A character can take one of four actions during combat:
Taps an equipped item to gain energy. Submenu lists all equipped items. If none are equipped, subtle warning message nudging the player to equip something.
Burns energy to use an equipped weapon. Submenu lists all equipped weapons. If none are equipped, use the same warning message as tap. If some are equipped but the character doesn’t meet the energy requirements, highlight this in the submenu item.
Spends a turn to alter a character’s equipment. Submenu for this is tricky as we need to somehow show equipment slots, so that the player can see that equipping one item may unequip the currently equipped item in that slot.
Uses an item from the party inventory. Submenu lists available consumable items. We don’t have room to show all items.
Attempts to flee an encounter. If chosen, the rest of the player turn will be skipped. Some enemies (bosses or narrative critical encounters) cannot be escaped.
Rather than show escape in the main action menu, I think we should pin it to the bottom right oh the HUD with its own unique icon. In boss encounters it will simply not be visible.