Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BOLT RPG Engine v0 - 8
BOLT RPG Engine v0 - 8
The Requisites
What is a Role Playing Game?
The People Involved
The Materials Involved
Safety Tools
Content Warning
Pronunciation
Politics
Pricing
Legalese
The Core
Difficulty Benchmarks
Perks and Complications
Advantages and Disadvantages
Contested Rolls - Two Approaches
Static Difficulties (Low-Stakes)
Contested Rolls (High-Stakes)
Resolving Ties
Spending Tenacity to Improve Rolls
Helping Allies and Hindering Opponents
Luck Tokens (Optional)
Leveling
Incentives, or Getting XP
Advancement, or Spending XP
Feats
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Writing Your Own Feats
Action
Time Intervals
Encounters
A Note on Bad War
Actions
Range and Zones
Initiative and the Action Economy
Setting Order for Claiming Actions
Cover
Being Prone
Armor
Combat Skill Checks
Perks
Complications
Calculating Damage
Grappling
Not All Characters Can Fight
Items
On Encumbrance
Price
Carried Weapons Are Obvious and Scary
Weapon Qualities
Special Qualities for Weapons
Example Weapons
Universal Weapons
Fantasy Weapons
Modern Weapons
General Equipment
Universal Equipment
Fantasy Equipment
Modern Equipment
Running BOLT
Fish for Ideas for Perks and Complications
Balance Difficulties to Account for Tenacity
Tailor Games to Players
Run Encounters With Honesty
Have a Plan for Failure
Opponents
Goons
Writing Settings
Languages
Common Language
Give Characters Something To Do
Write What You Know
Build Details Through Knock-On Effects
Safety Tools
Safety tools are—in my estimation—vital to a healthy roleplaying game. Players
at the table should set boundaries about gameplay and interactions with each other,
and set up practices for how to navigate those boundaries before something bad
happens.
For an introductory list of useful RPG safety tools, consult the TTRPG Safety
Toolkit, assembled by Kienna Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk.
Pronunciation
The examples of characters and setting notes in BOLT are largely drawn from
South Asian culture, and notably uses names from languages that use phonemes
unfamiliar to the English language that this document is written in.
It is understandable to struggle with pronunciation. There is too little setting
information in the Core Rules t o warrant a pronunciation guide—the occasional
unfamiliar word is not lethal, after all—but I suggest that the pronunciation of South
Asian names is often far less arcane than an outside observer may guess.
Politics
I’m sorry, but we have to talk about this...
It’s a delicate task to divine the political inclinations of a game system, but once
you build a game with a setting, with setting-specific mechanics, you come face-to-face
with the political goals (or lack of goals) that an RPG holds.
Sure, not every game is as nakedly political as #iHunt or Red Markets, but
political worldviews are baked into the bones of every role playing game, in how
characters progress, fight, grow, and lose. Are characters treated as special people?
Are they pushed into specific moral quandaries? Are they killing to take people’s stuff,
or for something bigger?
Even before a writer designs costumes or adds a “Nazi Punks Fuck Off”
paragraph (like this one) or decides what skin color the characters on the cover are, the
text and structure of the game reveal the politics of the game and writers—in much the
same way you can somewhat pick up someone’s politics from hearing what words they
use.
Pricing
BOLT is a “toolbox” game, which means that this system underpins the work of
other RPG creators. As a result, I have a responsibility to encourage anyone building off
this game to charge for their work.
As a brief heuristic, the writer should consider what they feel comfortable
charging for their work—then charge double. If the writer feels odd about charging
money for their hobby (I know I do), then they can feel free to donate any proceeds they
make, and institute community copies or financial hardship discounts.
Charging for one’s work has less to do with whether the writer needs the money
themself than with broader industry norms about what TTRPG content should cost.
Raising prices is a means of helping other writers turn RPG writing into a career, which I
think is an admirable goal for the TTRPG industry.
Anyone writing content for BOLT should feel no remorse for setting the price of
their work higher than the price of the BOLT Core Rules.
Legalese
The text of this work is offered under a CC BY SA 4.0 license. Also, the text of
this work is offered under a license having the terms of CC BY SA 4.0, except (1) if the
Adapted Material is a literary work, then the Adapter's License need only be applied to
the text and (2) you must include this and the following sentence in your licensing terms.
The CC BY SA 4.0 license is available at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
In plain language, feel free to print this PDF and share it with your friends, please
hack this game, and please make money off the resulting content. I won’t ask for
royalties. However, I ask that the writer also shares the text of their game under a
Creative Commons Share-Alike license or another compatible license. Honestly, I’d add
the above paragraph (written by April Kit Walsh) verbatim to your game.
The idea is to attribute the core ideas of BOLT back to me, Ajey Pandey, and
then separate what the writer wrote from what I wrote. This Creative Commons license
does not apply to the art in BOLT—a rt sharing is up to the artists, not me.
This is a different license from other open-source games like Fate, Powered by
the Apocalypse, o r Quest, which all use Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY). This is
The Core
At its core, BOLT is a skill-based d10+d4 game with a GM and 2-5 players, with
the following cadence:
1) The Game Master sets the scene, providing relevant information and only
gatekeeping information based on characters’ passive Vigilance attribute.
2) Players suggest actions that their characters can take.
3) The Game Master sets a Difficulty and suggests Skills the player
characters should use. That Difficulty should rarely be hidden from
players.
4) The player rolls Core Dice and an auxiliary d4, adding their character’s
ranks in the relevant Skill and their character’s ranks in the Core Attribute
associated with that Skill to the result of the Core Dice.
a) The Core Dice is usually a single d10.
b) The auxiliary d4 is assessed in Step 6.
5) If the result of the Core Dice+Core Attribute+Skill is equal to or greater
than the value of the Difficulty, the player’s character succeeds at their
task. Otherwise, their character fails in a narratively interesting way.
Difficulty Benchmarks
Skill checks are—in effect—a means of resolving an action when it is unclear
whether it succeeds. The Difficulty is a target number that reflects how likely Success
is, given a baseline level of ability. Skill checks should not be expected for actions
where:
● The Game Master doesn’t know what a Success would look like
● The Game Master doesn’t know what a Failure would look like
● The action is a routine task
● The action can be attempted repeatedly without repercussions
Nothing slows down gameplay like rolling to pick a trivial lock over and over
again, and little demeans a player like rolling a Failure on pouring tea. Additionally,
there is no skill for deductive reasoning. The player should not rely on dice to solve
mysteries for them; they should pay attention, take notes, and solve mysteries
organically. Don’t roll to ruminate, actually ruminate.
The below values are a reference for assessing the absolute Difficulty of a task.
GMs should be up-front about the Difficulty of tasks. A character should know if a
task is out of their scale, or if they need help from an ally.
Difficulty Scale
Recommended Difficulty 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Some Skill checks suggest contested rolls against the Skills of an opposing
character. Those suggested Skills are guidelines, although it is recommended that the
opponents’ attributes reflect the Difficulty of incoming skill checks.
A potential approach to NPC design is to set the Difficulty of Skill checks
opposed by the NPC first, then retroactively set up attributes that reflect the chosen
Difficulty of checks.
Resolving Ties
Ties should always go to the players, because failing on a tied roll is not fun to
players. If the tie is between two player characters making opposed skill checks, it is
recommended to handle the tie narratively. If two players are making opposed skill
checks against each other, then there are already enough narrative threads to role-play
what ties look like.
Core Attributes
Core Attributes are underlying aspects of a character that draw broad strokes
about their capacities and (relative) weaknesses. A player should never need to roll for
a Core Attribute alone, but a Core Attribute will bolster every Skill check, even for Skills
a character has no ranks in.
