NOTICE: This post contains extreme dorkery. Reader discretion is advised.

I’m a dork. I’m also a nerd, a geek and a dweeb–whichever you prefer. Honestly, I’ve never really understood the difference between nomenclature, since it’s like splitting hairs. I guess not understanding the difference between dork and nerd makes me less of one and more like the jocks who bullied us.

“Dork!”

“No, I’m a nerd.”

“Same difference, dork-nerd. I’m still kickin’ your ass after school!”

I’ve always been a dork-nerd. Once I got on the other side of puberty, I also became hella cool.

∗flips hair over shoulder∗

I, my friends, am both a badass attitudey chick and a dork-nerd. Booyah.

Just last week, I was coerced by my best friend into joining a band of itinerant travelers on a mission to the frozen northlands.

For those of you who aren’t wearing Star Wars Underoos at the moment, that piece of nonsense is a players guide for none other than… wait for it…

∗ahem∗

A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CAMPAIGN.

Yes, D&D. Or a D&D clone anyhow.

• Dungeons & Dragons now has a competition dork game called Pathfinder.
• In Pathfinder, campaigns are called Adventure Paths.
• Dungeon Masters are called Game Masters.
• There are classes with which I am unfamiliar like Hunter, Monk, and Sorcerer.

There still is no real fighting and all the action is decided by one of these:

Not much else is the same, but at least that much is familiar.

Reign of Winter is a Pathfinder (Dungeons & Dragons) Adventure Path (campaign) where we few have to stop a winter witch (who actually is Baba Yaga) from spreading winter all over the place… or something. I don’t know. We haven’t actually started yet.

Winter isn’t coming; it’s already here. It’s mighty cold in Heldren in southern Taldor (yes, that’s a real make-believe place).

I’d like to tell you that it’s been about 300 years since I played D&D, but really, we’re only going back about 10 years or so since my last bout with a dragon. Still, so much has changed that it’s like starting all over again.

I have to figure out what type of character I want to be. I’m thinking a Hunter, Warpriest, Druid or Slayer.

All these new classes and stuff certainly do make it difficult to choose. I guess it all depends on what skills my traveling companions have.

If I do get to have a companion animal though, I’m totally choosing a bear. I’ll name him Nanuk.

Anyone have any experience with D&D, specifically this new Pathfinder thingy? Are you a dork-nerd? What would you choose as your animal companion?