White Dwarf 109 (Jan 1989), p25 — The Servants of Chaos

The Daemons of Nurgle and Tzeentch are crafty and subtle creatures in their own ways. Nurgle, the Lord of Disease, the bringer of decay, has made his Daemons in his own image, yet none of his Daemons are quite as they appear. Even the apparently straightforward and repulsively playful Nurglings, who infest his servants like mites, are twisted and moulded to Nurgle's image and purpose.

The festering sordidness of his Unclean Ones is merely a pale echo of Nurgle's own gross fascination with disease and decay. Their studied air of self-concern and overweening misery is just that: a studied pose which can be thrown aside when Nurgles' own bassoprofondo glee requires a chorus of answering unwholesome titters. They serve as ciphers for his malicious humours, urges towards decay and foul exertions.

White Dwarf 119 (Nov 1989), p27 — Nurglings

Daemonic Servants of Nurgle (Khan'gurani'i)

Nurglings, Mites of Nurgle, Sourspawn, Pus Spores

The rotted bowels of the Great Unclean Ones swell with pus and contagion, and within each swelling there grows a tiny and malevolent Daemon called a Nurgling. As the Nurgling matures it feeds upon the filth of the Great Unclean One and eventually pops out, the very personification (or daemonification) of a boil or pustule. In this sense, Nurglings really are the children of the Great Unclean Ones. Perhaps this is why the Greater Daemons take such parental pride in the little creatures, allowing them to suckle upon their sores, and petting them affectionately. However, this does not prevent the proud parent squashing its progeny underfoot, or gobbling one or two up in a moment of impulsive peckishness.

Nurglings may also grow from the pus shed by a Great Unclean One as it moves. Such pus hides in little sticky pockets in the ground. When a mortal steps upon it, the foulness enters his body, making its way into his gut. There the Nurgling encysts and develops until it is ready to emerge. As the Nurgling approaches maturity, its obscene cries may be heard from within the victim's abdomen, insulting anyone and everyone nearby. When ready, the Nurgling climbs through the alimentary canal and leaves its host by one or other end. It is then free to flock with others of its kind or to take up residence in some household cess pit, rubbish pile or other equally unpleasant place. They have a naturally malicious but sociable nature and like to hang around Human settlements if they cannot find other of their kind. They enjoy stealing small but precious objects, turning milk sour, and perpetrating misdeeds of that sort. Nurglings always remember their parent Human with affection, and periodically creep back to bestow their gratitude in the form of a crop of boils or some interesting disease.

Nurglings are miniature images of Nurgle himself: tiny bloated green bodies whose limbs are often distorted or disproportionate. They are gregarious, agile and constantly active. Normally they swarm over the body of a Great Unclean One, picking at his skin, squealing with pleasure if their master favours them with a tit-bit or a caress, otherwise squabbling amongst themselves over the most comfortable recesses of the Great Unclean One's carcass. When faced with an enemy they advance in a furious little swarm, clawing and gnawing at their foe's legs, biting his ankles and licking at any interesting sores or abrasions they discover. Their tiny teeth are sharp as razors, and leave festering little bites upon their victims, but rarely kill them outright.

Nurglings

Alignment: Chaos (Nurgle).

Special Psychological Traits: Hates and subject to frenzy against all Daemons and Champions of Tzeentch. Otherwise standard for Daemonic Servants.

Special Rules: Nurglings are mounted on a 40 x 40mm base in groups of up to nine models. Each base is treated as a single model with several Wounds and Attacks, in exactly the same way as a base of Snotlings. Nurglings have bite attacks.

Any living creature engaged in hand-to-hand combat against Nurglings risks catching the dreaded disease Nurgle's Rot.

Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned (1990), p19 — Nurglings

Daemonic Servants of Nurgle (Khan'gurani'i)

Nurglings, Pus Spores, Mites of Nurgle

The rotted bowels of the Great Unclean One swell with pus and contagion, and within each swelling there grows a tiny and malevolent daemon called a Nurgling. As the Nurgling matures it feeds upon the filth of the Great Unclean One and eventually pops out, the very personification (or daemonification) of a boil or pustule. In this sense Nurglings really are the children of the Great Unclean Ones. Perhaps this is why the Greater Daemons take such parental pride in the little creatures, allowing them to suckle upon their sores, and petting them affectionately. However, this does not prevent the proud parent squashing its progeny underfoot, or gobbling one or two up in a moment of impulsive peckishness.

Nurglings may also grow from the pus shed by a Great Unclean One as it moves. Such pus hides in little sticky pockets in the ground. When a mortal steps upon it, the foulness enters his body, making its way into his gut. There the Nurgling encysts and develops until it is ready to emerge. As the Nurgling approaches maturity its obscene cries may be heard from within the victim's abdomen, insulting anyone and everyone nearby. When ready, the Nurgling climbs through the alimentary canal and leaves its host by one or other end. The Nurgling is then free to flock with others of its kind or to take up residence in some household cess pit, rubbish pile or other equally unpleasant place. They have a naturally malicious but sociable nature and like to hang around human settlements if they cannot find other Nurglings. They enjoy stealing small but precious objects, turning milk sour, and perpetrating misdeeds of that sort. Nurglings always remember their parent human with affection, and periodically creep back to bestow their gratitude in the form of a crop of boils or some interesting disease.

