Step 4: End the Encounter

When your foes are defeated, some sort of truce is reached, or some other event or circumstance ends the combat, then the encounter is over. You and the other participants no longer follow the initiative order and a more free-form style of play resumes, with the game typically moving into exploration mode. Sometimes, at the end of an encounter, the GM will award character points to the party or you’ll find treasure to divvy up.