Battles Of The Clans

Conclusion: Onestar’s Farewell

Hello, kittypets? Ah, there you are. I wondered where you’d gone. Did you get lost in these bushes?

The island’s bigger than it looks from the shore, isn’t it? Follow me back to the clearing. We’re leaving now. We’ll take you as far as our border; then you must go home. You can find your way on your own, can’t you? Good.

Did you learn everything you wanted to know about battles? I’ve heard some stories tonight that were new to me, I must say. What was Cedarheart talking about? There are rumors that he knows more about the history of the Clans than any other cat, but he’s never shared anything with me.

Battle is not always the answer, but it is part of our heritage, the legacy passed to us by our warrior ancestors, as well as the path to our future. Some questions can only lead to conflict; all challenges deserve a brave, carefully planned response. As long as we fight with honor, courage, and respect for our enemies, the legacy of battle deserves to survive. We will continue to pass on our skills to the new apprentices, then watch as they train the next generation. Heroes will be celebrated, the losing side condemned to dust in our memories. This is what it means to be a warrior: to be proud of our legacy, of the battles that we have fought and that our ancestors fought on our behalf.

For as long as the fire burns in our blood, warrior Clans will fight.

Turn the page to play…

Visit www.warriorcats.com to download game rules, character sheets, a practice mission, and more!

Written by Stan! • Art by James L. Barry

THE DELUGE

Whatever the previous adventure you played, consider that three moons have passed since then.

Determine what age that makes all of the cat characters (including one belonging to the person who will take the first turn as Narrator) and use the information found in the “Improving Your Cat” section of Chapter Four in the game rules to make the necessary improvements.

Unless you are the first person who will act as Narrator in this adventure, you should stop reading here. The information beginning in the next paragraph is for the Narrator only.

The Adventure Begins

Hello, Narrator! It’s time to begin playing “The Deluge.” Make sure all the players have their character sheets, the correct number of chips, a piece of paper, and a pencil. Remember that the point of the game is to have fun, so don’t be afraid to go slow, keep the players involved, and refer to the rules if you aren’t sure exactly what should happen next.

When you’re ready, begin with 1 below.

1. Gray Skies, Wet Fur

Special Note: Some of the action in “The Deluge” depends on what Clans the players’ cats belong to.

The text below assumes they are from different Clans and that they need a special reason to be hunting together. If, however, they are all from the same Clan, some of the details in this scene will be unnecessary. Improvise where needed to make the description suit the situation.

Read Aloud: “Rain. In times of drought it seemed like there could be no such thing as too much rain.

But it’s been nearly a moon since any cat has seen more than a fleeting glimpse of the sky or the stars, and it’s been raining practically nonstop for days.”

Narrator Tips: This adventure takes place some time either before or after the drought the Clans experience in Omen of the Stars #1: The Fourth Apprentice. It doesn’t affect the story either way, but you may want to decide when exactly these events occur, just so your players have a better idea how they fit in with the main Warriors storyline.

Explain to the players that the rain has made things uncomfortable for all the Clans. It’s forced prey to stay in their dens, nests, and burrows as much as possible, which in turn is making it difficult for the Clans to find sufficient fresh-kill. Things are so bad, in fact, that StarClan has sent dreams to several cats telling them that it is important to send some warriors deeper into the forest to hunt. (If any of the players’ cats have the Interpret Dreams Knack, they may be among those to whom StarClan has spoken.) The players’ cats are those who have been selected for this assignment. If the players’ cats are from different Clans, you can tell them that StarClan has talked about the need for all four Clans to work together in order to make it through this deluge.

Allow the players’ cats to ask questions about and prepare themselves for the trip. There really aren’t any particular details that you need to give them (though you can improvise any that you like).

The whole goal is for them to spend a day or two hunting farther up on the hill in the deep woods and to bring the fresh-kill back for all the Clans to share. The cats may want to take some traveling herbs before they go, and as long as it seems reasonable, let them.

Nothing of significance happens during the first day’s travel up the hill, but you can improvise

some details if you like. Be sure to emphasize the rain, which varies in intensity from drizzle to downpour but never stops completely. Also note that the cats do not see or scent any prey along their journey.

The next day, the rain is as light as it’s been in a long time—a fine mist even lighter than a sprinkle—but it’s still there. There are also two sets of fresh tracks in the mud, each moving in a different direction.

To find out more, the cats can attempt See Checks, but not Smell Checks (the rain still makes it too difficult to get details that way), to get more information about the tracks. Knacks like Animal Lore and Track can be used to augment these Checks.

Any cat whose Check totals 5 or higher recognizes one of the sets of tracks as definitely having been made by a rabbit and thinks the other is probably a rabbit, too, only bigger. With a total of 8 or higher, the cat recognizes the second set is not made by a rabbit but still isn’t certain what animal made it. With a total of 10 or higher, the cat knows that the second set of tracks was made by a fox.

