Using The Limiting Bolt In Your Games

Roleplaying games, by-and-large, move in a linear fashion. Your characters will overcome obstacles, fight enemies, gain XP, and increase their powers. Whether they gain levels, or buy their abilities piecemeal the way you do in non-level-based game, characters tend to start small, and grow tall. It's because of this that so many PCs start as newly-minted graduate wizards, farm boy heroes, and street-level toughs... because what else could they be?

For those who want to try something different, there is a method I mentioned back in Your Story Doesn't Have To Be Linear (Even If Your Levels Are) that I wanted to talk about today. Something that most readers will be familiar with, even if they don't know it by this name. I call it the Limiting Bolt.

And if you haven't seen this show, what have you been doing with your life?

For those not familiar with the above image, it's a shot from Farscape. The character on the left is Ka D'Argo, a Luxan. Luxans are huge, physically powerful, tough, capable of falling into berserker rages, have a venomous tongue that can punch through your head, and can scent out their target. And D'Argo boasts a sword that also fires energy blasts, so he hits all the marks of a badass character. However, note the rings fitted into his collarbones. Those rings had a chain run through them, and that was one thing that kept him in check. An attempt to break the chains would also snap his own bones, killing him. While he still had his physical abilities, those rings bound and limited him as long as there was still a chain through them.

That is what I mean by a Limiting Bolt. It is something that, for narrative purposes, limits a character's full power and potential until the narrative moment comes for that roadblock to be removed. Because mechanically your character might just be leveling up and gaining access to new powers for the first time... but if you've wanted them to have been a badass this whole time, then one of the simplest ways is to simply introduce a Limiting Bolt that was keeping a hand tied behind their back.

Don't Be Afraid To Get Creative With It

Limiting Bolts come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some of them are physically implanted, some of them are inked or burned onto someone's skin, and others are literal limiting pieces of gear that are bound to the character. In some cases a Limiting Bolt might actually be a curse the character struggles under, a geas that holds back their full potential, or it could be an affliction that saps their strength and powers.

It's entirely up to you, and the DM you're asking to approve your mechanism, what form it takes. As long as the Limiting Bolt is a real force that affects your character, and you have to struggle against it to get some of your power back, then it should serve.

It may be as simple as proving your worth all over again.

 

For additional examples of Limiting Bolts you might want to try out, consider some of the following.

- Korak Vars was one of the strongest of the Bone Crunchers. It was why this orc raider survived the battle with the demon Vasanthis. Though he lived, the demon's blood and infernal weapons siphoned away much of his strength. Its corruption left his veins blackened, and reduced him to a shell of his former self. Still a skilled warrior, he is no longer capable of the legendary feats he could have easily accomplished before that fight.

- The Dread Evoker Lianaran Kasatherwithe was a terror to behold, able to raze entire armies to their boots with a wave of her hand. Though she was slain by the sorcerer Philianor, she was reincarnated into another form. Though life flows through her again, her mind feels foggy, and her fingers clumsy. She still knows names and dates, faces and lore, but there are blank spots. Dark places in her own mind that she has yet to truly unlock that she's sure contain her real power.

- Harshwen Godslayer burned with the blood of the heavens, searing the flesh of demons that would touch him. They could not slay him, but they could lock away the powers of his forebears, cutting him off from his own blood. Cold iron script tattooed onto his hands, his feet, his face, and across his back and chest, stripped from him the blessings of his god and his line, making him mortal... for all intents and purposes. While still a potent warrior, able to summon holy lights to heal allies and harm his foes, he is a lantern with a hood dropped over it. As the iron curses burn away, though, his powers begin to return to him.

No matter which version of this trope you end up using, it's important for your character to have an existing reputation that the Limiting Bolt undermines. Whether you were a great champion, a powerful spellcaster, or a deadly assassin, make sure you give clues to who you used to be so that others can figure out who your character is... or, rather who they were. More details on how to do this in Character Reputation in RPGs: The Small Legend.

Making Limiting Bolts Work in Your Game

The key to a Limiting Bolt is that you need to know specifically what capabilities of your character it limits, and how you need to overcome them. Because mechanically the answer is, "Gain XP, level up, get one step closer to the heinous badass your backstory says you were," but you should have some idea of what you need to do in order to remove the story constraint you've put on yourself.

If you were cursed, then have the curse break away in layers at dramatic moments. If you dishonored yourself before your god, show their favor returning in small ways over time (you can even combine this one with the previous suggestion, if you wish to). If you were poisoned, or succumbed to some disease, show yourself getting better in some way. Even if it's something like, "Being struck by the searing sword named Creatial seems to have burned away some of the contagion within you." If you acquired that weapon, this could be a way to more strongly story-bond your PC to it. Because sure, it's just a +1 flaming burst scimitar, but it's part of your story now.

This is the point where you should really work with your DM. Because some Limiting Bolts just come off at story appropriate moments (you slay a potent demon, and the curse of the Thousand Hells grows a little lighter on your shoulders, for example), and sometimes you have to do specific things (seek out the Guardian of Gwydion and have her anoint your brow as proof of your sincerity). Both are workable, and while the second one can often act as a driving force for your PC to go do things, it also requires more hands-on efforts from the DM.

Make sure your DM is willing to work with you on that, and ensure that your story of overcoming your limitations isn't going to constantly overshadow what the rest of the party is doing... unless, that is, you all have a similar Limiting Bolt, and you're all trying to overcome it!

Additional Reading

If you're looking for some useful reading that might get your ideas flowing, consider the following:

- 100 Random Oracular Pronouncements: Small pieces of lore and predictions of the future, this collection is filled with ominous portents that could easily be a part of curses and geases.

