Grom's Cauldron is a campaign mechanic for Grom the Paunch, which allows him to cook a dish that gives global benefits to his faction for a time.
How it works
As Grom's campaign progresses, he may fulfill certain requirements to unlock ingredients for his cauldron. Once he has obtained two different types of ingredients, he may combine them in his cauldron and cook them into a specific dish by spending 50 scrap, once per turn. Dishes create a campaign buff that appears on the campaign top bar and lasts for 15 turns.
The specific effects produced by a dish are determined by the individual ingredients used, which produce a variety of buffs for Grom's faction, while the specific dish itself produces effects which buff Grom and may give him new battlefield abilities and attributes.
Each time a dish is made, it is unlocked in the recipe tab of the Cauldron menu, with new recipes unlocked through trial and error cooking, or as a reward for campaign missions or if a new recipe is produced by the Food Merchant.
Recipes themselves are determined by the category of the two primary ingredients used, with all ingredients falling into one of five different categories, and each combining to produce 10 basic recipes. Additional ingredients may be added to the cauldron once it is upgraded by completing Food Merchant cooking requests, allowing up to four ingredients to be used. These additional ingredients add their own effects to the dish, and some further alter the dish to create a new recipe depending upon the specific extra ingredient added to certain recipes.
The Food Merchant herself, is a campaign event that appears periodically on the campaign map and may be interacted with by moving any character to her icon. Interacting with the event will trigger a choice to either buy a random ingredient with faction funds, allow the hag to cook a random recipe for Grom (which may include up to four ingredients and be especially useful early in the campaign in addition to potentially revealing undiscovered recipes), to cook for the hag (which involves interpreting the hag's obtuse request and cooking the specific dish she alludes to) in order to unlock an additional cooking slot, or rob her for funds and scrap (she will still reappear later - apparently the hag is rather forgiving).
List of ingredients
| Ingredient | Category | Effects | Unlock Conditions | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lion Meat | Beast Bitz | Speed: +10% for Goblin cavalry, Goblin chariots, and Squig Herd units (all armies)
Charge bonus: +12 for Squig units (all armies) |
Win a battle against an army containing any kind of lions, lion chariots, or lion-hybrid creatures (includes mounts) | "Gamey, but tasty! Only find fresher on pointy-'eads island." |
| Troll Meat | Beast Bitz | Passive ability: "Regeneration" for Goblin and Night Goblin infantry units (all armies) | None, unlocked from the start | "Already 'alf cooked ta stop regeneratin', you's betta cook 'til black!" |
| Lizard Legs | Beast Bitz | Armour: +15 for Goblin cavalry, Goblin chariots, and Squig Herd units (all armies)
Leadership: +8 for Goblin cavalry, Goblin chariots, and Squig Herd units (all armies) |
Win a battle against an army containing any giant dinosaur-like creatures (included mounts) | "Skin dem first, make nice belt!" |
| Boar Meat | Beast Bitz | Charge bonus: +10 for all Orc and Big 'Uns cavalry and chariot units (all armies)
Weapon strength: +10% for all Orc and Big 'Uns cavalry and chariot units (all armies) |
Equip a character with a Warboar mount | "Got 'airs stuck on, but still tastier than gobbo meat!" |
| Gobbo Legs | Beast Bitz | Passive ability: "Berserk" for all Orc infantry units (all armies) | Obtain a trophy from a successful Call to Waaagh! | "Sum git wot tried ta rob me in Badlands, me bash them, take limbs." |
| Centigor Milk | Mucky Stuff | Passive ability: "Immense Power" for Rogue Idols
Research rate: +10% (factionwide) |
Win a battle against any six-limbed centaur-like creatures | "Yea, me milked Centigor. Sweet boy 'e woz..." |
| Spider Egg Yolk | Mucky Stuff | Adds 5 Lava Spider Rider Archers units to your Regiments of Renown pool
Ability: "Maternal Instinct" for Arachnarok Spider units |
Recruit an Arachnarok Spider | "Dis be delicacy ta night gobbos - dem sneaky gitz but knows a good quiche!" |
| Ectoplasm | Mucky Stuff | Passive ability: "Ghostly Protection" for Rogue Idols
Attrition: -20% casualties suffered from all attrition |
Win a battle against an army containing any ghostly apparitions | "Magic pus makes dish betta! No, me don't know where came from!" |