What Happens Next: Since the cats are on a hunting mission, they need to follow one of the sets of tracks. If they don’t care which set they follow, or if none of them got a 5 or higher on their Skill Checks, you should decide which tracks they will follow.

If the cats follow the rabbit tracks, continue with 5.

If the cats follow the fox tracks, continue with 14.

2. A Slippery Adversary

Read Aloud: “Hot on the trail, you burst through a dense thicket of brush and…find yourself back at the very spot from which you started. Somewhere along the line you must have made a wrong turn.”

Narrator Tips: The cats are right back where they began with nothing more to show for their efforts than an increased appreciation for how clever their target is. They only have a few choices at this point.

The most obvious choice is to get back on the trail and continue trying to track down the creature that made these tracks (which they may or may not realize is a fox). If they do this, the process is very similar to the one they just finished (in scene 14), except that the knowledge they’ve gained gives them an edge. This time, they only need a Check total of 7 or higher for success, and they only need four successful Checks to correctly follow the trail. However, as before, if they get three failures first, they followed the wrong trail.

Alternatively, if they haven’t yet followed the other set of tracks (the ones that obviously were made by rabbits), they might decide to let the mystery go in favor of hunting for fresh-kill—the reason they’re on this mission in the first place. This course of action is also possible following a second failure in tracking the fox, but only if they haven’t exhausted their rabbit-hunting possibilities (as described in scene 8).

It they’ve already done their hunting, though, they may instead decide that getting their catch back to the Clans is more important than solving this mystery. They will still be able to report that there is a strange creature roaming not far from the Clan territories (which is certain to make the Clan leaders a little nervous).

What Happens Next: If the cats succeeded in following the trail, continue with 9.

If the cats decide to take the rabbits they’ve already caught and head home, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 12.

If the cats decide to investigate the rabbit tracks, continue with 5.

If the cats failed for a second time to follow the trail and cannot do any more hunting, tell the players that their cats have lost the scent and cannot find it again—the only option is for them to head home. This is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 12 and to note that the cats failed twice at this task.

3. Looking for Advice

Read Aloud: “It’s easy to skirt the edge of ShadowClan territory—the borders are marked quite clearly. All Clans are protective of their territory, but ShadowClan often seems to be the most firm in that protection. Hopefully one of the other Clan leaders will know how best to deal with this situation.”

Narrator Tips: Help guide the players’ cats to talk about the situation. With the danger so imminent, is it really right to walk away from ShadowClan, even if it is to seek advice? Should the group risk the anger of ShadowClan and bring them the message directly? It’s a difficult question, one with no absolute right answer. But the discussion can be interesting in itself.

After the players have had a chance to talk about the issue, have all the cats make Listen Checks.

Anyone whose total is 7 or higher hears a deep, wet “schloomph” sound in the distance. Clearly at least one of the ponds has collapsed. There may be a flash flood headed down the hill right now!

What Happens Next: The group has a difficult decision to make. Will they go into ShadowClan territory to help save them from the flash flood or will they continue on their original course?

If the group decides to stay on their original course, continue with 20.

If the group decides to cross the border into ShadowClan territory to try to help, continue with 11.

4. Carried Away

Read Aloud: “You’re tumbling head over tail and rolling downhill in a slosh of water and mud.”

Narrator Tips: One or more of the cats has been caught in the collapse of the pond and the resulting flash flood. Any cats in this predicament immediately take damage that causes them to lose 3 chips.

Then they must make a Swim Check to get their heads above the water. If this Check has a total of 7

or higher they succeed, otherwise they lose an additional 2 chips.

Being caught in the flashflood uses a system of rounds just like fighting does (see Chapter Five of the game rules for details). In order to escape the flash flood, a cat needs to be pulled to safety by someone who is not currently in the water. To do that, a cat that is safely on land must make a Swat

Check with a total of 5 or higher. Each cat on dry land can only attempt to pull one cat from the water each round. At the end of the first round, the cats who are still in the water must make another Swim Check, as described above; then a new round begins.

This continues for three rounds or until either all of the cats are rescued from the flash flood or knocked out from their ordeal. What Happens Next: If all the cats were rescued from the flash flood, continue with 13.

If any of the cats were knocked out by their ordeal, continue with 7.

5. Rabbit Ears

Read Aloud: “The rabbit’s tracks are not difficult to follow. Hopping through the mud leaves deep imprints. After scampering under some bushes and over a log, the tracks lead you to a small meadow where you don’t just see one rabbit—you see several of them!”

Narrator Tips: The cats have followed their prey to an area where all the local rabbits feed. Many of the rabbits haven’t had a decent meal in days because of the rains, so quite a few are here now, chewing contentedly on grass. There are enough rabbits that each cat can try to catch one on his or her own. The problem is, the ground is still soft and muddy.

