Let’s Play Grok?! 2e Part 3: Toadal Recall
Let’s continue Catarina’s misadventures!
Like I said last time, I think I’ll do something outside the library. It should be fun.
The Living Library is located on the Wastelands, the planet’s desolate surface. It’s bombarded by incessant radiation from the Simulacrum (a space station revolving in the stratosphere), turning its regions and their contents incongruous and bizarre.
Suffering mutations is a constant threat for travelers who linger too long under the radiation.
Scene 3
Random Prompt: Play a triggering plot catalyst
Catalyst: Address characters’ needs
Catarina’s motivation is to reach enlightenment through more norms and regulations, so I’ll go with that as her ‘need.’
Let’s say she discovered the location of a rare manual, The Codex of Cosmic Conduct by Petulant Prime. An ancient tome with delicious procedures fpr elevating her spirit.
I’ll do a little point crawl for this, making a small hex map to illustrate it.
To generate events, I don’t think that the tables in the book work for what I’m intending. I’m not exactly exploring the map, just passing through, so Catarina wouldn’t stop to interact with random events.
Let’s check an event:
Wastelands Events Table
[A] Singing Siren [is...] Burying [a] Brambleboar.Note: There are specific tables with Events, Regions, and Locales for each major domain, but also a couple of generic tables that can be used anywhere. Love it.
While cool as hell, and actually rousing my curiosity, it’s not something Catarina would intervene with on her way to retrieve the Codex.
Events should affect her directly.
I’ll make maybe three routes, each one with advantages and disadvantages. Each should one fixed event and a random one along the way.
The Region
I’ll roll Sparks to create the routes and make a hex map with procedures from another game (Over War).
First, let me get a name for the Region:
Wastelands Regions Table
[A] Quaking Acid Swamp [with] A Dormant Beast
Grok?! doesn’t disappoint on randomness.
I used Tiled + Slowquest's assets. I think they’re a perfect match for Grok?! 2e.
This represents an area of a few miles around the Living Library. Imagine a zoomed-in version of a single hex on a much larger map, if that makes sense. It’s a quick journey.
The Routes
Route 1 is the quickest and, in theory, the safest. As I mentioned, radiation is a big problem in the Wastelands. Most travelers move under the shadow of the Hovering Isles or through gaps of open sky when the Simulacrum provides respite.
Route 1 is currently completely protected from radiation by isles and open sky. Unfortunately, that’s where the dormant beast in the region slumbers, around the acid swamp.
Route 2 takes a little longer and passes through highlands that Catarina isn’t familiar with, so there’s a chance she might get lost. However, the are is usually more populated and frequently traveled.
Route 3 is the most physically demanding, with harsh weather-related hazards and obstacles, but otherwise deserted.
Route 1 is out of the question. There’s no way Catarina would deal with all that.
Between 2 and 3, I think she’d choose 2. She’s physically weak, and has more resources to deal with mental challenges than physical ones.
Let’s do Route 2!
Route 2
I think we should start making a Mental check to navigate the sun-baked, radiation-crispy highlands.
Mental (d8) check: 7! = Yes
Beautiful! Catarina’s robes flutter behind her as she expertly flies through the mountains and hills on her nimbus, scanning the strange rock formations and the sun position to maintain the correct course.
Event
We didn’t get lost, but let’s check for the event now. First, what Locale is this?
Wastelands Locales Table
[An] Exposed Campsite [with] Ancient Runes
To help interpret the Spark words, let’s imagine that the "Aspects" for the Locale are Populated, Radiation, and Highlands, plus the Location roll.
Confusing or Communicating + Murderer or Protector
After crossing a steep hill, Catarina spotted a group of Vagabonds signaling for her to slow down for a check.
They all had big guns and vehicles, but that’s not why she stopped. They looked like law enforcers, and she wouldn’t dare to disobey such a noble calling.
Catarina approached, noticing the band circled a weathered rock face carved with runes.
The leader, an anthropomorphic frog, tipped his hat at her. "Morning, ma’am. I’ve been appointed Guardian of the Highlands by a superior force."
He pointed upwards with a solemn face. As solemn as a frog could manage. His colleagues nodded in agreement, their weird mutations wobbling, dripping, pulsating, or, in some cases, drooling.
Catarina looked up. Did he mean some official in the Hovering Isles? An alien from the Aether? Perhaps an Artificial Intelligence in the Simulacrum? Oh my, he must be some big shot!
Seeing Catarina at a loss for words, the frog continued. "I’m Sir Frogory. I ask a tiny contribution to help keep the highlands safe and well maintained. Whatever you can spare. Some help with my sacred scriptures would also be greatly appreciated."
Frogory gestured to the runes on the rock.
"Sacred scriptures?" Catarina asked.
"That’s right, ma’am. I’ve been slowly deciphering them. That’s how I’ve been ordained. Those are sacred texts that speak right to me. The parts I’ve cracked mean that I’m the chosen protector of this place, and I should gather my flock and guide the people."
Catarina looked at the runes again, squinting. They were old and faded. They read, ‘Please do not dispose of garbage in this area. Environmental preservation is everyone’s responsibility. And I’m not your damn servant, you filthy dipshit.’
She looked at Frogory and his band again, sneering at first, then grimacing, until her face finally contorted into open disdain.
Noble calling her ass. They were idiots.
Frogory, one of the pre-made characters in Grok?! 2e, repurposed here.
Catarina’s outraged. Let’s have her trying to embarrass Sir Frogory in front of his crew.
