TSR 9078 - B5 - Horror on the Hill.pdf - Basic D&D Modules B Series - Kitraida

Basic Game Adventure

Horror on the Hill

by Douglas Niles

Only the mighty River Shrill separates you from the mysterious mountain.Will you t ,

to return, or will you fall prey to the Horror on the Hill? For character levels 1-3

P,aspc Game Adlventure

PREFACE

Guido’s Fort.

The end of the traders’ road.

Perched along the banks of the mighty River Shrill, this isolated frontier

settlement is the last stop on the caravan routes. The mile-wide river is all that

separates the Fort from the shadowy bulk known only as “The Hill,” a land of

nameless terrors and ancient legend.

The fog-shroudedcrests and densely wooded slopes of The Hill rise 400 feet,

looming ominously over the tiny settlement. On clear days, The Hill’s rocky

cliffscan be seen jutting fromits bulky mass, but the view is usually obscured by

gouts of steam that seem to rise from outlets on The Hill itself.

This mysterious mountain has long been rumored to shelter bands of vicious

monsters. Only the awesome waters of the Shrill have prevented the monsters

from invading the undergarrisoned fort. Several groups of brave and hardy

adventurers have crossed the river to explore The Hill’s summits and face the

wicked monsters, but none of these bands was ever heard from again.

Now a new group of eager adventurers has met in one of the inns at Guido’s

Fort. It is here that the adventurers discuss their own daring plans to explore the

dangerous mountain.

Player characters can find transport across the river from any of the local

Cishermen;but once on the far shore, the adventurers are on their own. They must

thread their way througha dense woods, where every bend of the trail can conceal

hideous peril. They encounter mysterious beings, such as the two “kindly” old

ladies, who may offer the party their special brand of assistance. Or, the party

may meet the soldiers of a hobgoblin king mustering his forces for an attack on

Guido’s Fort.

If they make their way through a ghoulish graveyard, the player characters

discover an old monastery, long-abandoned by its builders. The monastery is

now used as a headquarters for the hobgoblin band. A fountain in the

monastery’s garden yields a magical drink whose effects may not always be good.

Finally, the monastery yields entrance to a multilevel dungeon that is sure to

challenge the players’ wits and skills.

It is in this dungeon that the hobgoblin king himself must be confronted and

defeated. But that is just the beginning! Just as the characters think their

adventures are coming to a close, a hidden trap sends them to a staggering

network of twisting corridors, all seeminglyleading back to the same place. Once

through, the characters must conquer the final obstacle - a young red dragon

-before they can look upon the sun once more.

Therumors have never been proven false. No one else has ever returned. Thc

characters’ boat is waiting. TheHill is one of horror, to be sure. But for the strong

and daring, it is a Hill of just rewards for deeds well done. Thenew adventurers

are ready and willing to take their chances. So let the adventure begin!

Editor: Laurie Mann

Assistant Editor: Tim Kilpin

Graphic Designer: Ruth Hoyer

Cover Artist: Jim Roslof

Interior Artist: Jim Holloway

This module is protected under the copyright laws of

the United States of America. Any reproduction or

other use of the material contained herein is prohibited

without the express written permiscion of TSR, Inc.

Distributed to the book trade in the United States by

Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random

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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and D&D are registered

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ISBN 0-88038-046-2

394-53345-3TSR0600

9078

__.-

_-I_______.--

Beginning the Adventure .........................................

Gatheling the Party ..........................................

Meeting at Guido's Fort ......................................

Purchasing Equipment .......................................

Getting to The Hill and Back .................................

About Monsters .............................................

Adventure on the Surface of The Hill ..............................

Movement on the Surface of The Hill ..........................

Monsters on the Surface of The Hill ...........................

Key to Areas on the Surface of The Hill ........................

(areas #1-20)

Adventure in the Ruined Monastery ................................

Key to Areas in the Ruined Monastery

(areas # 21-39)

Adventure in Dungeon Level I ....................................

Key to Areas in Dungeon Level I (areas # 40-69)

Adventure in Dungeon Level I1 ....................................

Key to Areas in Dungeon Level I1 (areas # 70-84)

Adventure in Dungeon Level I11 ...................................

Key to Areas in Dungeon Level I11 (areas #85-101)

Tying Up the Loose Ends ........................................