Tell the players that the slippery conditions will make it more difficult than usual to sneak up on and catch their prey (don’t tell them the details described below; they only need to know that it will be more difficult in general). Tell them also that it will be easier for them to catch prey in these poor conditions if they hunt in pairs.

Hunting is described in Chapter Five of the game rules, and those basic rules will apply to this scene. However, because of the soggy state of the ground, things will be a little different.

Because all the cats are hunting in the same area, you should have them all hunt at the same time.

If one cat attacks a rabbit, all the other rabbits in the area will flee. So you should first have all of the cats make their Sneak Checks, and then have them all make Pounce Checks at the same time.

Cats who are hunting alone must make a Sneak Check with a total of 10 or higher in order to succeed at stalking their prey. Cats who are working in pairs should each make a separate Sneak

Check, then add their totals together. If their combined total is 14 or higher, they succeed as a team.

For every cat or pair of cats that fails their Sneak Check, they were not sneaky enough to trick the rabbits and you’ll have to increase the difficulty of the Pounce Checks below by +2. So if one cat or team failed, the difficulty for all the cats is increased by +2; if two failed, the increase is +4; and so on.

When all the cats have finished making their Sneak Checks, it is time for them to try to nab their intended prey. Have all the cats make Pounce Checks. The difficulty of this Check is based on the rabbits’ Jump scores. All of the rabbits have a Jump score of 9, but this may be increased if any of the cats fail to be sneaky enough. Cats who are hunting alone have only one chance to catch their rabbit—if they miss, it gets away. Cats that are hunting in pairs may each make a Pounce attempt, so even if one is unlucky, the other may still succeed.

If the cats have successfully caught rabbits, they must Bite in order to finish them. The Bite

Check is made against the rabbit’s strength of 3. Multiple cats can bite a single rabbit, so even if a cat failed to catch one of her own, she can still help to bring down another one. If a rabbit takes 4 chips worth of damage, it is killed.

Any rabbit that is still alive after all the cats have made their attacks will try to escape. The cat (or cats) holding it must make Wrestling Checks to keep their grip and can perform another round of Bite attacks. If the Wrestling Check is 5 or higher, the cats are successful. If not, the rabbit escapes and dashes into a nearby burrow before the cats can pounce again.

What Happens Next: If at least one rabbit was caught, continue with 10.

If all of the rabbits got away, continue with 8.

6. Talking to the Shadows

Read Aloud: “Ratscar looks at you suspiciously. ‘What have you got to say that’s so important?’”

Narrator Tips: Remember that any of the players’ cats that belong to ShadowClan get bonuses to some of their Checks (as described in scene 17). Under normal circumstances, that would mean that the ShadowClan patrol cats would automatically believe what the players’ cats said—members of the same Clan trust one another. But the presence of cats from other Clans puts the members of the patrol in a very aggressive frame of mind. The fact that a member of ShadowClan is standing with these other cats instead of his or her Clanmates has clouded the patrolling cats’ judgment and they must be convinced to listen to reason.

Let the players’ cats lead the conversation, giving them sufficient time to explain themselves.

The cats of ShadowClan may be suspicious, but clearly something important must be happening if this group so brazenly crossed their border without a full war party.

The scene will center around you improvising Ratscar’s and the other ShadowClan cats’ reactions and responses to what the players’ cats say. It may also involve the players’ cats making Spirit or Intelligence Checks (aided by Orate or Clan Lore) to try to find the right words to make their opponents understand the importance and danger of this moment. Such Checks are opposed by the ShadowClan cats’ Spirit scores (and you can spend their Ability chips in the process if they are feeling particularly stubborn).

If the players’ cats do well, it will make the ShadowClan cats more likely to trust them. If they do poorly, or purposely antagonize the patrol, the ShadowClan cats may decide that fighting is the better option.

After the conversation has gone on a little while, have all the cats (including the ShadowClan patrol) make Listen Checks. Any cat whose total is 7 or higher hears the deep, wet “schloomph”

sound of the pools above collapsing. Any player’s cat that hears this knows there is now a flash flood coming down the hill somewhere near here.

What Happens Next: If there is a breakdown of communications and the two sides are ready to begin fighting, continue with 18.

If everyone failed the Listen Check, this is the end of the chapter. Hand the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 15.

If the cats know that the flash flood is coming, they can only brace themselves and continue to try to warn other members of ShadowClan of the impending danger. This is the end of the chapter. Hand the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 11.

7. Calamity!

Special Note: There is no Read Aloud text for this scene. It is a catchall scene for you to use if the cats’ adventure comes to an unhappy and untimely conclusion. Use the information below to improvise suitable details.

Narrator Tips: Something the cats did has caused the adventure to come to an unhappy end. This may have been the result of poor planning or just bad luck. This scene is about providing a sense of completion (if not success) to the story. Below are notes to help you improvise scenes based on the most likely reasons for the cats ending up here.

