Spi: 12 | Wealth: 000 |
| Init: 021 | HP: 060 |
Powers:
Flight: 01, Fluid form: 06, Hypnotism: 09, Invulnerability: 15, Self-Link (Personality Transfer): 12, Disintegration: 07
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Flight can only be used in Fluid Form.
- Fluid Form cannot be used when Mortis is possessing a living host.
- Fluid Form doesn’t confer any movement speed. Use Flight instead.
- When inhabiting a dead body, Fluid Form cannot be used for defence against attacks which inflict gross damage to the whole body (fire, explosions, acid, etc.).
- Invulnerability: Counteracts Physical Damage, Counteracts Mental Damage, Counteracts Mystical Damage. Successful use of Invulnerability against Physical Damage indicates destruction of Mortis’s host body. Fluid Form is now always on, until a new host can be found.
- Disintegration: Can only be used when inhabiting a suitably prepared corpse, Only on living creatures and organic materials (bought as Disintegration rather than Cell Rot because it inflicts continuous damage).
Skills:
Occultist: 10, Gadgetry: 08
Advantages:
Area Knowledge: Planet [Deadworld], Undead: need not eat, drink or breathe.
Connections:
Dark Judges (High).
Drawbacks:
Attack Vulnerability (Fire, -1 Column Shift), CIA (Killing people one at a time), Strange Appearance, Misc.: Body mass is 1 AP.
Equipment:
D-JUMP [BODY 03, Dimension Travel: 05, R#05, HP Cost: 264. Power Bonuses and Limitations: Dimension Travel: No Banishment, No Summoning. The D-Jump is a silvery sphere, about 10” in diameter. D-Jump is short for Dimension-Jump].
Source of Character: 2000AD Comics.