The Fourth Apprentice

If the Arch Check has a total of 8 or higher, the badger snorts again and waddles back into its burrow. Otherwise, it will charge in for a fight.

What Happens Next: If the cats succeed in the Arch Check, continue with 20.

If the Arch Check fails or if the cats try any other strategy, continue with 21.

17. Delirious

Read Aloud: “Maybe it’s the fever, or just exhaustion setting in, but you’re finding it harder and harder to concentrate.“

Narrator Tips: Even though they know with absolute certainty that the feverfew is somewhere around this pool, the cats haven’t found it yet. By this point, several of them may be suffering the effects of the fever, and a few may even be Knocked Out. Time is running out and you, as the Narrator, should make them fully aware of that.

There really is no action that takes place in this scene. The cats must continue their search. You should use this scene as a reminder that the cats are starting to feel more and more worn down. As you describe the upcoming scenes, stress how tired they are and how ill they are feeling. Try to get the players to think about what it feels like to be running a high fever—the disorientation and confusion and exhaustion—and convey that their cats are feeling just that way.

What Happens Next: If more than half of the cats are still awake and active, continue with 20.

If more than half of the cats are Knocked Out, continue with 12.

18. Not the Right Pool

Read Aloud: “You’ve found a beautiful pool—calm, clear water, tall grass growing around its banks. Surely this is where the feverfew will be found.“

Narrator Tips: Let the cats search around the pond briefly, allowing them to make See or Smell or Ponder Checks, if they like. Cats with the Herb Lore Knack may use that in these efforts. Pretty quickly, though, they should realize that there is no feverfew around this pool, so they must be in the wrong place.

Let the cats make another group Ponder Check to gain an insight. This is just as described in scene 15 except that it is a little easier (since they have gained some experience from this wrong turn). This time they gain insight if the group total is equal to or higher than the number of cats x4. And, if they wind up trying this again later in the adventure, the target for the Ponder Check multiplier drops by 1 each time (so it’s cats x3 on the third Check and cats x2 on the fourth).

What Happens Next: If the cats failed to get an insight, they must retry scene 18 again. Don’t tell them that they are doing the same scene a second time. Improvise a slightly different Read Aloud section and make them feel like they have certainly found the right pool this time.

If the cats have successfully gotten an insight into the problem, continue with 5.

19. Feverfew

Read Aloud: “Along the water’s edge, hidden among the roots of tall grass and reeds, you finally find it—a thick, green, overflowing patch of feverfew!“

Narrator Tips: Success! The cats have found the feverfew!

Using the instructions given to them by the medicine cats, they can gather as much of the herb as they need. And the cats who are currently suffering from the ill effects of the fever can begin taking the medicine right away. They won’t be completely healed, but they will feel a little bit better right away. (They get 1 chip of immediate bonus healing.)

The adventure is over, but let the players describe what their cats are doing and how they will get the feverfew back to the Clan territory. Then skip ahead over the two days of travel, and describe the scene when the cats return.

At first, the medicine cats will simply grab the herbs and get to work, perhaps leaving the characters to feel unappreciated. But later, the medicine cats and the Clan leaders and all the other healthy members of the Clans will come and thank them, telling them that they are real heroes. And it’s true.

What Happens Next: The adventure is over. Well done!

20. One Special Pool

Special Note: The cats may come to this scene more than once. After the first time, there is no need to reread the Read Aloud section; just get to the meat of the scene.

Read Aloud: “The other pools are certainly beautiful, there’s no doubt about it. But there is something special about this pool. And there is a fresh, hopeful scent in the air.“

Narrator Tips: The cats are absolutely certain that this is the right pool. The scent of feverfew fills the area. Unfortunately, that makes it more difficult to determine where exactly the patch is. It will take a group effort to find it.