Training Day is a short official scenario for the Warriors Adventure Game. The Clans want to relieve tensions so a group of apprentices are taught by a group of warriors from other Clans. This scenario takes place one moon after the previous adventure, Mission of Mercy, and providing the players' characters completed the last adventure it is stated that they are one moon older than whichever adventure that had been played previously.
Requirements
The game is played by at least two players, and guided by a Narrator. The recommended or maximum number of players is not known. Players need one character sheet each, a piece of paper, a pencil, a six sided die, and the Narrator needs the printed version of the scenario description.
Each player assumes the role of a cat character, newly made young warriors, having a set of attributes created according to the rules and guidelines of the game. The cats may either be from the same Clan, or different Clans.
Location
The adventure takes place in the lake territories.
Progress
A Time to Teach
- In most cases an apprentices training is held within their respective Clan, but the leaders of the Clans have decided to attempt a new form of training. The leaders would like a group of apprentices to be trained for a day by a group of warriors from another Clan. The players' characters have been chosen by their leader to take part in the experiment. Each of the players' cats are approached by their Clan leader and are informed about this experiment. All of the leaders think that this is a very important job, and ask the players' cats due to the fact that the players' cats seem to be good at working with cats from very different backgrounds. The cats' job is to teach the apprentices basic warrior duties and that all cats are the same.
- It is decided each characters apprentice will come from which Clan by a roll of the dice, then again to decide the apprentices strengths, personalities and gender. The person to their right will select the name of their apprentice. The players will be surprised that they'll be switching between their own characters and their apprentices. The warriors must now decide what to start teaching the apprentices first. They can either start with border patrol, stalking or hunting practice.
Hey You!
- The apprentices are sure the tree in the distance marks the border, but closer reveals they've never seen the tree. The group of apprentices are now lost deep in the heart of ShadowClan territory. They need to make a quick decision; any cat could smell they are there, and a couple of ShadowClan warriors already had. If they take too long to make a decision of dawdle, the ShadowClan warriors will find them.
- They may try to reach ThunderClan territory quickly or quietly. For a quick escape, they must do a Strength Check. If they decide to escape quietly, they must do a Sneak Check. If any of the cats fail, the ShadowClan patrol will catch up to them and a fight will start. They know that the apprentices didn't mean to cross the border but want to teach them a lesson to make them behave better next time. They plan to show their fighting force and frighten the apprentices, expecting them to run and prove that this cross-Clan training won't work and will hurt ShadowClan. If the apprentices survive and can still fight by the third round, the ShadowClan warriors will leave them alone and leave as they have shown their courage and strength. Although the ShadowClan cats do not mean harm, it is possible that an apprentice can be knocked out. If that happens, the warriors will be ashamed but after making sure no serious and permanent injuries are made, they will insist it is proof that cross-training is useless.
Who's Stalking Who?
- An apprentice makes such a mess of pretending to stalk a pretend enemy the quarry was able to switch it around and stalk the apprentice instead. The apprentice thinks they are going to catch their target, but suddenly the pretend enemy runs towards the apprentice from an unexpected place and pounces on them. It won't hurt the apprentice, but is very embarrassing for them. The warriors must figure what went wrong and tell their apprentice what to improve on. If the apprentices have already failed four or more times, they will fail the adventure. If they haven't, they may try the stalking test again.
Is it Dinner Yet?
- The apprentices have not gathered enough fresh-kill for the Clan. The warriors must give advice to the apprentices and consider different strategies. They need to go out in teams to catch some prey for the Clan to eat and not fail at least four times. If one apprentice succeeds no matter how large the team, the whole team succeeds. If they try hunting again four times and fail, they are to return to training.
On Patrol
- The older cats are teaching the new apprentices how to behave while on border patrols. As a whole group, they have gone to an area where there is a complicated borderline that separates non-forest territory, ThunderClan territory, and ShadowClan territory. The warriors must teach the apprentices on patrolling, such as how to behave and what to keep an eye out for. The apprentices then get to explore the area for a bit without crossing the borders.