| Monster Goo | Mucky Stuff | Passive ability: "Monstrous Disease" for Trolls and Giant units
Recruit rank: +2 for Trolls units (all armies) |
Recruit "Da Swamp Fings" Regiment of Renown | "Squeeze anyfink 'ard enuf, goo's gonna come out, wever dey want or not!" |
| Stunty Ale | Mucky Stuff | Passive ability: "Dulled Senses" for Trolls and Giant units
Recruit cost: -50% for Trolls units |
Sack a Dwarf settlement | "Nuthin' betta for numbin' pain! Da drunk stunties me bashed for would agree..." |
| Goldfish | Fishy Chunks | Income from all buildings: +10% (all regions)
Global recruitment duration: -1 turn for all units Obedience: +8 (all provinces) |
Sail and explore the sea or sack an Empire settlement | "Me used ta keep as pets in me pond, but dey's too tasty for dat." |
| Tentacles | Fishy Chunks | Income from sacking and looting settlements: +10% (all characters)
Enables frostbite attacks (all characters) |
Sail and explore the sea or sack a Norscan settlement | "Careful of dem suckas, took months ta pull of da last one wot stuck on me!" |
| Hard Shell Crab | Fishy Chunks | Earns 10 Scrap
Physical resistance: 12% for Goblin and Night Goblin infantry units (all armies) Income from raiding: +10% |
Sail and explore the sea or sack a Vampire Coast settlement | "No things more tasty in sea. Except maybe Elf-sailors..." |
| Ocean Clams | Fishy Chunks | Gain a random amount of gold
Casualty replenishment rate: +10% (all armies) |
Sail and explore the sea or sack a Bretonnian settlement | "Da fleshy bit's inside, but me like eat da shell too!" |
| Pufferfish | Fishy Chunks | Adds 5 Soopa-Squig! units to your Regiments of Renown pool (all armies)
Passive ability: "Spiky Skin" for Goblin and Night Goblin infantry units (all armies) |
Sail and explore the sea or win a battle against an army containing a Bloated Corpse | "If you no prepare right, you die. But dat's wot makes dem tasty!" |
| Green Spores | Sporez n' Shroomz | Earns 5 Reputation
Growth: +10 (all provinces) |
Follow Blacktoof's advice... | "Swiped dem from pointy-eared gitz forest. Me bash some of dem on da way, too" |
| Indigo Milk Caps | Sporez n' Shroomz | Hero action cost: -25%
Hero action success chance: +10% |
Reach rank 15 with an Orc Shaman | "No 'shrooms more bitter, dis stickier than a Squig's bum!" |
| Stinky Fungi | Sporez n' Shroomz | Enemy leadership: -8
Enemy siege holdout time: -5 (minimum 1 turn) |
Reach rank 15 with a Giant River Troll Hag | "Dey calls stinky but me think opposite. Me like mash it up 'n rub on meself. Good for skin, you try!" |
| Glowing 'Shrooms | Sporez n' Shroomz | Cooldown: -10% to all spells (all characters)
Winds of Magic starting amount: +10 (all armies) |
Reach rank 15 with a Goblin Great Shaman or Night Goblin Shaman | "Me not know wot makes dem glow, but dung piles look pretty afterwards!" |
| Hell Pepper 'Shrooms | Sporez n' Shroomz | Passive ability: "Frenzy" for Goblin and Night Goblin infantry units (all armies)
Fire resistance: 25% (all armies) |
Recruit any Night Goblin Fanatics | "Worth all da rancid gas you's gonna get!" |
| Dragon Tail | Flyin' Gubbinz | "Dragon Breath" ammunition (projectiles will cause explosive damage) for Goblin and Night Goblin missile units (all armies) | Win a battle against an army containing any Dragon, Wyvern, or Frost-Wyrm (includes mounts) | "Most exotic meat of all meat! Nuthin' chewier!" |
| Harpy Heads | Flyin' Gubbinz | Ammunition: +10% for Goblin and Night Goblin missile units (all armies)
"Harpy Teeth" ammunition (increased number of projectiles) for Goblin and Night Goblin missile units (all armies) |
Sack a Dark Elf settlement | "Stupid Harpies attack me in Troll Country. Dey no flyin' no more!" |
| Eagle Talons | Flyin' Gubbinz | "Eagle Sight" ammunition (anti-infantry) for Goblin and Night Goblin missile units (all armies) | Retrieve the Axe of Grom | "Good for tooth pick, or grind n' sprinkle in nice stew." |
| Wing Leather | Flyin' Gubbinz | "Hollow Bone" ammunition (anti-large) for Goblin and Night Goblin missile units (all armies)
Range: +10% for Goblin and Night Goblin infantry units (all armies) |
Win a battle against an army containing any flying creatures of Lustria or winged machinery (includes mounts) | "Flappy bits n' hollow bones give dish good crunch!" |
| Phoenix Claws | Flyin' Gubbinz | "Phoenix Fire" ammunition (fire damage) for Goblin and Night Goblin missile units (all armies) | Obtain a trophy from a successful Call to Waaagh! against any Elf faction | "Big killy bird near 'ad me but me 'ad it for dinna. Da claws all wot's left!" |