Fortitude
Fortitude is an approximate metric for a character’s physical conditioning and
strength. A character with high Fortitude has a high level of general physical fitness
relevant for feats of athleticism and endurance.
Reflex
Fortitude is an approximate metric for a character’s agility and twitch reflexes. A
character with high Reflex has a high level of general physical coordination relevant for
feats of rapid, precise movement and evasion.
If a player wants to:
● Have high Defense
● Describe acrobatic movements
● Excel in ranged combat
● Excel in fast driving or flying
● Strike from the shadows and/or high ground
They should invest in Reflex and Reflex Skills.
Knowledge
Knowledge is an approximate metric for a character’s capacity to recall and
utilize specialized information. That Knowledge can come from any combination of
training, education, and personal effort. A character with high Knowledge has access to
a large body of information, which the player can use to draw out details of the world.
Note: It is recommended that Knowledge skills be used as a means of creating
information about a world, as opposed to drawing information out of a Game Master.
This:
● Allows Game Masters to prepare less about the minutiae of the world
● Gives players agency in worldbuilding
● Makes Knowledge skills much useful than equivalent skills in other RPGs
BOLT aims to make Knowledge skills more useful to every character, as
opposed to other rules-heavy RPGs in which having high Knowledge or Intelligence is
only useful to medics, hackers, and mages.
If a player wants to:
● Be a healer, hacker, crafter, or tech
● Take greater agency over worldbuilding
They should invest in Knowledge and Knowledge skills.
Willpower
Willpower is an approximate metric for a character’s nerve, patience, and
attention to detail. A character with high Willpower has high mental strength relevant to
coercing opponents, standing up to immense pressure, and leaving no stone unturned
If a player wants to:
● Have high Tenacity
● Roll well on Endure checks
● Barrel into impossible checks and use Tenacity to soak up potential
failures
They should invest in Willpower and Willpower Skills.
Charisma
Willpower is an approximate metric for a character’s force of personality and
social grace. A character with high Charisma is at home in social situations, and can
use their way with words and people to negotiate a deal, rile up a crowd, or dampen an
opponent’s spirits.
If a player wants to:
● Lay down engaging jabs and one-liners
● Excel at social Skill checks
● Talk their way through problems
● Engaging in games of politics
They should invest in Charisma and Charisma Skills.
Defensive Skills
Defensive Skills are not skills that players voluntarily roll. Instead, the Game
Master generally invokes Defensive Skill rolls in response to an outside situation—a
poisoned drink, a lobbed grenade, a gaze into the abyss.
Fortitude Skills
Apply Force: Perform a feat of strength that requires one to lift, carry, push, pull,
and so on. Failure with a Complication suggests that someone gets hurt in the process.
Reflex Skills
Shoot (Missiles): Attack with ranged weapons. Can be split into multiple skills,
like Shoot (Light) and Shoot (Heavy), depending on setting. See Combat Skill Checks.
Shoot (Ordnance): Attack with mounted weapons, whether for wartime artillery
or vehicle-to-vehicle combat. See Vehicles.
Balance/Tumble: Perform an athletic feat that requires acrobatics or
coordination. A Failure with a Complication suggests that the character is totally
outclassed--or falls from a great height.
Sneak/Hide: Hide oneself or an item from detection. The player rolls against the
Vigilance of opponents. A Failure with a Perk suggests that the character is found, but
the pursuers either don't know it's the character, don't know where exactly where the
character is, or doesn't know how to get to them.
Drive/Pilot/Ride: Drive a vehicle or mount at speed and under pressure. A
Complication may suggest that the character’s vehicle takes damage.
Knowledge Skills
Utilize (Aether): Applies to the study, implementation, and operation of magic
items.
Utilize (Electronics): Applies to the fabrication, repair, and advanced operations
of devices like phones, radios, remote detonators, and early computers.
Utilize (Mechanics): Applies to the fabrication, repair, and advanced operations
of mechanical systems like cars, guns, and industrial automata.
Utilize (Medicine): Applies to the diagnosis and management of wounds, and
the synthesis of poisons.
Utilize (Profession): Applies to a skilled profession one could get paid for.
Acuity Skills
Navigate (Wilderness): Follow tracks, find shelter, hunt for prey. A Failure
suggests a pernicious trade-off is required to achieve the character’s goal.
Navigate (Underworld): Follow leads, find hideouts, hunt for scores. A Failure
Willpower Skills
Coerce: Make a threat (or an allusion to a threat), and use it to make something
do or say something. The player rolls against the Resist (Mental) of opponents. On a
Success, the opponents capitulate, do the character’s bidding, or say what the
character wants to hear (not necessarily the truth). A Success with a Complication
suggests that the opponent obeys the character at a bare minimum, unless the
character follows up on their threat. A Failure suggests the character will need to follow
up on their threat to get anywhere. A Failure with a Complication suggests that the
opponent is not shaken—or just gets angry.
Alternately, on a Success, the player can elect to inflict Tenacity Damage equal
to the character’s ranks in Willpower on the target.
Players cannot roll to Coerce without at least outlining a threat, although that
Charisma Skills
Charm: Smooth-talk a powerful person or lob a particularly sharp insult. For
insults, the player rolls against the Resist (Social) of opponents. For smooth-talking, the
player rolls against the Resist (Mental) of opponents. On a Success, the character
makes friends, charms strangers, and embarrasses opponents. A Failure suggests a
frostier response or a poorly-received joke.
Alternately, on a Success, the player can elect to inflict Tenacity Damage equal
to the character’s ranks in Charisma on the target.
Bluff: Disregard the truth, and get away with it. The player rolls against the
Vigilance of opponents. On a Success, no one suspects the character’s subterfuge (at
least, no one voices their suspicion). On a Failure, someone gets suspicious enough to
ask some follow-up questions—or check something themselves.
Persuade: Make an argument or offer, and use it to make something do or say
something. The player rolls against the Resist (Mental) or a relevant Recall of
opponents. On a Success, the argument or offer sticks. With a Perk, the opponent may
offer their end of the bargain first. A Failure suggests the character will need to follow up
on their offer in advance get anywhere, or provide hard proof of their argument.
If the character is playing to someone’s good side, the player should roll to
Charm. If the character is persuading a crowd or trying to goad a reaction, the player
should roll to Goad/Command. If the character’s ask is trivial (or they’re paying the
asking price), the player does not need to Persuade. If the target is beyond convincing,
the player cannot roll to change that.
Goad/Command: Incite action through force of personality. If opposed, the
player rolls against the Resist (Mental) or Resist (Social) of opponents. O n a Success,
the character may woo a crowd, light a fire among their compatriots, or get under
someone’s skin. A Success with a Complication suggests fleeting inspiration or
murmurs of dissent. On a Failure, the character’s words fall on deaf ears and bored
crowds. A Failure and a Complication suggests that the crowd turns on the character, or
the character loses their temper in a detrimental way.
Alternately, on a Success, the player can elect to inflict Tenacity Damage equal
Magic Skills
Wield (Magic): Shape types of magic (or magic implements) to the character’s
will. This Skill can be associated with any one Core Attribute. See Magic and Hacking.
To illustrate character creation, this book will provide an example in Ishaan Jha:
a not-very-talkative sniper in the Bloody Poets, a Svarminar gang with a revolutionary
bent. He’ll be a case study in how to put together a character in BOLT.
Example: Ishaan is going to want high Reflex for shooting, high Acuity for
reading targets from a distance, and high Willpower, to give him as much Tenacity as
possible—the hope is that if Ishaan ever rolls poorly on a key shot, I can burn as much
1 3 1 3 3 0
Let’s also give him one Native language: 4 ranks in Speak/Read (Bharasi).