Waiting for Supper
- The mentors seemed certain that the apprentices would succeed and return, but apprentices have failed to return from their hunting mission. The warriors have to figure out where the apprentices have gone and why and use their senses or intelligence to track them down. This will be easier for the players as the warriors are more experienced than the apprentices, however, since the disappearance is very sudden finding clues will be hard.
Finding Your Foe
- The warriors are teaching their apprentices how to find, follow, and catch an enemy hiding in the forest. Tracking cats is similar to tracking prey, but it is harder than hunting because cats are stronger and smarter than a piece of prey, and learning to track them is complicated. It is noted that an intelligent foe can learn they are being followed, and can leave the territory if they do not want unnecessary fighting. The warriors must give their apprentices tips and instructions to tracking a cat. After the instructional element of the lesson, the apprentices get to practice to stalk pretend enemies.
Learning the Land
- The apprentices have failed a try to patrol a border by getting lost and wondering over the border. The apprentices have learned from this experience, and try again after asking themselves some questions to improve and receive advice from their mentors.
Gotcha!
- It doesn't seem very fair apprentices tracking down experienced warriors, but with determination and a bit of luck, they succeed in the stalking test. The apprentices have proved that they can successfully win against a powerful trained foe using their abilities to think, adapt, and eventually find a way to win and deserve much praise. After this, the warriors must decide of to go patrol a border or hunt. However, the apprentices can only do each test once.
Finding Food
- Hunting is the most important but difficult duty of a warrior, especially when warriors eat last so they need to make sure every belly has something. Cats are teaching their apprentices basic hunting skills for small animals, so that the group can return to the Clan with a substantial amount of fresh-kill by nightfall. The apprentices learn on their own that each different animal of prey has a slightly different strategy to catching it with good technique. Prey is easier to catch than a real live cat, usually. It uses the same basic skills of tracking a cat but it must be combined with physical skill, since cats have to leap on top of prey to pin it to the ground and give it a death nip to the neck. New apprentices usually don't realize how hard catching real prey is. The warriors must give their apprentices advice, including if catching bigger prey like rabbits is better, or a collecting or smaller prey. After the lesson ends the apprentices can try to hunt rabbits or voles on their own. a rabbit can feed three cats and a vole can feed one. The apprentices must collect enough prey to feed twelve cats.
Walking the Line
- The scents are confusing, the path twists each way but warriors and apprentices patrol it every day, now the apprentices have too. Despite it being a difficult affair, the apprentices have succeeded at patrolling a border correctly. This is a big deal, so the apprentices are going to be congratulated and the moment to be well captured. After this, the warriors must decide to either practice stalking a foe, or just hunt prey. Note that the apprentices cannot repeat a test they have already done.
The Cold Trail
- The sights, sounds and smells of the familiar camp was easy to process, but now outside the camp they unsurprisingly struggle. The apprentices have failed to stalk an enemy through the forest. The apprentices have to ask themselves questions to help them improve this skill, as well as warriors giving advice for next time. The apprentices have learned something and will carry this on their next test. They try again after hearing some advice from their mentors.
Flunking Out
- Sometimes adventures are not successful, sometimes cats make mistakes and hit bad luck. The most important thing is what happens next. They may have reached here because an apprentice has failed one of their tests or a mentor lost their apprentice. Either way, there is no urgent need to for said apprentice to learn this skill immediately, however. Some lessons aren't learned immediately. The Clan leader will thank the mentor for their hard work, along with the apprentice for being part of such a grand undertaking. As the sun starts to set, the cats' experiment ends unsuccessfully, but perhaps try again another time. If a mentor lost their apprentice, another group of warriors finds the apprentices, luckily, and brings them back. The player's cats do not receive any experience, but have a chance to try again.
