Modified Burning Wheel Combat Changes

While we greatly enjoyed a large portion of the mechanics in the Burning Wheel system, such as the skills and the Duel of Wits rules, some of the system was simply not conducive to the type of game we wanted to play, with a more high adventure feel. As such, I've decided to modify certain of the mechanics to suit a less hyper-realistic and more combat oriented experience. Suggestions are appreciated, of course, if you see anything that you think needs improvement.

## Healing

For a more combat oriented game, healing takes far too long. As such, we've changed the healing times required to a simple doubling sequence beginning at 1.

  Days for Recovery

Additionally, wound severity can be reduced by successful treatment, which can be applied to a wound once per week.

## Combat

To begin, we've added a new Attribute, which replaces the Actions attribute, called **Initiative**. Initiative is functionally similar to the actions from the core book, but given the new mechanics associated with it, the word "Initiative" seems to capture the essence of what it is used for better. Another change was to use Stride as a baseline for character movement and positioning in combat.

The formula is **MAXIMUM INITIATIVE = Reflex = (Perception + Speed + Agility)/3**, rounded down.
We've moved from a fully simultaneous action system to an active player system with simultaneous elements, meant to be played on a battle mat. The exhaustible but also constantly replenishing Initiative Attribute is used to fuel actions, much as before. Turn order proceeds something like this:

1. Each player restores an amount of Initiative to their Initiative Pool equal to 1/2 their maximum initiative, rounded down.
2. Determine if any player is surprised, shocked or stunned. If so, that player makes a Steel test against an obstacle set by the GM. Any shortfall on the Steel test is deducted from that players Initiative Pool.
3. Determine the active player. Each player rolls the Initiative remaining in their Initiative Pool, and adds one die for each round they have not been the active player. The player with the highest result becomes the active player.
4. The active player may script any number of actions they choose, paying with initiative as each one is scripted.  Scripts are written in terms of an action to be taken and a target.  If a target is not in range when the action is to be taken, the action is wasted, and in certain situations, depending on the die of fate, may even backfire.
5. All inactive players may script actions up to the number the active player has scripted, paying with Initiative as each one is scripted.  The same rules for scripting apply here.
6. The active player resolves their action.  If this, or any action strikes a character and they have a scripted defense, they may substitute that defense action for their next action.  The GM *may* impose a Steel or Reflex test for this substitution if he feels there is a compelling reason to.
7. The inactive player with the highest initiative pool resolves their first reaction, then passes it to the next highest.  Ties go to players with higher reflex, then are resolved by one player yeilding or by rolling reflex as a versus test.  Repeat this step until all players have had opportunity to take action, then repeat step 6.
8. When there are no further non-defensive actions scripted, the turn ends.  Restart from step 1 until combat ends. Actions that require more Initiative than a character possesses may carry over until the next turn without interruption, but they MUST either continue the action immediately or abandon it, and it must be their first action.

Because of the substitution of map based for non-map based combat, the positioning rules no longer made sense, and we had to re-write the general **Damage Dealing Rules** because of this. We've taken the opportunity to rework the **Weapons System** to give it a slightly different feel, replacing Weapon Strength and Versus Armor with two new attributes that function somewhat differently.

* Weapon Power: The damage the weapon will deal on a contact injury. This is to represent the blade of a knife or sword, or the point of a spear - things that do damage when a blow connects, regardless of the force of the blow, but for which contact must be made past any armor.
* Mass: Mass is the damage a weapon will deal on full contact. It is the heft and weight the weapon has behind it. This is added to damage as well, but at a prior stage in damage calculation, to allow for it to help with breaking blocks and armor; however, mass also restricts the number of attacks a character can make with a weapon per turn, and indeed, whether they can even wield it effectively. Per turn, the **MAXIMUM ATTACKS WITH A WEAPON = (Power - Mass) + 1**. If the number is 0, the character may make one attack per turn, at Weapon Skill / (Mass - Power)

**Weapon Length** is still a factor.  We have adjusted from the six categories present in the core rules down to three - Short, Medium and Long, as well as Ranged weapons, of course.

* Short weapons will be able to strike at a range of 1 meter normally.
* Medium weapons will be able to strike at a range of 2 meters normally.  At 1 square, they are at +1 Ob to hit.
* Long weapons will be able to strike at a range of 3 meters normally.  At 2 squares, they are at +1 Ob to hit.  At 1 square, they are at -1 Die to hit.
* Ranged weapons will be able to strike at anything in their normal range down to 4 meters normally.  At 3 meters, they are at +1 Ob to hit.  At 2 meters, they are at -1 Die to hit.  At 1 meter, they are at -2 Die to hit.  At extreme range, they are at -1 Die to hit, with scaling penalties at increasingly extreme range at GM discretion.  Extreme range penalties cannot be offset by aim, as they are a result of mechanical limitations of the weapon.

When an **ATTACK** is made, the following sequence plays out.

1. Attacker rolls his Weapon Skill with any relevant bonuses and / or penalties.  Defender rolls half their reflex, rounded down, plus any bonuses or penalties. If the Attackers successes exceed the Defenders, note the overage and move to damage dealing.  If they do not, the Attacker has missed.
2. Defender chooses where the hit lands. Valid choices are Head (Sensory), Arms (Manipulation), Legs (Mobility), or Torso (Vitals).  Options in parentheses are for creatures which may not have a particular body part, or for vehicles.
3. Attacker may move the hit location by spending the excess successes from the hit phase.  Defender may spend Initiative from their pool, or may Burn their max initiative (permanently lowering it until a short rest has been completed) to counter these movements of the hit location.  Movement costs are as follow: Arms, Legs and Head to Torso, or vice versa, 1 point.  No other movements possible.  Note any remaining successes from the hit phase that attacker has not used.
4. Attacker rolls his Remaining Hit Phase Successes + Power + Weapon Mass against any bonus the defender has from a Block Action, and add that value to his armor.  If Attacker exceeds Defender's result, he deals damage equal to the Margin of Success + Weapon Damage.  If the Attacker decides they do not want this to be a lethal attack, they may roll their Weapon Skill against their damage to attempt to keep it from becoming a deadly blow. Damage is still dealt as detailed in the core book.

Finally, of course, the **ACTIONS** system had to be completely re-written given the other changes to the combat system The new combat actions available are as follow: