Full-stack web app ● Live, in development
QuestKeeper
Finding rules during a game meant searching Google and switching between tabs.
v0.1 · v0.2 · v0.5 · v1.0 · v1.5
Samantha Paras · Software Engineer
I build useful software for real people.
I'm a software engineer building frontend and full-stack web apps, including QuestKeeper, the D&D companion my group uses during our games.
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Featured work
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Web game · team of four ◐ Launching mid-November
Can You Spot It
A teammate wanted a way to pass the time that also teaches you something.
Every round is a short paragraph of true facts with a few mistakes slipped in. You find them before time runs out.
Project note →Software engineering externship · 2026 ● Completed
Nugget externship
Help parents find family-friendly restaurants through reviews grounded in real family context.
I built community groups and a guided four-step review form.
Project note →Now · updated October 29, 2026
What I've been up to
Short version: lots of shipping, slightly less sleeping. Here's the rundown.
Recently shipped
- QuestKeeper got a glow-up: a cozy tavern homepage, a redesigned character sheet, and a DM screen with Combat, Story, Players and Prep tabs.
- Also new in QuestKeeper: campaigns, "Previously on…" recaps the whole table can edit, secret DM-to-player messages, and search by meaning, for when you know what you want but not what it's called.
- Can You Spot It picked up a leaderboard, two Daily Prompts a day, a practice round and a How to play guide. I built those; the artwork is from our UX/UI designer, and it's gorgeous.
- Reckoning Tattoo: I tuned up their website and Google Business Profile so people searching nearby can find them, see where they are, and know who's doing the tattooing and what they specialize in.
Up next
- Launching Can You Spot It in mid-November. Season 1 of the leaderboard starts at launch, so start stretching those detective muscles.
- Publishing the Reckoning Tattoo updates as soon as the owner signs off on the last portfolio photos.
- Still looking for my next frontend or frontend-heavy full-stack role. Know a team that needs someone who notices friction and fixes it? I'd love to hear about it.
Sound familiar?
Which one sounds like you?
- "My website looks outdated." → Redesign
- "It's terrible on a phone." → Usability fixes or redesign
- "People visit but don't know what to do next." → Clearer paths
- "Customers keep calling for info that should be online." → Content cleanup or new site
How I work
Five habits I brought with me from operations. Turns out they work on code too.
01 · Notice
In operations, I noticed recurring friction: data that didn't match, questions asked every week. QuestKeeper started the same way.
Why I built QuestKeeper →02 · Ask
I trace problems to their cause. When QuestKeeper only offered one background, Acolyte, I was sure I'd broken something. Nope: the 2014 SRD only includes Acolyte.
What went wrong →03 · Figure it out
I learn the tool the project needs instead of waiting to feel like an expert. Can You Spot It needed React Native, Edge Functions and an AI model, and React Native was brand new to me.
Can You Spot It →04 · Build
In operations, I built dashboards and SOPs. At Nugget, I built community groups and a guided review form with designers and QA.
Nugget externship →05 · Explain
I trained people and wrote instructions they could actually follow. Behind the Build does the same for my code.
Behind the Build →
Need something built?
Small-business websites, redesigns and web tools. Remote works great, and if you're in the Houston area, even better.
Say hello
Email is the quickest way to reach me. What are you working on?