Under the Old Oak Tree
- The scents of the apprentices are overwhelmed by the smell of a dangerous creature known as weasels. If the apprentices are down here, they are in big trouble. The go down into the weasel den, but it is the wrong weasel den, since the missing apprentices aren't here, although this isn't realized just yet. The scent trail has brought the cats here to a weasel den under a large oak tree. The den only houses one weasel. If they have good Smell Checks, they'd realize there is no apprentice scent around here, either. The cats may think they are on a false trail but to be certain they may decide to explore the den. It is difficult going into the den, thanks to its narrowness the cats have to enter in single file. The burrow ends at a small cave where the weasel sleeps. If the cats aren't stealthy enough the sleeping weasel awakens and attacks. If the cats manage to get the weasel into the open, the weasel will flee, seeing three or more opponents. Getting out of the burrow is also slow and difficult since the cats can only exit one at a time while battling the weasel and only one cat can escape per round. The lead cat must fend off the weasel until every other cat has made it out. If the cats leave the weasel den undisturbed or decide not to check the den they begin to look elsewhere for the missing apprentices. They either stray on another false trail or the correct trail depending on their abilities.
The Wrong Apprentices
- The temporary apprentices have been everywhere in this area but it's difficult finding a fresh trail. There's a sudden call of a young cat, and something seems very wrong. However, the cats have gone on a wrong trail. They run an exciting short trial before bursting in on a group of warriors training a different group of apprentices. These cats are mixed in terms of what Clan they are from. They are absorbed in a stalking test, but the apprentices are doing worse than the cats' apprentices did. The other warriors can explain that the cats must have gone on a wrong trail because they have been there for quite a bit and have had no sign at all of the missing apprentices. Usually these cats would join the group in the search but they can't since they have these apprentices to attend to. They have to take the apprentices back to their respective camps since there might be something dangerous lurking around in the forest. The cats might restart the search after this. They have to reconsider their tactic on finding the apprentices, and will take the whole group to find the right trail.
Tight Squeeze
- Further down underground is much darker and the faint light of above ground fades to nothing. It's all complete darkness. Nothing has changed, but it seems as if the tunnel walls are narrowing. The cats have gone down the wrong tunnel. This is an incomplete weasel tunnel, getting thinner and thinner as it progresses onward until it reaches a dead end. As the cats go along they realize this since they feel the walls pressing in closer against them. At this point they are forced to go in single file. They can decide to push forward or head back, if they decide to keep going they must repeat Strength Checks until the lead cat feels their nose bump against solid ground in the darkness when they get to the dead end. At this stage they have to retreat back up and go for a different tunnel. They suffer damage due to rocks and raw earth, depending on how deep they went.
Knocked Out!
- Sleep is usually warm and comfortable like a queen wrapping her tail around her kits. What the cats are experiencing is nothing like that but disagreeable and restless, even painful. When they open their eyes, they will know why. One or more of the cats has been knocked out. This mission is given to show that without one member of the team the mission might as well be lost. In a scene like this, it is possible to not completely succeed but still do well, this could be explained to the cats by their leaders. Bad luck may also be a factor of how successful the mission is. Sometimes the warriors have to start again. A likely ending then appears (probably a group of warriors bringing back the apprentices), averting the tragedy of the missing apprentices. The cats sent on the mission may not cause the mission to succeed, necessarily. The player's cats do not receive any experience, but have a chance to try again.
Found One!
- The scent trail is starting to get clearer, so the warriors move more hastily. With this, they almost rush past a bush until a squeaky meow comes from it. The cats look, and find one of their apprentices. There is an unfortunate twist: the apprentice has no answer to where the other apprentices are because they were knocked out. This apprentice is knocked out from sheer exhaustion, thankfully, and not from any injuries or sickness. With an Intelligence or Ponder Check, the cats will realize the apprentices was knocked out from nothing but exhaustion. The young cat fully recover with time, but won't be helping them any time that day. If they do not pass the Intelligence or Ponder Check, they realize that the apprentice isn't harmed but will continue to worry about their health. They still realize they need to keep looking for the other apprentice. If they have a high enough Smell Check, they will find the trail and perhaps smell the trail of a weasel. Cats with an animal lure or a good Ponder Check will remember that Weasels like to fight and are very vicious, and will attack just for the fun. They are bullies that will attack if they have a good chance of winning. They will flee if it is overpowered and if it has a place to go, but a cornered weasel will put up a deadly fight.
