The common soldier of the Imperium. Lasguns, grenades, bayonets, cover, suppression, squad tactics, and surviving battles that should have killed you before the first order was given.
The line breaks. You don’t.
The Guardsman is the mortal backbone of Bolt & Blade: a soldier with a lasgun, a flak vest, battlefield discipline, and an unreasonable talent for surviving things that should have killed them.
A Guardsman is not the strongest warrior in the room. They are the one who knows where the cover is, when to move, when to suppress, when to hold, and how to make the squad survive six more seconds.
The class fantasy is simple:
A Guardsman survives through discipline, cover, massed fire, Orders, grit, and Fate.
The Guardsman should not play like a generic weapon user. The class should care about the battlefield. A Guardsman should create moments like:
Orders are the Guardsman's signature class mechanic.
An Order is a trained battlefield command, drilled response, or moment of tactical clarity. A Guardsman may issue an Order to themselves or to a friendly character who can see or hear them.
Orders are not minor tricks. They are special. They represent the Guardsman turning chaos into survival.
Orders are special. Guardsmen do not gain a new Order every level.
| Guardsman Level | Orders Known |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 9 | 5 |
| 13 | 6 |
| 17 | 7 |
This progression is a working draft. Orders should remain meaningful, not become a bloated list of minor abilities.
Target: Self or one friendly character within 30 feet who can see or hear you.
The target may immediately move up to half their Movement. If this movement takes them from cover to cover, Reactive Fire against them has Disadvantage.
The order is not courage. It is timing.
Target: Self or one friendly character within 30 feet who can see or hear you.
The target gains the benefits of Take Cover without spending an Action, if suitable cover is within 5 feet.
Survival begins with humility and a wall.
Target: Self or one friendly character within 30 feet who can see or hear you.
The target's next ranged attack before the end of their turn may be used to suppress a target or area. If the weapon already uses Suppression, the first target affected by that suppression has Disadvantage on its save.
Make them keep their heads down. Then move.
Target: Self or one friendly character within 30 feet who can see or hear you.
The target gains Advantage on their next Willpower Save against fear, being Pinned, forced movement, or morale-breaking effects.
The line is imaginary until someone dies for it.
Target: One visible enemy.
Choose one visible enemy. The next attack made against that enemy by the ordered target gains +2 to hit.
Point at the biggest problem. Make it smaller.
Target: Self or one friendly character within 30 feet who can see or hear you.
The target gains Advantage on their next melee attack against an enemy within reach, or may draw a melee weapon and prepare for a charge without using an Action.
When the gunfire stops, the teeth begin.
Target: Self or one friendly character within 30 feet who can see or hear you.
The target may immediately Reload one weapon for free — no Bonus Action — if they have ammunition available.
Count the shells later. Survive now.
Guardsman progression uses Doctrine Trees.
Doctrine Trees replace the idea of a locked subclass plus scattered feature choices. A Guardsman does not choose a subclass and then receive a random pile of features. Instead, they earn Doctrine Points and spend them across Guardsman Doctrine Trees.
A player may specialize deeply in one tree or spread points across several to become more flexible.
Doctrine Trees represent the kind of war the Guardsman has survived.
Each rank costs 1 Doctrine Point and requires the previous rank in that tree unless future rules say otherwise.
Guardsmen gain 1 Doctrine Point at every even level.
| Guardsman Level | Doctrine Points Gained |
|---|---|
| 2 | +1 |
| 4 | +1 |
| 6 | +1 |
| 8 | +1 |
| 10 | +1 |
| 12 | +1 |
| 14 | +1 |
| 16 | +1 |
| 18 | +1 |
| 20 | +1 |
This progression is a working draft. Final class balance may adjust when all classes are built.
When you benefit from Light or Heavy Cover, ranged attacks against you cannot treat you as Exposed unless you are flanked.
When using a Recharge weapon, if you did not move this turn, gain +1 to ranged attack rolls.
When you Take Cover, you may also reload, ready a grenade, or issue a brief warning without using an extra Action.
Once per safe rest, when you would be reduced to 0 Vitality while in cover, you drop to 1 Vitality instead.
Allies adjacent to you or in the same cover position gain +1 Defense against ranged attacks.
The battlefield asks who will run. You answer with sandbags.