Fighting the Fox: If the cats fought the fox and one or more cats were knocked out, the adventure has to conclude. Helping their fallen friend takes so much time that the group misses the opportunity to take part in the other chapters of this story. By the time the players’ cats are able to get back down the hill, they find that a flash flood has swept through ShadowClan territory, injuring many cats and even killing a few. No blame is laid on the group—after all, the flood was not their fault—but let the players know that their cats have a nagging suspicion that they could have helped in some way.

Perhaps next time, they will be more careful when going into battle.

Caught in a Flash Flood: The players’ cats may end up here because one or more of them was knocked out by a flash flood. The first flash flood occurs during their hunting trip, and the results are similar to those described above—taking care of the fallen cat keeps the group out of the rest of the adventure. The other possibility is that the cats were caught in the climactic flash flood, in which case they’ve seen the adventure to its conclusion, but the injuries have kept the adventure from being counted as a success.

Fighting with ShadowClan: If two or more of the cats are knocked out in the fight with the ShadowClan warriors, the group is unable to help save any other cats from the flash flood. The flood is still not their fault, but they know that if they’d been able to get past the warriors’ resistance, they could have prevented some of the injuries and death—perhaps all of it.

What Happens Next: Although they tried hard, the cats do not get any Experience rewards for this adventure. The group can, however, play the adventure again, hopefully changing some of their tactics so that they get a better result next time.

8. Empty Bellies

Read Aloud: “Blame it on the mud and muck. Blame it on the growling of your empty stomach. Blame it on bad luck. But whatever you blame it on, the rabbits got away. And, to make matters worse, it’s started raining again.”

Narrator Tips: The cats have failed to capture any rabbits, which means that they are completely failing in their mission. Although they are undoubtedly aware of it, remind the players that StarClan sent them on this mission specifically to get fresh-kill. Certainly, they will want another chance to hunt.

After failing once, the cats may wait along the meadow’s edge until the rabbits return. There will be fewer of them (only half as many as there are players in the game), so the cats will have to team up. That’s a good thing, though, because these rabbits will be even more difficult to catch than the first bunch. If this is the second time the cats have failed to capture any rabbits, then they are through hunting. The rabbits will not return for the rest of the day.

Alternatively, the cats may want to go investigate the other set of tracks they saw when they awoke this morning. Even though those tracks aren’t rabbit tracks, maybe they’ll lead to something interesting.

Finally, the cats may decide to give up. If this is the case, remind them that it will be an embarrassment to go back to their Clanmates without any fresh-kill. But if they’re firm in their desire to give up, don’t try to force them into a different course of action.

What Happens Next: If the cats get another chance to hunt, continue with 5, but make all of the target numbers 2 points higher because the rabbits know there are cats around.

If the cats decide to go investigate the other set of tracks, continue with 14.

If the cats decide to give up and go back down the hill to report their failure, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 12.

9. Fox Found

Read Aloud: “Hot on the trail, you burst through a final dense thicket of brush and find yourself face-to-face with a proud, russet-furred fox.”

Narrator Tips: In point of fact, this is not a fox—it’s a vixen (a female fox). As the Narrator you should know her background and motivation. This vixen has recently had a litter of pups and is out hunting so she can feed them. She saw the cats and laid this trail on purpose to lead them away from her den. Her main motivation is to either scare the cats away or to make them think her den is somewhere near here. Once one of those things is accomplished, she will sneak back to her pups to keep them warm and safe.

Of course, the cats do not have any way of knowing that. Here is what they can see and learn.

Rather than running any farther, the fox stands her ground and bares her teeth in a snarl. She seems to be daring the cats to come closer. If the players ask, their cats can learn some information by making the Skill Checks (all of which require a total of 7 or higher to succeed). An Animal Lore

Check can tell them that this type of posturing is unusual for a fox—but no one really understands the behavior of foxes, so it’s difficult to draw conclusions. A Smell Check can tell them that this is a female fox (a vixen) and that her fur carries the scent of at least three other foxes, though none of those foxes are in the area. A Ponder Check will tell them that although she has struck an aggressive stance, she doesn’t seem ready to fight to the death—it may be possible to chase her away.

If the cats want to scare the vixen away by Hissing and Arching at her, have them make the appropriate Skill Checks. (Each cat may only perform one Check.) Add the results to get a group

total. If this group total is 25 or higher, the vixen hisses back but then sprints into the woods. The cats can try to follow, but it soon becomes clear that she is running away from Clan territory as fast as she can and that it would likely take the cats hours to catch up with her.

If the group total is 23 or less, the cats have two choices—attack the vixen and hope to drive her off, or simply walk away and leave her alone.

