Three turns can belong to one round
If three creatures are participating and each has just completed its first turn, three turns have occurred within round one. If combat continues, round two begins. Advancing to another participant does not itself complete another round.
The 2024 Basic Rules organise combat into rounds and turns. Each participant takes a turn during a round, which represents about six seconds in the game world. That is fictional time, not a six-second deadline for the player.
A sequence you can recover after a pause
Our example has three participants with an established order and no ties: scout Ilea, a guardian and wizard Oren. We add no creatures or exceptions during this sequence.
| Sequence point | Round | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| Ilea finishes her first turn | 1 | Guardian’s turn |
| Guardian finishes | 1 | Oren’s turn |
| Oren finishes | 1, completed | Ilea in round 2 if combat continues |
If you pause after the guardian, a useful note is “round 1; Oren has not taken his turn yet”. “Two have passed” does not distinguish participants, turns and rounds. Precise wording lets you resume without resolving narrated actions again.
Do not rewrite every duration as “one round”
When an effect specifies the start or end of a particular turn, retain that wording and the creature involved. Do not replace it with “when everyone finishes” merely because you are tracking rounds. This guide separates the counts; resolve each effect from its complete rule and applicable exceptions with your table.
DMGrid supports initiative order and session notes for retaining context. We do not claim that it interprets every duration, applies all 2024 rules or automatically reconstructs events that occurred while it was closed.
Choose for the table you need to run
DMGrid’s facts document a Windows beta for in-person campaigns, with a tactical board, initiative, hit points and local notes. It is not a browser multiplayer room. It is paid software with a perpetual one-device licence. Check terms and the purchase destination on its official site.
Foundry Combat Encounters and Shard Adventuring were consulted on 25 October 2026 as other GM workflows, without transferring their controls or automation to DMGrid. Before your next pause, retain two separate details: current round and next participant.