Changing Nurgle's Rot.

So I'm starting Mordheim with people who have never played the game before and I want to pick a thematic army that's way out there for me, so I'm going with Carnival of Chaos. However, Nurlge's Rot in its current incarnation is pretty crazy and I can imagine watching models slowly melt for a first timer can kill the game. Instead, I'm thinking about house-ruling it to make it a little more forgiving. I'm pretty much copy+pasting the Nurgle's Rot from the Random Happenings table, so let me know what you guys think?

Quote :

Nurgle’s Rot
- As per the FAQ, Nurgle’s Rot is applied on a roll of “6” to wound, as opposed to a “6” to hit as it says in the rules for the Carnival of Chaos.
- Whenever a model is afflicted by Nurgle’s Rot, they may not run and strike last in all combats for the rest of the game. When the game is over, roll a dice for each model affected and consult the chart below. Roll this dice after injuries are rolled.
- 1) Major Symptoms - If the model affected is a henchman, the henchman automatically dies. If the model is a hero, roll D3 times on the serious injury table. Reroll any results of Robbed, Bitter Enmity, Captured, and Sold to the Pits results.
- 2-5) Minor Symptoms - The henchman or hero must miss the next game, as he needs bedrest to combat the disease coursing through his or her body.
- 6) Full Recovery! - The model is miraculously unaffected by the disease and suffers no ill effects.

Personally, I would change the demon from being a Plague Bearer to something else (functionally identical, of course). The trouble is that Plague Bearers always cause Nurgle's Rot and Nurgle's Rot is Always fatal.

I would be fine with the mechanics of Nurgle's Rot how it is written in the EiF book if only there was a cure. Either a rare item or hiring a particular healer or Dramatis Personae that can cure it and then leaves.

You could even make it that if the wound is washed out with holy water (i.e. consume one holy water per warrior) at the end of battle, there will be no infection. If you can do that after trade it would be a little softer, but you could make it a bit harder by making it so that it had to be washed out immediately after the game and before trade.

But because it can be cured it must be something other than Nurgle's Rot so the Demons must be something other than PlagueBearers. Filthwalkers, Pus Demons, Infectinators, etc. PlagueSmearers, Scourgegivers, etc. The disease could be Nurgle's Blight, Nurgle's Mould, Red Death, Pussy Flux (meaning involving pus - not cats.), Weeping Blotch, etc.

Using different demons would give you an excuse to model your own demons too.

I really like the idea of a healing item or holy water to clean out the wound and keeping it the same. Maybe if a healer knows a spell like Healing Hand they're allowed to attempt to cast it once in the post-game phase and try to prevent someone from getting it in addition to allowing Holy Water to be used in the post game?

I'm reading the rules off of Mordheimer and I'm not seeing the part where plaguebearers cause Nurgle's Rot. Right now I'm only seeing that spell #6 causes it and if you buy it for your Tainted Ones.

You are right, it was the lore bleeding together in my mind. And that was something else that annoyed me about Nurgle's Rot. Nurgle's Rot is carried by plague bearers and these plague bearers cannot get it. So according to their own lore they cannot be plague bearers. They really should have called the demons something else, because they should have it and they don't.

If you are going to make the disease curable then it should be called something else. Nurgle's Rot is supposed to be an incurable infection of the very soul and when you die your soul becomes a new plaguebearer or something. I forget what exactly, it has been a long time since I read it.

The healing spell thing could work also. No reason it couldn't - the Mordheim Police are unlikely to invade you over a minor matter such as this .

Here are some other ideas put on the forum previously.

Pathfinder Dubstyles' solution is similar to what we use in my gaming group. I like it because it is simple.
https://boringmordheimforum.forumieren.com/t2869p25-nurgle-s-rot#68058

This is a completely different idea for Nurgle's Rot which I'll put forward for ideas.
https://boringmordheimforum.forumieren.com/t6334-nurgle-s-rot

I personally like the Rot as it is. But I have heard so much against it that I toyed with Ideas for altering it a bit. I believe on of the reasons for this nastiness, has to do with, the lack of Hired Swords for this Warband.

Mostly, I thought about changing it from a permanent reduction to Toughness until Death, to Miss next D3 games due to illness. You could even make it treatable with “Tears of Shallaya” and/or “Healing Herbs”. Each dose would remove a Missed Game. Meaning, if a warrior was out 3 games, 1 dose of the Tears and/or Herbs would reduce it to missing 2 games and so on. I would still leave it contagious (rolling to see if the Rot is passed on to another), since this alteration is not lethal. If you playing a set number of games in a campaign, this could still pretty nasty without being detrimental.

With “Tears of Shallaya” having a Rare 7 and “Healing Herbs” having a Rare 8; they’re not impossible to find and purchase.