#The Spellslinger Series

[itsablindowl]

Hello Again Spellslinger and TTRPG communities. I have returned for my second round of spellslinger characters and their dnd 5e statblocks. Round 2. Spellslinger

Kellen of the house of Ke (Soon to be Kellen Argos) (Spellslinger)

Variant human.

Stats:

Str 8 (-1) Dex 14 (+2) Con 10 (+0) Int 16 (+3) Wis 13 (+1) Cha 13 (+1)

Kellen is an absolute magic nerd and so intelligence is his highest stat, he's also able to use Ferius's throwing cards almost immediately so he must have high dexterity. He's a little nerd at this point so his strength and con are both low. His charisma and wisdom are both medium to represent his abillity to trick Tennat, but the fact that he's still quiet arrogant and has a lot of growth to do,and his wisdom will grow better as he learns from Ferius.

Feat: Magic Initiate: (to represent his weaker but present magic.)

Cantrips:

Gust (Kellens singular awakened band is for breath magic), Firebolt (To be used when Kellen gains Ferius's explosive powders).

Spells:

Burning hands (The more powerful version of burning hands he gets from mixing the blood of Reichis's mother into the powders.)

Class:

Rouge lvl 1. Proficiencies: Sleight of hand, History, Investigation, Insight, Deception, Arcana, History.

Expertise: Sleight of hand (Kellens training in the hand motions for spells explicitly gives him very agile hands), Arcana (Kellen is obsessed with magic and I.D's any spell he sees across the books almost instantly).

- Ferius Parfax (Adult) during the time period of the spellslinger series.

Variant human (Feat: martial adept) from her time with Sir Rosarite and Sir Gervais

Maneuvers: Feinting Attack( gives advantage for that sneak attack damage and would allow her to get a crit on Enna during the prolouge to Fall of the argosi), Lunging attack ( extra reach and mentioned in text as a way she attacks with her rapier)

Stats: Str 8, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 12

Abillity score improvement: Wisdom. With age comes Wisdom and with it the frustrating inscrutability of an Argosi.

Class:

Spellslinger: Rouge lvl 2, Monk lvl 4 (Subclass: Path of the Kensei) (I considered drunken sway as her monk subclass but Ferius consistantly uses her playing cards and extendable metal baton to deflect, disarm and debilitate foes and that specialization feels more in line with a Kensei Monk)

Background: Urchin

Proficiencies: Insight, Persuasion, Deception, Stealth, Sleight of hand, Survival, Perception

Expertise: Insight (Ferius states in way of the argosi that she learned from a young age how to read people to stay safe), Sleight of hand (Ferius is an accomplished theif and card sharp and would need to be good with her hands)

[corvid-language-library]

Finally managed to convince myself to sit down and read. For some reason it's something I always procrastinate and then feel guilty about not doing and yet I enjoy doing it? (Mostly. I mean, some books are a chore to get through for sure) Someone explain this to me.

[ace7librarian]

If there's ever a Spellslinger movie and the soundtrack doesn't include a Florence and the Machine song, I don't want it.

[siennamakeschaos]

IT'S SO SMOOTH AHHH 😭

[vreugd-madelon]

Spellslinger Review

Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castel is a 369 page Young Adult Fantasy novel. The first in the Spellslinger series and is followed by Shadowblack (#2), Charmcaster (#3), Soulbinder (#4), Queenslayer (#5), and Crownbreaker (#6) with a load of smaller stories between them.

There are three things that earn you a man’s name among the Jan’Tep. The first is to demonstrate the strength to defend your family. The second is to prove you can perform the high magic that defines our people. The third is simply to reach the age of sixteen. I was a few weeks shy of my birthday when I learned that I wouldn’t be doing any of those things.

Magic is a con game. Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage's duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi - a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She's difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen's only hope...

I rate this book 3.5/5 stars.

I thought this book was very entertaining, but I kept wishing for something more to happen. Even when writing this, at least a month after reading it, I still feel like it was missing something. Perhaps it’s the fact that I keep thinking it’s and adult book, instead of YA and it just didn’t go to the places I wanted it to.

To me the characters are a bit forgettable, but I did really like Ferius as a character.

This book is the prime example of the advice ‘end every chapter on a cliffhanger to keep readers to continue reading’. To me an amazing book should make me want to continue without a cliffhanger to push me forward, but of course the occasional reveal is a good thing.

Will I continue this massive series? Yes, when the others books in this series cross my path of a good price.

Do you have any questions? Or maybe some recommendations? Send me an ask here on Tumblr or tweet me. If you wish to support me, you can buy me a coffee! Or even buy my debut fantasy novel, The Mending Road.

[dibator]

Play of Shadows, from Sebastien de Castell, the author of the Greatcoats and Spellslinger series

PLAY OF SHADOWS: Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first book in a new swashbuckling fantasy series by the bestselling author of The Greatcoats. Damelas Shademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of Vixen, the most feared duelist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the…

[amadaans]

i'm gonna send those memes out tomorrow at some point. it's midnight but am i gonna go start a different series by the same author of the greatcoats? yes.