New Monsters

Piranha Bird ................................................ 31

Steam Weevil ................................................ 31

Lava Lizard ................................................. 32

Prerolled Characters ...................................

Module Cover

LIST OF TABLES AND MAPS

Table 1 . Rumors at Guido's Fort ..................................

Table 2 . Wandering Monsters on the Surface of The Hill .............

Table 3 . Wanderings Monsters in the Ruined Monastery

Table 4 . The Magic Fountain

............. 11

.....................................

Table 5 . Wandering Monsters in Dungeon Level I ................... 14

I .........

I1 ........

...........

......... 24

......... 27

......... 15

......... 16

Table 6 . Wandering Monsters in Dungeon Level

Table 7 . Wandering Monsters in Dungeon Level

Map of Dungeon Level I .....................

Map of Dungeon Level I1 ....................

Map of Dungeon Level I11 ...................

Maps of Caves ..............................

Map of the Surface of The Hill ...............

ap of the Ruined Monastery .................

......... 17

......... 18

Inside Cover

........... Insidecover 1

BEGINNING THE ADVENTURE

On the inside cover of the module is a topo-

graphic map of The Hill, showing the trails

that wind through the dense vegetation, the

clearings, the cliffs, and the specific encoun-

ter areas. Also on the inside cover of the

module is a detailed map of the ruined mon-

astery, which lies on The Hill. Below the

monastery lie three levels of dungeons. On

page 15isamapofLevel1,onpage 16amap

of level 11, and on page 17 a map of level 111.

Den. Player characters can learn two of the

rumors on the table below from any of these

patrons or the innkeeper. For your own

information only, the table shows whether

the rumors are true or false. To see which

two rumors the characters learn, roll 2d8,

repeating if necessary until the second roll is

different from the first. Note that the players

must state they are seeking information

before they can begin to hear the rumors.

If the characters express an interest in

learning more about The Hill, they are

referred to the “Old Timer.” For each cold

beer the party buys him, he will divulge

another rumor, until they have heard all

eight. Note that the Old Timer goes through

the rumors randomly (roll a ld8), and

although he will not repeat a single rumor

twice, he will probably repeat the two rum-

ors that the party has heard elsewhere.

chase some supplies there before embarking.

Because the outpost is isolated, however,

prices are a little higher than usual; and

there is no guarantee the players can find

what they need.

To determine the availability of any item

on the Equipment List in the Basic rule

book, roll ld4. Any result other than a one

means that a character can find the item.

Then roll a ld6 if a character wishes to pur-

chase that item. A result of one or two means

that the price is the same as that listed in the

Basic rule book; a three or four means that

price is 150%of the listed amount; and a five

or six means that it costs twiceas much. Note

you follow this procedure for each item pur-

chased: even though one player found a

shortsword, for example, there is no assu-

rance the next player can find one also.

Gathering the party

This module is designed for a group of five

to ten player characters of levels 1, 2, or 3.

The lower the level of the characters, the

larger the number of characters recommended

for the adventure (Le., if all of the characters

are 1st level, nine or ten should be involved;

but if they are all 3rd level, five might be

enough). It is also recommended that, in

general, 1st level characters have at least

three hit points, though fighters should have

six or more. You may want to let players roll

their initial hit points several times, until

one roll equals or exceeds the suggested min-

imum. Or players may want to use the pre-

rolled characters listed on the outside cover.

If the players want to roll up their own

characters, you may want to recommend that

they take one or more of the prerolled char-

acters along as NPCs to fill out the group. In

any event, the group should have at least one

cleric, one magic-user, one thief, and a sub-

stantial number of fighters.

If charaters are starting out on their first

adventure, they may roll 4d6 (instead of 3d6,

as per the Basic rule book) to determine their

starting money. This modification is to

counter the inflated prices found at Guido’s

Fort.

Getting to The Hill and back

Characterscan cross the River Shrill to begin

their adventure on The Hill by seeking out

one of the fishermen in Guido’s Fort. Since

times are hard for the fishermen, any of them

are willing to ferry the party across the river.

Since The Hill is so dangerous, though, the

cost of ferry is high: 20 gp.

The party might also try to rent a boat

from a fisherman, but without success. A

fisherman might agree to sell the party a

boat, but no fisherman is willing to rent one.

