Starting Out

After you launch Nethergate, you will see the starting screen, from which your adventures begin. Select from the following:

New Game: Start a new game. You will select a side (Romans or Celts) and be given a band of four pre-generated characters. After you edit them, your adventure will begin. Read the next chapter to find out more about creating a party.
Load Game: Once you’ve started and saved a game, press this button to load it and continue your adventure. How convenient!
How To Order: Nethergate is distributed as shareware. You can play the first quarter of the game for free. Select this to find out how to pay and play the entire game.
Character Editor: Stuck? Too weak to continue? Want a few powerful, blessed items? Press this button. Read the chapter on the Character Editor to find out about your options.
Quit: Farewell! Please stop by again someday!

Creating Your Characters

After selecting New Game on the title screen, you will be asked whether you want to play as the Romans or the Celts. The two sides have different abilities and are sent out on very different adventures. Romans are much more skilled with weaponry, and they can use armor. The Celts are weaker fighters, but they have more access to the magic of Shadowvale.

Select which side you want to play (by clicking on the Roman or the Celt) and then press the Done button. You will be looking at the Creating Your Party screen.

The Party Creation Screen

Nethergate will automatically and helpfully provide you with a party of four pre-generated characters, balanced to give you a good starting group. Each has a name, portrait, and a little bit of text telling you about him or her. To customize your party, select from the following options:

Edit Statistics - This brings you to the all-important Character Info screen, where you can edit your skills, see the spells you know, and add and remove traits (advantages and disadvantages).

To learn more about your skills and about the traits you can possess, read the next chapter: About Your Characters. To change your skills, click on the name of the skill. An up and down arrow will appear to the right. Use these arrows to adjust the skills up and down. The list of traits you can own is to the lower right. To add or remove a trait, click on the button to its right. To find out more about the things you can do here, read the chapter on the Character Info Screen.

Your character can start automatically knowing some spells. In any of the 5 spell circles, your character will start out knowing as many spells as his/her initial skill in that spell circle. For example, if you start out with a War Circle skill of 5, you will know the first 5 spells in the War Circle.
Change Name, Change Graphic - These customize the appearance and name of your character.
Delete - If you would like to start out with fewer than 4 characters or if you don’t like the changes you’ve made and would like to start over, press Delete to consign this warrior to the eternal void.
Create Character - This option appears after you Delete a character. Select this to refill the slot with the basic prefabricated character.

When you’re first starting out, it’s often a better idea to just start with the pre-generated characters. As you play more of Nethergate, you will learn what the skills do and which ones are more useful to you, and you can start over and mess around with your party to your heart’s content.

About Your Characters 

To you, your characters can be living, breathing things, creatures of subtlety and complexity.

To Nethergate, your characters are a bunch of numbers. These numbers are called Statistics, and they determine how skilled you are with weapons and spells, and how capable you are when dealing with the various threats and challenges in Shadowvale.

As time goes on and you complete adventures, you will earn experience points. The harder the task you complete or the more powerful the creature you kill, the more experience you will earn. For every 15 experience you earn (roughly), you will earn a skill point. Skill points are the currency you use to buy higher levels of your skills. The higher your skills, the tougher you are, and the greater the challenges you will be able to meet.

Romans and Celts have access to different skills, and the skills will have different costs for the two sides. For example, weaponry skills are generally cheaper for Romans. Certain skills (like Roman Training) are only available to one side, although the other side might be able to learn them under certain very special circumstances.

The skills in Nethergate are listed below. Each skill has an abbreviation (Strength is STR, for example), a base level (what it starts out at), a base cost for Romans, and a base cost for Celts. If the cost for one side is given as X, that side can’t normally train in that skill (such as Roman Training for Celts).

The cost in skill points to increase a skill by one is the base cost, plus half the current level of the skill. The more you buy of a skill, the more expensive it is to increase it further. For example, suppose Publius has a Strength of 8. The base cost in skill points to increase strength is 6. Thus, it will cost Publius 10 skill points (the base cost of 6 plus half of 8) to buy another level of Strength. That’s a lot.

Your Skills:

Base Skills:

Strength (STR, Base level: 2, Roman cost: 6, Celt Cost: 6) - How muscular you are. Influences how much you can carry and how much damage your blows do in combat.
Dexterity (DEX, Base level: 2, Roman cost: 6, Celt Cost: 6) - How fast you are on your feet. Helps you act sooner in combat, hit more often with melee and missile weapons and be less likely to be hit by foes.
Intelligence (INT, Base level: 1, Roman cost: 6, Celt Cost: 6) - How good you are at thinking things out and solving problems. The higher your intelligence is, the more powerful your spells will be.
Endurance (END, Base level: 3, Roman cost: 5, Celt Cost: 5) - Measures how hardy you are. The more endurance you have, the more health you’ll have, and the less poison and other such afflictions will affect you.