[meeghanreads]

Top 5 series I will start in 2024

Hello friends!! Welcome to Top 5 Tuesday!! This week’s topic is top 5 series I will start in 2024!! Because I really need in the world is to start more series that I don’t have time (or capacity) to finish. *Geez… who picks these bloody titles?? Oh right, it’s me…* In case you’re new around here, this is another post we hadn’t really been doing annually, but I guess we are now. Why? Because I…

[losttrailsmaps]

Running a Wild West campaign? Here are some encounter ideas to get you started!

Ghostriders in the Sky: As a tornado approaches, the party must protect a fragile farmstead and its inhabitants from a gang of sky-riding storm cultists.

Spellslinger Duel in the Saloon: A heated dispute between two rival spellcasters erupts into a magical showdown in a crowded saloon, endangering everyone inside.

Deadshot: In a dusty frontier town, the local blacksmith asks the party to investigate a series of unexplained gun misfires that have plagued the community, uncovering a cursed pistol's influence over the town's firearms.

Prospector's Bewitched Find: A prospector unearths an ancient artifact that inadvertently summons mischievous elemental spirits, causing chaos in the mining camp.

Spectral Train Robbery: A ghostly train materializes under the full moon, and its undead crew attempts to rob the living passengers before vanishing back into the night.

Check out my full Wild West map pack here.

Want to see more of my maps? Check out my entire table of contents.

[squeeze-the-lemon]

The best part about rereading the Spellslinger series is that you realise what a whiny child Kellen was in the first book and you can see how much he grew from that into the man he became by Crownbreaker

Now that's character development

[mordredisacoolname]

Don't know if there's still fandom left for the Spellslinger series but Ferius and Rosie are lesbians.

[itsablindowl]

Hello niche spellslinger book series community and less niche tabletop rpg community. Today I bring you the dnd 5e character stat blocks of prominent Spellinger characters in chronological order. Starting with: Way of the argosi and Fall of the argosi

Note: All characters starting stats are done with standard array

- Ferius Parfax (Youth) during the time period of way of the argosi and fall of the argosi

Variant human (Feat: martial adept) from her time with Sir Rosarite and Sir Gervais

Maneuvers: Feinting Attack( gives advantage for that sneak attack damage and would allow her to get a crit on Enna during the prolouge to Fall of the argosi), Lunging attack ( extra reach and mentioned in text as a way she attacks with her rapier)

Stats: Str 8, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 12

Class:

- Way of the argosi: Rouge lvl 1

- Fall of the Argosi: Rouge lvl 2, Monk lvl 1 (monk is from Durral and Enna’s traning)

Background: Urchin

Proficiencies: Insight, Persuasion, Deception, Stealth, Sleight of hand, Survival, Perception

Expertise: Insight (Ferius states in way of the argosi that she learned from a young age how to read people to stay safe), Sleight of hand (Ferius is an accomplished theif and card sharp and would need to be good with her hands)

- The path of thorns and roses/Yarisha Fal/Rosie (Youth)

Variant Human: (feat Actor: trained by the logicians of her homeland to infiltrate the homes of those they saw as threats)

Stats: Str 10 , Dex 16 , Con 12 , Int 13, Wis ,8 Cha 16

Class: Rouge lvl 3 (Subclass: Assassin)

Background: Criminal/ Spy

Proficiencies: Deception, Persuasion, Investigation, Sleight of hand, Athletics Stealth, Perception

Expertise: Deception (Rosie is explicitely very beautiful and is shown to be a skilled liar by omission.), Athletics ( Rosie consistently beats Ferius in physical combat and I feel like this evens out her weaker strength stat)

[corvid-language-library]

Here's my official 2024 TBR! My goal this year is to read 36 books. There's only 28 books listed here, but a number of them are the first in a series and I'm expecting to like at least some of those series enough to add the remaining books to the list! But if I don't, I have a secondary list of books that didn't make the cut this year.

The Alloy of Law - Brandon Sanderson

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

He Who Drowned The World - Shelley Parker-Chan

Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones

Shadows of Self - Brandon Sanderson

Norrøne Guder - Johan Egerkrans

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea - Barbara Demick

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

The Bands of Mourning - Brandon Sanderson

Sidewinders - Robert V. S. Redick

Sorgenfri - Jo Nesbø

Bloodmarked - Tracy Deonn

The Lost Metal - Brandon Sanderson

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

The Poppy War - R. F. Kuang

Rogue Elements - John Jackson Miller

Marekors - Jo Nesbø

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Spellslinger - Sebastien de Castell

Dear Leader - Jin-sung Jang

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea - Rebecca Thorne

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

The Never Ending Sacrifice - Una McCormack

A Pocket Full of Murder - R. J. Anderson

Stars Between the Sun and Moon - Lucia Jang

The Sleeper and the Spindle - Neil Gaiman

Fifty Sounds - Polly Barton

Red Rising - Pierce Brown

This is roughly the order I plan to read them in too, but I'm known to shuffle things around depending on my mood!

