Erin Hunter - The Fourth Apprentice

This marks the end of the chapter. After the characters have made their decision about which way to go, hand the adventure to the next person who will take the role of Narrator, tell him or her what number to continue with, pick up your cat’s character sheet, and resume playing the game.

3. The Crumbling Cliff

Read Aloud:“The cliff is made of very soft rock. Although that means that your claws can grab tight, it also means that the rocks sometimes crumble when you grab them.“

Narrator Tips:Climbing the cliff is practically impossible, but the cats may not figure that out right away, and finding out the hard way can be bad for their health. Make sure the players understand that falling from the cliff may cause their cats to be seriously injured.

Climbing the cliff requires a total of five successful Climb Checks. Each Check will be harder than the previous one. The first Check only requires a total of 4 or higher to succeed, but each Check after that increases in difficulty by +2. So the second Check requires a total of 6, the third Check requires a total of 8, the fourth a total of 10, and the final Check requires a total of 12 or higher to succeed.

You, the Narrator, should stress to the players how difficult the Check will be before their cats decide whether or not to attempt it. They should know how difficult the task will be because failure has a severe penalty.

If a cat fails a Climb Check, he or she has slipped or the rock has crumbled-the cat is falling off the cliff. That cat must immediately make a Jump Check. If the total is equal to or higher than the difficulty of the current Climb Check, the cat is okay. For example, if it was the third Climb Check (which would need a total of 8 to succeed), then the Jump Check must also be 8 or higher in order to succeed. If the Jump Check is too low, the cat will sustain injuries. He or she loses a number of chips equal to the difference between the Jump Check total and the target number. For example, if the cat needed an 8 to succeed but the Check total was only 5, he or she loses 3 chips! (The player may choose which type of chip to lose.)

If a cat realizes that a Climb Check is too difficult and wants to go back down the cliff voluntarily, he or she may do so by making a Jump Check. If the total is 5 or higher, the cat gets down safely. If the total is 4 or lower, the cat is injured and loses 1 chip (player’s choice).

What Happens Next:If any of the cats are Knocked Out, continue with 12.

If the cats decide to take the route by the river instead, continue with 6.

If the cats decide to take the Twoleg path instead, continue with 8.

If all the cats manage to climb the cliff safely to the top, continue with 5.

4. A Strange Thunderpath

Read Aloud:“The thick forest of trees gives way to a large, open meadow. But this meadow is being patrolled by an angry group of Twoleg monsters!“

Narrator Tips:This is the meadow where the humans are riding their ATVs. They are driving as fast as possible then skidding to a stop, using small hills to cause their vehicles to jump into the air, going into the woods along narrow paths, and then returning to the meadow at full speed.

To the cats, this will be an almost inexplicably strange sight. Try to describe it in the weird and alien way it would seem to a cat-let the players make their own conclusions about what’s really going on.

There is no more path to follow, but it is easy to tell which way the cats have to head in order to reach the top of the hill. If any cats try to use their senses to find clues as to where to go next, they may uncover the following. Any of the following Checks must have a total of 5 or higher in order for the cat to perceive anything over the ruckus the monsters are making. A Listen Check can reveal the faint sound of splashing water just a little farther up the hill-a sign that the pools of water they’re seeking may be nearby. A See Check can reveal a small stream running through the meadow-another sign that pools of water may be nearby. A Smell Check can reveal the scent of fresh herbs wafting down from the woods beyond the meadow-perhaps even the distinct scent of feverfew.

Unfortunately, the only way to get to the woods is to cross this grassy meadow and, hopefully, avoid the monsters along the way. If the cats try to sneak around the outside of the meadow, they keep finding that monsters suddenly appear out of the woods and force them back the way they came. Their only real hope is to cut across the meadow or go back toward the dirt path. Of course, they can also head back down the hill and try a different route entirely.

If the cats decide to try to cross the meadow, it’s just a matter of timing and luck. Each cat in turn must do the following.

1. Make a Focus Check-This is to help them concentrate on this important task. If the total is 4 or higher, the cat gets a +1 bonus to the Checks in steps 2 and 3 below. If the total is 7 or higher, the bonus increases to +2.

2. Make a See or Listen Check-This is to recognize the pattern the monsters are following and time a safe sprint across the open field. If the total is 3 or less, the cat gets a -1 penalty on the Pounce Check below. If the total is 6 or higher, the cat gets a +1 bonus to the Pounce Check below.

3. Make a Pounce Check-This is to make the dash across the field. If the total is 7 or higher, the cat gets across safely. If the total is between 4 and 6, one of the monsters steps on the cat’s tail and the cat loses 2 chips (player’s choice) from the injury. If the total is 3 or less, one of the monsters swats the cat, doing damage that causes the cat to lose 4 chips (player’s choice) from the injury. As long as the cats aren’t Knocked Out by this damage, they make it safely to the far side of the meadow.

What Happens Next:If the cats all make it across the meadow, continue with 5.

If any of the cats are Knocked Out, continue with 12.

If the cats decide to go back to the Twoleg path, continue with 10.

If the cats decide to take the route by the river instead, continue with 6.

If the cats decide to go directly into the deep part of the woods, continue with 7.

5. You Give Me Fever

Read Aloud:“Despite the fact that it’s a warm day in the middle of greenleaf, you feel cold. In fact, you find yourself beginning to shiver slightly.“

Narrator Tips:Although the cats seemed completely fine at the start of the adventure, the truth is that they were already infected with the fever that is ravaging the Clans. But out here in the middle of a strange land, there is no medicine cat to take care of them, nor a comfortable nest to lie down in. The cats must press on. If they are successful in their mission, they will have feverfew to cool their brows. But until then, they must muddle through as best they can.

This isn’t a dramatic scene so much as it is a time when the cats have to muster their willpower and press on despite the fact that their own bodies are working against them. Whenever the cats reach this point, each must make a Spirit Check.

The first time a cat plays through this scene, if the total of the Spirit Check is 5 or higher, nothing happens. If the total is 4 or lower, though, he or she is feeling ill and must lose 1 chip of the player’s choice-as though the cat had taken damage in a fight (see Chapter Five of the game rules for details).