After some recent situations (see: fiasco) involving Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast, I decided it would be the perfect time to check out Pathfinder 2e. This is my first experience with Pathfinder 2e, and there are some differences between that and Dungeons and Dragons. You can read my thoughts on the Pathfinder Core Rulebook and The Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbookhere if you are so inclined.
I have played a total of four sessions in the Pathfinder Beginner Box so far (it takes a little longer when one of the party members has school the next day and needs a decent bedtime), so I’ll have to wait a while before sharing “finished” thoughts. I’m enjoying it immensely so far, though!
Today, I’m going to share my unasked-for opinions on the Pathfinder Beginner Box and the Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set. They have some similarities but there are also some things that are unique to each set. As with my other post, I’ll let you know: I am not going to bash either D&D or Pathfinder. There are things I like and dislike about both. I hope you give table-top roleplaying a try and enjoy whatever TTRPG you play!
Image Credit: Amazon
For transparency: When I used the Beginner Box, it was the more simple version and did not include the extra dice, etc. The set we used included one set of dice, the rulebook, five pre-made character sheets, and a pre-written adventure. The set pictured above has quite a bit more, but I was happy with what the simpler version had.
My group and I played the (simpler) Starter Set a few years ago. This was one of my oldest son’s first experiences with Dungeons and Dragons and we had a blast. He needed a lot of help figuring out which dice to roll and why (it can seem a little complicated at first) but enjoyed playing his pre-made character in the most chaotic of ways. His lighting the tree my rogue was hiding in on fire comes up more often in conversation than you would think. At any rate, it sparked an interest in TTRPGs and he has since played a few homebrew campaigns and is joining the group on the Pathfinder adventure.
I thought that the story in the D&D starter set flowed well (although it was pretty straightforward). My only niggle with the adventure itself was that it seemed designed to show what a campaign can look like but didn’t really teach the mechanics of the game. My oldest said that he was frustrated by his confusion over what dice to roll and why. Can you tell he’s used to grasping new concepts quickly?
What stands out to me the most with this more deluxe Starter Set (pictured above) is that it comes with six sets of dice. I find that incredibly cool! This could be a player’s first experience with TTRPGs and I feel having a dice set to send home with each person shows an encouragement to keep going on future adventures.
The deluxe Starter Set has a bunch of extra items, such as extra pre-made characters (a LOT of them, which is great!) and paper figures. However, none of that is in the box. Instead, it will be emailed and you can print what you want to use. I go back and forth on this method. On the one hand, it is good to save paper and not have a bunch of stuff that maybe you aren’t interested in. On the other hand, I’m a homeschool mom. I am very aware of the cost of printer ink and I hoard that stuff like gold. I personally would rather have things included (at least some of them), doubly so because any figures printed on normal printer paper are going to be a bit on the flimsy side. But saving paper is good, so there’s that.
Now, on to the Pathfinder Beginner Box. Please forgive any lousy pictures: photography is not a skill I possess.
Included in box
Unlike the Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set, the Pathfinder Beginner Box only has one set of dice. I LOVE THEM, though! Why? Because each one has a different color which is matched on the side of the pre-made character sheet. My oldest raved about how easy it was to know which dice was which when he was asked to roll. It also helped him quickly grasp which dice were used for what reasons. I do wish that there were a few more sets of dice, like in the D&D set, but these dice are still really stinking cool. I saw them and thought, “How smart and so simple!”
The Beginner Box also comes with figures, a map, and some other extras. I like that they are included in the box (again, I’m an unrepentant printer-ink hoarder) even though I know at least some of it probably won’t be used. Then again, maybe. The map is pretty cool, double sided and well made. It comes with four pre-made characters, but they are already printed and ready to go. The Beginner Box also includes a solo adventure (something that might be in the D&D Starter Set too, but I’m not sure).
I’m not far enough into the adventure in the Beginner Box but am enjoying it a lot so far. One thing that seems a little different is that, while the adventure is far from choppy or boring, it seems to be more aimed at teaching the mechanics of the game. This isn’t a bad thing, but it does feel a little different to the adventure in D&D’s Starter Set. I’m not finished yet, so my opinion on the adventure itself might very well change down the road.
Lastly, there are also action reminder cards for each player. As someone who is playing this after using Dungeons and Dragons for years and years, this is a handy addition. The actions are a little different and it’s so helpful to have a reminder.
The prices are comparable, so I don’t really have any thoughts on which set gets more bang for its buck. I was happy with the adventure in the Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set and I’m also very pleased with the Pathfinder Beginner Box.
As I continue playing the adventure in the Beginner Box, I’ll also share my thoughts on that. If you’ve made it thought this post, congratulations: both sets are much better than what I’ve written is.
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 fromIn 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!
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 Altarby 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).
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 Bloodby 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.
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.
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 fromThe Fellowship of the Ringby 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 Bennby 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.
I’ve been enjoying table-top roleplaying games for years and years, mainly Dungeons and Dragons although I’ve dipped my toes into other systems here and there.
I’ve been curious about other ttrpg options (there is a lot more out there than some people might think). I’ve also been less than impressed with some of the recent decisions made by Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro, so I figured why not give Pathfinder 2e a try? A good friend was incredibly generous, giving the Pathfinder Core Rulebook to the players in our group, so the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
On the off chance that anyone is wondering, I’m sharing my thoughts on this new adventure. I’m not going to bash either Pathfinder or D&D, but I will point out things that I like and dislike in both. Whatever system you end up playing in, I hope you have great, creative fun!
First up: The Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook (5e) and the Pathfinder Core Rulebook (2e). Let’s dive in, shall we?
The first thing I noticed is that there is a ridiculously noticeable difference between the sizes of the two books. Pathfinder’s Core Rulebook is a whopping 628 pages as opposed to the 317 pages found in D&D’s Player’s Handbook. I was floored. This Pathfinder chonker came in the mail and I was astonished when I saw how big it was. There is about a ten-dollar difference in price (although it’s pretty easy to find sales on both), but after seeing everything included in the Rulebook, I think it’s worth it.