Svarminar is the seat of the Bharasi Empire in 842 Third Age, and as someone who’s
culturally from the place, he’s never been expected to learn the languages of
Elsewheres.
I’ll also give Ishaan a Wealth of 4. He’s a radio repair tech by day, which pays
him pretty well, but nothing fantastic. His apartment is little more than a closet in a ratty
part of town.
Power Levels
This game assumes that a Core Attribute of 1-2 is the baseline for an average
person, given that a Difficulty of 6-7 is considered “challenging if untrained.” The BOLT
RPG starts player characters at that baseline and then encourages players to make
characters that are in some way exceptional. This is partially to facilitate a power
fantasy, but also because the business of adventuring (or espionage, or special
operations, or being heroes of legend) is rather difficult. If an average person went out
of their way to slay monsters and expose corrupt cops, they would almost certainly fail
catastrophically.
If the table would like to consider how average people handle cursed dungeons,
players can budget only 3 points to spend on Core Attributes. If the table instead wants
to play a game defined by screaming for three episodes while side characters watch
from a space pod, players can budget 7-9 points to spend on Core Attributes.
Note that Core Attributes are not determined by ancestry or culture. Every culture
has its warriors, hunters, leaders, and wise ones. Even an orc can become a wizard,
because no culture is entirely spiteful of scholarship and studyƒ.
Step 3: Background
A Background grants a character relatively minor adjustments to attributes, Skills,
and abilities, and it determines one of the character’s Incentives. A Background could
be a “race” or “species,” like elf or orc, but such practices have been quite fraught in
RPGs. Too often, fantasy races and alien species are used as proxies for different
human ethnicities and archetypes (ex. orcs as fantasy Mongolian, Black, or Indigenous
people, dwarves as fantasy Scots-Irish or Jewish people, Khajiit as fantasy Romani
people, and so on). Talking about fantasy races or sci-fi species with the same
language used to talk about human cultures can be a dangerous approach, especially if
a marginalized player has to hear all-too-familiar language used to describe a
“monstrous” or “exotic” race or species.
Thus, rather than assign mechanical implications to proxies for races and
ethnicities, the BOLT Engine suggests using a more general background to provide a
similar effect. If you want to use alien species, or cultures, or academic houses instead,
go for it, but be careful about what you imply about The Other.
In the world of Neeram, everyone is born human, with fresh souls open to all the
world can offer—glorious and terrible, noble and vile alike. But to many—particularly the
Unbound
An Unbound character provides no specific blessings, save for one.
Freedom.
Agency.
+1 in any Skill the player likes.
Suggested Starting Background Incentives:
Did I face a challenge with __?
Did my actions show or demonstrate __?
Did I accomplish a feat of __?
[The character can take any yes-or-no question as a Starting
Incentive.]
If the character is soul-bound, at least one of their Incentives must always be one
of the Incentives listed in their Background.
Their destiny is sealed.
Their agency is the domain of the skies.
Deva
Your character is bound with a divine entity of the sky, imbued with inner grace
and poise. If a white person wrote this setting, your character would be an elf. But a
good writer wrote this setting, so your character receives a more interesting premise: a
connection to divine heroes from millennia ago.
Sunsoul: Soul bound to the sun. Sharp cheekbones, piercing eyes of unearthly
colors. You receive echoes of the mythic strength of Vridhasthriya, the indomitable
standard-bearer of Khajjar.
+4 Vitality
+1 in Resist (Physical)
+1 in Recall (Religion)
Moonsoul: Soul bound to the moon. Blue-tinged skin, hair that shines like metal.
You receive echoes of the quick wits of Aprithya, the trickster-hero of Daigam.
+2 Tenacity
+2 Vitality
+1 in Resist (Social)
+1 in Recall (Religion)
Background Incentives:
Did I face a threat cleverly, with an unconventional plan?
Did I remain lighthearted under extreme pressure?
Did I accomplish a great feat of wit?
Starsoul: Soul bound to the stars. Satin-like skin of black or purple, with white
freckles. You receive echoes of the steady eyes of Benachaarya, the legendary archer
of Aashram’s army.
+4 Tenacity
+1 in Resist (Mental)
+1 in Recall (Religion)
Background Incentives:
Did I face a threat carefully, with delicate action?
Did I remain collected under extreme pressure?
Did I accomplish a great feat of precision?
Demonsoul
Your character is bound to a rakshasa, which is this land’s idea of a demon, a
malevolent spirit of beyond-mortal capabilities. Of course, those in power sometimes
use “malevolent” to mean “that which I cannot control.”
Of course, your character can bind to other, foreign, demonic forms too…
Heart of a Rakshasa: Soul bound to a demon from Bharasi lands. Red-tinged
eyes, pointed canines from your lower jaw, and a face that people struggle to
remember.
+1 in Recall (Religion)
1 3 1 3 3 0
● Defense = 6+3 = 9
● Tenacity = 8+3+4 = 15
● Vigilance = 6+3 = 9
● Vitality = 8+1 = 9
Ishaan’s Vitality isn’t all that great, but he has strong Defense and Vigilance and
fantastic Tenacity. Just don’t ask him to lie on the spot...
Ishaan also gets a rank in Recall (Religion) and Resist (Mental). The latter is
from the soul binding, but the former is just because he had religious parents. I’m also
going to pick the first of his Incentives—his Background Incentive:
Did I face a threat carefully, with delicate action?
Because I want Ishaan to get as much XP as possible, this Incentive going to
push Ishaan to advocate for subtlety and forethought as much as possible—as is
expected from the steady-eyed, indigo-faced star-bound.
Scholar
A learned one, hailing from a gilded institution of academic, theological, or
geopolitical importance. You’re a big deal, and you’ll be damned if anyone forgets that.
[This Role can encompass clerics, diplomats, some druids, and wizards from
standard fantasy settings, depending on how a player builds their character’s Skills and
magic abilities.]
+1 KNOW or +1 WILL
Pick 1:
+1 ACU or +1 CHA
Pick 1:
+2 in Recall (Interest), OR +1 in Recall (Interest) in two Skills. Pick an
interest or interests.
+2 in Speak/Read (Non-native) OR +1 in Speak/Read (Non-native) for two
languages
+3 (Pick 2):
Bluff, Charm, Cheat/Steal, Navigate (Underworld), Sneak/Hide
+2 (Pick 2):
Coerce, Persuade, Read Person, Recall (People), Speak/Read
(Non-native), Strike (Light)
+2 (Pick 1):
Dodge, Notice
+1 (Pick 1):
Balance/Tumble, Jury-Rig, Throw (Light), Utilize (Medicine)
Pick 1:
+1 Defense, +1 Tenacity, +1 Vigilance
Soldier
A horse-riding archer, a holy warrior with a flaming sword, a simple infantry
soldier, or a cruel mercenary. You’re trained for killing in a way few others really
are—and they should pray they never need to test that.
[This Role can encompass fighters, paladins, and some warlocks from standard
fantasy settings, depending on how a player builds their character’s Skills and magic
abilities.]
+1 FORT or +1 REF
Pick 1:
+2 in Recall (Interest), OR +1 in Recall (Interest) in two Skills. Pick an
interest or interests.
+1 in Speak/Read (Non-native) in three languages
+3 (Pick 2):
Ride, Shoot (Heavy), Shoot (Light), Strike (Heavy), Strike (Light), Throw
(Light)
+2 (Pick 2):
Coerce, Jury-Rig, Recall (Politics), Strike (Unarmed), Utilize (Medicine)
+2 (Pick 1):
Endure, Resist (Physical)
+1 (Pick 1):
Apply Force, Navigate (Underworld), Navigate (Wilderness), Run/Leap
Pick 1:
+1 Defense, +1 Tenacity, +1 Vitality
Wanderer
One of the roads and the wilds, dealing in the strange and wonderful, in stories
and creatures and unseen phenomena. You are of everywhere—and you are of
nowhere.