If they decide to attack, their fighting will follow the standard rules (see Chapter Five of the game rules). The vixen has Ability scores of Strength 7, Intelligence 9, Spirit 11. Her Skills are Bite

+4, Jump +4, Sneak +6. And she has the following Knacks: Alertness, Hide, and Dodge. She has the Ability chips and can spend them during battle just the way the players’ cats can. You may want to write down the vixen’s game stats on a piece of paper for easy reference during the fight.

The vixen will fight until she has taken 7 chips worth of damage. At that point she will run away as described above. It is possible, though not likely, that she will hurt the cats so badly that they must run away. If this happens, the vixen will let out one final hiss and then stalk proudly into the woods (and then, once she is out of sight of the cats, she will quickly dash off to the safety of her den).

When the encounter with the vixen is over, the cats have a few choices. They can go back and hunt for rabbits (unless that action is no longer an option for them, as described in scene 8) or they can take what fresh-kill they’ve gathered and head for home.

What Happens Next: If one or more of the cats was knocked out in the fight with the vixen, continue with 7.

If the cats decide to go hunting for rabbits, continue with 5.

If the cats decide to head back down the hill toward home, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 12.

10. Fresh-kill!

Read Aloud: “You’re a Clan cat, and that means that even though the hunt is successful, you can’t eat until you’ve brought back food for the Clan. Still, the taste of the rabbit is sweet on your tongue and you know that, plump as it is, several cats will share this meal.”

Narrator Tips: The cats have succeeded in getting some fresh-kill, so they have been at least partially successful in their mission. On the trip home, the most they will be able to carry is one rabbit each. Until they have that many rabbits, this is not a completely successful hunt and they cannot eat anything (you may want to remind them that they are feeling hungry). The question is: What do they want to do next?

The cats may want to hunt again, to get more food for the Clans—plus a little extra for themselves. On the other hand, they may want to take what they’ve got back to the Clan camps

quickly. There’s also a chance that, the hunt having been successful, they’ll want to investigate the other set of tracks they saw when they woke up this morning.

Your job is simply to make sure that the players are aware of those choices. Whatever choice they make is up to them.

What Happens Next: If the players decide they want to hunt some more, they only have to wait a short while and rabbits will return to this meadow. Let them stalk and hunt again using the details in 5.

If the players decide to investigate the other set of tracks, continue with 14.

If the group decides to take the fresh-kill they have back down the hill to the Clans, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 12.

11. Here It Comes Again

Read Aloud: “A great, rushing wall of water tumbles down the hill at breakneck speed. It looks like a river that suddenly decided that this was a better course than the one it previously followed. You’re not in its path, but farther down the hill you can see some cats who are.”

Narrator Tips: If any of the players’ cats belong to ShadowClan, they immediately recognize that the flash flood is headed very near their Clan’s camp. Most of the queens, kits, and elders will be in that area and therefore in danger. If none of the players’ cats come from ShadowClan, Ratscar will volunteer this information.

The flash flood narrowly misses the ShadowClan camp itself, but you can hear the yowls of cats that were caught in the waters and are being rushed off toward the Lake. All the warriors in the area rush off to help, so no one stands in the way of the players’ cats. They can come in and help with the rescue efforts if they like. Alternatively, they can decide that the cats of ShadowClan deserve what they’re getting for being so suspicious of cats who came here only to help.

What Happens Next: If the group decides to help the members of ShadowClan who are caught in the flash flood, continue with 16.

If the group thinks that ShadowClan is just getting what it deserves, and walks away to leave them to their fate, continue with 20.

12. An Unexpected Pond

Read Aloud: “As you make your way down the hill, you notice that the rain has finally stopped. This will make the trip home much more pleasant, and you think about that as you stop to get a drink from a small pond. Then you suddenly realize that this pond was not here during your trip up the hill yesterday.”

Special Note: If the cats failed to catch any rabbits on this hunting mission, their hunger and sense of failure make this scene more difficult. Add +2 to all the target numbers in this scene. Additionally, if the cats tried to follow the fox’s trail but failed twice, their sense of disappointment also increases the difficulty—add +1 to the target numbers. These conditions can be added together, so if they neither got any rabbits nor followed the fox, the target numbers in this scene all should be increased by a total of +3.

Narrator Tips: To figure out where this pond came from, one of the cats needs to make a Ponder Check with a total of 5 or higher. Getting that total lets the cat know that the pond is the result of the incredible amount of water from the recent rains. This is normally a small ravine, but it’s filled with runoff water.

If the Ponder Check had a total of 7 or higher, the cat also realizes that this is a dangerous place.

Because the ground is so muddy and the gathering water is so heavy, it’s unlikely the ravine can withstand the pressure—the muddy sides are likely to collapse and send the water spilling down the hill.

If the Ponder Check had a total of 9 or higher, the cat realizes that this catastrophe is going to happen very soon.

Allow the cats a few moments to think about what they’ve realized, and to step away from the water’s edge if they want to.

