If you flee from combat the opponents will be healed when you return, but the dead ones still dead. Opponents can not act on your turn; you can answer the phone, go make a sandwich, etc, while thinking about your next move. Nearby allies can not act on your turn, either, unless they have not been pulled into combat (NPC patrolling or behind a closed gate blocking line of sight, player character sneaking or invisible).
The number of ability points required to learn a level of an ability goes up as the level increases. For level 1 you need 1 point, level 2 needs 2 points, etc. If you have an ability from a talent, trait or equipment bonus, that is not considered; for example, Jahan starts with the Scientist talent, giving a level of Blacksmithing and Crafting, so learning level 2 of either would take 1 point, level 3 would be 2 points, etc.
At higher levels you start to get more ability points per level, and you do not need to use the points right away.