[This Role can encompass bards, rangers, and sorcerers from standard fantasy
settings, depending on how a player builds their character’s Skills and magic abilities.]
+1 REF or +1 CHA
+4 in Recall (Interest): Pick an interest.
+3 in Speak/Read (non-native) OR +5 in Speak/Read (language considered
exceptionally beautiful) OR raise Speak/Read (Native) from +4 to +5
+3 (Pick 2):
Charm, Recall (History), Recall (Religion), Sneak/Hide, Read Person,
Recall (Person)
+2 (Pick 2):
Cheat/Steal, Navigate (Wilderness), Jury-Rig, Search, Shoot (Light),
Utilize (Medicine)
+2 (Pick 1):
Notice, Resist (Mental)
+1 (Pick 1)
Balance/Tumble, Navigate (Underworld), Run/Leap, Strike (Light)
Pick 1:
+1 Defense, +1 Tenacity, +1 Vigilance
Equipment:
● Bandit garb (no Armor)
● Red scarf of the Bloody Poets band
● Longbow, light spear, and hidden dagger
● Ishaan’s beloved horse Garuda
And that’s Raider Arjun! Note how I gave him a unique Encounter Incentive that
plays into his Background Incentive of making a plan. You’re encouraged to make your
own Incentives, and to have them feed into each other (although you shouldn’t make
them near-identical).
A good Incentive is one that your character can fulfill every Scene or
Encounter—if they go out of there way for it.
Professional
If you’re a professional, chances are you went to college. Chances are, you
learned to sweet-talk the rich and powerful as a youth. Chances are, you learned to
drive in your parents’ brand-new, silly-fast luxury cars. And clearly, money and influence
wasn’t thrilling enough for you.
+1 KNOW or +1 CHA
Pick 1:
+2 in Recall (Interest), OR +1 in two Recall (Interest) Skills. P
ick an
interest or interests.
+2 in Speak/Read (Non-native) OR raise Speak/Read (Native) from +4 to +5
+1 (Pick 2) OR +2 (Pick 1):
Recall (History), Recall (Politics), Recall (Religion)
+1 (Pick 1):
Utilize (Engineering), Utilize (Medicine), Recall (Law)
+1 (Pick 2):
Charm, Drive, Goad/Command, Persuade, Read Person, Utilize
(Profession)
Scoundrel
In some “tabletop role-playing games”, you would be considered a “rogue.” But
the skills of liars, cheaters, and sneaks can be put to a lot of applications, so pick your
own p oison.
+1 ACU or +1 WILL
Pick 1:
Mercenary
Violence! It’s a part of life in Svarminar, but you know it better than anyone else
in the city. Bigger guns, bigger punches, bigger thrills. Be the bad motherfucker you
once saw only in action movies.
+1 FORT or +1 REF
Pick 1:
+2 in Recall (Interest), OR +1 in Recall (Interest) in two Skills. Pick an
interest or interests.
+1 in Speak/Read (Non-native) for three languages
+1 (Pick 1):
Endure, Resist (Physical)
+1 (Pick 1):
Recall (Politics), Utilize (Medicine), Jury-Rig
+1 (Pick 1):
Shoot (Light), Strike (Unarmed)
+1 (Pick 1):
Apply Force, Balance/Tumble, Coerce, Run/Leap
Suggested Starting Role Incentives:
Professional Specializations
Doctor
You went to med school long enough to learn how to patch people up and how to
make a hit really hurt. Maybe you’re still practicing medicine, or maybe you just tell your
mousis you are. Either way, you decided to do something a bit more dangerous as a
side practice.
+2 in Utilize (Medicine)
+2 in Read Person
Suggested Specialization Incentives:
Did I save someone’s ass?
Did I use my training to make something truly hurt?
Suggested equipment:
● Garb that minimizes skin exposure, including masks and gloves
● A first-aid kit that includes equipment to disinfect, bandage, and suture
wounds
● The gear required to do some alkhemy or surgery (at home, in a lab, or in
a vehicle)
Engineer
You’re not just a nerd. You’re a dangerous nerd. You’re a scare-other-nerds
nerd. You got the brains (and guts) to pen-test your way into an office, steal their trade
secrets, and cover your tracks with an IED.
+2 in Utilize (Engineering)
+2 in Jury-Rig
Suggested Specialization Incentives:
Did I fabricate or fix something in a high-stakes situation?
Did I use my training to build an ingenious solution to a problem?
Suggested equipment:
● Business casual (or business all-nighter) clothing
Lawyer
You know how spoiled brats are like, “My dad’s a lawyer” in the hopes that’ll
mean something? Well, you are a lawyer, and that does mean something. You can end
someone’s life with a paper trail, and if that doesn’t work, you can put a bullet in their
head.
+2 in Recall (Law)
+1 (Pick 2):
Bluff, Charm, Coerce
Suggested Specialization Incentives:
Did I talk my way out of serious trouble?
Did I fast-talk someone into implicating themselves or agreeing to
something tilted in my favor?
Suggested equipment:
● A sharp suit
● A very nice pen
● A directory of friends (and enemies) in high places
Scoundrel Specializations
Assassin
Do you wanna be a hitman? Do you wanna kill someone before they even notice
you? Are you that stone cold? Then you’ll find work, because as long as there’s two
people left on the planet, someone is gonna want someone dead.
+2 (Pick 2):
Bluff, Language (Non-native), Shoot (Heavy), Utilize (Medicine)
Suggested Starting Specialization Incentives:
Did I leave no trace of my handiwork?
Did I pretend to be someone else?
Suggested equipment:
● Clothing that deliberately does not stand out, with gloves.
● A garrotte, a poisoning kit, and silenced pistol, OR a silenced long-range
rifle
● A collection of fake names and stolen IDs
Investigator
Are you a private eye? A journalist with the will to kill? Doesn’t matter. You’re the
One Who Knows, and the One Who Finds Out. Whether you use that intel for justice,
profit, or power...well, that’s up to you.
+2 (Pick 2):
Drive, Recall (Law), Search, Run/Leap
Suggested Starting Specialization Incentives:
Did I find a clue to someone or something I’m following?
Did I collect evidence that I can use against someone else?
Suggested equipment:
● Clothing that lets you blend into the background
● A reliable pistol
● A contact or institution who can provide you background information, with
a few days notice
Mercenary Specializations
Driver
Your job isn’t just to shoot people. It’s to shoot people out the bashed window of
a supercar while steering with your knees to dodge traffic and police spike strips.
+2 in Drive
+1 (Pick 1):
Endure, Shoot (Light), Jury-Rig
Commando
You wanna be an action-movie badass? Of course you want to be an
action-movie badass. Drench the room in bullets, crack a skull with the butt of your rifle,
and throw out a sick one-liner. You’re unstoppable.
+2 (Pick 2):
Shoot (Heavy), Melee
+1 (Pick 1):
Apply Force, Coerce
Suggested Specialization Incentives:
Did I foil a smart plan with simple violence?
Did I pair violence with a sharp one-liner?
Suggested equipment:
● Clothing that shows people how tough you are
● An impractically large weapon
● Another weapon (of course)
Bouncer
You’re put in between folks with power and folks who want trouble. You keep
quiet, you say “no,” and when goons reject that answer, you beat them the fuck up. You
play the fool, but underneath the poker face, you know what’s going on better than even
your boss.
+2 in Strike (Unarmed)
+1 (Pick 1):
Navigate (Underworld), Recall (People)
Suggested Specialization Incentives:
Did I protect an ally or VIP?