Just a few moments later there is a loud, wet “schloomph” sound and any cats that are still drinking from or standing next to the pond must make a Jump Check as the downhill side of the ravine collapses in a mudslide and the entire contents of the pond spill out at once.

What Happens Next: If any of the affected cats have a Jump Check total of 10 or lower, continue with 4.

If all of the affected cats have a Jump Check total of 11 or higher (or none of them were standing close enough to be affected), continue with 13.

13. Impending Doom

Read Aloud: “Where just a few minutes ago there was a pond, now there is nothing but a swath of mud and slime that trails straight down the hill for as far as you can see.”

Narrator Tips: Use the first part of this scene to make sure the cats understand how much damage the flash flood just did. The solid wall of water suddenly rushing down the hillside knocked down some saplings, whisked away loose branches and small rocks, and even pried a few large rocks loose from the ground, sending everything tumbling toward the bottom of the hill.

Have each of the cats make a Ponder Check—let them know that the Clan Lore Knack can be helpful in this activity, if they want to use it. Those who get a result of 8 or better are relieved to know for certain that directly below them on the hill is an area that is outside of the Clan territories.

They can continue their trip home.

A while later, though, the cats come across another pond like the one they just saw. But not just one—they see a close grouping of three ponds in a row leading down the hill. The cats realize that when the walls of these ponds collapse, the devastation will be three times more powerful than what they just witnessed.

Have each of the cats make another Ponder Check—again, the Clan Lore Knack can be used.

Any cat who belongs to ShadowClan gets a bonus of +4 to this Check. Those who get a total of 6 or lower believe that these ponds are also above a safe area that the cats don’t frequent. Those who get a total of 9 or less know that this area is directly above ShadowClan territory, but believe it is away from the area where most of the cats live and hunt. Those who get a total of 10 or higher know that the area directly below these ponds is very close to the ShadowClan camp.

The question is: What will the group do with the knowledge they have gained? Normally, ShadowClan is fiercely protective of their land and entering it without invitation is dangerous. But the danger is real and could strike at any time. Perhaps one of the other Clan leaders will have a better idea of what to do. But taking the time to go ask is risky—the ponds could collapse at any moment.

What Happens Next: If the group decides to head into ShadowClan territory to warn them of the danger, continue with 17.

If the group decides to continue back to one of the other Clan camps to talk to that Clan’s leader, continue with 3.

14. A Winding Trail

Read Aloud: “It’s clear these aren’t rabbit tracks—no rabbit was ever as clever or determined as the creature you’re now following. The trail goes through bushes and over rocks; it speeds up, slows down, and doubles back across its own path repeatedly. Whoever made these tracks is a sly character indeed.”

Narrator Tips: Whether or not the cats know these are fox tracks, they at least know that they’re following a clever creature. Improvise a description for where the trail goes, and at several points have the players choose one of their cats to make a See or Smell Check to stay on the trail (the Track Knack can be used on these Checks). Do not let the same cat make all the Checks—this requires a team effort.

If a Check has a total of 8 or higher, it counts as a success, 7 or lower and it’s a failure. If the group gets four successes before it gets three failures, it has succeeded in running down the creature.

If the group gets three failures first, it has followed the wrong trail.

What Happens Next: If the cats succeeded in catching up with the creature, continue with 9.

If the cats followed the wrong trail, continue with 2.

15. Gone in a Flash

Read Aloud: “You hear another, louder sloshing sound and then notice a literal wall of water racing down the hill toward you.”

Narrator Tips: If the group ends up in this scene it is because the players missed the warning signs that a flash flood is imminent. Getting out of the way at this point will be very difficult. Any cat who wants to try to avoid the water must make a Jump Check (using the Dodge Knack will be very helpful).

A Jump Check with a total of 12 or higher will allow a cat to get out of the way of the flash flood. Any lower and the cat is swept away by the water.

Cats caught in the flash flood immediately take damage that causes them to lose 4 chips. Then they must make a Swim Check to get their heads above the water. If this Check has a total of 7 or higher they succeed, otherwise they lose an additional 2 chips.

In order to escape the flash flood, a cat needs to be pulled to safety by someone who is not currently in the water (if all the cats failed, there is no one to save them so they will just be carried away by the flood). To do that, a cat must make a Swat Check with a total of 5 or higher. Each cat on dry land can only attempt to pull one cat from the water each round. (Being involved with the flash flood uses a system of rounds just like fighting does—see Chapter Five of the game rules for details.) At the end of the round, the cats who are still in the water automatically take 1 chip worth of damage, and then must make another Swim Check, as described above; then a new round begins.

This continues for five rounds or until either all of the players’ cats are rescued from the flash flood or knocked out from their ordeal.

What Happens Next: If two or more of the players’ cats were knocked out by the flash flood, continue with 7.

If the five rounds of the flood pass and fewer than two of the cats have been knocked out, continue with 19.

If all of the players’ cats are rescued from the flash flood, continue with 16.

