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Hello

I started my first BW campaign just before Christmas, and we've had enjoyable evenings with this somewhat complicated but very appropriate system. During the course of play we have run into two little things we can't seem to understand:

First, if you have to take an open test using a skill you don't possess, what happens?
The situation was a Duel of Wits where one player used the Dismiss action but had no DoW-related skills. I ruled that every two successes on Will counted as one success, is this right? I could not find it in the rules.

Second, there was a situation where a character armed only with a knife and with power 3 attacked a Hesitating opponent. He attacked four times, but no matter how many successes he got it seemed he could not do more than 5 points of damage (a superficial wound). Is this correct? Is it utterly impossible for a weak guy with a knife to kill someone without spending several minutes doing it?

QuoteI ruled that every two successes on Will counted as one success, is this right? I could not find it in the rules.

Sounds about right.

QuoteSecond, there was a situation where a character armed only with a knife and with power 3 attacked a Hesitating opponent. He attacked four times, but no matter how many successes he got it seemed he could not do more than 5 points of damage (a superficial wound). Is this correct? Is it utterly impossible for a weak guy with a knife to kill someone without spending several minutes doing it?

In a straight up fight, yes. The guy just isn't good enough to kill outright in a fair fight. A guy that is hesitating isn't outright helpless, he is just not reacting beyond pure instinct. So he isn't just standing there.
And the other guy may be hitting and hitting (up to twice a volley, or higher with grey reflexes). Chalking up those superficial wounds until eventually the opponent looses a die (three sup wounds), fails the subsequent steel test, hesitates some more, gets more sups, finally gets enough wound penalty that one of his stats falls to zero and is incapacitated. Then he is ready for a slit throat.
But why would he just stand there and take all that abuse?
Run screaming or fall prone and beg for mercy are both worthy options.

Go over to www.burningwheel.org (http://www.burningwheel.org/) and join the family.

K