<(left: Örvar-Odd)>
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good
HIT POINTS: 115
ARMOR CLASS: -5
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2/1 or 3/1
(bow only)
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-7 (+ 7)
or 1-6(+3)
HIT BONUS: +5 (mace) or +4
(normal arrow)
MOVE: 9”
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
STRENGTH: 18/23
INTELLIGENCE: 14
WISDOM: 13
DEXTERITY: 18/00
CONSTITUTION: 17
CHARISMA: 11
Odd, like many Norse heroes, has a fair
share of non-human
blood. His grandfather, Ketil Haeng (Ketil
Trout), was the son of
Hallbjorn Sea-Troll and the grandson of
Ulf Uarge (Fearless Wolf, a
name implying werewolf shapechanger blood).
Ketil. journeyed to
Finnmark, where he killed Gusi, King of
the Finns, and gained possession
of three magic arrows which he passed
on to his descendants.
Ketil’s son Grim Loddinkinn married Lopthoena,
the daughter of
Harold, a chief of Viken. Their son Odd
was born on the farm Berurjod
in Jaeren. At an early age Odd was already
an excellent bowman.
Because of his prowess with a bow, and
the feats he performed with.
the magic arrows he inherited‘ from his
father, he earned the name
Orvar-Odd (Arrow-Odd).
It was prophesied that Odd would meet his
death from the skull of
the horse
Faxi. Odd and his friend, Asmund, killed Faxi and buried the
horse deep under a mound. Nevertheless,
Odd left Berurjod and
vowed never to return, lest the prophesy
be fulfilled. Because of the
prophesy, Odd hates fortune telling with
a fanatical paranoia. He will
attack any party member who attempts an
Augury, Divination, Speak
with Dead, or Commune spell, or any spell
which could be interpreted
as fortune telling in any way.
Odd first became famous by journeying to
Permia on the banks of
the river Dvina. He won a fortune from
the Lapps but lost it when he
was blown off course on the way home.
Odd landed among the
islands of the giants, who tried to keep
him from sailing. Odd eventually
tricked them, and fought his way back
to Norway.
Odd next challenged the greatest Vikings
he could find to prove
that he was more powerful than they were.
He conquered Viking after
Viking until he met Hjalmar the Fearless
(also called Hjalmar the
Haughty). Hjalmar and his men put up such
a good fight that he and
Odd eventually declared a truce, giving
up the struggle and becoming
good friends. Hjalmar and Odd roved the
northern waters together
until Hjalmar was killed in the battle
of Samsey Island—of which Odd
was the only survivor (see also Heidrek‚
below).
The arrows of Gusi have the remarkable
virtue of always hitting the
mark Unless forcibly prevented‚ they will
magically pass right through
a victim's body and return to the owner
(allow one round for the
return of the arrows-before they can be
fired again). With respect to
damage, treat the arrows of Gusi as +3.
Orvar-Odd fights with a Mace +4. He has
won many a battle with
his mace, including the battle of Samsey,
where he slew eleven
berserker brothers singlehandedly. Odd
can also fight with sword and
two-handed axe. but prefers his mace.
Odd avenged the death of his boyhood friend
Asmund by raiding
the Irish. He was prepared to carry off
the king’s daughter Olvor by
force but was persuaded to wait for one
year. In return, Olvor gave
him a magical shirt. When Odd returned
to pick up the shirt, he
decided to marry Olvor. He remained with
her for three years, helping
her father rule Ireland; until wanderlust
overcame him and he took up
the roaming life again. Odd’s magical
shirt gives the protection of Plate
Mail +2 without its weight. The magical
shirt also affords protection
against fire (treat as a Ring of Fire
Resistance), evil (treat as Protection
from Evil spell), and hunger.
Orvar-Odd is over six feet tall with a
slightly non-human cast to his
features which is barely noticeable. His
troll blood shows up in another
of Odd’s powers: Odd is destined to live
for 300 years. He rejuvenates
himself by completely covering his old
body with bark and taking the
name of Barkman. As Barkman, he wanders
through the wilds until he
comes to a king’s hall, where he meets
a series of challenges. After
winning every contest, Barkman strips
off the bark and reveals a
now-young Odd dressed in the finest of
clothing.
With his Sea-Troll heritage, it is not
surprising that Odd can summon
fair winds whenever he desires (unless
thwarted by a more
powerful magic). Having once left his
home, Odd is destined to
wander, growing restless when he spends
too much time in any one
place. While Odd has somewhat outgrown
the constant need to
prove who is the best fighter, there is
still a 30% chance that he has
sought out the party to challenge the
best Fighter in it.
SOURCE: Arrow-Odd: A Medieval Novel,
translated by Paul
Edwards and Hermann Palsson (hardback,
NYU Press).
by Tom Moldvay
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