16. To the Rescue

Read Aloud: “You’ve rarely seen such chaos—water rushing through the middle of a Clan territory, cats yowling for help as they try to keep their heads above water, everyone who’s not in the water running around trying to save some cat who is. There’s no sensible place to start, you just have to dig in and help any way you can.”

Narrator Tips: Everywhere the players’ cats look there are ShadowClan cats who need help. The flood will last for five rounds, using a system of rounds just like fighting does (see Chapter Five of the game rules for details). Rescuing a cat from the water simply requires a Swat Check, but the difficulty changes depending on what kind of cat you are attempting to rescue. Each round, have every player say whether his or her cat is going to try to rescue a kit, a warrior, or an elder.

Rescuing a warrior or an elder requires a Swat Check with a total of 5 or higher. Rescuing kits is more difficult because they are so small. To rescue a kit, a cat must have a Swat Check with a total of 7 or higher. In addition, if the Swat Check fails, the cat must immediately make a Focus Check to avoid losing his or her balance. If the Focus Check is 5 or lower, the cat falls into the water.

Whether or not the players’ cats can be said to have been “successful” at helping ShadowClan depends on how many cats they rescued. For every warrior or elder the cats rescue, they get 1 point.

For every kit they rescue, the cats get 2 points

What Happens Next: If any of the players’ cats fall into the water, continue with 15.

If the flooding ends and the players’ cats have rescued fewer than 15 points worth of ShadowClan cats, continue with 20.

If the flooding ends and the players’ cats have rescued 15 or more points worth of ShadowClan cats, continue with 19.

17. Border Patrol

Read Aloud: “At first it’s difficult to tell that you’re in ShadowClan territory. This high up the hill, it looks like any other stretch of woods and there are no scent marks to identify the place. But as you get lower, the trees begin to grow closer together, making it feel like dusk despite the fact that it’s the middle of the day. And a scent becomes clear—a scent that says, ‘This is ShadowClan territory! Go away!’”

Special Note: Although ShadowClan as a whole can sometimes be secretive and difficult to deal with, they are not by any means evil cats. In fact, the individual cats of ShadowClan are as varied as those of any Clan. It is entirely possible that some, or even all, of the players in your game have cats who are from ShadowClan. If so, these cats get a +4 bonus to any Intelligence, Spirit, Focus, Hiss, or Ponder Check made while interacting with other ShadowClan cats in this adventure.

Narrator Tips: As the cats get closer to the bottom of the hill and the Lake, they enter the most populated part of ShadowClan territory. It’s always nerve-wracking going uninvited into another Clan’s territory, and ShadowClan has a reputation for being especially protective of its borders.

The land itself seems well suited for ShadowClan. The trees grow close together, blocking out the sky and casting shadows everywhere. A cat who knew the territory well could be hiding nearby and a stranger would never even know it.

Do what you can to play up the mystery and danger of the scene, and then have a patrol of ShadowClan cats arrive, seeming one instant to be a part of the shadows and the next stepping out for all to see. There are a number of cats in the patrol equal to the number of players’ cats (not counting the Narrator’s cat). They are bold and aggressive and the largest of them, Ratscar, steps forward and challenges the players’ cats. He demands to know what they are doing in ShadowClan territory and ordering them to leave immediately. The ShadowClan cats arch their backs and hiss, but do not actually attack. It is clear, though, that they are challenging the players’ cats to make the first move.

What Happens Next: The next step is up to the players and how their cats choose to react.

If they want to talk to the ShadowClan cats to tell them about the danger, continue with 6.

If they want to accept the ShadowClan cats’ challenge and start fighting, continue with 18.

18. Border Skirmish

Read Aloud: “‘Now we see your treachery!’ yells Ratscar. ‘ShadowClan, attack!’”

Narrator Tips: This scene centers around a battle between the players’ cats and the ShadowClan patrol (and uses the standard fighting rules as described in Chapter Five of the game rules). There is one member of the patrol for each of the players’ cats (not counting the Narrator’s). All of the ShadowClan cats have the same game statistics.

ShadowClan Patrol Cat: 20 moons old; Strength 6, Intelligence 3, Spirit 1; Skills: Arch +1, Jump +2, Sneak +2, Swat +2; Knacks: Belly Rake, Leap, Mighty Swat, Stalk, Track, Yowl.

You may want to write down the ShadowClan cats’ game stats and track each of them separately on a piece of paper for easy reference during the fight.

After three rounds of fighting, have all the cats (including the ShadowClan patrol) make Listen

Checks. Any cat whose total is 7 or higher hears the deep, wet “schloomph” sound of the pools above collapsing. Any player’s cat who hears this knows there is a flash flood coming down the hill somewhere near here. The ShadowClan cats are a little worried by that strange sound but seem ready to go on fighting.

What Happens Next: If two or more of the players’ cats were knocked out during the fight, continue with 7.