Did I pull intel while hiding in plain sight?
Suggested equipment:
● Clothing that’s quiet but imposing
● An ear for gossip
● A list of who’s who in the city’s underworld
Equipment:
● Black tracksuit with black leather gloves and facemask
● “Inu,” his sniper rifle
● Briefcase that can hold:
○ The rifle
○ A bag of caltrops
○ A coil of rope
○ A glass-breaking hammer
Note that I changed one of the equipment items suggested for Assassins.
Between his indigo skin and total lack of social grace, fake IDs would be wasted on him.
But a briefcase of urban espionage tools would be incredibly helpful. Note that I don’t
care about what any of this costs—even if the rifle is way out of his pay grade. Ishaan
would find a way to get that weapon, and that in and of itself could make a good story.
Leveling
Incentives, or Getting XP
Characters in BOLT do not necessarily gain experience by killing people--or even
by succeeding at quests! Instead, characters gain XP by acting according to their
Incentives. At the end of each Scene, every player should ask the three Incentive
questions listed on their character sheet about their character. For each question the
player answers “yes” to, mark 1 XP. Additionally, at the end of each Encounter, every
player should ask the Combat Incentive question listed on their character sheet about
their character. If the player answers “yes” to the Combat Incentive question, mark 1
XP.
If players are unsure about whether a character met an Incentive, the table may
talk it out (respectfully!), although the player controlling the character gets final say.
Players should be able to achieve all their Incentives during most Scenes (or most
Encounters, for Encounter Incentives), but Incentives should still be something a
character has to go somewhat out of their way to accomplish.
Players are allowed to change the Incentives of their characters at narratively
interesting moments, using the change of Incentives to represent meaningful behavior
changes in their characters.
Advancement, or Spending XP
Use the below exchange rate for converting XP gained through Incentives into
advancement. Note that players should be able to gain 2-4 XP per Scene.
Spend 3 XP to:
● Increase a Skill or Defensive Skill to 1, 2, or 3 ranks
● Gain a Level 1 Feat
● Gain a Level 1 Magic/Hacking Ability.
Spend 5 XP to:
● Increase a Skill or Defensive Skill to 4 ranks
● Increase Defense, Tenacity, Vigilance, or Vitality by 1
● Gain a Level 2 Feat
● Gain a Core Magic/Hacking Ability.
● Gain a Level 2 Magic/Hacking Ability.
Feats
The following Feats are specialized improvements to the player’s character,
which typically allow for options outside of standard Skill checks. Note that some
combat-related feats reference weapon tags like Nimble or Subtle
Level 1
Acolyte: Ability Improvement. Join a powerful Organization. The character joins
an organization of notable size and power in the world, receiving a mentor from that
organization and gaining access to the skill Navigate (Organization) (associated with
Acuity) for understanding and playing politics within the Organization. The player must
replace one of their character’s Incentives with:
Did I act in accordance with the principles of my Organization?
This Organization Incentive may change if the character climbs ranks in their
Organization. If the character leaves the Organization, the player must replace the
character’s Organization Incentive with a different Incentive.
Cautious: Incidental. Leave nothing to chance. T he player marks two Skills or
Defensive Skills. Before rolling for the Skill in question, the player can elect to take -2 to
their roll. In that case, a 4 or 3 on the auxiliary d4 grants a Perk. This Feat can be taken
multiple times.
Fast Strikes: Action. When the character is fighting unarmed, the player can
target two characters in Melee range when rolling to Strike (Unarmed), or target the
same character for two strikes. The Strike (Unarmed) check is Set Back once, with the
Difficulty equal to the higher Defense of the two targets, where applicable. On a
Success, the player’s character deals damage to the target with higher Defense, or
double damage to the single selected target.
I’m a Professional: Action. For Skill the character has 1 or 2 ranks in, the player
can roll to Bluff so that their character claims that they are, in fact, a professional at that
Skill. Difficulty depends on how knowledgeable any listeners are in that Skill. On a
Success, anyone listening (who isn’t aware of the Bluff) believes the character and will
take any advice on that Skill that the character offers. A Complication suggests that
someone asks the character a knowledgeable question about the subject.
Level 2
Agent: Action. Requires Acolyte. Climb the ranks of your Organization, gathering
power and responsibility. The player can now invoke favors from their Organization by
rolling Navigate (Organization). The Difficulty depends on how difficult a favor it is for
the Organization. On a Success, the player picks one of the below. With a Perk, the
character receives a bonus; with a Complication, the favor may come with strings
attached. A Failure suggests the character may owe something in return, or jeopardize
their standing in the Organization
● The character receives a rare piece of equipment from their Organization.
● Your character consults their Organization for privileged information.
● Your character receives backup support from their Organization.
The character must replace their character’s Organization Incentive with:
Did I fulfill my responsibilities to my Organization?
This Organization Incentive may change if the character climbs ranks in their
Organization. If the character leaves the Organization, the player must replace their
character’s Organization Incentive with a different Incentive.
Any Questions: Incidental. Once per Encounter, if the character makes a Face
or Heel Go Down, all Goon-class opponents must roll to Resist (Mental) vs. 6 + the
Level 3
Indomitable: Incidental. If the character Goes Down during an Encounter, and
the player rolls a Success with a Perk on their Endure roll, then their character’s
ongoing Actions are not affected by Wounds received during the Encounter until the end
of the Encounter.
The player still records Wounds, but those Wounds only come into effect after
the Encounter ends.
Time Intervals
Action: Something a character does in a very short amount of time, like running,
making a weapon attack, or pushing a button. An Action can have rolling dice for a Skill
check or not. A bad action movie will cut on every Action. For more information, see
Combat: Actions.
Turn: A sequence of 1-3 Actions done by one character, like running, making a
weapon attack, and pushing a button. A Turn can include up to one Skill check per
character, although Defensive Skill checks are not subject to this limit. A decent action
movie will cut on every Turn.
Round: A sequence of Turns done by every character engaged in an Encounter,
before any character can make another Turn. A Jackie Chan movie will cut on every
Round.
Encounter: A sequence of Rounds during which Actions and Turns are counted.
A one-take fight scene will show an entire Encounter without cutting.
Scene: A period of time in which every moment counts, whether it’s an extended
period of intrigue, an investigation, or a dungeon crawl. A movie or TV show will only
jump-cut between Scenes. Characters gain XP after each Scene.
Act: A sequence of Scenes that make for a unified piece of a larger story.
Typically an Act can take place over one or a few tabletop sessions, depending on how
long each session is, and the conclusion of an Act will typically mark a “full reset” for the
health of all characters. A TV show will make one episode out of an Act.
Campaign: A sequence of Acts that trace the journey of a set of characters.
Typically, this will take a long time. A movie or two would make up a short Campaign,
and a TV show would make up a long Campaign.
Encounters
If you're an rpg designer, I got a real simple test for you, it's called the 'punch a
dude in the face' test. If a player says they punch a dude in the face, how exactly does
your system handle that?
@Orbitaldropkick
Actions
There are two kinds of Actions in Encounters in the BOLT engine: Actions that
require rolling dice for a Skill check, and Actions that don’t. Actions that require rolling
for a Skill check would include a weapon attack, a hurried lockpicking, a leap over a
large chasm, a call for everyone to just put down your weapons and chat
instead—r eally, anything where failure is a real risk. (Rolls from Defensive Skill checks
are called outside of Action counts.) Meanwhile, Actions that don’t require rolling dice
for a Skill check include:
● Moving within a Zone
● Moving from one Zone to another Zone
● Moving in or out of Melee range with another character
● Drawing a weapon
● Sheathing a weapon (dropping a weapon does not require an Action)
● Standing from a seat or from prone.