I should probably mention that both books have separate Game Master guides (Gamemastery Guide in the case of Pathfinder, The Dungeon Master’s Guide in the case of Dungeons and Dragons). I haven’t yet seen Pathfinder’s GM Guide, but D&D’s Dungeon Master’s Guide is incredibly useful. That being said, some of what’s in the Pathfiner’s Rulebook would probably fit nicely in the D&D Dungeon Master Guide. I don’t really have an opinion on that, just thought it was interesting.
So, what’s in this doorstop of a rulebook?
Before getting into that, something I need to mention about both books is that the art is phenomenal. It immediately captures both the eye and- just as importantly- the imagination. I am a huge fan of creative fantasy art and the artists for both books are incredible.
Pathfinder Core Rulebook 2e
Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook
The Pathfinder Core Rulebook has a few noticeable differences from D&D’s Player’s Handbook. There’s a section toward the back of the Rulebook that talks about the world of Pathfinder (Golarion), its different areas, and what would be found there. You won’t find that in the Player’s Handbook, although there are many separate books that explore D&D in other worlds (such as Forgotten Realms, the world of Critical Role, and others). I do think it’s kind of cool that the Rulebook includes some of that. It’s a good way to get started, having all that in one book right at your fingertips.
The big change I’ve noticed, though, is the character customization offered in the Rulebook. Both books have the classes, feats, etc. Where the Rulebook pulls ahead in this area (at least in my opinion) is that it then goes on to offer OPTIONS. Lots and lots of them. For example, a Player’s Handbook Druid Class section comes with feats, skills, etc. There, you’ve got a druid. Then, later on in the book, you can find some information about multiclassing (basically, how to shift the druid to make it uniquely yours). In the Rulebook, you have the stats, feats, etc, to make a druid. Then, you have the stats, feats, etc, to make a Storm Druid. And a Leaf Druid. See the difference?
I feel like it’s a little tougher to do that in D&D. I once tried to make a shadow dancer. It required all kinds of weird multiclassing ideas, multiple books, and an understanding GM who helped make it happen. Not exactly simple. Now, I am not well-versed in Pathfinder yet so I could very well be misreading things, but it seems that it would be a little bit simpler to shift a Pathfinder class into something different with all the options offered in that one Rulebook. Dungeons and Dragons often needs other supplemental books for that.
Now, before all the Pathfinder-only people say, “Ha ha, we’re better” or the D&D-only people say, “You’re just not doing it right, D&D is far superior”, let me just say: on the flip side of the extra customization options in the Rulebook comes that fact that the sheer amount of choices might seem daunting for someone first picking up a ttrpg book. As someone who has played for a long time and likes to make strange and unusual characters (but hates flipping between three or four books to do so), I love the idea of having so many customization options in the Rulebook. It’s awesome. But a newer player could see that very thing as confusing and unnecessary. So take my opinion for what it is: thoughts of a well-seasoned ttrpg player who wants ALL the choices.
Either way, I think both the D&D Player’s Handbook and the Pathfinder Core Rulebook are incredibly useful for playing in these two systems. At least for me, playing without them won’t go as well at first.
Coming soon:
My thoughts on playing Pathfinder 2e for the first time.
An Author’s Monster Manual wouldn’t be complete without including Geoff Habiger. Not only is Geoff the coauthor of the fantasticConstable Inspector Lunaria Adventures, but he has also designed games. I’m happy to feature him and his addition to a hypothetical Author’s Monster Manual.
Today, he’s here to introduce you (or reintroduce for those who have read the book) to the Disciple of Pain!
I have often thought that writing a book is like making a movie, except in a book the author is responsible for everything. The author is the location scout, set builder, wardrobe, and prop master. You pick the cast, write the dialogue, and try to get your actors to follow the script all while making sure that everything follows a plot the audience can understand. And if you write in horror, science fiction, or fantasy then you may also do fight choreography, model building, special effects, and creature design.
This can be a daunting task even for an experienced writer. I like to think that I have a secret advantage in this regard since I’ve been doing all of this for years before I ever became a writer. No, I’m not a famous actor or director. I’m not even the best boy or key grip.
My secret advantage?
I play RPGs.
I’ve been playing RPGs for 40 years starting with the iconic D&D red box in the 5th grade with the funky plastic dice you had to color in with a crayon. (Yes, I’m THAT old!) I was instantly hooked and have played and GM’d games ever since. Being the GM (game master for those of you in the back) is a lot like being a movie director or an author. The game system gives you a framework to build upon, but the game, like a book or a movie, is only limited by your imagination.
I you’ve ever played any sort of RPG you know that the rules for character creation and game play are important to making the game work. Ability scores, skills, hit points, powers or feats, and saving throws are there to shape the character, NPC, or monster. Giving them life and allowing them to interact with your imagined world with a few dice rolls.
Having spent so long playing RPGs the transition to writing fantasy felt natural for me. I’ve made hundreds of characters of the years, as well as creating the worlds into which to play them in. In fact, the setting for our Constable Inspector Lunaria Adventures is the world we (my co-author Coy Kissee and I) created for our D&D campaigns – Ados, Land of Strife.
While there are similarities between RPGs and novel writing, you can’t take a character or monster from your RPG and just plop them into your book. (Unless you are writing LitRPG, I suppose.) The stats for your character or monster need to be translated into the story in such a way that it doesn’t feel like you are using a stat block. (Stats, if you don’t know, are the numbers that make the RPG work – ability scores, weapon damage, hit points, etc.) In the RPG I can say that my character did 8 points of damage to a monster with their longsword and the GM will duly record that information, letting me know if the monster is still a threat or not. But that doesn’t work when writing fiction.
