Hi everyone! I hope that there is someone out there that knows well both norse mythology and the playbooks by Jacob Randolph. I’m creating a new character and I’d like to play the Priest by Jacob Randolph. I love norse mythology and for what concers my pc I’d like to create a sort of priest of Odin.
I’d like to receive some hints about how to emulate a complex deity as Odin with this playbook. With this in mind, how would you fill these spaces to recreate Odin in DW?
• Controls: _________________ • Represents: ___________________ • Worshippers: _______________ • Enemies: __________________ • Demands: _________________
And would you be able to make some examples using the move “Invocation”? I’m not sure about how to use it.
Thanks 😉
I’d go with:
• Controls: Runes
• Represents: Wisdom & Lore
• Worshippers: Norse type cultures
• Enemies: Giants
• Demands: Personal sacrifices to gain knowledge
Not sure about Invocation, don’t have the sheet in front of me so not sure how it works.
All of his hobbies and proclivities aside, Odin’s main focus is preparing for Ragnarok. To this end Freya and her valkr collect the souls of the those who fall in battle. Half she keeps for herself, the other half go to Odin. Odin places these dead in Vallhalla were each day they rise and fight a great battle against one another. In the evening, all the Valk Knotted (the chosen of Odin, warriors of Vallhalla) feast and drink, even those who fell in the battle earlier. Everyday they do this. Until Ragnorok comes, they hone their skills in deadly combat. When the End Times come, they will be the shock troops first to oppose Loki’s Brood and their minions.
His name was called upon by warriors before a battle, often by both sides, in the hopes Odin would favor them in the battle and thus bring victory. It was said that Odin would throw his spear, Gungnir, upon the field of battle. Which ever force the spear flew over would be the winners of the battle to come. Human sacrifice was often performed as a way to placate and appease the All Father.
In consideration of all this, here are my thoughts:
Controls: Battlefields
Represents: War
Worshippers: Warriors
Enemies: Foes in Battle
Demands: Souls of the Battle Dead
Example Invocation: Your invocation bolsters the warriors who fight with you. (perhaps a +1 Forward against your foes in battle)
Example Requirement: Odin demands something in return. (perhaps the death of the greatest surviving warrior after the battle)
Dylan Knight I think that “Controls Rune” would be too generic with the Invocation move in mind: “Your invocation manipulates the realm your deity Controls”. My deity controls Runes…. and? What do runes do? What are the limit of this power? What are its capabilities? That’s what I mean with “too generic”
Eld Nathr god I love this!
– Controls Battlefield makes the god a cunning tactician, not only a bloodthirsty warrior.
– Represent War could be used also for social interaction (i.e. “I call out Odin’s aid to enrage the Jarl and declare war to the king!”)
– Worshippers: Warriors. Cool but what do you think about “Worshippers: Heroes”. So everyone that would like to accomplish great deeds in battle would pray him..?
– Enemies: Foes in Battle. That’s the only one that do not convince me. It’s seems too generic. Too useful. ….too powerful? The pc could ask to rebuke anyone challeging him in battle.
– Demands: Souls of the battle dead. Absolutely love this. I could only imagine what the gm could ask to exploit this trait…
Peppe Gamma: To the Norse, warriors fought battles as needed. Almost anyone could be a warrior if they had the courage to be one.
Heroes were made at the moment of death at the end of an opponents weapon. Heroes went to Asgard afterward to live with the As until Ragnorok. Heroes tales were told as sagas. To the Norse, there were no living Heroes only exceedingly fierce or lucky warriors.
The only requirements of being a Warrior were courage in the face of death and a weapon with which to kill the enemy. By that definition, anyone could become a warrior.
As for the Foes in Battle, I didn’t like it either, but it was the only way I could think to encapsulate Odin’s focus. I suppose you could substitute Jotuns. They did oppose the Aesir in most cases. However, it was Thor who was seen as the defender of the folk against the giants. Also, going with the whole ‘War’ theme, it doesn’t quite fit. While there are a few Jotun in Asgard, there are none in Valhalla.
Perhaps Foes/opponents of your Jarl (or chieftan) would be a better way to say it. This would limit it to battles directly relating to the will of the PC’s War Chief or their defense. This also would mean that the PC would have to be oathed to said War Chief/King. You could then further define Warrior and Foe as having to be people also oathed to the will of a War Chief.
The Norse took oaths very seriously and Odin was known to do extremely nasty things to those who broke or were attempting to break an oath with him.
Not sure if any of this helps.
Foes: Oathbreakers?
That would certainly work.