● Shooting a weapon in the air
● Entering cover
● Taking defensive Actions (combat checks against the character are Set Back
once)
● Aiming an offensive Action (the player’s next combat check is Pulled Forward
once)
● Opening a door or pushing a Big Red Button
● Helping an ally without a Skill check
Quick statements (and snappy one-liners) do not require an Action, but longer
soliloquies may require an Action with a rolled Skill check.
Some character strategies may appear to require two Skill checks at once—for
example, a character trying to clash swords while balancing atop the mast of a pirate
ship might suggest both a Strike (Melee) and Balance/Tumble check. In such cases, the
Game Master should suggest the player make a skill check with one of the Skills—in
this case, probably Strike (Melee)—Set Back once to represent the difficulty of having to
Let’s look at some examples of Turns, and count how many Actions are in each:
The Wanderer vaults from the mezzanine balcony, sword drawn, somersaulting
into the atrium as he drives his blade through an enemy’s neck.
The Wanderer’s Turn takes Two Actions:
1) Move between Zones, from the balcony to the atrium
2) Attack an enemy with a rolled Skill check, Strike (Melee)
Depending on the height of the drop, the Game Master may ask the player of the
Wanderer to roll to Resist (Physical) or Dodge. This does not count against the number
of Actions the above Turn takes.
“Javid!” Khalid yells in shock as her compatriot falls limp behind a wall. She
dashes across the corridor, slides behind the barricade Javid is slumped next to, and
jams a syringe of adrenaline into his upper arm.
Khalid’s Turn takes three Actions:
1) Move within a Zone, the corridor
2) Enter Partial Cover, within Melee Range of Javid
3) Administer a Healing Shot to Javid
“I said. You spilled. My drink!” The thug shouted in a foreign language, slower
this time.
Silence from the bounty hunter.
“He says you spilled his drink,” the bartender translated nervously, before
shuffling to pour another. “It’s fine. It’s on me.”
Cover
Characters in BOLT are fragile, so cover is good for their health.
There are two kinds of cover: Partial Cover, and Total Cover. A character is
behind Partial Cover if they duck behind a low wall, stand behind a concrete pillar, brace
themselves against an open car door, and so on. A character is behind Total Cover if
they duck around a corner in a hallway, hide behind a sturdy wall, and so on.
Behind Partial Cover, Shoot and Throw checks against the character are Set
Back once, and the character gains 5 Armor.
Behind Total Cover, Shoot and Throw checks against the character are Set
Back twice (if the assailant even knows where to attack), and the character gains 10
Armor. All Shoot and Throw checks the player makes while their character is behind are
Set Back once.
A player cannot make Strike checks while their character is behind cover, unless
their target is behind the same cover.
The Game Master may invoke a Perk or Complication to reduce Total Cover to
Partial Cover, or Partial Cover to nothing. They could also invoke a Luck Token to
obliterate cover in a small area.
Being Prone
Shoot and Throw checks against prone characters are Set Back once, and Strike
checks against prone characters are Pulled Forward Once. Characters must spend one
Action to return to their feet--unless they have a Feat to reduce that cost.
When the character is prone, all Dodge checks the player makes are Set Back
once.
Perks
● The character receives an advantage. The player’s next Skill check or Defensive
Skill check is Pulled Forward once.
● The opponent receives a disadvantage. The opponent’s next Skill check or
Defensive Skill check is Set Back once.
● On a Success: The character lands a critical blow. The character deals
additional Damage equal to half of the Damage listed for the weapon used,
rounded down.
Players and the Game Master can suggest other Perks, and some weapons and
Talents offer unique Perks.
Complications
● The opponent receives an advantage. The opponent’s next Skill check or
Defensive Skill check is Pulled Forward once.
● The character receives a disadvantage. The character’s next Skill check or
Defensive Skill check is Set Back once.
● The character’s ammunition supply is revealed to be running low—or completely
out.
● The character accidentally drops their weapon or other vital item.
● You or your Game Master can suggest other Complications, and some weapons
and Talents suggest specific Complications.
Grappling
As an Action, a player can roll a Strike (Unarmed) check for their character to
grapple an opponent instead of attacking. On a Success, the character holds their
opponent in place. Any checks that the opponent makes are Set Back once, and they
can only move to wherever the character lets them move. On the opponent’s turn, they
What is 5 Damage?
In the BOLT system, 5 Damage is the equivalent of a gash in the arm from a
knife fight. For a normal person, that would be enough fear and pain to warrant running
away, calling for a doctor, and/or curling into the fetal position. But player characters are
not normal people, so they can fight through that pain without major consequence—until
they get stabbed a second time.
Within the rules of BOLT, player characters are special because they can take a
second gunshot, second shiv, before falling. So make it count.
Going Down
If a character’s Vitality is brought down to 0 or lower, they Go Down. A character
that Goes Down immediately falls prone and cannot make more Actions until the
player’s next Turn. However, players should track negative Vitality in a fantasy
setting—the Life Magic tree depends on tracking negative Vitality.
On their next Turn, the player must roll to Endure, with a Difficulty of 8.
Rolling to Endure counts as an Action with a Skill check. If the character receives
Damage between Going Down and trying to Endure, the player’s Endure check is Set
Back once per hit. Damage taken while the character is down should be tracked as
negative Vitality—this is important for certain healing abilities.
On a Success, the character gets back up, with Vitality equal to the difference
between the player’s Endure roll and the Difficulty of the check, with a minimum of 1.
For example, given the Difficulty to Endure is 8, if the player rolls a 12, their
character revives with 4 Vitality.
If the player rolls an 8 exactly, the character revives with 1 Vitality.
Losing It
If a character’s Tenacity is reduced to 0 or lower, they Lose It (where “It” could
mean Cool, Nerve, Mojo, etc…) and suffer a major outburst, which should be handled
narratively and within context. Perhaps the character gives up fighting and tries to
surrender to the City Guard. Perhaps they succumb to fear and spend the rest of the
Scene hiding in a corner. Or perhaps they lose their patience with a spice runner and
just draw a blaster carbine on the runner’s mushy excuse for a face. Either way, Losing
It should raise the stakes of the Encounter or Scene.
After Losing it, the character recuperates with 5 Tenacity remaining, and the
player marks their character’s Wounds Track once.
The Wounds Track is bad news, and if the player has to mark it, it should be their
cue to abort the mission and retreat.
Healing Shot
A Healing Shot, whether that is an adrenaline syringe or restorative smelling
salts, is the only healing item offered in the base rules for BOLT. A character can
consume a Healing Shot as an Action (no skill check required) to guarantee a Success
to Endure and return to action with 5 Vitality. Healing shots have no effect unless the
character has Gone Down.
First Aid
The player can roll Utilize (Medicine) for their character to administer First Aid.
Attempts to administer First Aid to the player’s own character are Set Back once. The
Difficulty of administering First Aid on a patient is 8.
On a Success, the character heals Vitality in their patient equal to the difference
between the player’s Endure roll and the Difficulty of the check, with a minimum of 1. A
Perk suggests the character ease their patient’s pain, healing 5 Tenacity. A
Complication suggests the character’s treatment hurts, reducing their patient’s Tenacity
by 5. This may cause a character to Lose It.
A patient can receive First Aid once per Scene.
Outpost Healing
Between Scenes, characters recover 5 Vitality and up to one mark on their
character’s Wounds Track.
If the character has one or more marks on their Wounds Track prior to healing,
they recover half their Tenacity, rounded down. If the character has no marks on their
Wounds Track, they recover all their Tenacity.
This healing schema assumes characters receive comprehensive medical
attention, but with limits to time and/or resources.