In our second Constable Inspector Lunaria Adventure novel, Joy of the Widow’s Tears, we introduce a creepy undead creature for our heroes – Reva Lunaria and Ansee Carya – to face. This creature, the Disciple of Dreen, was based on an undead monster we created for our D&D world. In the D&D game the Disciple is a nasty undead, able to resist being turned by clerics, deals painful attacks that drains a character’s strength, and, most nasty of all, reflects any damage they take back on their attacker so they can experience Dreen’s “blessing” of pain all while speaking a repetitive, droning mantra to their foul god. (Dreen is a minor god of pain and suffering in the Ados setting.) An unprepared party will be severely challenged by even a small number of Disciples.
But we couldn’t just take the Disciples and drop them into our novel. We had to figure out how their game states would translate to the novel so that a reader, even one who’s never played a RPG before (shocker, I know!), would be able to know what was happening. For example, a fear effect in the game only requires a dice roll to see if your character runs away or stands fast. In the novel we had to describe this game effect for the reader:
“Gania swallowed and felt his throat go dry and his palms begin to sweat. Butterflies shot through his gut and he had to steel himself to keep from running.”
Having the stat block gave us the framework we needed to write the fear that Constable Kai Gania felt and showed him making his save.
Having the stat block made the job of writing the Disciples into Joy of the Widow’s Tears easier. I knew what they could do from a game sense, so I didn’t have to think up anything new, just translate the game rules into the flowery descriptions needed for the novel.
In the end we were able to make a monster that was a very real threat for our heroes while grounding that monster in the “reality” of the RPG system. Could I have created such a monster without having the RPG background? Probably. But I don’t know if it would have been as menacing or felt as real. It would certainly have been less fun.
Here’s the D&D 5e stat block for the Disciple of Pain. It’s slightly different from the original one created for the 3.5 edition of the game, but still just as nasty. (Huge thank you to my co-author Coy for translating the Disciple from 3.5 to 5e as I have not played the 5th edition yet.)
Disciple of Pain
The creature shambles toward you, ragged skin falling off of flesh and bones. Holes and tears cover its body, and its bony claws reach out toward you. A hollow, nearly silent moan issues from it, the rhythmic tone becoming clearer as the creature nears you, “Dreen brings pain, pain brings life, join with the pain!” Strange tattoos and ritual scaring can be seen covering the creature’s body. A cold shiver of fright runs up your spine as you realize this zombie is not what it appears to be.
—–
Disciple of Pain
Medium undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class: 10
Hit Points: 15(2d8+ 6)
Speed: 30 ft.
STR: 13 (+1)
DEX: 6 (-2)
CON: 16 (+3)
INT: 3 (-4)
WIS: 6 (- 2)
CHA: 5 (- 3)
Saving Throws: Wis +0
Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities: poisoned
Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8
Languages: can only repeat its mantra in the languages it knew in life
Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)
Frightful Presence: Each creature with fewer Hit Dice than the disciple of pain within 30 feet of it and can hear it chanting its prayers to Dreen must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the creature can still hear the disciple of pain’s chants, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the disciple of pain’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Blessing of Dreen: In addition to bestowing the blessing of pain upon those that would be converted by the disciples, Dreen also gave them resistance to the actions of clerics to turn the disciples. A disciple of pain has advantage on saving throws against features that turn undead.
Reverse Damage. Dreen, in granting the final wish of the first disciple of pain, gave His disciples the ability to feel the pain of attacks directed at them, but the damage itself is redirected at the disciple’s opponent, allowing them to feel the glory of Dreen along with the disciple. Any time the disciple of pain receives damage from any source, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of the amount of damage received, unless the damage is radiant or from a silvered weapon. On a successful save, the disciple of pain is unaffected, and the damage is reflected back at the attacker as though it originated from the disciple of pain, turning the attacker into the target.
ACTIONS
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage plus 3 (1d4+1) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain in this way rises in 1d4 rounds as a disciple of pain.
Strategies and Tactics
Disciples of pain are feared in combat. They quickly move to attack any creatures that approach them, hoping to make a new disciple. Their frightful presence, relentless attacks and damage resistance make them dangerous opponents. A disciple of pain attacks with its clawed hands and will focus its attacks on the first creature it sees, ignoring all other attacks directed at it.
Ecology
The first disciple of pain was a devoted cleric of Dreen who, upon his death, was raised by Dreen as an eternal disciple to spread fear and pain through the world. New disciples were formed, many willingly and some not, and now they can be found throughout the land.
Environment: Most disciples haunt ancient Dreen temples or places of worship, waiting for victims to be ‘converted’ until they have a large enough group to spread across the land. They can be found in any land or environment across the planet. They are most commonly found in dungeons, abandoned temples, or places of worship to Dreen.
Physical Description: A disciple of pain is often mistaken for a zombie at first. They move with a slight shuffling when not attacking and their bodies have a rotting appearance from a distance. Upon closer inspection an observer will notice that the bodies are relatively intact but are covered in scars, tattoos, body piercing, and flayed skin. Their skin is a pale white color and the hands have been skinned, their fingers elongated into sharp talons. A disciple of pain usually wears the clothing they wore at death, now torn and ragged. They constantly mumble prayers and praises to Dreen, usually a variant on “Praise to the God of Pain, praise Dreen.” When attacking they will let out a long wail and chant, “Dreen brings pain, pain brings life, join with the pain!” one of the lines of prayer in Dreen services.
Alignment: Disciples of pain are always chaotic evil. They seek to cause as much pain and suffering to the world as only through the glory of pain can Dreen’s blessing and knowledge be fully understood.
Disciple of Pain Lore
Clerics and others with access to the Religion skill are aware of many traits of the disciple of pain. When a character makes a successful Religion skill check, the following lore is revealed, including information from lower DCs. (Followers of Dreen automatically know all lore about the disciple of pain, though they would not share this information so their companions could feel Dreen’s blessing for themselves.)
DC 10: This creature is a disciple of pain. It is an undead creature devoted to Dreen, the Lord of Pain. Though they resemble zombies, they are very dangerous and constantly mumble prayers to the Lord of Pain. They have some resistance to being turned.