Nurglings are miniature images of Nurgle himself, with friendly mischevious faces, tiny bloated green bodies, and limbs which are often distorted or disproportionate. They are gregarious, agile and constantly active. Normally they swarm over the body of a Great Unclean One, picking at his skin, squealing with pleasure if their master favours them with a tit-bit or a caress, otherwise squabbling among themselves over the most comfortable recess of the Great Unclean One's carcase. When faced with an enemy they advance in a furious little swarm, clawing and gnawing at their foe's legs, biting his ankles and licking at any interesting sores or abrasions they discover. Their tiny teeth are sharp as razors, leaving festering little bites upon their victims but rarely killing them outright.

Special Psychological Traits: Nurglings are subject to frenzy against all Daemons and Champions of Tzeentch, the hated adversary of their lord and master Nurgle. Otherwise they have standard psychology for Daemonic Servants.

Special Rules: Nurglings are mounted on a 40 x 40mm base in groups of up to nine models. Each base is treated as a single model with several wounds and attacks, in exactly the same way as a base of Snotlings. Nurglings actually attack by biting their opponents - but because there are so many on a base they can fight to the front, side or rear.

Any living creature engaged in hand-to-hand combat against Nurglings risks catching the dreaded disease Nurgle's Rot (see Nurgle's Rot).

White Dwarf 132 (Dec 1990), p21 — Nurglings

Lesser Daemons

Nurglings are Nurgle's favoured little helpers. Each one is a tiny facsimile of Nurgle or a Great Unclean One. Nurglings are excitable and energetic, like malicious school children, though their vicious sense of humour and sharp fangs make them quite nasty for all their small size.

The Nurglings encountered on the battlefield are mostly in great swarms which have bred together on the Nurgle Renegades' space hulk. They form carpet-like masses to overwhelm the foe with numbers while more adventurous individuals sneak off to inflict boils and diseases on their own. Quite often Nurglings will remain behind on a planet which has been raided to cause trouble for years to come.

Notes: Regenerates (this doesn't represent the actual Nurglings regenerating, rather it shows the tendency for the nurglings to get scattered by a hit and them gradually scramble back together). Nurglings have no Daemonic Abilities.

Citadel Journal 12 (1995), p37 — Nurgle Palanquin

The smallest Daemons of all, Nurglings, are miniature images of Nurgle himself, rotund and bloated. Nurglings are weak alone but when they group together they can prove to be a huge writhing mass of annoying and distracting little sods. Like a sea of green corruption biting and chewing at enemies' feet and ankles, Nurglings are in fact capable of overwhelming an overconfident opponent.

Codex: Chaos (1996), p57 — Nurglings

Nurgle's disgusting daemons spill into the world like a plague, riding upon a tide of tiny daemons which swirl about the horde like an infestation. These tiny daemons are Nurglings, small but malevolent things that feed upon corruption. Although tiny they are as hideous as their master, each a minute replica of Nurgle, round and bloated with disease. They swarm around the Greater Daemons, scurrying over their decaying bodies and sucking at boils for their nourishment, nestling within their master's spilling entrails for succour.

Because of their diminutive size Nurglings are represented by a large base crammed with many individual creatures. Individual models don't fight but the whole base is treated as a single monstrous creature with several Attacks and able to withstand several wounds.

Special Rules

All the special rules for daemons apply as described earlier. In particular, note that a base of Nurglings has a daemonic aura which gives it a saving throw of 4+.

Fear
Nurglings spill over their victims like an irrepressible tide of foulness that is an assault to mind and body alike. Nurglings cause fear as described in the main rulebook.

Infestations
Nurglings are far more common in the material universe than any other type of daemon, and wherever there are followers of Nurgle, you can be sure you'll find some Nurglings too! Because of this any Nurglings included in an army may be set up at the start of the battle if you want, and do not have to be summoned to the battlefield. Note that you can choose to summon Nurglings if you wish, it's just that you don't have to! In addition, Nurglings cannot be banished back to the warp.

Codex: Chaos Space Marines (1999), p14 — Nurglings

Nurglings are the creations of the Chaos god Nurgle. Accompanied by a babbling cacophony, hordes of Nurglings spill across the battlefield in a living tide of mayhem. Their vicious bites and clawing hands can pull down foes many times their size, sweeping away opposition by sher weight of numbers.

Swarm: The swarm consists of between three and ten Nurgling Bases.

Special Rules

Not Summoned: Note that, unlike any other type of Daemon, Nurglings are not summoned to the battlefield and instead deploy with the rest of the army as normal.

Invulnerable: Daemons are made from the very stuff of Chaos and are therefore very difficult to destroy. They are treated as being invulnerable and may make an armour save against all wounds they take, even those that would normally pierce their armour or that allow no save.

Codex: Chaos Space Marines (1999), p21 — Chaos Space Marine Vehicle Upgrades & Gifts

Nurgling Infestation: The vehicle has been infected by Nurgle's Rot and is infested with pestilence - decaying limbs and tentacles begin to grow from it. The vehicle is rotten to the core, slimy ooze covers the tank and Nurglings swarm all over it. The armour value of each of the vehicle's locations is increased by +1 point, up to a maximum of 14 points.

Citadel Journal 32 (1999), p50-51 — Smelly Touch Downs!

Nurgle teams do not have real Cheerleaders (for which we can thank the Gods!) but use Nurglings, tiny, bloated daemons that emanate a disgusting foul odour and several unpleasant diseases to boot! They gather in gibbering clumps in their team's end zone producing hideous odours in an attempt to keep opposition players from scoring. The coach may use them whenever an opposition player is about to score a Touchdown and may use this ability up to three times during the match before the Nurglings get bored and wander off to pollute a river or something!

