Bookish Challenges discussion

Dungeons & Dragons Challenge



Sign-ups are open until February 28th.
The challenge is open-ended.

The Challenge

1. Comment here to sign up, and I will create a personal challenge thread for you.

2. You will create your adventurer step by step: first by reading for a race/class, then a weapon, then a companion. Each of these will come with a one-time-use advantage to help you later in the challenge.

3. After your character is ready, you will begin the journey. At each stage, you will face a short story and a choice of tasks. The book you choose to read will determine the path your story takes.

4. To move forward, you must read for at least one of the tasks presented. You can only choose one task per branch — but you may use your earned advantages to skip or bend a rule if you wish.

5. Please make a completion post in your thread using this template:

Book/Author:
Date completed:
Task:
How it fits:

6. If you feel stuck, you may use 5 points to skip a task.

7. Completing a task gives you 2 points. Completing the challenge gives you 25 points.

8. If you don't have a personal point account thread yet, request one here.

CHARACTER

Race/Class

Read a book from a genre you usually don't read.

This will determine your race/class.

Book/Author: De witte roos / Amanda Barratt
Date completed: 10 Oct 2025
Task: Read a book from a genre you usually don't read.
How it fits: This is the first time ever that I read a book tagged 'Christian Fiction'

Elf Mage

You are graceful and intelligent, with a knack for seeing what others miss.
Advantage: “Arcane Wisdom” – Once, you can ask the DM (me) for a hint about an upcoming prompt before you commit to a path.

Weapon

Read a book and tell me the page count and format.
This will determine your weapon.

Book/Author: Buitengewoon briljante wezens / Shelby Van Pelt
Date completed: 17 Oct 2025
Task: Read a book and tell me the page count and format.
Page count: 384
Format: Paperback

Sword

Balanced and reliable, a hero’s classic weapon.
Advantage: “Parry” – Once, you can deflect a prompt you dislike and swap it for a random new one from the DM.

Companion

Read a book that meets the guidelines.
The title will determine your companion.

Book/Author: Bloedregen/Michael Dibdin
Date completed: 23 Oct 2025
Task:Read a book that meets the guidelines.
Page count: 256

Wolf 🐺

Loyal and fierce.
Advantage: “Hunter’s Nose” – Once, you may choose your next prompt instead of taking the one given.

🌄 The First Quest: The Call to Adventure

The air is crisp as dawn breaks over your quiet village. Life has always been simple here — until today. A mysterious figure in a dark cloak arrives at the village gates, carrying a scroll sealed with an unfamiliar crest. They call for brave souls to leave the safety of the village and journey into the unknown.
As you step forward, the figure hands you the scroll. Inside, it reads:

“Choose your first step wisely, for your path will shape the fate of your journey…”

⚔️ Choose Your Path (Read one book):

The Forest Path 🌲

Prompt: Read a book with green on the cover.
Outcome: You follow winding trails into the forest. Strange whispers echo among the trees — something magical is watching.

The Mountain Pass ⛰️

Prompt: Read a book over 400 pages.
Outcome: The climb is harsh, but the view is breathtaking. High above the world, you find ruins carved into the cliffs — but they’re not abandoned.

The River Road 🌊

Prompt: Read a book set in another country.
Outcome: You journey along rushing waters, where merchants and wanderers trade stories. Yet rumors of bandits make every crossing dangerous.

The Shadowed Alley 🌑

Prompt: Read a book with "shadow" or "alley" in the title.
Outcome: You slip into the backstreets of a crumbling city. Eyes follow you from the shadows, and a dangerous secret is about to be uncovered.

⚔️ Choose Your Path

The River Road 🌊
Outcome: You journey along rushing waters, where merchants and wanderers trade stories. Yet rumors of bandits make every crossing dangerous.
Prompt:Read a book set in another country.

Book/Author: Sushi King / Bavo Dhooge
Date completed: 30 Oct 2025
Set in USA - California (I'm from Belgium)

The River Road 🌊

The river’s song guides you forward, but not all currents are kind. Travelers whisper of strange happenings further along.

The Merchant’s Crossing 🛶

Prompt: Read a book under 300 pages.
Outcome: You trade stories with merchants on a raft — but one of them hides a dangerous secret.

The Drowned Temple 🏛️

Prompt: Read a book where water plays a role (sea, river, rain, etc.).
Outcome: Submerged ruins call to you — but something stirs beneath the surface.

The Merchant’s Crossing 🛶
Outcome: You trade stories with merchants on a raft — but one of them hides a dangerous secret.
Prompt: Read a book under 300 pages.

Book/Author: Avond in het paradijs / Lucia Berlin
Date completed: 14 Nov 2025
How it fits: counts 272 pages

The Merchant’s Crossing 🛶

The merchants laugh and bargain, but suspicion lingers in their eyes. Not all travelers here are what they seem.

The Smuggler’s Pact 🗡️

Prompt: Read a book with crime, heists, or smugglers.
Outcome: One merchant pulls you aside — offering riches if you join their scheme.

The Oracle’s Boat 🔮

Prompt: Read a book where visions or fate play a role.
Outcome: An old woman invites you onto her boat and offers to reveal your destiny.

The Smuggler’s Pact 🗡️
Prompt: Read a book with crime, heists, or smugglers.
Outcome: One merchant pulls you aside — offering riches if you join their scheme.

Book/Author: De plotters by Kim Un-Su
Date completed: 17 Nov 2025
How it fits: a book about assassination guilds, tagged crime, multiple murders occur

The Smuggler’s Pact 🗡️

The smuggler leans in, whispering of treasures hidden upriver.

The Stolen Map 🗺️

Prompt: Read a book with a map inside.
Outcome: You uncover a tattered map leading to riches — and peril.

The Double Cross 🗡️

Prompt: Read a book where betrayal plays a role.
Outcome: The smuggler vanishes, and you find yourself surrounded by enemies.