[ace7librarian]

Don't read Way Of The Argosi on Hanukkah, unless you want to cry. Don't read this book in the current wave of antisemitism, unless you want to find some relatable facts. It's been less than 5 pages and I'm already crying because the Mahdek are so Jewish to me.

[siennamakeschaos]

Intro Post

My name is Sienna and I go by the pronouns she/her! (cis female) I'm your local book-crazy Cancer, born on the amazing June 24th! My main fandom is KoTLC (Keeper of the Lost Cities) and also Shadowhunters (currently crying after finishing chain of thorns. planning on murdering cassandra clare.) I mostly post KoTLC and occassionally Shadowhunters although I occassionally reblog other things. my side blog- @siennamaylightwoodcarstairs Keefitz. Currently reading: Shadowhunters (tales from the shadowhunter academy) Already read: (main series/books) Keeper of the Lost Cities Harry Potter The Prison Healer Spellslinger (this was SUCH a good series <3) Shadowhunters TMI, TID and TLH My main ships (from kotlc): Keefitz Dexiana Marellinh I'm pretty new to keepblr and tumblr as a whole, so please don't judge if I get things wrong. Which I will. 😭 pop into my ask box if you ever want to have a chat! <3 feel free to ask for hc's/give hc's and request things (not art- unless you want badly drawn stick figures)

[readnburied]

Book Review: Spellslinger by Sebastian de Castell

Date of Publishing: May 4th, 2017

Author: Sebastien de Castell

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

This is book 1 in the series of the same name and follows Kellen who is doing his best to become a spellcaster, a feat which seems impossible for him as he’s unable to conjure any type of magic. And with his sixteen birthday approaching, he better get some magic to pass the four trials or he’d be facing a fate worse than death. But when a stranger shows up to help him, Kellen must decide if he should trust her or face eternal damnation. However, trusting this stranger will come at a cost, just like everything else.

This is a series I’ve been meaning to get to for the longest time but I either kept forgetting about it or prioritizing other series over this one. However, I finally got the chance and I have to say this book did not disappoint at all. It actually took me by surprise and I was glad it did because it’s difficult for me to find books that surprise me now.

The main thing I loved about this book was the humor. The author has done an incredible job injecting humor in the most strategic places, which gave the entire narrative an unprecedented depth and made it difficult to put down.

The entertainment level of this book was top notch and combined with the intriguing and unique plot, I kept flipping page after page until I reached the end with a heavy feeling in my heart. And I’m eager to continue with the series and see what else does Kellen get up to.

Kellen was an interesting character and one of my favorites I’ve read about this year. He wasn’t the perfect know-it-all like so many other protagonists, rather he was scraping rock bottom in terms of talent and skill. And even when he found his powers eventually, they didn’t bring him the glory like one would expect. He suffered even after getting his powers and that’s why I found this book such a refreshing read.

The other characters were just as interesting and I especially loved the visitor who came to help Kellen. I’m always a fan of anti-heroes and this character seemed like one to me, but she was interesting and I loved the power she wielded and the fact that she didn’t care about what society thought of her truly made her a badass in my books. However, Kellen’s family really pissed me off and made me want to scream in frustration. They should’ve been accepting of their son rather than caring about their own reputation, but once again, the author did an excellent job of showing a glimpse of reality via fiction.

The magic system was unique and I found the various rules and regulations regarding it captivating. It was simple yet intricate and I wonder if there’d be more to it in the upcoming books. But the society as a whole was interesting, even though I didn’t like some of their rules, but it just shows there always be certain practices that would be deemed acceptable while others would result in immediate banishment. It happens in the present world, so one shouldn’t be surprised that this happens in fiction as well.

Moreover, the trials were an interesting aspect of the story. They really raised the stakes and I feel like they were a key component to the story as without them, I doubt the story would’ve been able to stand on its own. But considering how talented the author is, I’m sure he would’ve made it work had he decided not to put the trials into the story.

The climax came with the most unexpected plot twist. I really didn’t see it coming, but it made so much sense and I fully empathize with the antagonist. I know what they did was wrong but I understand why they were doing it. And I couldn’t help but think that sometimes your circumstances force you to do the things you don’t want to, and sometimes people take justice into their own hands because they think it’s the only way they’ll get it.

However, there’s much more to Kellen and his adventures and I really can’t wait to dive in to the next books to know exactly what that is. I recommend each and every one of you reading this to go and buy this book and read it if you haven’t already. You will enjoy it as much as I did if not more. I’m grateful to the author for writing this series and can’t wait to read more of his works.

Let me know if you’ve already read this book and what you think of it. And if you have more recommendations feel free to let me know.