Horror on the Hill Dungeons & Dragons Module B5 Horror Book Review

“Horror on the Hill” is an adventure molded in “The Keep on the Borderlands” vein. The PCs begin in Guido’s Fort ready to start their adventuring careers. Across the river lies the mysterious “Hill” just waiting to be explored. Rumors are rife about just what is over there, but no one is really certain, as most who go over to investigate never come back.


The module consists of the “Hill,” a ruined monastery, and three dungeon levels. The “horror” turns out to be the dungeon levels. The first is the home of a tribe of hobgoblins gearing up to sack the fort at some point in the future. The next level is a labyrinth of caves that is sure to get the PCs lost. The last level holds a tribe of kobolds and a red dragon. Again, this module has no plot.


“Horror on the Hill” is quite possible my favorite D&D adventures of all time. It has neither plot nor innovative or unusual features. Nonetheless it is fertile ground to create a vast campaign. In fact, I have used this adventure no less than four times as the starting point for new campaigns. However, I added so much plot, subplots, and back story to the adventure so much that it only vaguely resembles the original. One major problem is the red dragon at the end. Played correctly this dragon will decimate a party of adventurers—especially if you update B5 for AD&D play.


One minor quibble about the original module that annoys me: the dialogue of the witches. You see, there are two witches that live on the Hill that will trade magic items with the PCs. The module’s author has the witches say things like “I’ll use my staff of healing and my cure light wounds.” This breaks one of the cardinal rules of good gaming: don’t use game terms when role-playing!