To represent the Nurglings' effects roll 1D6 for each Nurgling in the team. If you roll at least one '6' the opposing player will stop one square away from the end zone, coughing and spluttering and he will refuse to continue moving until the next turn when he is more composed (he may Hand-off or Pass the ball to a team mate though).

Codex: Chaos Space Marines (2002), p31 — Nurglings

Nurglings are the creation of the Chaos god Nurgle. They caper across the battlefield in a putrescent tide, highlighted by a babbling cacophony of shrieks, seeking to drag larger opponents down with their infection-riddled claws and venomous bites.

Number/squad: 3-10 Nurgling bases

Weapons: Claws and teeth

Special Rules

Invulnerable: Nurglings are unnatural creatures, made from the very stuff of Chaos itself and are therefore very difficult to destroy. The saving throw on their profile is therefore Invulnerable.

Vulnerable to blasts: Template, Ordnance and Blast marker weapons inflict two wounds instead of one on Nurglings. A weapon of Strength 6 or higher will of course kill a Nurgling base outright, assuming they fail their Invulnerable save in accordance with the Instant Death rule.

Small Target: Being extremely hard to hit in cover Nurglings' cover save is at +1. Note this doesn't give them a cover save if they woudn't normally get one. Because of their diminutive size they do not block line of sight to anything behind or with them other than more Nurglings.

Children of Father Nurgle: Nurglings tend to follow in the shadow of the Champions of Nurgle consequently an army may only include one unit of Nurglings for each Independent Character or Unit with the Mark of Nurgle.

Mischevious: A unit of Nurglings cannot be trusted to hold an objective as they will inevitably wander off or try to damage it. Consequently they may never hold table quarters or objectives.

Instability: Nurglings are subject to Daemonic Instability, see special rules for more details.

Codex: Chaos Space Marines (2002), p51 — The Book of Nurgle - The Lord of Decay

Nurgling Infestation

Champions of Nurgle are frequently accompanied by swarms of Nurglings eager to feed off the flakes of dead and diseased flesh they trail behind them. If their host is in close combat the Nurglings will attack fiercely providing their host with an extra D6 Strength 3 attacks at Initiative 3 against enemies in base contact. The Nurglings should be modelled on the host's base and person.

The Empire in Flames (2004), p63-64 — Nurglings

15 Gold Crowns to hire

Nurglings are tiny Daemons of Nurgle and are viewed by other followers of the pus god as akin to his beloved children. They are like rotten boils with legs and razor sharp teeth, that pick and tear and infect their foes with filth-encrusted claws. Nurglings are generally more of a nuisance in a fight than any real threat but in sufficient numbers can overwhelm even the toughest of warriors. Nurglings are mischievous little bundles of filth and pus and take great delight in their part in the Carnival of Chaos, not only as musicians but also as fools and slapstick comedians. Nurglings often befriend the children of each village they visit, only revealing their foul identity to their terrified victims at the final stage of 'Nurgle's Great Play'.

Weapons/Armour: None. Nurglings do not use weapons or wear armour.

SPECIAL RULES

Cloud of Flies: Nurglings are surrounded by a cloud of flies, which buzz around them and their combat opponent. They do not affect the Nurglings but distract foes by buzzing into eyes, nostrils and mouths. A Nurgling's close combat opponent suffers a -1 to hit modifier on all attacks.

Swarm: You may summon as many Nurglings as you wish (ie. you may have more than five Nurglings in a Henchman group).

Daemonic: Nurglings are Daemons of the diseased Lord Nurgle and are not made of living flesh but the eternal and unchanging forces of Chaos. Therefore they never gain Experience.

Immune to Poison: Nurglings are the Daemonic embodiment of disease and pestilence. They are totally immune to all poisons and diseases.

Immune to Psychology: Nurglings are Daemons and do not know the concept of fear. They automatically pass any Leadership-based test they are required to take.

Daemonic Aura: Due to the magical, intangible nature of Daemons they have a special Armour save of 5+. This is modified by the Strength of the attack as normal and is completely negated by magic weapons and spells. Nurglings' attacks are also considered as magical.

Daemonic Instability: Nurglings are bound to the world by Dark Sorcery that is highly volatile and unstable. If taken out of action a Nurgling is banished and effectively destroyed on a D6 roll of 1-3 (do not roll for injury). In addition, if the warband routs then every Nurgling in the warband must take an immediate Leadership test. If this test is failed, then Nurgling counts as destroyed.

Codex: Chaos Daemons (2008), p42 — Nurglings: Mites of Father Nurgle

The innards of a Great Unclean One are best left as imponderables by mortals, for such twisting gastric caverns and voluminous guts are not a place one wishes to consider for too long. It is in these dark, chruning depths that the Nurglings are born. Starting as small blobs of indescribably foul matter, Nurglings are nourished by the pulsating juices of a Great Unclean One's inner organs, growing into small facsimiles of Nurgle himself. Once a Nurgling has matured, the peristaltic heavings of a Great Unclean One's internal processes will eventually deposit the Nurgling through some orifice or tear in the flesh, plopping them into existence as spiteful, rotund imps.

For most of their existence, Nurglings will congregate around the grand Daemon that birthed them. They clamber across his bulk seeking comfortable pools of liquids and warm spots under the folds of rolling flesh, constantly bickering in petty territorial war. Eager for the attention of their master, the Nurglings sit on the shoulders of the Great Unclean One and chatter to him incessantly, hoping for a fatherly pat or belch of appreciation. Other times they will scurry around the Greater Daemon making gifts of small trinkets they find; dead animals, rotting bones, particularly splendid fungi and other such presents as they think will please their master. Such a life is not without its risks, for in an absent-minded moment a Great Unclean One will sit or tread upon his tiny charges, or gulp down one or two as delicate sweetmeats.

