8. Healing Effects

Healing Effects in a comet-shell

Healing effects are re-rolls for post battle serious injuries. A Standard Healing Effect is just that, a re-roll to any one serious injury of your choice. Other healing effects are unique, each with their own quirks, advantages, and liabilities. Each has their own name and rules which are detailed where the healing effect is found. Healing effects can be encountered within scenarios, as rewards for winning games, or even from Loyalty benefits.

Warbands can only possess 1 healing effect at a time, unless noted otherwise.

The optional Sawbones rules (adapted from the Town Cryer fanzine) do not not provide serious injury re-rolls as such, but can be used to mitigate some serious injuries.

Next: Bounties

Healing Effects - Full Rules

Death is an ever present companion in and around Mordheim. While warriors accept the risk of passing through Morr’s Gate every time they venture into the ruined city or the wilderness beyond, warbands will always fervently seek any means necessary to keep the reaper at bay.

The Doom and the chaos which followed has greatly increased demand for anyone with knowledge of treating injury and disease. So it comes as no surprise that any number of “doctores”, leechers, and sawbones espouse their expertise on almost every street corner. However, finding someone with a true talent to heal the sick and mend the injured comes few and far between.

Within some scenarios Healing Effects can be found. These represent a chirurgeon, priest, herbalist, etc. that can often mitigate the damage suffered by warriors in battle. When a warband earns a healing effect they possess a promise from the healer to treat a single injury. The healing effect does not need to be used immediately and can be saved for a future turn. Unless noted otherwise a healing effect can only be used once.

To represent how rare and busy such healers are, warbands can only possess one healing effect at a time. If you gain a second healing effect, you must discard one of them. The discarded healer either turns out to be a quack or has heard your warband already possesses a promise of healing from another (a rival perhaps?), and denies you their service.

How to obtain a healing effect is detailed in the scenario where it is found. Most healing effects are unique with their own name and quirks. Some come with strings attached and some are more effective than others, but each provides the opportunity to avoid the worst outcomes of trauma, death. If no name is given it is considered to be a standard healing effect as described below.

Standard Healing Effect

During a post battle sequence a warband can re-roll a single serious injury of a hero, henchmen, hired sword, or even an animal. You must accept the results of the re-roll even if it is worse than the original serious injury.

  • Medical Support option: If your gaming group agrees, all warbands can begin Mayhem in Mordheim with a temporary promise of one standard healing effect. Warbands are being supported by a patron who wishes to help your warband get established and will pay for this medical procedure. Warbands loose this healing effect immediately upon earning one from a scenario or at the end of campaign turn 3, which ever comes first.

Sawbones (optional rule)

If Healing Effects are not enough for your gaming group, you can consider including the following optional rules adapted from the Mordheim magazine Town Crier 8, published by Games Workshop Ltd.

While Healing Effects represent talented practitioners, sawbones can be anyone from charlatans selling cure all tonics to butchers performing amputations on the side. Sawbones serve both heroes and henchmen, but as these warriors have different serious injury rolls the sawbones rules are also distinct for each.

Visiting a sawbones occurs right after serious injury rolls in the post battle sequence. A warrior cannot both receive a Healing Effect and visit a Sawbones during the same campaign chapter.

Cost

Finding a sawbones is easy and each visit costs 20 gold crowns. You must have this cash in your treasury as visiting them occurs before warbands sell wyrdstone.

Henchmen

Henchmen (or even animals!) who roll 1–2 on their serious injury roll can be taken to a sawbones. Their injury may or may not be fatal, so there is a possibility that any quack doctor can save them.

Pay up and roll a D6. A result 1–4 has no effect, the henchmen dies anyway and you lose your money. A roll of 5–6 will save the henchmen’s life but result in a permanent impairment that requires them to form their own solitary henchmen group. Roll another D6 and consult Patched Up Henchmen Table:

Patched Up Henchmen Table

  1. Leg amputation. The henchmen’s foot or leg is removed and is replaced with a peg leg or crutch. The henchmen’s Movement is halved (rounded up). Should the henchmen ever suffer this impairment again their Movement drops to 0, and WS reduced by -2. They can no longer roll this result in the future (re-roll any 1). On ground level, the henchmen can still be pushed in a trolly by other warriors as a carried item, but one that can be rolled into combat along with a charge by the pushing warrior! Without their trolly the henchmen cannot fight and must be carried as a heavy carried item.