Well Played
- When the last weasel disappears into its burrow, the apprentices race over to thank you. It's unsure whether they are glad that they arrived or are impressed they have beaten the weasels without a fight. A true warrior always knows when it's time to fight or use their other strengths and this has been shown to the apprentices. The Clan leaders repeat this message at their respective camps, holding the cats up as examples of what is best in their Clan. The cross-Clan mentoring is also deemed a wonderful success, and the cats are also given lots of credit for the enormous success. It is likely that this will happen again and will be more communication between the four Clans. The player's should be proud of their success as they have rescued the apprentices and taught them a great lesson. This will be spoken of for moons and will inspire others who want peace for the Clans. Each player receives Experience for their characters.
Den of Weasels
- Press through a slight narrow, the burrow opens up and the cats are standing in a weasel's den. The nasty, cruel beasts are in front of the apprentices who are pressed up against the den wall in fear. The cats are left with a large decision: whether to fight the weasels, or try to fend them off using a non-violent strategy. Either way could work. The cats could remember that weasels will run away if they are outmatched, but they love to fight, as it is in their nature. If they do not know this information already, this is their last chance to discover so. If the cats line up in a formation that makes it clear who is going to attack which weasel, the weasels might feel overwhelmed and flee. Any weasel that has more than two cats aligned up to fight it, it will automatically run deeper in the den, leaving the cats alone. There are different strategies for making weasels flee with less cats lined up against it. If a weasel is facing one cat, unless they pass a Hiss or Arch Check, it will begin to fight. When one of the weasels has been knocked out or fled, a cat may help their allies. A weasel will asses if they are facing too many cats, and may decide to flee immediately.
Take That!
- The weasels have been knocked out or chased off, and the cats stand proud and unbeaten. The apprentices immediately rush to thank their rescuers and to copy their fighting moves. The cats have demonstrated the skills of warriors and the apprentices start talking about ways they can use the fighting moves they saw, using it in stalking and hunting for the rest of their lives. The Clan leaders make speeches at their camps about how great warriors the cats are, and add that if the apprentices and kits work hard they can learn to fight the way the cats can. All Clans are saying the same thing, so each Clan actually learns the same fighting moves. The cats won't be teaching the apprentices again, as they have lost the advantage of secrets and surprise in battle against each other. The leaders still talk as if their warriors are above the others. The cats will meet their temporary apprentices during Gatherings and other times when the Clans meet each other but someday they will be warriors and they might be battling the cats, but peace is still possible. Each player's character receives their experience.
The Right Burrow
- The scents of cats and weasels overlap, leading a winding trail to gorse shrubs. They find a small, furry body that doesn't seem to be moving. A quick investigation shows it's another apprentice knocked out from exhaustion. After some rest and maybe some herbs, they will be fit and ready by the next day. The apprentice reeks of weasel, but seems as if the weasels have nudged the apprentice, not harmed them. An investigation of the nearby shrubs will reveal a tunnel, and a good Smell Check will reveal the smells of the apprentices but also of a family weasels. The only way to rescue the cats' apprentices is to go down into the tunnel and retrieve them. The cats have to make that decision themselves. The cats also have to decide how to get the weasels out and how to proceed with getting the apprentices. If the cats do anything to alert the apprentice of their presence, the apprentices will cry out for help. The cats can tell that the weasels are 'guarding' the apprentices inside the burrow, but do not know where they are exactly in the burrow. If the cats decide to venture in the burrow, they have to find out how wide the tunnel is. After they go down for a bit, the burrow forks with different passageways. The scents are confusing and mingled and sounds echo. The cats have to guess which way to go. The cats can also split up and search both tunnels, or choose one tunnel and go.
Flowchart
Ending
If the group fails in their mission, they will not receive any experience points. If they manage to save the apprentices, each character gets Experience points.
The adventure can be replayed any number of times, but a character may get points only once.
See Also
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