- 100 Unusual Aasimar: Whether individuals who can provide heavenly blessings, break portions of curses, or tell someone how to remove the taint of a fallen blade, these NPCs are handy to have around for dealing with Limiting Bolts.

- 100 Tieflings To Meet in Your Travels: For those walking the left hand path, tieflings often have forbidden knowledge that can be quite useful. How to break fell pacts, undo demonic curses, or to snap infernal bindings are things many of the NPCs in this collection may know just how to do.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed, and if you've used this tactic successfully in your games why not leave a comment below?

For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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Did Your Character Have A Former Life?

The tavern was thick and smoky when the Gallows Hunters arrived. Talk trailed off, and the patrons watched them approach the bar. Harald kept wiping down the bar not looking up until Galstag the Grave rested his hands on the mahogany.

"What can I get you all?" Harald asked, stuffing his rag in his apron and folding his arms.

"We need you to come with us," Galstag said.

"Why's that?" Harald asked, tugging at his thick beard.

"We're making for the Inoch Valley," Galstag said.

"Wish you luck." Harald tugged his beard a little harder, a nervous tic rarely seen by those who came to his bar. "Want a bottle for the journey?"

"You owe me," Galstag said, leaning in a little closer. "I wish there was another way, my friend, but I need you for this."

"What do we need him for?" Dornier asked, leaning back against a statue of a beautiful woman. "Cooking our meals on the trail?"

Harald turned his head toward Dornier, and spoke a single, harsh word in a language none of them had ever heard before. Dornier's eyes went wide, and filled with darkness. He screamed, falling to the ground and clutching at his face. Harald took off his apron, and stepped around the bar. He hadn't changed, but there was something different about him. Something that made the patrons draw back, like dogs sensing a wolf.

"My debt is paid after this," Harald said, waving a hand to dismiss the spell that had stolen Dornier's sight. "And I never want to see you in my bar again."

There's a reason we go to taverns looking for adventurers, after all.

Who Were You, In Your Old Life?

With some characters, what you see is what you get. Bethal Yarr is a militia sergeant looking to find a higher place in this world. Cornell Hardwick is a graduate of the prestigious Acadamae Arcane, and looking to make a name for himself. Sechel Darne is a Sister of the Healing Hand. But what if they had been someone else, before we met them? A notorious burglar, a mob enforcer, a noble scion, or something else entirely?

As character tropes go, this is one we see all over. Perhaps the most famous example of it is when Strider turns out to not just be a long-lived ranger, well-known for his deadliness, but the last of a line of kings who could bring greatness back to the land. But we also see it in the film Solomon Kane, where the main character tries to leave his life of piracy and brutality behind in order to become a man of peace. We see it in Star Wars with "old Ben" who's trying to lead a simple life after the fall of the Jedi, and it's a background fact that Alfred Pennyworth was once one of the most dangerous men in the British army.

Then, for real life examples, there's Sir Christopher Lee.

If you want to have a character who had a past life, there are two major ways you could play it. The first is the retired badass, who's been out of the game long enough that they're back down to level one mechanically. To everyone else they're just old Jeb, but to those who remember, he was once Jebidiah Blackwater, the Terror of Butcher's Bay. While the old pirate might not have all of his swagger left, he has probably forgotten more about being a buccaneer than anyone else in the party knows.

Alternatively, there are characters who took a side-step from their old life into their new one. The Iron Fist, for instance, was a brother of the Three Streams Monastery. He was a champion-at-arms, there, and he'd won several tournaments before the order disbanded. While he still carries the sacred tattoos, and the bloody knuckles of his trade, now he's a fighter for the Hatchetmen, defending the gang's claims in the southern part of the city. While someone might be able to identify him from his style, or from his body art, it would be hard to believe someone in such a noble position would fall into a den of thieves.

How Does Your Secret Affect Your Story?

The fun of playing a character with a former life is that there's a secret kept between you and the DM (and possibly another player, if your PCs have ties in the old days). However, unless that secret is going to come out in a meaningful way at some point, you won't get as much punch out of this idea as you otherwise might. So, before you go this route, sit down with your DM and lay out who are are, who you were, and what effects you can expect to get away with as a result of your story.

"We need access to restricted medical resources." All right, give me a sec to make a call...

As a for-instance, say you're playing a paladin. Just your standard, lawful-good, boring old paladin. But what if the character was born and raised in a death cult to be the exact opposite of that, and it was only through accepting an atonement spell that he became what he is? Cool story, bro, but what does that have to do with this adventure? Well, nothing if you're just fighting dragons and trying to save a town from kobolds. But if that death cult is the campaign's primary enemy, or the paladin has a reward out for the deeds he committed under his old name, then those factors could influence the game. Whether it's using his former identity as a way to sneak into a stronghold, or having to deal with bounty hunters coming after the party for being associated with such a stone-cold killer, it adds flavor to the ongoing story.

Whether you're a war criminal who's one wrong recognition away from the gallows, or a princess who could get the party out of hot water, it's important that your story has some bearing on the campaign. Otherwise your big reveal will leave people going, "Okay... what was that all about?"

If you like this idea, I'd also recommend checking out The 1st Level Badass. Or, if you'd like to see a story of this concept in action, go take a look at The Ballad of Baldric Brimstone, starting with Don't Ever Field A One-Eyed Dragon.

That's all for this week's Fluff installment. I hope it got some wheels turning regarding new character concepts! If you'd like to see some more work from yours truly, head over to my Vocal archive, or take a look at the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I get together with fellow gamers to make videos about DM tips, player strategy, and fun stuff in the world of Evora. To stay on top of all my releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And, if you'd like to support Improved Initiative, then please head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, or just Buy Me A Ko-Fi! It's much appreciated, and there's some thank you swag in it for you, as well.