When the Great Unclean One fights, the Nurglings leave their master and swarm forwards as a living carpet of malevolent pettiness. Possessed of pointed teeth and sharp claws, the Nurglings swallow up their enemies with a mound of biting, scratching bodies. Such small wounds as are inflicted by these tiny creatures would be inconsequential were it not for the lively toxins and diseases from which the Nurglings are made, which quickly infect and mortify even the slightest injury.

Sometimes a particularly well-favoured Herald of Nurgle is gifted a palanquin upon which to be carried. Sitting upon rotted boards atop a carpet of Nurglings, the Herald can look down upon all of the other Plaguebearers - figuratively as well as literally. The Nurglings are very protective of their passenger and will launch themselves at foes who threaten their charge, gurgling angrily, teeth and claws bared.

Perhaps of all Daemons, it is the Nurglings that most vex the Plaguebearers. Driven by the instinct to record and codify, Plaguebearers find the capricious, mischevious nature of the Nurglings impossible to fathom. While the Great Unclean Ones look upon their pestilent children with affection, the sombre Plaguebearers view them as a constant distraction.

Unit Type:

Infantry.

Special Rules:

Daemon, Swarm.

Note: Nurglings can also carry the Palanquin of a Herald of Nurgle (as explained in the 'Daemonic Steeds' rules on page 76).

Creatures Anathema (2008), p124-125 — Nurglings

...and the Great Father marks out those who are chosen with the gift of his Nurglings. These servants bear on their multitudinous backs his champions and chosen. They will war for them and nurture them and aid them in spreading the gifts of Father Nurgle to the undeserving and unappreciative Imperium of Man...
—From a fragment of the Liber Pestilentia

Nurglings are the lowest servants of Nurgle, the Chaos God of Decay. These diminutive yet corpulent daemons chatter and squabble amongst themselves, seeming to take delight in malicious mischief. These tiny daemons support the followers of their blasphemous deity in battle by swarming over foes, biting and blinding them. Other Nurglings act as chortling servants, bearing champions of decay into combat atop a pestilential palanquin made up of rotted boards.

Quite possibly the most disgusting creatures in existence, Nurglings are covered in horns, pustules, and tumours. These deformities cover every inch of their bodies except for their beady little black eyes and fang-filled oversized mouths. In combat, the Nurglings' two greatest advantages are their overwhelming numbers and the propensity for foes to underestimate them based on their comical appearance and diminutive size. There exists no more horrible fate than to be devoured alive by a filthy living carpet of tiny daemonic gluttons. Fanatically aggressive and heedless of their own destruction, Nurglings will fling themselves at the enemy in a rolling tide of pestilence.

Move: 1/2/4/8

Wounds: 6

Skills: Awareness (Per) +20.

Talents: None.

Traits: Daemonic (TB 4), Fear 1, From Beyond, Improved Natural Weapon, Natural Weapon (Teeth), Size (Scrawny), Warp Instability.

Armour: None.

Weapons: Teeth (1d10+1^† R, Toxic); A victim who suffers damage from a Nurgling's bite must pass an Ordinary (+10) Toughness Test or contract a virulent disease (The nature of the disease is at the GM's discretion). A diseased victim loses 1d5 points of Toughness permanently.
^†Includes Strength Bonus.

Threat Rating: Malleus Minima.

Definition: Plague Daemon, Malleus Minima

Explication: Nurglings are deceptively small and weak-looking, but their true nature is anything but humorous. These small daemons gather in large groups and attack without fear, throwing themselves one after the other to overbear larger foes.

Admonition: Area-effect weapons and flamers are effective, as are strongly presented icons of faith by one who truly believes in the Emperor's light. Purge these abominations with grenades and holy flame.

From the journals of Inquisitor Felroth Gelt: 134.678.M41

In my youth, I was often foolish and overconfident, trusting too greatly in my own overestimated importance. It was on the world of Cyrus Vulpa that I first faced up to this personal flaw while in pursuit of the heretic sorcerer Saul Charyn, who had fled there some months in advance of my own investigations. I relied upon the assistance of Stubjack Jayn, a red-haired gun-prophet of Kulth, for my own contacts on Cyrus Vulpa had vanished within weeks of the sorcerer's arrival. I must admit that Jayn was a master of her trade... in less than a month, she had pinpointed Charyn's location to a hab-block that adjoined a Schola Progenium in the capital city of Vaxport.

In my pride, I decided it would be best to capture Charyn alive, and to that end, we waited and watched for another six weeks. Jayn's network of informants kept us appraised of the sorcerer's movements and told us of his strange interest in the Schola Progenium. It wasn't until the Schola's most prominent Drill Abbott turned up missing that I realised my mistake. Jayn, myself, and six of the Black Regiment kill-troopers stormed the Schola compound in the depths of night, and we found an abattoir within, horrors that drove hardened Stubjack Jayn irrevocably insane. The sorcerer had made a mockery of the Schola, turning the nursery into a midden pit where foul Nurglings writhed and giggled in the dark. Charyn had summoned a host of lesser daemons, servants of the Plague God, to act as a rearguard. The foul, decaying things had amused themselves, and the floor was slick with mingled blood and filth.