This healing system will encourage more cautious play in players—taking even
one Wound will reduce their ability to spend Tenacity in the next Scene, and taking two
Campsite Healing
Between Scenes, characters can heal from their wounds—slowly.
If the character receives no medical attention, they recover 1 Vitality between
Scenes.
If the character receives medical attention from a caretaker character who has at
least one rank in Utilize (Medicine), the character recovers Vitality equal to the number
of ranks the caretaker has in Utilize (Medicine). If the character has at least 5 Vitality,
medical attention allows the player to clear 1 mark on their character’s Wounds Track
instead.
If the character has one or more marks on their Wounds Track prior to healing,
they recover half their Tenacity, rounded down. If the character has no marks on their
Wounds Track, they recover all their Tenacity.
If the character is providing medical attention to themself, they recover no
Tenacity. A character can provide medical attention to up to a number of patients equal
to their ranks in Utilize (Medicine), including themself.
This healing schema can be considered the “hard mode” for BOLT. Healing is
slow, and if a character is forced to make an Endure check, they likely cannot be healed
for their Wounds without receiving First Aid before the Scene ends.
Additionally, with this schema, the Utilize (Medicine) Skill becomes absolutely
vital, and it should be encouraged that at least two characters in the party invest in
Utilize (Medicine)—one to tend to the party, another to tend to the healer. Alternately, a
single healer can invest greatly in the Endure Skill, and simply approach the adventure
by healing Tenacity only after Encounters.
This approach to healing will incentivize players to avoid every fight possible
unless they can cheese (use low-risk, repeatable tactics) or kite (attack from far away)
whatever enemy is in their way. If the table is seeking an OSR-style experience, this is
the recommended healing schema to adopt.
Items
On Encumbrance
The BOLT Engine doesn’t bother with encumbrance much. Resource
management matters much more in dungeon-crawling and survival situations, and
characters in the BOLT engine are generally far too fragile to go dungeon-crawling. As
for survival, there are a lot of extra mechanics that would be required to make survival
more mechanically dire than “you’re starving, so your Tenacity is halved.” Expect
survival rules to be their own module that will get written and play-tested later.
Therefore, the base engine does not track encumbrance closely. If a weapon or
armor set is bulky to carry or wear, it will have the Bulky tag. If the character is carrying
a sniper rifle, they probably do not have the capacity to carry a second rifle. Beyond
that, it is assumed that smaller items and knicknacks are stashed in pockets, bags, and
vehicles; and that larger items are carried with the Apply Force skill.
As a general rule, if a player wants their character to have an item or invoke an
item in a situation, the GM should let the character have that item unless there is a
reason for that item to be unavailable.
Price
Tracking money, like tracking encumbrance, is more interesting in games where
limitations on equipment are much more pressing (like survival), so the Core Rules of
BOLT engine doesn’t particularly prioritize money tracking (again, expect detailed
survival rules to come later). Instead, the value of items is abstracted into a Price value
from 0-10. What that Price means to the character depends on their Wealth.
Weapon Qualities
Weapons are described with the below format:
Weapon Name: Skill. [x] Damage. Range. Price [x]. Special Weapon Qualities
Description of weapon. Additional rules for use of weapon.
Example Weapons
Universal Weapons
Universal weapons can turn up in basically any setting.
Dagger: Strike (Light)/Throw (Light). 2+FORT Damage. Melee. Price 2.
Concealed. Nimble. Subtle.
A small, hidden blade never goes out of fashion.
Flame Cocktail: Throw (Light). 3 Damage. Short. Price 1. Explosive.
The pitch of this weapon is so classic that it would have been invented with or
without the inspiration of the Soviet official whose name graces this weapon of the
people. Just fill a bottle or urn with oil or liquor, stuff a rag in the opening, light the rag
on fire, and throw!
Once thrown, the resulting firestorm will ignite anything flammable in Melee
range.
Meat Cleaver: Strike (Light). 3+FORT Damage. Melee.
What a brutal way to go, huh? On a Perk, the character may deal an additional
3+FORT damage instead of half damage.
Unarmed Strike: Strike (Unarmed). 0+FORT Damage. Melee. Price 0
The best guns are the ones on your person.
Knuckle Weights: Strike (Unarmed). 1+FORT Damage. Melee. Price 1-3.
Disorient.
These could be cast-metal brass knuckles, weighted gloves, or even just a metal
bar clutched in your fists. But they make every hit hurt more.
Fantasy Weapons
Fantasy weapons can show up in modern contexts, but they’ll typically be
obvious relics. On one hand, they’ll be clearly-retrograde weapons, but on the other
hand, a sword never stops being lethal.
Modern Weapons
Modern weapons can be adapted to sci-fi contexts without major modifications.
Note that the Core Rules of BOLT does not count ammunition. Tracking ammunition
tends towards tedium unless scrounging for resources is a specific part of gameplay.
Assault Rifle: Shoot (Heavy). 9 Damage. Medium Range. Price 6. Suppressive.
If the shooter can strike someone dead from 90 meters away, it’s not a
self-defense weapon
Collapsible Police Baton: Strike (Melee). 4+FORT Damage. Melee. Price 3.
Disorient.
It’s a club, but a collapsible one defined by the abuses of the law.
Grenade: Throw (Light). 13 Damage. Short Range. Price 5.
Pull the pin, let it fly, and all the hostiles simply die.
Pistol: Shoot (Light). 5 Damage. Short Range. Price 4. Concealable. Nimble.
A simple pistol. One shot won’t bring down someone determined to stay
standing, but even pointing one at a normal person will make them cower.
General Equipment
Universal Equipment
Alcohol: Price 1-10. Carbohydrates fermented into something that can facilitate
friendship, relaxation, or reckless behavior, depending on context.
Armor (Heavy): Price 7. Bulky. +2 Armor. Heavy garb that covers you in bulky,
uncomfortable, and expensive metal. It’s difficult to move in, but it’s the best defense
against death. When equipped, Sneak/Hide checks are also Set Back once.
Armor (Light): Price 5. +1 Armor. S turdy equipment that puts a little bit of weight
between internal organs and dangerous foreign objects. It looks obviously like armor,
but maybe the character wants that. Adds +1 Armor.
Basic Tools: Price 3. Wrenches, screwdrivers, lubricant, duct tape. Required for
players to make Jury-Rig checks without penalties.
Bedroll: Price 1. Better than sleeping on the ground.
Book (General): Price 1-6. A book is how one learns things, but is also a good
reference for things the character does not know. A general reference has moderately
in-depth information about a relatively broad topic, and can be used to Pull Forward
once a relevant Recall check.
Book (Specialized): Price 3-8. A book is how one learns things, but is also a
powerful reference for things the character does not know. A specialized reference has
Modern Equipment
Adrenaline Shot: Price 7. A syringe of adrenaline that can be injected (painfully)
by the character as a Healing Shot. This item should be extremely limited, unless one
has access to a well-funded medical practice or a military force.
Car (Armored): Price 5-7. This thing looks like bad news, but crucially, it’s bad
news for everyone else. Some armored cars get machine gun attachments.
Car (Basic): Price 3-5. A reliable vehicle that won’t turn any heads—which is
good—but also won’t stop bullets—which is a problem in certain cases.
Car (Derelict): Price 0-2. It’s a barely-running piece of shit, useful for driving
through walls, setting on fire after using for crime, or catching bullets for you.
Car (Luxury): Price 6-9. For if someone wants to look like money—and therefore
a target for haters and miscreants.
Car (Sports): Price 4-9. T his vehicle looks flashy, goes like stink, but the red
paint doesn’t stop gunfire—it just makes it an easier target.
Firearm Scope: Price 5. A magnifying glass attached to the top of a firearm. This
grants the Scoped Quality to a weapon.
