ROBERT E HOWARD CHARACTERS
KIRBY O’DONNELL
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 HTH Damage [4] 20 DEX 20 13- 18 CON 8 13- 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 13- 13 EGO 3 12- 18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3 ½d6 7 OCV 20 7 DCV 20 3 OMCV 0 5 DMCV 6 4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 9 PD 4 Total: 9 PD (3 rPD) 7 ED 2 Total: 7 ED (3 rED) 8 REC 4 36 END 4 13 BODY 3 32 STUN 6 Total Characteristics Cost: 138 Movement: Running: 12m/24m Leaping: 6m/12m Swimming: 4m/8m Cost Powers & Skills Martial Arts: Swordsmanship Maneuver OCV DCV Damage 4 Counterstrike +2 +2 Weapon +2 DC Strike, Must Follow Block 4 Cut +0 +2 Weapon +2 DC Strike 4 Evade -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 4 Parry +2 +2 Block, Abort 5 Slash -2 +1 Weapon +4 DC Strike 5 Thrust +1 +3 Weapon Strike 1 "Covered The Space In A Long Leap": Leaping +2m (6m forward, 3m upward), END 1 6 Observant: +2 PER with all Sense Groups Talents 6 "Bleeding From A Dozen... Cuts": Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) 22 "It Was The Swish Of A Garment That Warned Him": Danger Sense (self only, out of combat, Function as a Sense) 13-/11- 2 "The Kindhjal In His Left Hand": Off-Hand Defense Skills 20 +2 with All Attacks 16 "Never Met His Match With Cold Steel": +2 with HTH Combat 8 +4 versus Hit Location Modifiers with Blades 8 “All Of His Eastern Lore”: +2 with all Traveler Skills 3 "I Am Ali El Ghazi, A Kurd": Acting 13- 3 Climbing 13- 7 "His Disguise Had Stood The Test Of Time": Disguise 13- 3 Fast Draw: Blades 13- 3 "The Big Pistol Jumping Into His Hand": Fast Draw: Handguns 13- 4 KS: Who's Who In Central Asia 13- 3 "Dressing The Wounded The Best He Could": Paramedics 11- 3 Riding 13- 3 Stealth 13- 3 Tactics 11- 0 TF: Equines 5 "The Kindhjal In His Left Hand": Two-Weapon Fighting ; HTH Attacks Only (-1) 3 WF: Small Arms, Blades 3 Linguist 0 1) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) 4 2) Language: Kurdish (idiomatic; literate) 3 3) Language: Pashto (completely fluent; literate) 3 4) Language: Turkish (completely fluent; literate) 3 5) Language: Urdu (completely fluent; literate) 3 Traveler 1 1) AK: Afghanistan 11- 1 2) CK: Medina El Harami 11- 1 3) CK: Shahrazar 11- 1 4) CuK: Customs of Central Asia 11- 1 5) CuK: Kurdish Customs 11- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 183 Total Cost: 320 300+ Matching Complications (60) 10 Hunted: Numerous Enemies In And Around Afghanistan Infrequently (As Pow; Harshly Punish) 15 Psychological Complication: "A Driving Power Mightier Than His Own Desire"—Greedy (Common; Strong) 20 Psychological Complication: Personal Code (will not ignore a cry for help, will not abandon men under his command) (Common; Total) 15 Psychological Complication: Tendency To Lose his Head In A Fight (Common; Strong) 20 Experience Points Total Complications Points: 60
Background/History: Virtually nothing is known about the early years of Irish-American Kirby O’Donnell. At some point in his life he left American and travelled to the Middle East, finally winding up in Afghanistan, where his “nervous energy” found an outlet in the constant tribal wars and political and military movements of the Great Game.
Personality/Motivation: An adventurer though-and-through, O’Donnell seems to have come to the Middle East in an attempt to uncover hidden riches and untold wealth. Two of his three stories feature him questing after some form or another of rumored treasure, and he ends his final story laughing off a fortune in lost gold, knowing there’s more for him out there, somewhere.
While solidly-self assured, there is a limit to his audacity (unlike El Borak, who seems unperturbed by almost any odds.) He also seems to have less natural cunning and patience than EL Borak, and can be find himself confused by events or cowed (if only temporarily) by others. However, if given a moment to clear his mind he’s more than willing to throw caution to the wind and engage in feats of derring-do worthy of any Pulp-era hero. However, when involved in a fight (which he has an almost stereotypical Irish love for), O’Donnell can be overcome by emotion, and become akin to a berserk of old, hacking and slashing until all of his foes are dead.
O’Donnell, like many of Howard’s heroes, has a strong personal code of honor. He won’t refuse a cry for help, even if from a total strange and against unknown odds, and will not abandon those he consider’s friends of allies, even if they were gained under false pretenses. He also won’t led his greed override his common sense (if he can help it) and has thrown away almost unimaginable wealth in an effort to preserve the fragile peace of late 19th Century Central Asia.
Quote: "I don’t hold grudges. You’re a swine, but if you play square with us, we’ll treat you as an equal partner, eh, Hassan?"
Powers/Tactics: Possessing strength “all out of proportion to his weight,” O’Donnell said to be a “mass of wiry muscle and steel-string sinews.” He has excellent coordination and is an almost unstoppable swordsman, and has yet to meet his match with the blade. He normally fights with a scimitar or tulwar in his right and a long-bladed kindhjal in his left, but will use firearms if the situation calls for it.
On order to operate in Afghanistan undetected, O’Donnell has adopted the manners and guise of a Kurdish tribesman named Ali el Ghazi. He’s maintained this alias for some time (years, perhaps) and thus has been able to entered cities and places otherwise closed to men of the West.
Appearance: Described as “somewhat above medium height,” O’Donnell has a lean build, broad shoulders, and “corded sinews.”His hair color isn’t specified (but can be presumed to be dark, while his eyes are blue. He tends to dress in Kurdish clothes and fashions.
Designer's Notes: Kirby O’Donnell is one of a trio of Middle Eastern adventurers that Robert E Howard created (the others being Francis Xavier Gordon and Steve Clarney—who only appeared in a single story.) He initially appears to be a clone of Gordon, mainly because O’Donnell’s almost physical identical to Gordon, but the major difference is in their personalities. Gordon is a mover-and-shaker, who makes things happen, while O’Donnell prefers to remain out of the spotlight and wants only to get rich. In addition, O’Donnell can be told what to do by others, while Gordon tells others what to do. In many ways, O’Donnell reminds me of a Player Character, while Gordon might be a GM’s PC.
As with Francis Xavier Gordon, Kirby O’Donnell’s character sheet was developed from the Del Rey Robert E Howard collection El Borak and Other Desert Adventures.
Kirby O’Donnell's Hero Designer File
(Kirby O’Donnell created by Robert E Howard, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
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