A score of whispering, sniggering voices chorused a greeting, and then my kill-troopers and I were under attack. Tiny servants of Nurgle, these daemons capered and jeered, cackling with sly japes throughout the battle. Jayn was of no use, her sanity fractured, sobbing brokenly in the corner. With hellgun and flamer we fought them, even as the tiny daemons battled viciously from every corner. Nurglings dropped onto kill-troopers from above, yanked them down into the disease-ridden sludge covering the floor, and swarmed over us outnumbering us at ten-to-one odds. One of the kill-troopers kept his head and triggered a burst of frag grenades to sweep a path clear to the exit. He paid for that bravery with his life, but it enabled us to drag Jayn out of that room and re-group. I choked on self-recrimination and shame for having waited so long, for having given the monster Charyn the one thing he needed most: time. The Schola was purged with fire, and its site reconsecrated with holy wafers and the blessing of a high-ranking Cleric. But the stain of that battle remained on my soul for decades to follow.

Daemon Hunter (2011), p98 — Nurglings

Quite possibly the most disgusting creatures in existence, Nurglings are covered in horns, pustules, and tumours. The lowest servants of Nurgle, these diminutive yet corpulent daemons chatter and squabble amongst themselves, seeming to take delight in malicious mischief. They support the followers of their blasphemous deity in battle by swarming over foes, biting and blinding them. Often Nurglings act as chortling servants, bearing champions of decay into combat atop pestilential palanquins made up of rotted boards.

Move: 1/2/4/8

Wounds: 6

Skills: Awareness (Per) +20.

Traits: Daemonic (TB 4), Fear 1, From Beyond, Improved Natural Weapon, Natural Weapon (Teeth), Size (Scrawny), Warp Instability.

Armour: None.

Weapons: Teeth (1d10+1 R, Toxic); A victim who suffers damage from a Nurgling's bite must pass a Toughness Test or contract a virulent disease (see Diseases and Infections Sidebar on page 99).

Threat Rating: Malleus Minima.

Citadel of Skulls (2011), p63 — Nurgling

These disease-carrying vermin are a common sight among the catacombs of the Citadel of Skulls. Nurglings are tiny, hideous things with bloated bodies whose scrofulous hides are covered in weeping sores, pustules, and misshapen tumours. Their ravening mouths are filled with long, jagged fangs, and their spindly arms tipped with scabrous claws. Travelling in swarms, these voracious predators will attack anything on sight, and can kill a man with a single bite.

Movement: 2/4/6/12

Wounds: 6

Skills: Awareness (Per) +20.

Talents: None.

Traits: Daemonic (TB 4), Fear (1), From Beyond, Improved Natural Weapons, Natural Weapon (Teeth), Size (Scrawny), Warp Instability.

Armour: None.

Weapons: Teeth (1d10+1 R; Toxic). A victim who suffers damage from a Nurgling's bite must pass an Ordinary (+10) Toughness Test or contract a virulent disease. The exact nature of the disease should be left up to the GM's discretion. A diseased victim loses 1d5 points of Toughness permanently.

Gear: None.

Black Crusade (2011), p212 — An'garrach

A weapon perhaps more infested than possessed, An'garrach has a long history and has changed hands more times than anyone cares to recollect. A Legion chainsword containing the bound essence of one or more Nurglings, An'garrach exists to spread illness, and is too stupid a creature to realise the indignity of its situation. More enthusiastic than most daemon weapons, it revs its motor and drools pus-filled oil with annoying regularity, perhaps explaining its frequent change of ownership.

An'garrach is a Legion Chainsword with a Willpower of 28, a Binding Strength of 3, and the Degeneration attribute, inflicting 1d10 Agility Damage with every wounding hit.

Rising Tempest (2012), p134 — Nurgling

The mischievous little daemons burble happily as they spread their vile pestilence.

Movement: 4/8/12/24

Wounds: 12

Armour: None.

Skills: Awareness (Per) +20.

Talents: Swift Attack.

Traits: Blood Soaked Tide (Horde), Daemonic (2), Fear (1), From Beyond, Improved Natural Weapon (Teeth), Overwhelming (Horde), Size (Scrawny), Toxic, Unnatural Speed, Warp Instability.

Weapons: Teeth (1d10+2 R; Infected Wounds†, Toxic).

†Infected Wounds: Any injuries inflicted by Nurglings, whether by blade or teeth, become immediately infected. These wounds take twice as long as normal to heal naturally, and a Battle-Brother with an infected wound suffers 1d5 Toughness Damage per day until the wounds are healed. Healing infected wounds requires a Very Hard (-30) Medicae Test and access to a well-stocked medicae facility.

Codex: Chaos Daemons (2013), p50 — Nurglings

Mites of Father Nurgle

The innards of a Great Unclean One are best not pondered, for such gastric caverns are not places that sane men wish to consider for too long. It is in these churning depths that the Nurglings are created. Starting as small blobs of indescribably foul matter, Nurglings are nourished by the pulsating juices of a Great Unclean One's inner organs, growing into small facsimiles of Nurgle himself until they plop into existence as spiteful, rotund imps.

For most of their existence, Nurglings congregate around the Great Unclean One that created them. They clamber across his bulk seeking comfortable pools of liquids and warm spots under the folds of rotting flesh. Eager for attention, Nurglings chatter to their master incessantly, picking at his scabs and hoping for a fatherly belch of appreciation. Sometimes, a particularly favoured Herald of Nurgle is gifted a palanquin upon which to be carried, which is borne aloft by a carpet of Nurglings. When not moving the palanquin around, they will scurry around making gifts of small trinkets they find; dead animals, rotting bones, particularly splendid fungi and other such presents as they think will please their master.