  2. Hand amputation. The henchmen can only use single handed weapons, throwing daggers, and pistols. For an additional 20 GC a specialized hook can be crafted for the warrior to take place of the lost hand. The hook counts as a dagger. Should the henchmen ever suffer this impairment again they must be outfitted with hooks to make any attacks, their WS is reduced by -1, and they can no longer roll this result in the future (re-roll any 2).

  3. Cracked Head. The henchmen now suffers from Stupidity. Should the henchmen ever suffer this impairment again a significant part of their head has been destroyed (no jaw, nose, or skull broken in). While this does not bother the henchmen (they are still stupid), it has an unnerving effect on new hires. You suffer a -1 penalty to rolls for veteran warriors for each henchmen with a double cracked head in your warband. Rolling this result any further just adds to the penalty.

  4. Poisoned. The treatment poisons the warrior. The henchmen must reduce their toughness by -1 each time they roll this impairment. Should their toughness ever drop to 0, they die.

  5. Eye Removed. The henchmen reduces their ballistic skill by -1. Should there be another henchmen group that has the same characteristics as they now do, the henchmen can join it (if given the same equipment). Should the henchmen ever suffer this impairment again they must be retired.

  6. Lost Genitalia. While not debilitating for combat this is a source of deep shame and embarrassment. Reduce the henchmen’s Leadership by -1. Should there be another henchmen group that has the same characteristics as they now do, the henchmen can join it (if given the same equipment). Should the henchmen ever roll this impairment again they survive the procedure with no ill effects.

You can always retire any henchmen that no longer lives up to your standards after treatment. No returns on your money though.

Heroes who die from serious injuries cannot be saved by sawbones. Their wounds are immediately fatal on the battlefield. However, for certain physical and mental injuries a cure can be attempted. This need not happen immediately, cures for heroes can be attempted in any post battle sequence. The injuries for which cures can be attempted are Leg Wound, Smashed Leg and Hand Injury, which use the Limb Surgery Table; and Madness and Nervous Condition which use the Brain Surgery Table. No other serious injury can be cured, and a cure can only be attempted once.

Heroes going to sawbones cannot make rarity rolls during that game’s post battle sequence. Pay your 20 gold crowns and roll 2D6 on the appropriate table.

Heroes

Limb Surgery Table

2–3 Fetch a Priest. The hero dies on the operating table, but their equipment is retained by your warband.

4 Something’s Off. The limb is amputated. If an arm, the hero can only use single hand weapons, throwing daggers, and pistols. If a leg, their movement is halved (rounded up). Should their remaining limb (arm or leg) be amputated in the future, the hero must be retired.

5–6 Did Ma Best, Keep It Easy. The surgery was unsuccessful and the warrior must miss the next battle.

7–8 This Worked Before. The attempted cure did not work but no further harm done.

9–10 In a Week or so, You’ll Be in Ship Shape. The surgery was a success! Remove the injury from the hero, but they must miss the next battle while recovering.

11–12 Wow! I Mean…Great! The surgery was a success! Remove the injury from the hero.

Brain Surgery Table

2–3 Fetch a Priest. The hero dies on the operating table, but their equipment is retained by your warband.

4 Oops! The treatment has worsened the hero’s condition. They now suffer stupidity, if they did not do so before. If they already suffered from stupidity, there is now no means to cure it.

5–6 Might Be a Bit More Daft. The surgery failed and the hero suffers a -1 to Leadership.

7–8 I’d Give It Some Time. The treatment was unsuccessful and the warrior must miss the next battle.

9–10 In a Week or so, You’ll Be in Ship Shape. The treatment was a success! Remove the injury from the hero, but they must miss the next battle while recovering.

11–12 Wow! I Mean…Great! The treatment was a success! Remove the injury from the hero.