DC 15: The disciple of pain seeks out other creatures to ‘convert’ them to Dreen’s teachings. A person hit with one of their clawed hands will have some of their lifeforce drained from their body. A creature that loses all their lifeforce to a disciple will become a disciple of pain in short order.
DC 20: The disciple of pain blesses other creatures with Dreen’s teachings of pain. Nearly all physical and magical attacks directed at the disciple will instead deal their damage to the attacker, allowing him or her to rejoice in the pain. Only radiant damage or silvered weapons are effective in damaging a disciple of pain.
For Player Characters
A player character can create a disciple of pain by using the spell create undead. In addition to the normal components, the caster must also either be a follower of Dreen or have a holy symbol of Dreen. A follower of Dreen that creates a disciple of pain in this manner can automatically control the disciple.
—–
A huge THANK YOU to Jodie for letting me ramble on about RPGs, writing, and monsters. Sorry if this was a bit long, but get an author and a gamer going and we just won’t stop.
About the author:
Geoff Habiger is the co-author of five books with Coy Kissee, 3 about Prohibition, Gangsters, and Vampires (the Saul Imbierowicz Vampire trilogy) and 2 Constable Inspector Lunaria Adventures. Our 3rd Reva adventure – Fear of the Minister’s Justice – will be out in October. No Disciples of Pain in that one (thank the gods) but there is a very determined wizard assassin who’s made Ansee his next target. Geoff lives and writes in the Land of Enchantment (kinda appropriate for writing fantasy don’t you think). You can learn more about him, our writing, and other cool stuff at our website: habigerkissee.com. Or follow Geoff on the blue bird app @TangentGeoff.
One of the fun things about table-top roleplaying games is the ability to stretch imaginations and have encounters with the most unique of creations. Dungeons and Dragons even has books dedicated specifically to the creatures that the unwary player can accidentally antagonize, the most well-known of these books being the Monster Manual.
As creative as the thingies found in the Monster Manual can be, they can’t hold a candle to the amazing creatures encountered in a myriad of novels written by extremely talented authors, some of them even inspired by TTRPGs played by the authors!
I somehow managed to convince an amazing group of authors and bloggers to help me discuss creatures in books and how they would transfer over to a TTRPG campaign setting. Keep your eyes open: the talent popping up on the blog over the next little bit is astonishing!
There are so many creatures in fantasy books that I would love to see in a TTRPG setting! When thinking about this series, two books in particular came to mind: Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames and The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart. Both have amazing creatures that jump off the page.
I wouldn’t want to make the ink witch from Bloody Rose angry. Tattoos that can attack seem both brutal and pretty stinking clever. Can you imagine being in the middle of an honest tavern brawl, and all of the sudden your character finds themself facing a butt-kicking in the form of body art? That encounter would be the sort that players talk about for years.
And who wouldn’t love to have Mephi in a TTRPG? I’m still not entirely sure what he is, other than loyal, brutally protective, and absolutely adorable but seeing him pop up during a game session would be so much fun.
Honestly, though, having Hobbes (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) in a TTRPG would absolutely make any campaign a delightful one, in my opinion. I took a stab at a Hobbes STAT Block. I owe a huge thank you to my amazing husband for helping me bring this to life!
Fan STAT Block made by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
There are so many creatures brought to life by authors that would make for incredible additions to a late-night game session! Over the next several days, we will get to meet some of them, with introductions and STAT Blocks created by the authors. Grab your dice and let’s have an adventure!
This is a repost, because I loved this series so much. This was originally published in February of 2021.
I’ve been talking about roleplaying classes in books. A “class” is a set of criteria that sort of shows what type of character someone is playing. For example, boiled down, a paladin is a holy warrior. Examples of different Dungeons and Dragons character classes can be found all throughout literature.
When I decided to tackle this subject, I knew that I wouldn’t do it well on my own. Some amazing bloggers and authors offered their expertise as well! Today, I’m talking about rogues and rangers. You can find my posts about fighters and barbarians here, and my post about paladins, clerics, and druids here. Now, on to today’s post!
Rogue: Rogues use stealth, and cunning to defeat their foes or prevail in a situation. Rather than rushing straight into danger, guns blazing (or giant swords decapitating), rogues prefer to use their own unique skill set to accurately assess the situation and shift the odds in their favor. Rogues can be thieves, assassins, or even con artists. If a rogue is around, best to keep your hands on your valuables!
The Irresponsible Reader has a great take on the subject of rogues: “When I sat down to think about rogue characters (they were still called “thieves” when I played, but changing times and all), I was more than a little surprised at how many came to mind. I’m not sure what it says about me that, in almost every genre, I can think of a handful of stellar examples. The character that created this appreciation in me is James “Slippery Jim” Bolivar deGriz, the Stainless Steel Rat.
Thirty thousand plus years from now, society is almost entirely crimeless. It’s orderly. It’s safe. It’s comfortable. It’s (arguably) boring. There’s some petty crime, but most of the criminals are caught quickly and dealt with by the law. Then there are what diGriz calls Stainless Steel Rats.
Jim is a thief, a con man, a non-violent criminal (unless he absolutely has to be, and then he can be ruthless). There’s no safe he can’t crack, no lock he can’t pick, no building he can’t get into, no artifact he can’t find a way to walk away with. He’s smooth, he’s witty, he’s charming, he’s…well, roguish. He’s a loving husband (utterly smitten with his wife, actually), a good father (if you grant training his sons to be criminals like he and his wife), and in return for not being in prison for the rest of his life, he’s working to bring down other criminals like him all over the galaxy. Think WhiteCollar or Catch Me If You Can. “
“…At a certain stage the realization strikes through that one must either live outside of society’s bonds or die of absolute boredom.” – Harry Harrison, The Stainless Steel Rat
Beneath a Thousand Skies explains why she thinks Thren Felhorn from the Shadowdance series by David Dalgish is a great rogue: “Rogues are fun. There’s nothing like rolling high and knowing that your target isn’t going to have a clue you’re there until you introduce them to your dagger, or slipping out of situations with nary a scratch because of evasion. Then there’s the sneaking, intrigue, and outright thievery because what better way is there to get what you want?
