The Dungeons and Dragons Book Tag

Every now and then, I like to do a book tag. I’m a rather nerdy person and the few book tags I’ve created reflect that. This one is no exception. The table-top roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons features character classes, which is sort of a classification that separates and defines different sorts of characters in D&D. I’ve used some of these classes to make a book tag.

I hope you have fun! If you decide to do your own, please credit me as the creator. Thanks!

Barbarian: In a simplified nutshell, barbarians are fighters whose anger can give them a berserker state of mind: think an overdose of adrenalin allowing someone to do the nigh impossible.

Name a character with a temper:

Belle Sorensen from In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce

It didn’t take much to make Belle Sorensen angry and, to paraphrase the Hulk, you wouldn’t like her when she’s angry. The men in her life had much shorter life spans than they should have. The chilling thing is, she was a real person. Yikes!

Review

Bard: Bards use music and song to either help or hinder. Music is massively important to them, and can give them power.

Name a book/character for which music is important:

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

The main character in A River Enchanted, Jack, is a bard. Music means more to him than anything else. He is called on to use his music to summon the spirits of the water, earth, and wind to find the girls stolen from his clan. With the power his music gives him comes danger, though. It’s a fascinating book.

Cleric: “A priestly champion who wields divine magic in service of a higher power” (D&D Player’s Handbook)

Name a book/character for which religion plays a large role:

The Sapphire Altar by David Dalglish

Belief and religious fervor collide in this book that’s impossible to put down. Religion doesn’t play a background role in this series. It is often the beating heart at the center of every decision made (or so the characters tell themselves).

Review

Druid: Druids are representative of nature. They get their power- healing, magical spells, etc.- from either the land itself or from a nature deity. 

Name a Book where nature plays an important role:

The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst

The nature in this book is brimming with life…and malevolence. The spirits that live in the water, trees, and wind want to stamp out the humans and only the queen has the power to command them. Except it suddenly stops working, leading to an epic fantasy that is unforgettable.

Review

Fighter: A fighter relies on physical skill. They are often good with a weapon and can function as a pretty good meat shield.

Name a book with great fight scenes:

Kings of Wyld by Nicholas Eames

There is so much to love about this book, not least the fight scenes! They were creative, well described, and massively entertaining.

Review

Magic Users: Dungeons and Dragons features Warlocks, Wizards, and Sorcerers. Each is different, but I’m lumping them together for the purposes of this tag. The name is self-explanatory: a user of magic.

Name a book or character with cool magic:

Empire of Exiles by Erin M. Evans

The magic in this book is spectacular. It’s unique, extremely creative, and also perfectly described what my anxiety feels like. I know that sounds weird, but if you read the book (and you should), you’ll understand what I’m saying.

Review

Paladin: A holy warrior.

Name a character with strong convictions:

Paladin Unbound by Jeffrey Speight

This book is phenomenal. Umhra has to both come into his own as a paladin, but also come to grips with who he is as well as his past.

Review

Ranger: Hunters, wilderness survivors, and protectors, rangers are often what stand between civilization and the monsters that live in the wild.

Name a character that is in tune with the wild.

Strider from The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

I’ll be honest: I think Aragorn is much cooler when he’s still calling himself Strider. Either way, he’s got the whole “one with nature” thing going and is a great ranger.

Rogue: Rogues use stealth and cunning to defeat their foes or prevail in a situation. 

Name a book or character with cunning:

The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn by Tyler Whitesides

What I loved about Ardor Benn was that, not only did he always have a contingency plan (even if his plans never went smoothly), he was glib. I love characters that use their words as weapons.

Review

What do you think? What character class is your favorite? I hope you share your answers with me!