Firearm Silencer: Price 5. A long tube attached to the end of a firearm muzzle.
This grants the Subtle quality to the weapon but reduces Damage by 1.
Flashlight: Price 1. A bulky tube with a lens on one end. When the user flicks a
switch on the side, the lens projects a warm glow, suitable for lighting dim or dark areas.
A firearm flashlight attachment comes at Price 3.
Gas Mask: Price 5. A n uncomfortable-looking thing that ruins the wearer’s
visibility but protects them from inhaling bad things. Useful if someone starts pumping
poisons into the air. Reduces Vigilance by 1.
Gasoline: Price 2. A flammable liquid with an acrid reek. Can be used to power
vehicles, but can also be poured in open air as an accelerant for flame.
Matchbox: Price 1. A box of wooden sticks that can invoke a small flame with a
flick of the wrist. Can be used to start fires instantly.
Night-Vision Goggles: P rice 6. A bulky face attachment that uses alternate
spectra of light to provide visual information about where the wearer is, without lighting
the area in some conspicuous way.
Portable Radio: Price 2-3. A big box of sound that can attune to an elongated
spectrum of light and converted to the hottest party music available on 102.5
Throwdown FM!
Running BOLT
Every game needs a Game Master section, and I think that includes BOLT. I
can’t tell you the generals of how to run your table, but I’ll at least try to give some
scattered thoughts about assumptions the BOLT s ystem makes in terms of GMing style
Goons
Goons in BOLT are the randos, extras, and cannon fodder. In a
less-well-thought-out RPG, the player character party would mow through hundreds of
them without challenge. In the BOLT engine, they can be just as lethal as the player
characters, but they’re much more fragile. Maybe they’re unprotected by plot armor, or
maybe they’re not paid enough to take bullet after bullet to stop the protagonists. Either
way, they’re people.
Just like the character.
Goon characters Go Down if they take 1 Damage, they cannot burn
Tenacity to aid rolls, and they cannot roll to Endure.
A Goon does not necessarily need any attributes at all—perhaps a bonus to
attack (likely between +1 and +4), or a Difficulty threshold for a social Skill check (likely
between 7 and 10).
If a Goon requires more detail, give that character values for their six Core
Attributes (FORT, REF, KNOW, ACU, WILL, CHA), their Defense (DEF) and Vigilance
(VIG), and bonuses to one or two Skills.
DEF and VIG can be calculated by 6+REF and 6+ACU, respectively, and can be
adjusted as desired. The Goon won’t require Vitality or Tenacity values, because they
Go Down in one hit.
For most contested rolls against a Goon, use the Static Difficulty rules.
For a hardier Goon, the Game Master can set a Minimum Damage threshold.
Any attack that deals Damage less than the Goon’s Minimum Damage will do no harm
to the Goon.
Faces
Faces are legitimately tough foes and important characters. In a movie, they’d be
named characters who have more than a few seconds of screen time. In a video game,
they’d be your “mini-bosses,” here to fuck your shit up and take a bit of punishment. But
either way, they aren’t protagonists. They’re meant to Go Down, or else be allies that
mechanically are a little bit simpler to play than a full player-character.
Heels
The Heel is the Big Bad, the Mastermind, or the Final Boss. The actor playing the
Heel might just get the highest paycheck of the cast of a hypothetical TV show. And that
means Heels should be overpowered, they should break the rules of the game a bit,
they should really be a challenge to bring down. And the players can’t just defeat a
Heel. They deserve a Finisher: a one-liner, a close-up shot, a dramatic showdown, or a
Last Laugh. A Finisher is spectacle--the kind of thing to roll credits to.
A Finisher should be a cinematic scene that prioritizes roleplaying over die rolls.
Heel characters can roll to Endure, and require a dramatic Finisher to
defeat. They’re basically a player character the Game Master controls.
To write up a Heel character, follow the same process as writing a player
character—they should more or less play by the same set of rules.
Writing Settings
As little guidance as I can give about being a Game Master, I can give even less
information about how to write a good setting. At the very least, I’ll give scattered
thoughts about the setting implications built into the rules of BOLT.
Keep in mind, you can always run BOLT in an existing setting you already like,
which will save you some of the trouble of writing a setting whole cloth.
Common Language
It is highly recommended that all characters in a party have at least 3 ranks in
one language they all have in common, so that all characters are able to communicate
effectively with each other.
However, a setting writer should be mindful about having a setting-wide common
language. Such common languages exist in our world (for example, English), but
common languages came from somewhere, and it’s important to consider how a
language from there ended up in charge here. Maybe it’s from a diaspora, maybe it’s
from cultural exchange, but a “common” language typically becomes common because
an empire made it so.
The theme of the Life Magic tree is sacrifice. The core abilities of this tree
typically involve some kind of sacrifice—either the character's own Vitality or their
capacity to resist succumbing to their own wounds. In return for that sacrifice, the
Stay: Level 1, Action. Requires Still. Lend someone else your endurance. The character
touches a target, and the player rolls Wield (Life) against a difficulty of 8 + the target's
Vitality. (If the target's Vitality is 0 or less, the difficulty of the player’s roll could be 8 or
less.) On a Success, the target instantly succeeds on the next Endure roll they make
after Going Down. They regain Vitality equal to the difference between the player’s
Wield (Life) roll and the difficulty of the check, or 1 if the values are equal. The target
remains prone and still marks their Wounds Track once. However, the next Endure
check the player makes after Going Down is Set Back once. The effects of Stay
dissipate at the end of the Scene.
Author’s Note: The Stay ability is the reason players are encouraged to track negative
Vitality. This way, using Stay on an ally that has already Gone Down from a significant
hit is the easiest way to revive that ally, by far.
Transfusion: Level 1, Action. Requires Still. Transfer your life to someone else. As an
Action, the character touches a target to heal them. For every 1 Vitality the player
spends, the target recovers 1 Vitality.
Ranged Stay: Level 2, Action. Requires Stay. Lend endurance at range. Any instance
of Stay or Greater Stay can be granted at up to Short range.
Greater Stay: Level 2, Action. Requires Stay. Lend someone else a great deal of your
endurance. The character touches a target, and the player rolls Wield (Life) against a
difficulty of 8 + the target's Vitality. (The target must have at least 1 Vitality.) On a
success, if the target is brought to 0 Vitality or lower, they do not fall prone, do not roll to
Endure, and do not mark their Wounds Track. They regain Vitality equal to the
difference between the player’s Wield (Life) roll and the Difficulty of the check, or 1 if the
Distant Stay: Level 3, Ability Improvement. Requires Ranged Stay. Lend endurance at
great distance. Any instance of Stay or Greater Stay can be granted at up to Medium
range.
Restore: Level 3, Action. Requires Greater Stay. Sacrifice yourself to save another. The
character touches a target to heal them. The target clears 1 mark on their Wounds
Track and recovers Vitality equal to the character's ranks in Wield (Life). The next
Endure check the player makes in the Scene immediately fails.
Resurrect: Level 4, Action. Requires Restore. Return someone from the dead, whether
they like it or not. The character touches a target that has met an untimely death in this
Scene, returning them to life--barely. The target returns with 1 Vitality and--if the target
is a PC or a Heel--with their Wounds Track marked twice. The character's Vitality
immediately falls to 0. The character falls Prone, and the player marks their character’s
Wounds Track once and must roll to Endure on their next Turn.
+0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0
Incentives
Background Incentive
Career Incentive
Specialization Incentive
Encounter Incentive
Skills
Recall:
History 0
Religion 0
Politics 0
Law 0
Trade 0
Interests:
-
-
Languages:
-
-
-
-
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Feats
Add Feats Here
Gear
Add Gear Here