That is who Thren Felhorn is, and more. He’s the quintessential rogue- a thief, a survivor, an assassin- and he has a ruthless streak a mile wide when he needs it. He also blurs that line of living in the moment, focusing on the current situation or target, and looking to the future and clawing (and stabbing) his way to the top. There are moments when you’ll love him, moments when you’ll hate him, but you can’t help but be drawn to him and into his world.”
“‘That’s how you gut someone,” Thren whispered into the man’s ear as if he were a dying lover. A twist, a yank, and the sword came free.”-David Dalgish, Cloak and Spider
Behind the Pages has two great examples of rogue characters, starting with Jenks from The Hollow series by Kim Harrison: “Skilled at stealth, at a few inches tall this pixy is the perfect backup on a heist. He can detect electronics and is a pro at putting cameras on loop. While he isn’t a hardened criminal, Jenks has no problem helping his teammates steal for legitimate jobs. He specializes in aerial combat and has the ability to pix his enemies causing itching sores on exposed skin. Most overlook him due to his size, and it makes him the main scout for his party searching out traps and ambushes.”
“You can trust me to keep my word. I always keep my word, promises or threats.”– Kim Harrison, Dead Witch Walking
Behind the Pages also has some thoughts on Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: “After a tragedy left him on the streets, Kaz learned to steal to survive. Money is his motivator and if you offer enough, he will steal whatever your heart’s desire. Danger and consequences hold no bounds for Kaz. No lock can hold him back, and his quick mind enables his team to pull off the most complicated of heists.”
“‘I’m a businessman,” he’d told her. “No more, no less.” “You’re a thief, Kaz.” “Isn’t that what I just said?” – Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub gets on her soapbox: I love rogues so, so much! I almost always play a rogue of some sort when I’m gaming. In fact, a recent D&D character that I created just happened to be an assassin that had been hired to, um…eliminate a member of the party. The rest of the players were none the wiser. Good times. Everyone else has such great examples of rogues in books, but I want to add a couple more: Both Ardor Benn and Quarrah from TheThousand Deaths of Ardor Benn fit the bill. Ardor is a charismatic con artist, always a step ahead. He rolls with the punches and is able to think on his feet. Every time I thought one of his cons was going sideways, he’d turn it to his advantage. He would have been right at home planning the heist in Ocean’s Eleven. Then there’s Quarrah, a talented cat burglar (her eyesight is not the greatest, which I think is awesome in a thief). Together, they make for two very unique characters that show the range a roguish character has.
“‘That’s just it,” said Remaught. “I know exactly who you are. Ardor Benn, ruse artist.” “Extraordinaire,” said Ard. “Excuse me?” Remaught asked. “Ardor Benn, ruse artist extraordinaire,” Ard corrected.”
Ranger: Hunters, wilderness survivors, and protectors, rangers are often what stands between civilization and the monsters that live in the wild. They do well in game settings that require treks through the unknown, being more at home outside the comforts of civilization. Like druids, rangers have spells taken from nature’s power. These spells tend to focus on skills that will help with survival and with the fight against what pushes against the boundaries between nature and society.
Kerri McBookNerd has great experience with rangers: “I’ve been playing D&D for a minute and, though I’ve dabbled in almost all of the classes, my tried and true favorite has always been the ranger. I’ve always connected with characters that love to be out in nature and tend to face danger from a respectable distance, lol. Rangers in my mind tend to be outsiders who aren’t 100% comfortable in polite company and gravitate more towards four-legged friends. They’re good at tracking, they’re good at hiding, and they know how to live off the land. And, as anyone who has met one of the rangers I’ve played, they have quite a sarcastic mouth on them! That’s why I think Fie from The Merciful Crow series would make a great ranger! She has lots of experience fending for herself or her clan in the wilderness. She tends to get on with animals (especially cats) more than people. And her wit is sharp enough to draw blood! Though Fie and her clan are outcasts due to prejudices in the kingdom, she generally prefers to stay away from “civilized” society, anyways. She’s got a bit of magic, too, so I’m definitely sensing a sorcerer subclass here. I think she would make a fantastic ranger!”
“Pa’d taught her to watch the starving wolf. When beasts go hungry too long, he’d said, they forget what they ought to fear.”-Margaret Owen, The Merciful Crow
Ricard Victoria has a few good examples of rangers in literature: ” the most obvious option would be Aragorn [from The Lord of the Rings], but I think Jon Snow [from A Song of Ice and Fire] fits the role as well, especially during his time as a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch. He has a combat style of two-weapon fighting, which would help him to wield effectively Long Claw. His armor could be considered light. He also has an Animal Companion in Ghost. The Wild Empathy ability would account for his nascent warging powers (in a low-level campaign anyways). His time with the Wildlings would have given him good tracking skills as well as the endurance proper of a ranger. Talking about the Wildings, one could argue that they would be his Favored Enemy, but I think the White Walkers make for a better Favored Enemy. He would have also as part of his background (and this is a spoiler), some draconic blood (you know, because of who he really is son of). Longclaw would be a bastard sword with a Keen Edge enhancement that could evolve into a Vorpal sword. Jon could have high stats in Con, Char, and Dexterity. Decent intelligence and wisdom.”
“Yet even so, Jon Snow was not sorry he had come. There were wonders here as well. He had seen sunlight flashing on icy thin waterfalls as they plunged over the lips of sheer stone cliffs, and a mountain meadow full of autumn wildflowers, blue coldsnaps and bright scarlet frostfires and stands of piper’s grass in russet and gold. He had peered down ravines so deep and black they seemed certain to end in some hell, and he had ridden his garron over a wind-eaten bridge of natural stone with nothing but sky to either side. Eagles nested in the heights and came down to hunt the valleys, circling effortlessly on great blue-grey wings that seemed almost part of the sky.”– George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub gives her thoughts on rangers: Personally, I think Raven from The Black Company by Glen Cook is a good example of a ranger. Yes, he prefers to use a sharp knife over a bow (which is usually the ranger’s weapon of choice), but he can use a bow with the best of them. He’s a great tracker and even knows a little bit of magic.
