A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides, a flurry of weapon swings, feints, parries, footwork, and spellcasting. The game organizes the chaos of combat into a cycle of rounds and turns.

The order of turns is determined at the beginning of a combat encounter, when everyone rolls '''[[#Initiative|initiative]]'''. Once everyone has taken a turn, the fight continues to the next round if neither side has defeated the other.