She adjusts her reading gloves and offers to translate the entirety of the rock loud and clear, using her authoritative voice.
She cites municipal penalties for false impersonation and illegal toll collection.
To finish, she uses the Memory Magnet to input the rune translation into everyone’s head so there’s no doubt.
Social (d6) check: 5 = Yes, but...
The mutant Vagabonds gasped in unison when the exact translation echoed inside their skulls.
A three-headed mutant growled, the message ricocheting between his brains. "We’ve been guarding a garbage warning!"
Sir Frogory’s throat-pouch deflated with a sad squeak. The others couldn’t bear to meet his eyes, so they just turned and left.
The frog dropped to his knees, looked into the sky, and lifted his arms, yelling a long "Why?"
Catarina thought that had it been raining, the effect would have been a lot more rewarding.
She successfully diffused the situation, but pulling her Memory Magnet into the melting blend of sun and radiation wasn’t a good idea.
The Memory Magnet malfunctions! She would need to find a specialized technician to repair the device.
Asset Memory Magnet becomes > Defective Memory Magnet
Might seem a little harsh, but I didn’t suffer any Conditions on the previous ‘No’ rolls, so I think it’s fair to do it here.
Instead of occupying a new Slot for a Condition, we can modify an existing Slot if it makes sense.
Note: I’m playing scenes short and to the point to keep things moving, but I could interact with different aspects and take more actions. For instance, I could scavenge the campsite to find something useful, try to make Sir Frogory a companion, etc.
In solo, you’re limited by your imagination.
The Goal
Continuing! Catarina arrives at the Goal Location.
Wastelands Locales Table
[An] Unassuming Broken Mecha [with] Toxic Light
Sparks: Deafening or Compelling + Flesh or Forge
She glides down into a crater at the rumored location. In the center is the rusted husk of a broken mecha, half-buried in the dirt.
A sickening neon light spills from the cracks in the armor, bathing the place in an unnatural lime green.
Catarina hovers closer, turning on her head lamp, and gets inside the mecha, carefully avoiding the beams of light. They don’t look safe.
A distant, low siren whistles in her ears. She grimaces, but presses on.
Some kind of techno-organic muscle and cable fusion sits in the pilot’s cabin. Clamped in its bone and iron grip is the pristine copy of The Codex of Cosmic Conduct by Petulant Prime!
The siren grows high-pitched, loud and unbearable. It rattles her brain and makes her teeth vibrate. She must have activated an alarm, or maybe it’s something permanently active inside the ancient mecha.
I’ll cast Rite of Seeing Organ to examine the biomechanical muscle tissue and find the exact point to press and force the hand to open. However, the deafening siren causes a Disadvantage.
Mental (d8, Disadvantage) check: 1, 5 > 1 = No, and...
Damn it! I think it’s time to Push. I’ll roll again and add to the result of 1. That will incur in a Detriment.
d8: 6! + 1 > 7 = YesI was dreading rolling another 1.
Catarina manages to find the exact point in the sinew to release the finger. But in a rush to get the book and get out of there, she slips and falls into a pool of toxic light.
The neon beam fully bathes her as she trips, yelps, then slowly rises to her feet.
All she can see is lime green. Catarina clutches the book against her stomach and feels her way out of the cabin, touching the walls, grinding her teeth against the blasting siren.
Finally, she reaches the exit. Her vision slowly returns, but she doesn’t feel so good. She bends over and hurls into the dirt.
New Condition (Asset) > Radiation poisoned
It’s going to take a few days before she recovers.
Besides, the toxic light mixed with all the radiation she’s been exposed to doesn’t go well. She develops a Severe Mutation!
Severe Mutations Table
Indestructible Gills
Lol, that’s so fitting.
Trait Tall and spindly becomes > Tall and spindly, with indestructible gills on her neck
With Petulant Prime’s rare tome in her possession, ready to be devoured, Catarina headed back to the Living Library.
She was parched, feeling like she could drink liters and liters of water. Dive into a pool, swim around in it, and maybe stay there for a couple of days.
Her left hand grabbed tight on the flying nimbus as she hiccupped and vomited to the side. Then her throat made a weird noise. She needed some sleep, but it wouldn’t hurt to read a little first, right? Yeah, toadally.
‘Totally.’ What the hell?
Catarina scratched her neck furiously as the wind whipped her hair and clothes, but the itch wouldn’t go away.
Ribbit.
What was that?!
Hours later, examining her throat in a mirror, Catarina sighed. Then ribbited. Considering how she had ridiculed a frog earlier that day, the irony was not lost on her.
Especially because only tadpoles had gills.
Not terrible, but not a hoppy ending either.
Happy. She meant happy.
End of Scene
Scene Summary
Catarina braved the irradiated Wastelands, exposing Sir Frogory’s fake scriptures and jamming her Memory Magnet in the process. Reaching her goal inside a broken mecha, she grabbed The Codex of Cosmic Conduct from a techno-organic corpse, but fell into a pool of toxic light, leaving her radiation poisoned and permanently mutated with indestructible gills.
Final map:
Catarina’s updated sheet:
Sometimes the dice tell cool stories, right?
Maybe I should have made the gills more related to fish stuff, but I couldn’t resist connecting it to Sir Frogory.
This ran long, but it was fun as hell as usual. The game is fantastic.
Until next time!
Grok?! 2e is available on DrivethruRPG (digital only for now). Feel free to check out the free Quickstart!
Join the Gander Gaming Discord as well. Lester and the community are very welcoming.