“I can laugh at peasants and townies chained all their lives to a tiny corner of the earth while I roam its face and see its wonders, but when I go down, there will be no child to carry my name, no family to mourn me save my comrades, no one to remember, no one to raise a marker over my cold bit of ground.”– Glen Cook, ShadowsLinger
Meet the Contributors:
The Irresponsible Reader is one of my very favorite blogs. Covering a wide variety of genres from comics through biographies, the reviews on this blog are detailed and interesting. The Irresponsible Reader is responsible (ha!) for many additions to my “to be read” list.
Beneath a Thousand Skies talks about all things nerdy on her blog, including books and Dungeons and Dragons. A perfect haven for those with an eye toward imaginative books, Beneath a Thousand Skies is definitely a blog to follow.
Behind the Pagesis an excellent blog and beta reading site, run by the talented Tabitha. Her reviews are very insightful and incredibly well-written. She has excellent taste and never fails to review books that would have snuck under my radar, adding to my already way-too-long list of books to read.
Kerri McBookNerd is a great blogger. She’s my go-to for Young Adult Fantasy reviews (her other reviews are just as great)! Her reviews are creative and unique. You can’t go wrong, following her blog. I guarantee you’ll find some new gems to check out.
Ricardo Victoria is the author of The Tempest Blades fantasy series. Book one, The Withered King, (which I highly recommend reading), is available now. Book two, The Cursed Titans will be released this summer and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
Jodie is the creator of the Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub blog. She either lives in Florida with her husband and sons, or in a fantasy book-she’ll never tell which. When she’s not reading, Jodie balances her time between homeschooling her hooligans, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and lamenting her inability to pronounce “lozenge”. Find her online at http://www.wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog or https://www.twitter.com/WS_BOOKCLUB.
I had the idea to discuss Dungeons and Dragons classes (which is very similar to the class system in most roleplaying games) and its similarity to characters in books. Basically, a “class” is a set group of skills that is generally used by a specific profession. For example, “fighter class” consists of excelling at some sort of combat.
I asked for contributions from book bloggers and authors and what they came up with is brilliant. What had started out as a single post has turned into a few, with each post discussing a different set of classes. You can find my post on Fighters and Barbarians here. Today, let’s talk about paladins, clerics, and druids. Here we go!
Paladin: Take a fighter and add a fair dose of religious fervor, a strong code of conduct, and an oath to fulfill, and you’ve got the general idea. Paladins get a power boost from either their god or their commitment to their cause. Boiled down: holy warrior. Or, if you’re feeling saucy, an unholy warrior.
I’m happy to have The Swordsmith joining in the conversation :
“Firstly, I am delighted to be contributing to the Witty and Sarcastic Book club for the first time! It’s an amazing blog that I follow and when Jodie put out this interesting call, I just knew that I wanted to be a part of this post.
I have a feeling this is going to be a great post. Jodie’s request was to match a character from fiction to a Dungeons and Dragons class and I had so many ideas! I settled on something though, it seemed so bizarre but then thinking about it I just had to write about Murderbot from the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells as a Paladin!
Go with me on this one as Paladins are a holy warrior class in D&D, while Murderbot isn’t the major comparison is that it always tries to do the right thing. This is an important part of the books and the character, this part of the character drew comparisons to the Paladin class. It reminded me of one cool dude I am playing D&D with at the moment and guess what? He’s playing as a Paladin.
Doing the right thing or what you perceive to be the right thing is tough, Paladin’s can have a very hard time in D&D and Murderbot..well the character is an interesting one because it fights for what it believes, for it believes to be doing the right thing when it does. I can’t say too much without spoilers but I just knew that the character connotations were there.
Thank you to Jodie for allowing me to let loose my love of Murderbot and comparing it to a Paladin class, enjoy the rest of the post!”
Author Ricardo Victoria also has some thoughts on the paladin class: “This class gets a lot of flak due to its apparent rigidity, but I blame that more on the player (no offense) than on the class, as not many people know or like or can play a Lawful Good character without trying to make it a cardboard cutout. That’s why I think the best example of how a Paladin should be is Sgt. Carrot from Discworld. Strong as an ox? Check? Abides by the Law? Check. Charismatic? Check. Compassionate? Check. Innocent? Check. Can pound you to an inch of your life if you hurt an innocent? For sure. Carrot proves that a Paladin can abide by the spirit of the rule, rather than the letter, can be courteous yet dangerous, flexible when needed, and smart in an unexpected way, especially with clever interpretations of the law. But his most important trait is that he could have the power (it’s somewhat of a secret that he is the true heir to the crown of Ankh-Morpok, and he knows that). The thing is he doesn’t want it. He just wants to protect the innocent and then go home, even if he is pretty much married to his job. That, for me, is how a paladin should be played.”
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub, on paladins: “For me, I picture Sir Gawain as the epitome of a holy warrior. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, he is very concerned with honor and adhering to the strict code he’s sworn to uphold. There are themes regarding service to the helpless, as well as to God. His sense of morality and his code of conduct guide him in every aspect of his life.
Cleric: More than a healer, but not quite a paladin, clerics are servants of their deities. Clerics have the ability to heal as well as possibly harm through magical means granted by their god. However, unlike a priest or acolyte (who usually stay in a town or temple), clerics take their skills to the frontlines, helping those such as paladins in their holy cause.
Geeky Galaxy has some great thoughts on clerics: “Trudi Canavan has a great many series that covers every angle of character archetypes, from rogues to magicians, and the one I’m going to talk about a little more, clerics. Age of the Five #1 is called Priestess of the White and features all manner of religious icons, from cults, to gods and of course, clerics. This series is perfect if you love a rich depth to your fantasy worlds with a particular focus on religion and politics. It’s perfect for the sort of person who wants to get lost in a book for hours at a time!