Everyone in Guido’s Fort is convinced the

party is doomed-and renting a boat to peo-

ple you’ll never see again doesn’t make any

sense! If the party decides to buy a boat, the

cost is 50-80 gp (ld4+4 x 10).

As long as the party is adventuring on

the surface of The Hill or in the first level of

dungeon below The Hill, the party may

return to Guido’s Fort as often as they want

or can. If they haven’t bought their own

boat, though, they must make arrangements

for returning to Guido’s Fort before they

leave. Even if they choose to stay on and

under The Hill throughout the adventure,

they need return passage when the adventure

is ended. So in any case, without their own

boat, the party must plan ahead for at least

one return passage.

Perhaps they want to arrange for a

fisherman to pick them up at a specified time

and place. Any of the fisherman are willing

to do so-for another 20 gp-but the party

must be on time or the fisherman leaves.

The party might also arrange for a

fisherman to pick them up when he sees a

smoke signal the party sends. Once the party

builds its smoke signal fire, there is only a

20% chance per turn someon:

TABLE 1

RUMORS AT GUIDO’S FORT

True or

Die

Roll

Rumor

False

1 Many centuries ago, an old

monastery was located on top

of The Hill

2 A fire-breathing dragon lives in

the caves below The Hill.

3 A band of slave-tradingogres is

using The Hill as a base for

forays into the civilized lands.

4 Man-eating ghouls prowl The

Hill for food.

5 There is a haunted graveyard on

The Hill.

6 An evil witch lives on The Hill.

Her house appears to be a small

hut, but in reality is an extrava-

gant palace where she keeps the

tortured souls of all who have

trespassed on the slopes.

7 A huge orc army is entrenched

on The Hill, waiting for orders

to begin a massive assault on

Guido’s Fort.

8 A bubbling lake of lava lies

below The Hill. The lake is the

sourced of the steam columns

that often rise into the air from

many vents on the slopes’

summits.

True

False

True

Meeting at Guido’s Fort

Characters begin their adventure at Guido’s

Fort. They meet to prepare at the Lion’s Den.

The inn has a large common room filled

with many benches and tables, a bar, and a

large fireplace, The common room is a

smoky,dimly-lit place, and tends to be rather

quiet. The inn also has sleeping quarters for

rent. One sp per person buys a night’s lodg-

ing on a straw pallet in the back room. The

quarters are so dirty that characters who

sleep here have a 75% chance of becoming

flea-infested during the night! (Fleas won’t

affect a character’s play; they’re just a tem-

porary nuisance.)

At any given time of day or night, 2-12

(2d6) persons can be found in the Lion’s

False

Purchasing equipment

The trading post in Guido’s Fort is well-

stocked,and the charactersmay want to pur-

in Guido’s

BEGINNING THE ADVENTURE

Fort sees the signal. The fisherman begins

This king lives in the dungeon under The

crossing the river 1-4 (ld4)turns after some-

one notices the smoke signal.

If the party has talked to the Old Timer

at the inn, they find him waiting for them at

the waterfront as they are getting ready to

leave. Impressed by the party’s courage and

determination, he offers them a bottle of

clear liquid as a parting gift. He tells them a

drink of the liquid helps to heal wounds, and

he cautions them to use it sparingly. The

bottle contains three doses of

Hill but is not extremely powerful or effec-

tive. His troops are numerous but cowardly;

and if combat with goblins or hobgoblins

goes badly for the monsters, they try to

escape. If the party prevents such an escape,

the monsters surrender to save their own

lives.

Note that if the characters return to

town between sorties on The Hill, certain

monsters are not idle in their absence. In

particular, ogres, hobgoblins, and goblins

replenish their garrisons three days after the

party cleans them out. In fact, there is a 33%

chance the number of ogres, hobgoblins, or

goblinsis actually 50% larger than the number

first encountered! Wandering monsters do

not replenish themselves, however.

Important! Encounters with wander-

ing monsters are designed to keep the PCs on

their toes. They are not designed to be the

ultimate challenge or climax of the adven-

ture. If the dice call for an encounter that you

feel would seriously deplete the party’s

strength, you should ignore that encounter.

potion of

healing.

About monsters

Many goblins and hobgoblins are on and

under The Hill, organized into a loose army

under the leadership of a hobgoblin king.

TSR 9078 - B5 - Horror on the Hill.pdf

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