Nurglings are mischievous little creatures, and when they aren't squabbling with each other or vying for attention, they are typically making a nuisance of themselves by spreading boils, spoiling foodstuffs, or else leaving slippery piles of filth for unsuspecting mortals to step in. Of all Daemons, it is Nurglings that most vex the Plaguebearers; driven by the instinct to record and codify, the Lesser Daemons of Nurgle find the capricious, trouble-causing nature of Nurglings impossible to fathom. Whilst Great Unclean Ones look upon their pestilent children with affection, the sombre Plaguebearers view them as a constant distraction.

Nurglings are very protective creatures and will launch themselves at foes that threaten them or their friends. They swarm forwards in a rush of malevolence, spilling over their victims like an irrepressible tide. Some of Nurgle's favoured Heralds are accompanied to battle by seething tides of these diminutive monsters; those most vaunted in his sight are borne aloft by putrescent heaps of Nurglings.

Possessed of pointed teeth and sharp claws, the Nurglings swallow up their enemies with a mound of biting, scratching bodies. Such small wounds as are inflicted by these miniscule creatures would be inconsequential were it not for the lively toxins and contagions from which the Nurglings are made, which quickly infect and mortify even the slightest injury.

Unit Type: Infantry.

Special Rules: Daemon of Nurgle (pg 26), Daemonic Instability (pg 26), Deep Strike, Infiltrate, Swarms.

The Nurglings flocked to their master, squabbling and bickering in their impatience to nestle in the warm comforts of his decaying bosom.

'Ahhh... Nurgle's children, our pretties, our pets,' cried the deep warm voice of the Great Unclean One. 'How Nurgle loves his wonderful little children! How Nurgle loves his beautiful little pets!'

With a broad and loving smile, the great Daemon raised a hand to pluck up a Nurgling that had settled into the folds of his chest. The Nurgling squealed and squirmed as the hand enveloped it, caressing it for a moment before popping it whole into the Great Unclean One's mouth.

The Tome of Decay (2014), p15 — Servants of the Great Paradox

Nurglings

Gleeful Castoffs, Pus Spores, Mites of Nurgle, Tiny Plagues

Though they are some of the least of Nurgle's minions, Nurglings are surely some of the most numerous, and among the most favoured. Even their appearance is pleasing to the Lord of All, for each Nurgling is like a minute copy of the dread master himself. This is perhaps not surprising, given that Nurglings are formed within the innards of Great Unclean Ones, who themselves physically reflect Nurgle's repulsive magnificence. Nurglings serve the Filth-father in which they were formed, often pretending that their progenitor is Nurgle himself. They play within the folds of his flesh, fetch morsels for him to consume, pick at his sores or give him new ones, and otherwise seek his approval, giggling all the while. Sometimes they are gifted to Heralds or other powerful champions to act as a living litter for him, or to hold him aloft atop a palanquin. In these cases, the Nurglings will treat their new master much as they had treated the Great Unclean One from which they came - whether the new lord would prefer it or not.

Daemons of Nurgle emulate the Lord of Decay and follow his path in many different ways. When they are not vying for the attention of their parent-Daemon, Nurglings most often try to do things that reflect the mirthful nature of Nurgle himself. This frequently leads to them interfering with the work of the Plaguebearers, who find Nurglings to be something of a nuisance - though they don't normally give voice to their irritation, at least not when a Great Unclean One is within earshot. Just when a Plaguebearer is nearly finished counting the number of drips of pus required to fill a particular pool, for example, a swarm of Nurglings may come running through it, playfully splashing in the rancid goo and scattering it all around. It is their nature to cause mischief, just as it is the Plaguebearer's nature to keep tallies. In the Realm of Chaos, even in the relatively ordered domain of Nurgle, it is no surprise that harmony eludes the grasp of most Daemons.

The Tome of Decay (2014), p115 — Mire

Nurgling

These pernicious and capricious Daemons erupt from the boils and pustules that pock the fleshy hide of Great Unclean Ones. They caper and dance about the greater Daemons, causing mischief whenever possible, constantly giggling as they play. Their enemies are another matter entirely, and would do well to avoid their sharp claws; those that survive the rake of a Nurgling's talons often find their wounds festering and incurable.

Movement: 2/4/6/12

Wounds: 70

Armour: None

Total TB: 4

Skills: Awareness (Per) +20.

Talents: Swift Attack, Takedown.

Traits: Daemonic (2), Deadly Natural Weapons, Fear (1), From Beyond, Natural Weapons, Swarm, Toxic (3), Warp Instability.

Weapons: Teeth and Claws (1d10+1 R; Pen 4; Toxic [3]).

Infected Wounds: Whenever a target fails the Toughness Test from the Toxic Quality of a Nurgling's attack, the target also suffers 1d5 Toughness Damage.

Dark Heresy (2nd ed, 2014), p416 — Nurgle

Nurgling

Vulgar and mischievous imps of the Plague God, Nurglings are said to originate within the bowels of the greatest of Nurgle's Daemons. When the Warp waxes strong, they gather into large groups, falling over one another in their eagerness to attack the enemies of their beloved Grandfather Nurgle. Though individually weak, in groups they can overwhelm and drag down foes many times their own size. As manifestations of disease and filth, even the slightest scratch from their jagged claws or pointed teeth results in horrific infection and necrosis. Nurglings also pose a significant moral threat, as does any exposure to the denizens of the Warp.

Being so small in stature and power, Nurglings can remain in the corporeal universe longer than other Daemons. In areas heavily saturated with corruption, such as the hidden redoubts of the Callers of Sorrow, they can exist almost indefinitely, drawing strength from the surrounding filth and decay. Though the Preceptors teach that the presence of Nurglings is a blessing from the Plague God, they often find it to be a frustrating one, as the tiny Daemons delight in absconding with relics, smearing excrement on the pages of forbidden texts, gibbering constantly in unearthly pitches, and generally acting as a nuisance even to those who worship their presence.