Beneath a Thousand Skies shares her thoughts on clerics: “Anyone who’s ever played D&D has likely has the cleric call them out on their nonsense at least once. The long-suffering cleric is part healer, part priestess/priest, part counsellor, and often (but not always0 the common sense of the party. They can also pack quite a punch when they want to.
For me, that is Gilda from the Godblind trilogy in a nutshell. In many ways, she’s central to the story and plays a pivotal role in the lives and stories of many of the characters. Yet she’s also an unsung hero, and she is a perfect example of someone straddling that line between priestess, counsellor, and
healer. She might not have magic, but she has powe, heart, and that all-important common sense and she has a mean right hook when needed (just ask Lanta).”
“There’s little I understand about your religion, about why you would choose a life of fear and of pain over a world of life and light and beauty and an afterlife of joy and oneness. Because life is hard, aye, but it isn’t brutal. Brutal’s what we do to each other. Hard is what the seasons do to us.”-Anna Stephens, Darksoul
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub says: Clerics are probably the class that I have the least experience with. However, Melisandre from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series comes to mind. Her deity is called the Lord of Light and, to be honest, she really weirded me out.
Druid: Druids are representative of nature. They get their power- healing, magical spells, etc.- from either the land itself or from a nature deity. They can even shift into an animal form.
I love Bees and Books’ take on druids: “Were the Animorphs a huge part of your childhood? Those tattered, much loved paperbacks certainly were a staple in all of the school libraries I visited. Prepare yourselves for a Big Brain moment but the Animorphs were just like Druids in D&D. Take the primary power of an Animorph: the ability to morph into a creature they have seen and touched, thereby acquiring the DNA of the creature permanently. The Animorph in question then can use that shape for morphing at any time, though they are limited to the time period they can stay in shift otherwise they may become stuck as that creature. The Animorph power (given to them by the alien Andalites) is similar to a class feature of the D&D Druid, namely the Wildshape feature. Wildshape allows Druids to transform into a creature that they have seen–as opposed to touch/acquire DNA from. This mechanic limits Druids to only creatures from their region, or that they see while on their adventures at the DM’s discretion. Additionally, there are limitations that lift over time as the Druid levels up such as not being able to transform into flying or swimming creatures, and the difficulty rating that Druids can transform up to. It’s relatively easy to transform into a rat, but it takes a while before a Druid can be a giant eagle. These limitations for both Druids and Animorphs mean that they can really only transform into creatures they have access to, and have to be clever when thinking about what to transform into for fighting and other adventures. More experienced Druids also gain additional features, depending on their Druid Circle, that can boost their abilities while in Wildshape, increase the time they can be shifted, or broaden the options for what they can shift into. Similarly, as the Animorphs grow and learn their abilities in the books they become more proficient in shifting, and even find ways around tricky situations such as getting stuck in shift.”
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub weighs in: Allanon from the Shanara series by Terry Brooks is a pretty good example of a typical druid.
Meet the contributors:
The Swordsmith is a wonderful blog focusing on fantasy literature. The posts are full of detail and so well-written! I highly suggest checking out The Swordsmith anytime you’re looking for a great new book to check out. You won’t be sorry!
Ricardo Victoria is the author of The Tempest Blades fantasy series. Book one, The Withered King, (which I highly recommend reading), is available now. Book two, The Cursed Titans will be released this summer and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
Beneath a Thousand Skies talks about all things nerdy on her blog, including books and Dungeons and Dragons. A perfect haven for those with an eye toward imaginative books, Beneath a Thousand Skies is definitely a blog to follow.
Geeky Galaxy is a great blog that covers a bit of everything, from book reviews to thoughts on book-to-movie adaptations. Her content is always fun to read, and her writer’s voice is a fantastic!
Bees and Books is a delightful blog, and one of my go-to’s for fantasy opinions. Bees and Books’ posts are so unique and always give me something to mull over.
This is a repost, because I loved it so much. This was originally published in February of 2021.
There used to a be a bit of a “these people are weird” attitude toward people who enjoyed roleplaying games, such as Dungeons and Dragons. It was pretty funny to hear it coming from readers of fantasy (or any genre, really: you’d be surprised at the similarities that can be found). I’m assuming some of the judgement came from a place of discomfort at older kids and adults using their imaginations. I’m honestly not sure. Fortunately, D&D, and other roleplaying games are becoming much more accepted, which is great because playing can be pretty stinking fun.
As I briefly mentioned, there are similarities between books and roleplaying games. Both require the use of imagination to fill in pictures, both allow for a suspension of disbelief, and both take us to new and unusual places, constrained only by the author (or Dungeon Master).
A ‘character class’ is a profession or set of skills that help differentiate different types of characters in roleplaying. I put a call out for bookbloggers and authors to give their thoughts on D&D classes in books and they answered in a big way! In fact, what I originally thought of as a single post has become a few, each post focusing on two or three of the main character classes. While I have each writer’s link attached to their amazing contribution, please make sure to check out a more detailed introduction to each of them at the bottom of the post. I’ve also included my own ideas here and there, as well as some loose definitions of each character class. Enjoy!
FIGHTER: This is pretty self-explanatory, but also has a lot of room for creativity. A warlord, knight, or rich person’s bodyguard are all different types of fighters. A fighter has a ton of skill with a weapon, and functions as a pretty good meat shield (can you tell I’ve used the fighter in that capacity before?).
“Atae from Kaji Warriors: Shifting Strength by Kelly A. Nix. To the Kaji warriors, being a halfbreed means being weak. Atae refuses to back down and engages in rigorous combat training to stay at the top of her warrior class. Strength and skill in battle are revered among the Kaji, and Atae will do everything in her power to become a true warrior. Trained in both hand-to-hand combat and weaponry, Atae will cut down her foes without a second thought.”
