Magic: the Gathering is famous for its creatures, spells, and planeswalkers, but artifacts make up a great deal of the cards in the game as well. These represent the thousands of devices, tools, and weapons used by characters throughout the multiverse to accomplish their goals and defeat their enemies.
The worlds of Magic are quite varied, making them a great place to mine ideas for a Dungeons and Dragons game. D&D characters are always on the hunt for the next powerful piece of treasure, and any Dungeon Masters who are tired of giving out +1 swords all day might find some unique artifacts among the over 20 years of Magic artifacts.
10 The Mirari Is A Tempting Wish-Giver
Central to the story of Magic's Dominaria plane, the Mirari was an exceptionally powerful artifact capable of granting wishes to those who bore it. Unfortunately, it had a nasty habit of following these wishes with ruin, disaster, and death. The Mirari inspired intense longing in those who saw it or even learned of its existence, causing dozens of major Magic characters to risk their lives trying to acquire it. A D&D world with a Mirari-like artifact could see several factions vying for control over it, with the party simply trying to keep it out of the wrong hands.
9 The Mirran Swords Each Have Unique Abilities
This set of magical swords first started appearing in the original Mirrodin block with the Sword of Light and Shadow and the Sword of Fire and Ice. Since then, other pairings have appeared, including the Sword of Sinew and Steel, the Sword of Feast and Famen, and the Sword of War and Peace. These powerful artifacts each replicate roughly the effects of two spells, one for each half of the sword. A quest to recover all of these magical swords and their spell-like abilities could keep a D&D party busy for many, many levels.
8 The Bident Of Thassa Has Been Stolen Before
Though its official name is Dekella, the signature weapon of Theros's god of the sea was commonly known as the Bident of Thassa. Though Thassa was inherently powerful, thanks to her status as a god, Dekella allowed her to more easily control the tides and even create massive whirlpools.
There is precedent for courageous mortals to steal the weapon, as Theros legend tells of a sailor who used it to destroy an entire enemy fleet before having his whole family turned to eels in punishment. A D&D party that is particularly bold, or foolish, could easily set their sights on a godly weapon like this one.
7 Tamiyo's Journal Could Lead A Party Through A Mystery
The moonfolk planeswalker Tamiyo is known for her curiosity and recordkeeping. She kept a particularly interesting set of notes during her investigations on Innistrad during the time of Shadows Over Innistrad, full of fragmented hints and clues leading up to the reveal of Emrakul's devastating influence on that plane. Tamiyo's stories hold real magical power, so a version of her journal in D&D could serve both a mechanical and a plot-relevant purpose. Perhaps each page leads the party closer and closer to solving a mystery while also granting them access to new abilities.
6 Lightning Greaves Provide The Ultimate Protection
While not a legendary equipment in the mechanical sense, Lightning Greaves is a famous card in Magic's history. They grant the equipped creature haste and, more importantly, shroud. This means it cannot be targeted by spells and abilities, no matter who controls them.
Though it has been somewhat overshadowed more recently by the similar Swiftfoot Boots, Lightning Greaves are a lot more interesting as a potential D&D magic item. Perhaps they could give the wearer a huge boost to speed, at the cost of being unable to be targeted by even friendly spells.
5 The Chain Veil Is Powerful But Dangerous
This extremely dangerous artifact plays a major role in the stories of both Liliana Vess and Garruk Wildspeaker. The Chain Veil was created to help resurrect a long-dead society of ogres, but functions as an incredibly powerful artifact that can boost the abilities of its wearer or turn them into a demon if they are not strong enough to resist its influence. Liliana uses the power of the Veil to kill her demonic patrons, a path a D&D party with a warlock might also find themselves taking.
4 The Blackblade Has A Dark Past
After being tasked by the demonic planeswalker Geyadrone Dihada with creating the finest sword ever, blacksmith Dakkon found himself going down a dark path. He discovered that human sacrifice was the only way to achieve his goal, and ended up killing hundreds of people for their souls, including his own son. This weapon would be used thousands of years later by the hero Gideon Jura in his fight against Nicol Bolas, though Bolas had enchanted the sword to make it useless against him. Giving a D&D party a weapon with such a complicated and dark history might give them pause before they use it against their enemies.
3 The Arkbow Is A Record Of Its Home
The signature weapon of the planeswalker Vivien Reid, the Arkbow functioned as the last remnant of the now-dead plane of Skalla. When Nicol Bolas threatened to destroy the plane, two rival factions banded together to create the bow, which contained a ghostly impression of every creature that ever lived on Skalla.
After the plane's destruction, Vivien Reid carried it into the multiverse, able to add new creatures before they die to preserve their legacy. Any D&D archer would be thrilled to find such a powerful artifact, and it could prove a potent story hook as well.
2 The Reality Chip Offers Power At A Cost
Representing the cyberpunk aesthetic of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, the Reality Chip is a magical microchip capable of bending the laws of the universe around it and even manipulating a planeswalker's spark. It was created by the Phyrexian agent Tezzeret as a way to begin introducing Phyrexian influence to the plane of Kamigawa, but it can also be used to boost a planeswalker's powers. Giving a D&D party an exceptionally dangerous item that can also boost their abilities to extreme levels is an incredibly tempting offer.
1 Sol Ring Is Iconic As Can Be
One of Magic's most famous artifacts, Sol Ring is generally considered a card that, while exceptionally powerful, isn't really worth banning. Lorewise, little is known about Sol Rings except that they tend to be rings made from pure sun or starlight. The fact that they produce more mana than they cost suggest they are full of magical power, and they could be used for any number of purposes in a D&D game. A Sol Ring might be a powerful implement for a spellcaster, or even grant spellcasting abilities to its wearer regardless of whether they normally possess them.