Wounds: 12

Armour: All 8

Movement: 1/2/3/6

Threat: 7

Claws and Teeth: Class Melee, Rng -, RoF -, Dmg 1d10+6^3+SB (I), Pen 0, Clip -, Rld -, Wt -, Avl -, Toxic (1)

Traits: Daemonic (2), Deadly Natural Weapons, Fear (1), From Beyond, Nauseating (see sidebar on page 415), Size (2), Unnatural Toughness (2), Unnatural Willpower (1)

Clinging: While engaged in melee with one or more Nurglings, a character reduces his Agility bonus by 1 for the purposes of determining Movement values.

Codex: Chaos Daemons (2016), p121 — Tallyband

The suppurating Daemons of the Tallyband trudge into battle, surrounded by the drone of a billion flies. A squelching flood of Nurglings spills across the battlefield at the host's fore, giggling and squealing as they nip and scratch the enemy. Behind these stench-ridden hell-mites shamble rank upon rank of dour Plaguebearers, their incessant counting interspersed with fatalistic grumbles and the odd phlegmy retch. The stink of the Tallyband is a weapon in its own right, a metaphysical foulness that seeps through every barrier to leave its victims weak and nauseated. Worse are the swirling clouds of flies that swarm blizzard-thick around the Daemons, blanketing the enemy in the crawling horror of their rot-fat bodies until they can barely fight back against the muttering killers in their midst.

Formation

• Epidemius or 1 Herald of Nurgle
• 7 units chosen in any combination from the following list:
  • Plaguebearers of Nurgle
  • Nurglings

Restrictions: None.

Special Rules

Distracting Swarm of Flies: Enemy units cannot fire Overwatch against units from a Tallyband.

Enfeebling Nausea: At the start of each Assault phase, enemy units that are locked in combat with any units from a Tallyband must pass a Leadership test or reduce their Strength and Toughness characteristics by 1 for the duration of that phase.

Harbinger of Nurgle: If the Herald of Nurgle from this Formation is a Lesser Locus of Virulence, Greater Locus of Fecundity or an Exalted Locus of Contagion, the special rules associated with that locus affect all units from this Formation that are within 12" of him. If such a unit is also affected by another locus, they will receive both benefits.

Codex: Chaos Daemons (2016), p133 — Hellforged Artefacts of Nurgle

Grotti the Nurgling — 40 Points

Grotti was once a mortal tribesman whose dubious personal hygiene saw him shunned even by his primitive people. After an unfortunate incident in which Grotti accidentally contaminated his tribe's stew with grox dung, leading to an epidemic of crippling gut-rot, he was finally banished from his tribe. Alone and bereft of shelter, Grotti's doom was inevitable. Yet as he slowly wasted away from starvation and fever began to take hold of his emaciated body, an otherworldly power took notice of his predicament. Nurgle gazed down upon this disgusting mortal with a sense of paternal pride and, though he chose not to save Grotti's life, spirited away his departing soul and refashioned it into a Nurgling. Ever since this unconventional apotheosis, Grotti's foetid aura has only worsened, and now has the power to wrack victims with a spectacularly messy wasting sickness.

Reduce the Toughness characteristic of all models (friend or foe) by 1 whilst they remain within 6" of a model accompanied by Grotti the Nurgling, unless they have the Daemon of Nurgle special rule.

Great Unclean One, Daemon Prince of Nurgle or Herald of Nurgle only.

Index: Chaos (2017), p67 — Daemon Hierarchy

Index: Chaos (2017), p88 — Daemons of Nurgle

The sky darkens with noxious clouds and the land sickens and withers as the Daemons of Nurgle lumber into battle. Unnatural plagues billow about them. Slime and toxins drip from their blades and claws. Warped bells toll and bloated flies buzz, filling the air with a droning din as the hideous slaughter begins...

Nurgle's Daemons spill into realspace in thronging masses, surrounded by swirling clouds of bloated plague flies. The endless droning of these insects provides a fitting accompaniment to the constant muttering of thousands of Plaguebearers, as they attempt to catalogue the full breadth of the Lord of Decay's manifold concoctions. Unhurried and uncaring of the enemy fire that splatters off their corpulent forms, they march towards the foe with implacable menace. Cackling Nurglings caper about the ankles of their larger fellows - once battle is joined these diminutive Daemons spill over the enemy in an irrepressible tide, giggling and chortling to each other as they bite and scratch at mortal flesh, before dribbling their infectious toxins into open wounds. Grossly malformed creatures covered in caustic slime and rippling with virulent poxes, Beasts of Nurgle bound playfully alongside the plague-ridden Tallybands, while Plague Drones wheel overhead, mounted upon their monstrous Rot Flies. In the midst of this poxridden tide lumbers the colossal, bloated bulk of a Great Unclean One, its flyblown, pus-dripping body an embodiment of the Plague God's fearsome constitution. The slug-like tongue of this Greater Daemon lolls from its gaping maw as it chortles in delight, urging its children onwards to spread Nurgle's bountiful maladies amongst the unenlightened masses.

The Plague God

[...]