“Kate Daniels from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews: Kate was raised to be a weapon. Forced into fighting pits from a young age, it was hit the ground running or die trying. Any weapon in her hands is lethal, though she prefers her sword. When she unleashes a combination of magic and blade, she is a near unstoppable force.”
“I gave him a smile. I was aiming for sweet, but he turned a shade paler and scooted a bit farther from me. Note to self: work more on sweet and less on psycho-killer.” – Ilona Andrews, Magic Strikes
Ricardo Victoria, author of The Tempest Blades series says: “Here, there is a lot to choose from in Fantasy. I think this is the class most well represented. So I will keep this one short: Boromir [from The Lord of the Rings]. Aside from the fact that he is the character from the Fellowship that needs more love, he is a classical fighter. Knows all sort of weapons, can improvise during a fight, has the Con [constitution] of an Ent (I mean, how many arrows did he take before falling?). He even trains Merry and Pippin. Had he lived to amend for his sole mistake, he would have been Aragorn’s second hand.”
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub shares an opinion: For me, when I think of the D&D fighter class, my mind immediately goes to Clay “Slowhand” Cooper from Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. He’s a used-to-be-impressive warrior, a member of an elite mercenary group. He has major fighting skills-or at least, he used to. He and his friends come out of retirement for one last impressive feat-one that may get them killed.
“Clay pushed his body off him and mumbled another apology – because, enemy or not, when you hit a man in the nuts with a magic hammer the least you could say was sorry.”– Nicholas Eames, Kings of the Wyld
Barbarian: the simplest way I can think of to describe a barbarian is as a fighter with anger issues. They thrive on violence and chaotic battles (although they may not always crave them). Their anger can give them a berserker state of mind: think an overdose of adrenalin allowing someone to do the nigh impossible.
Ryan Howse, author, reviewer for Grimdark Magazine and contributor for Before We Go Blog, weighs in: “For gamers, barbarians are often some of the most memorable and dynamic characters played. They tend to be chaotic (in earlier editions, being a lawful barbarian was against the rules) and their ignorance of civilized customs provides some obvious comedic fodder.
But barbarians are not fools. They just don’t care about civilization. People who are fools don’t survive the wilds—especially fantasy versions of the wilds, with all the strange new monsters and dangerous terrain that implies.
Fafhrd, from Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series, is an iconic barbarian. He’s the bruiser of the duo, and the tank. He’s a massive man from an ice-covered land, and he mostly wants to spend his adventuring loot on women and ale.
The greatest part about these stories is that while they’re classics of the genre, they feel closer to a real tabletop game than even the best tie-in fiction.
In the first chronological story of Fafhrd, he straps rockets to his boots to make a jump down a hill. That feels absolutely like something out of an all-night gaming session where the barbarian has a ridiculous plan and rolls just well enough to make it work.
There’s also a story where Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser die, and end up dealing with Death Itself, which again feels like a DM trying to keep the campaign going after a TPK [total party kill]. (They get better.)”
“And even when we serve, we make the rules. We bow to no man’s ultimate command, dance to no wizard’s drumming, join no mob, hark to no wildering hate-call. When we draw sword, it’s for ourselves alone.”– Fritz Leiber, Sword in the Mist
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub chimes in: I see Beowulf as the ultimate barbarian. He fights Grendel with near-supernatural strength (Grendel definitely meets his match), and several other feats of strength are boasted about throughout the epic poem. He feels no fear and isn’t big on laying traps or making battle plans. Any character that divests a monster of its arm without using a weapon to do it lands in the “berserker” category for me.
Meet the contributors: Behind the Pages is an excellent blog and beta reading site, run by the talented Tabitha. Her reviews are very insightful and incredibly well-written. She has excellent taste and never fails to review books that would have snuck under my radar, adding to my already way-too-long list of books to read.
Ricardo Victoria is the author of The Tempest Blades fantasy series. Book one is titled The Withered King. The sequel is titled The Cursed Titans.
Ryan Howse is a literary jack-of-all-trades. The author of several books, he also reviews for Grimdark Magazine and is a regular addition to BeforeWeGoBlog. I honestly have no idea how he found the time to contribute to my post, but I’m excited that he did!
Welcome to Dungeon Academy, where monsters and creatures train for the dark world that awaits just beyond the dungeon walls! But Zellidora “Zelli” Stormclash is a bit—different. She’s the one thing monsters and creatures of the Forgotten Realms fear the most: Zelli is a human! Knowing she’ll never be accepted, Zelli’s parents disguise her as a minotaur in hopes she’ll blend with the academy’s monstrous surroundings. Zelli does her work, keeps to herself, and becomes “invisible” to everyone. While in History of Horrible Humans class, Zelli learns of the great human adventurer, Allidora Steelstrike, who oddly resembles her. Could Zelli also be a Steelstrike? Seeking answers to her true lineage, Zelli embarks on a dangerous adventure. But she won’t be alone. A vegan owlbear, a cowardly kobold, and a shapeshifting mimic will join Zelli on her quest for truth in a world that holds no place for them. And who knows? Perhaps these monstrous misfits may discover some truths of their own . . . (taken from Amazon)
Dungeon Academy: No Humans Allowed is a fun, lighthearted book with great D&D elements added. Perfect for upper elementary or middle grade readers, it is nonetheless equally entertaining to adults (or at least, to this adult).
The main character, Zelli, is a human in Dungeon Academy, where humans aren’t accepted. She has been disguised as a minotaur to circumvent this little problem. One day in history class, Zelli learns of a human adventurer who she seems to resemble and in true D&D fashion…embarks on an adventure!
Zelli is surrounded by a trusty group: a mimic, a scaredy-cat kobold, and an owlbear. Added to the fun are some adorable illustrations by Timothy Probert, which made this entertaining book even better.
The pacing was a little off here and there, but the overall product was good enough to ignore the hiccups. The illustrations pushed Dungeon Academy: No Humans Allowed firmly into the “cute and fun” category, making this a book I’d suggest picking up for any young budding gamers or new fantasy readers.
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub 