Encounter Mode
Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Second Edition), page 468
When every individual action counts, you enter the encounter mode of play. In this mode, time is divided into rounds, each of which is 6 seconds of time in the game world. Every round, each participant takes a turn in an established order. During your turn, you can use actions, and depending on the details of the encounter, you might have the opportunity to use reactions and free actions on your own turn and on others’ turns.
Activities in Encounters
Activities that take longer than a turn can’t normally be performed during an encounter. Spells with a casting time of 1 minute or more are a common example of this, as are several skill actions. When you commit to an activity during your turn in an encounter, you commit to spending all of the actions it requires. If the activity gets interrupted partway through, you lose all of the actions you would have spent on that activity. Activities are described in full on page 461.
In this section
- Structure An encounter is played out in a series of rounds, during which the player characters, adversaries, and other participants in the encounter act in sequence.
- Turns When it’s your turn to act, you can use single actions (◆), short activities (◆◆ and ◆◆◆), reactions (↩), and free actions (◇).
- Basic Actions Basic actions represent common tasks like moving around, attacking, and helping others.
- Reactions in Encounters Your reactions let you respond immediately to what’s happening around you. The GM determines whether you can use reactions before your first turn begins, depending on the situation in which the encounter happens.
- Movement in Encounters Your movement during encounter mode depends on the actions and other abilities you use. Whether you Stride, Step, Swim, or Climb, the maximum distance you can move is based on your Speed.
- Special Battles Sometimes fights occur while the characters are atop mounts or when the PCs take to the sky or seas.