Amongst the foetid boughs of Nurgle's Garden - the Lord of Decay's pestilential domain within the Realm of Chaos - billions upon billions of Daemons dance amongst fields of spore-spewing vines and wallow in mires of pestilent filth. They await the chance to slither out of the immaterium and into the realm of mortals, upon whom they can inflict their most delightful concoctions. Epidemius, the Tallyman of Nurgle, works tirelessly to catalogue all of the varied afflictions and maladies thus unleashed into the universe, going about this prestigious task with a grim seriousness. His corpulent frame can often be witnessed upon mortal battlefields, as he surveys infected injuries and putrefying corpses, noting carefully every swelling, sore and buboe with the aid of his Nurgling assistants. To witness mortal flesh bubble and warp with the gift of corruption is the greatest desire of all Nurgle's children. This ebullient eagerness delights the Plague God, who takes a father's pride in his creations' ingenuity and hard work.

[...]

A Nurgle Daemon infestation often begins with a single, luckless victim becoming infected with a mysterious ailment. The exact horrors wrought upon the bearer's body differ depending on the strain that was contracted, but in all cases the results are as excruciating as they are deadly. Every cough and pus-choked scream sends clouds of Daemon-spores swirling into the air. With horrifying speed the disease begins to spread amongst the populace, mutating and evolving into ever more horrific strains as it does so. Before long the streets are piled high with swollen corpses, and clouds of flies blot out the sun. It is then that the bells begin to toll, and the Tallybands of Nurgle erupt from the gasblown carcasses of the dead. Those ragged survivors still capable of bearing arms against these putrid invaders are swiftly overcome, and the least fortunate of all are taken alive for experimentation. Gleeful Nurglings chortle and applaud as these fresh subjects are dunked into foetid pools of caustic slime, or hurled the slavering maws of slime-covered beasts.

Blightwar (2017), p41 — Nurglings

Nurglings are diseased dameon mites, miniature facsimiles of their noisome god that pour across the battlefield in a stinking tide and bury the foe beneath wave after wave of bloated little bodies. Tumbling from the innards of larger daemons or spilling up from sewers and fissures, the diminutive daemons overcome their victims with sheer weight of numbers and infectious foulness.

Description

A unit of Nurglings has 3 or more models. Nurglings attack with their Tiny, Razor-sharp Teeth.

Abilities

Disease-ridden Demise: At the end of the combat phase, roll a dice for each enemy unit that suffered any wounds inflicted by Nurglings in that phase. On a roll of 5 or more the unit begins to succumb to the virulent maladies carried by the Nurglings and suffers D3 mortal wounds.

Endless Swarm: During each player's battleshock phase, any Nurgling models that have suffered wounds that turn but have not been slain are immediately healed to their starting number of Wounds.

Magic

Chaos Wizards know the Summon Nurglings spell, in addition to any other spells they know.

Summon Nurglings

Summon Nurglings has a casting value of 6. If successfully cast, you can set up a unit of up to 3 models of Nurglings within 14" of the caster and more than 9" from any enemy models. The unit is added to your army but cannot move in the following movement phase. If the result of the casting roll was 11 or more, set up a unit of up to 6 models of Nurglings instead.

Keywords

Chaos, Daemon, Nurgle, Nurglings

Codex: Chaos Daemons (2018), p59 — Nurglings

Mites of Father Nurgle

The innards of a Great Unclean One are best not pondered, for such gastric caverns are not places that sane men wish to consider for too long. It is in these churning depths that the Nurglings are created. Starting as small blobs of indescribably foul matter, Nurglings are nourished by the pulsating juices of a Great Unclean One's inner organs, growing into small facsimiles of Nurgle himself until they plop into existence as spiteful, rotund imps.

For most of their existence, Nurglings congregate around the Great Unclean One that created them. They clamber across his bulk seeking comfortable pools of liquids and warm spots under the folds of rotting flesh. Eager for attention, Nurglings chatter to their master incessantly, picking at his scabs and hoping for a fatherly belch of appreciation. Some of Nurgle's favoured Heralds are accompanied to battle by seething tides of these diminutive monsters; those most vaunted in his sight are carried in a palanquin which is borne aloft on a carpet of Nurglings. When not moving the palanquin, the grotesque imps will scurry around making gifts of small trinkets they find; dead animals, rotting bones, particularly splendid fungi and other such presents as they think will please their master.

Nurglings are mischievous little creatures, and when they aren't squabbling with each other or vying for attention, they are typically making a nuisance of themselves by spreading boils, spoiling foodstuffs, or else leaving slippery piles of filth for unsuspecting mortals to step in. Of all Daemons, it is Nurglings that most vex the Plaguebearers; driven by the instinct to record and codify, the Lesser Daemons of Nurgle find the capricious, trouble-causing nature of Nurglings impossible to fathom. Whilst Great Unclean Ones look upon their pestilent children with affection, the sombre Plaguebearers view them as a constant distraction.

Nurglings are rarely a formal part of any of the Plague Legions, but instead they tag along, cavorting upon the heels of the commanding Great Unclean One or scampering amongst the Heralds and troop formations. They are very protective creatures and will gleefully launch themselves at foes that threaten them or their friends. They swarm forwards in a rush of malevolence, spilling over their victims like an irrepressible tide. Possessed of pointed teeth and sharp claws, the Nurglings swallow up their enemies in a mound of biting, scratching bodies. Such small wounds as are inflicted by these minuscule creatures would be inconsequential were it not for the lively toxins and contagions from which the Nurglings are made, which quickly infect and mortify even the slightest injury.

Since the coming of the Great Rift and the outpouring of warp energies into the galaxy, Nurglings have become far more prevalent in realspace. Several new diseases, including the latest strains of the Zombie Plague, are so virulent that they allow Nurglings to develop inside those afflicted. When the malevolent creatures slop forth - eating their way out or perhaps bursting from a cyst - they do their best to spread even more diseases.