Magic Modules #2 - Monsters in the Hills by Tim Lowell - Solitaire Playing Guide & B/X Rules Adventure Module for Lone Adventurers & Parties Level 1-9

 

This is not a complete game.  You will need your favorite rules set.  The majority of the stats in this book were taken from the 1980 and 1981 Basic and Expert level rules by Tom Moldvay & David Cook, respectively.  This book is a solo module and guide for playing the Classic 1980-81 version of the Original Fantasy Role-Playing Game - the Basic/Expert Rules in other words, as well as games like Swords & Wizardry or Labyrinth Lord, et cetera either solo or with a group (with or without a dungeon master).  It is a great way to play the game when no one wants to referee. 

Your adventures begin at the town limits of Woodbridge, near the village of Stickford, at the Red Wyvern Inn.  Many brave fools can be found at the Inn.  It is a meeting place for fighting men and mages, holy men and rogues, even dwarves, halflings and elves intending to explore the Goblin Hills which are less than a day's walk from the inn on the King's Road.  The inn is often the last place they visit before entering the hills to seek their fortunes.  Once rich in copper, the hills are riddled with mine tunnels and natural caverns from the time of the Goblin Wars.  The hills are pockmarked with cave entrances which lead to a warren of tunnels and chambers - filled with monsters, traps and treasure. 

The Goblin Hills and nearby settlements are watched by vigilant sentries that man the walls of the Frontier Fortress.  Here, the rulers of the land have garrisoned a small army to observe the hills for signs of humanoid activity or army formation.  Officially, it is forbidden to enter the hills but the law is never enforced because those who return from their expeditions often bring back hordes of coins to spend in town.  Also, it is believed that the destruction of monsters by bands of treasure hunters is preferable to monsters rampaging over the countryside.  In fact, the Gnome & Dwarf Alliance regularly sends parties in search of ancient coins, artifacts and the chance to destroy their ages-old foes. 

The goal of play is to explore dungeons, wander the land, perform legendary deeds, gain levels and wealth.  You might measure your success by your character or party's final level and the number of legendary deeds they performed.  It is suggested that if any characters reach 9th level, they retire from adventuring and build a stronghold.  You can create your own stronghold locale for other adventurers to visit and an encounter table for your stronghold's environs.

This book is basically a 60+ page expansion of the Dungeon Master Information section of the Basic Rulebook.  It contains notes on characters, abilities, spells, equipment and encumbrance - house rules in other words.  It includes an intuitive guide to exploration turns and combat rounds, a simple and quick method to build balanced monster encounters, a simple yet effective guide to dungeon generation and mapping, extensive encounter tables, treasure and trap tables.  Also included is an extensive Wilderness Adventures section in case you want to leave the dungeon and explore the Land and its locales.  The Wilderness Adventures section is completely optional.  If you're content to make trips from town to the dungeons, that's fine. 

This product was released in compliance with the OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a.

 

Magic Modules #3 - Monsters in the Hills by Tim Lowell - Tunnels & Trolls Version.

 

This is not a complete game, but a guide for Tunnels & Trolls either solo or with a group, with or without a Game Master, for when no one wants to referee.

T&T COMBAT SIMPLIFIED - A NEW WAY

I have come up with a way to handle melee rounds/turns by rolling a d6 for the delvers and a d6 for the monsters.  You can determine the outcome of combat rounds by rolling two different-colored dice (instead of 15-20+ per side).  Each side of a battle has a Combat Factor (CF).  Monster rating determines the monster CF, most of the time, while the delver party's (or lone delver's) CF is determined by a number of factors.  Like in normal T&T the monsters' CF will decrease as they are wounded while the party CF will not change much.  The side with the higher CF adds +1 to its melee roll.  THAT IS THE KEY.  The side with the +1 wins roughly 2 out of 3 combat rounds, which means even a weaker foe will get in a few licks at least a third of the time.  

It is important to note that none of the underlying structure of the game has changed, just the way melee is handled. 

What this means for T&T games is no more "endless" battles.  Battles are quick and deadly but YOU MUST WEIGH EACH ROLL OF THE DICE CAREFULLY, and decide when it is time to fight or flee.  And of course I tweaked a few things here and there, but what T&T player doesn’t have their own house rules? 

The Setting

Just outside the town of Woodbridge, near the village of Stickford, is the Red Wyvern Inn.  It is a meeting place for those who seek to explore the Goblin Hills.  Delvers of all sorts can be found there.  It is often the last place they visit before entering the hills to seek their fortunes.

Under the hills is a network of mine tunnels, shafts and chambers, natural caverns and sections of ancient realms.  A few outposts of gnomes and dwarves try to dwell in these dungeons but mostly you will encounter monsters there. 

During the Goblin Wars, the hills were rich in copper.  Though the copper was mined long ago, soon after the miners left, monsters took up residence.  Some of them brought copper of their own and other treasure.  Even more valuables were lost by explorers or gathered during raids on the local population.

There the monsters sit in their lairs, plotting their raids or preying on each other unless they find foolish delvers to prey upon.  

The Hills and nearby settlements lie under the watchful eyes of the soldiers of the Frontier Fortress where the rulers of the land have garrisoned a small army in case of goblin activity - especially army formation.  Most peasants simply refer to all monsters as goblins, and hope they never encounter one. 

Officially, it is forbidden to enter the hills but the law is never enforced because some delver parties return and some bring back hordes of coins to spend in town.  Also, it is felt, by most, that the destruction of monsters by bands of treasure hunters is preferable to the raiding of their villages.  In fact, the Kindred Alliance regularly sends parties in search of ancient coins and relics.

You will need T&T 5th Edition rules (though probably any edition will work - I started with 5th edition), paper, pencil, eraser, 6 and 10-sided dice (though the mighty D6 is still the dominant dice type).