If the cats decide to go on fighting, let them do so for one more round, then the chapter ends.

Hand the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 15.

If the cats decide to stop fighting and try to warn other members of ShadowClan of the impending danger, this is the end of the chapter. Hand the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 11.

19. Here Comes the Sun

Read Aloud: “The next morning, representatives from all the Clans come into ShadowClan territory to help them recover from the flash flood. A long, slimy, foul-smelling streak of mud stretches from high on the hill down to the waters of the Lake, and there are branches and large rocks strewn all about. Only a few cats were hurt, though, and no one was killed, so it is not an exaggeration to say that a tragedy was averted—thanks in good part to your actions.”

Narrator Tips: ShadowClan will not let the other Clans spend very much time here, not wanting them to learn too much about their territory. But it is important for them to prove that the flash flood has not weakened their Clan in any way—they are still as strong and capable of defending themselves as ever.

Blackstar, the ShadowClan leader, will give a brief statement of thanks to the players’ cats, admitting that if not for their efforts the situation would have been much worse. The members of the other Clans might be more effusive with their praise.

What Happens Next: The players’ cats should be proud of what they accomplished. But the nature of life as a warrior is that there is always another calamity waiting to happen. And, as good a job as the group did here, they should know that they’ll have to do even better next time. Because it is a warrior’s job to not just protect his or her Clan from one threat but from all of them!

20. Not Good Enough

Read Aloud: “The next morning, representatives of all the Clans come into ShadowClan territory to help them recover from the flash flood. A long, slimy, foul-smelling streak of mud stretches from high on the hill down to the waters of the Lake, and scattered around are the bodies of cats who were killed in this tragic event.”

Narrator Tips: The players’ cats have ended up in this scene because somewhere along the way they did not do enough to help the cats of ShadowClan.

It’s entirely possible that they proceeded with good intentions, but the results are no less catastrophic. No one really blames them—the flash flood was not their fault, and chances are good that they at least wanted to help—but it seems likely that at least some of those hurt or killed by the waters could have been saved if the players’ cats had been more deeply involved. If they were helping to rescue drowning cats, but didn’t succeed in rescuing very many, some members of ShadowClan might think that the group wasn’t trying hard enough.

On the other hand, it may be that the cats chose to ignore the problem because of some bias against ShadowClan. If this is the case, or if the players seem too unaffected by this tragedy, have a cat who they respect—perhaps their Clan leader—come over and talk to them about the events. Have that cat focus on the fact that part of the warrior code is to protect kits, no matter what Clan they belong to, and that can easily be imagined to mean any Clan cat who is helpless and in danger. The Clans may sometimes be at odds, but they must act together for the good of all if they are to survive the many dangers of the world.

What Happens Next: This is the end of the adventure, and it is not a good end. Although they tried hard, the cats do not get any Experience rewards for this adventure. The group can, however, play the adventure again, hopefully changing some of their tactics so that they get a better result next time.

AFTER THE ADVENTURE

After the last scene of the adventure has been played, the game itself is not necessarily over. There still are a few things you can do if the players want to keep at it.

Play It Again

Maybe you just want to try the whole thing a second time, starting back at the beginning or perhaps picking up somewhere in the middle where it feels like things went wrong. In either case, your cat would be right back where he or she was and have another chance to try to find a more favorable outcome.

One of the great things about storytelling games is that you can always tell the story again. And, since some of the group’s actions can be strongly affected by how they did when they were hunting and tracking, they may want to go back and try putting more effort and emphasis in excelling during those scenes.

Plus, depending on how they handled the interaction with Ratscar and his ShadowClan patrol, they may want to see what happens if they try a different tactic. Playing again will let everyone see all the parts of the story and give other players the chance to try their hands at being the Narrator.

Experience

If the cats completed the adventure successfully, then they all get Experience rewards. It is important to note, though, that each cat can only get experience from this adventure once! If you play through and successfully finish the adventure several times, your cat only gains the rewards listed below after the first time he or she completes the adventure.

If you use different cats each time, though, each one can get the Experience rewards. The rule is not that a player can only get experience once, it’s that a cat can. Age: Although the action in this adventure clearly all happens over the course of a handful of days, the presumption is that this is the most interesting and exciting thing that happens to your cat during the whole of that moon. Increase your cat’s age by 2 moons and make any appropriate improvements described in Chapter Four of the game rules.

Skill: On top of the improvements your cat gets from aging, he or she also can gain 1 level in one of the following Skills: Focus, Ponder, Swat, or Swim.

Knack: For having such close interactions with the members of ShadowClan and spending time in their territory, your cat also gains 1 level of the Clan Lore Knack.

More adventures can be found at the back of each novel in the Omen of the Stars series, and you can find extra information at the warriorcats.com website.

More adventures can be found at the back of each novel in the Omen of the Stars series, and you can find extra information at the warriorcats.com website.