The raging storm howls and a bolt of lightning splits the ground in front of the adventurers. Souls lost to the sea manifest amid the fervor of the fishing competition for another chance at the perfect catch. The battlefield itself can be as active a participant in Turn-Based Action as the characters are, and its actions can have serious consequences for everyone involved.

The initiative step sets the order of everyone's turn throughout the encounter. Each participant makes an ability check to determine their place in the initiative count, from the highest check total to the lowest. This ability check is typically Dexterity. The Narrator might determine that one or more participants should instead roll a different ability check, potentially utilizing a relevant skill or tool (see Table: Types of Initiative). In the event of a tie, the tied participants each roll a d20 to determine the order amongst themselves (the highest roll goes first.)

All engagements using Turn-Based Action consist of two phases: set-up and initiative rounds. The set-up phase establishes the status and order of the participants and the amount of time each round takes in the game world, and initiative rounds are where the participants take their turns round after round until one side is victorious.