I did a quick search across the forum for Nazgul and water and nothing specific really came up.
It appears to be one of those vague things. Now I know Unfinished Tales is outside licence so I guess I don’t want to suggest anything from that as a direct quote: however, there is clear LOTR evidence that the Nazgul (and most Mordor influenced beings) were really averse to water.
Since (imho) the rules for the Black Riders (and several other beings) make them incredibly powerful (TPK animals) I’d like to see what people think about using water as escape routes for LMs or for PCs that come across high attribute Shadow beings.
Now I am not advocating that the forces of darkness are stopped by every puddle or pond, just as a PC doesn’t need to run a Fear or Corruption test at sunset or when entering an ordinary cave. Instead I think that it is important that since LOTR and the Hobbit reveal strong background effects around water that it would be correct to have rules/guidelines so that many bodies of water do to the forces of Shadow and Flame what darkness and gloom does to the forces of ‘good’.
I even think that these can be two distinct categories to consider i.e.
Creatures of Shadow – Nazgul and similar Mordor Undead; creatures highly driven or influenced by the will of Sauron (e.g. wights)
Creatures with a strong link to Flame or burning: dragons; possibly orcs and goblins;
My first suggestions could be any of the following (of course these penalties might apply to some creatures rather than all creatures) and only to some locations. I don't suggest ALL of these apply they are alternatives.
1. Direct exclusion of Shadow/ Undead creatures from designated areas (probably only Lothlorien, Rivendell and the Grey Havens).
2. No creature can spend Hate points while in such locations
3. Creatures have their Hate point totals halved (FRD) AND become Craven
4. Creatures spend a Hate point per night to stay in the location and 2 Hate points to stay during a day
5. Creatures have no Attribute bonus to any roll (as if they were Weary)
6. Sorcerers cannot use any Spells
Now I recognise that adopting any of these would have an enormous impact: but can we consider the fact that a Nazgul within a few yards of the Ring was totally confused just by the presence of the waters of the Brandywine? Equally as potent (to me) Sauron had a to launch a full-scale assault on Osgiliath to enable the Witch King and his Ringwraiths to get across the Anduin in summer 3018. These creatures seemed unable to be ‘ferried across’ like the Black Horses arranged for them near to the Field of Celebrant when they started on their Hunt for the Ring. [I concede that it may appear in Unfinished Tales that the 2 or 3 Ringwraiths already in Dol Guldur got across the Undeeps somehow, but is that off-license?]
My most powerful point for some sort of “anti-Shadow water power” is that when all 9 Nazgul were in front of a wounded, transparent Frodo with the One Ring in front of them, only the WKA himself and two others managed to start to cross into the flow. [All 9 were swept away by the flooding waters, so seven of them had not dared to follow into the normal river bed.] There is an afterthought as well to the floodwater at Rivendell. The Unhorsed Black Riders were forced to return to Mordor to regroup. I suspect that the long delay in their activity was made worse by the fact that they would somehow have had to get back across the Anduin.
Of course, soon after this Sauron had to allow his Ringwraiths to use flying steeds to avoid the limitation of not even crossing on the surface of rivers. [ Legolas did a ‘great feat’ by shooting down one of those to the dismay of the evil forces.]
It occurs to me that these waters were all so deep that if you tried to ford them with a horse you probably would get significantly wet. Are creatures of Shadow terrified of getting soaked through? Does heavy rain even drive them under cover?
(This difficulty to enter the water is matched by the fear of Gimli going underground in Dunharrow onto the Paths of the Dead and the fact that the horses of the Grey Company had to be led into the entrance of those caves.)
In the Hobbit Smaug is well aware that ‘the Lake was mightier than him’ and it is only in great rage that he decided to attack Laketown – looking for bridges first. Smaug’s heat and fire would be overcome if he were immersed.
The fact that ordinary Orcs and Goblins can move through the Elven waters of the Nimrodel by Lorien suggests to me that they are corrupted creatures rather than the created creatures of Morgoth (dragons) or of Sauron (his Undead). They don’t like it, but they get through it. The WORST I would put on such creatures (Orcs, Goblins and Wargs) is to make them as if they were Weary.
I find Trolls are difficult to categorise, some (e.g. the Hobbit) seem immune to water effects but others (the Trolls of Sauron) might have some difficulties.
Final bit (!)
I am thinking that e.g. Rivendell should have some “Magic of Location” beyond being a Free area. The place itself should be sufficient to ensure that ‘evil things did not come to that valley’ (barring the arrival of all of the forces of the Dark Lord and Sauron himself). Equally, Lorien and perhaps the Grey Havens should have this inherent repulsion of Shadow creatures.
There should also be the down side of corrupted water: the Long Marshes are Blighted, the pool outside the doors of Moria is ‘gloomy’ and the worst of all is the evil corrupted waters of the Morgul Vale. With the (fingers crossed) approach of a Gondor and/or Mordor supplement can we look at some of these issues?