Weaponry Skills:

Melee Weapons (MW, Base level: (STR + DEX) / 4, Roman cost: 1, Celt Cost: 1) - Your base chance of hitting with a melee weapon (e.g. sword, axe, mace) in combat is %30 + %5 for each level of Melee Weapons skill you have.
Spears (SP, Base level: (STR + DEX) / 4, Roman cost: 1, Celt Cost: 1) - Your base chance of hitting with a spear in combat is %30 + %5 for each level of Spear skill you have.
Javelins (JAV, Base level: DEX / 3, Roman cost: 1, Celt Cost: 3) - Your base chance of hitting with a thrown javelin is %40 + %5 for each level of Javelin skill you have.
Slings (SLI, Base level: DEX / 3, Roman cost: 3, Celt Cost: 1) - Your base chance of hitting with a sling stone is %30 + %5 for each level of Sling skill.
Armor Use (ARM, Base level: DEX / 4, Roman cost: 1, Celt Cost: 3) - Using armor, heavy shields, and bulky clothing reduces your chance of hitting in combat. Each level of Armor Use skill reduces this penalty by %5. As Celts can’t wear body armor, this skill isn’t as useful for them.
Berserker (BRZ , Base level: 0, Roman cost: X, Celt Cost: 3) - Each level of Berserk gives you an extra %5 chance of hitting in melee and makes your blows do an extra point of damage, but also makes your opponents %5 more likely to hit you.
Hardiness (HRD, Base level: END / 3, Roman cost: 3, Celt Cost: 2) - Hardiness acts like natural armor. Each level of Hardiness has a chance of reducing damage taken from enemy blows by 1.
Defense (DEF, Base level: DEX / 3, Roman cost: 2, Celt Cost: 3) - Defense skill helps you parry away the blows of your enemies. Each level of Defense skill reduces their chance of hitting you in melee by %3.
Roman Training (ROM, Base level: 0, Roman cost: 2, Celt Cost: X) - Roman military training was unmatched at its time. Each level of Roman Training increases your chance of hitting with any weapon by %4.

Druidism Skills:

Druidism (DRU, Base level: INT / 2, Roman cost: 3, Celt Cost: 1) - This is the basic knowledge necessary to cast druid spells. You need to buy some of this skill before you can learn any of the spell circles.
Health Circle (HC, Base level: 0, Roman cost: 3, Celt Cost: 1) - For each level of this skill you can cast one spell from the Health Circle. It can only be as high as your Druidism skill. The more of this skill you have, the more powerful your Health Circle spells will be.
War Circle (WC, Base level: 0, Roman cost: 3, Celt Cost: 1) - For each level of this skill you can cast one spell from the War Circle. It can only be as high as your Druidism skill. The more of this skill you have, the more powerful your War Circle spells will be.
Beast Circle (BC, Base level: 0, Roman cost: X, Celt Cost: 2) - For each level of this skill you can cast one spell from the Beast Circle. It can only be as high as your War Circle skill. The more of this skill you have, the more powerful your Beast Circle spells will be.
Craft Circle (CC, Base level: 0, Roman cost: X, Celt Cost: 2) - For each level of this skill you can cast one spell from the Craft Circle. It can only be as high as your Health Circle skill. The more of this skill you have, the more powerful your Craft Circle spells will be.
Spirit Circle (SC, Base level: 0, Roman cost: X, Celt Cost: 4) - For each level of this skill you can cast one spell from the Spirit Circle. It can only be as high as the lower of your Beast and Craft Circle skills. The more of this skill you have, the more powerful your Spirit Circle spells will be.

Useful Skills:

First Aid (AID, Base level: INT / 4, Roman cost: 1, Celt Cost: 2) - Someone with this skill can use the First Aid skill (in the Actions menu) to heal wounded characters. Beware - if the skill is low you may end up doing harm. You need a First Aid Kit (or similar item) to use this skill properly. The higher this skill is, the more damage will be healed.
Herbcraft (HCR, Base level: INT / 4, Roman cost: 2, Celt Cost: 1) - Determines how knowledgeable you are with herbs and potions. Knowing this helps you find herbs in the wilderness and improves your Potion Making skill. 
Tool Use (TUS, Base level: (INT + DEX) / 4, Roman cost: 1, Celt Cost: X) - How good you are at working with simple mechanical devices. Each level of this skill improves one character's chance of picking locks and disarming traps by %5. Only one character needs to have much of this.
Faerie Lore (FAE, Base level: 0, Roman cost: X, Celt Cost: 4) - How much you know about the working of the faerie realms. Helps with a wide variety of knowledge skills, and may help get you out of trouble in special encounters. If possible, try to have at least 3 or 4 levels of this in your party. The more of this skill you collectively have in your group, the more likely you are to be helped.
Woodscraft (WCR, Base level: 0, Roman cost: 2, Celt Cost: 1) - How much you know about hunting and finding your way through the wilderness. Helps you hunt for food when walking outdoors, and helps in some special encounters. The more of this skill you collectively have in your group, the more likely you are to be helped.
Barter (BTR, Base level: INT / 2, Roman cost: 1, Celt Cost: 1) - How good you are at trading with shopkeepers. The more of this skill you collectively have in your group, the more money you get when selling your items. 
Luck (LCK, Base level: 0, Roman cost: 4, Celt Cost: 4) - This helps you whenever something random happens around you. Which is often. Gives you a small bonus when doing just about anything.

In addition to these skills, there are eight secondary skills. You can’t spend skill points directly on secondary skills. Instead, they depend on the levels of the skills above.

Secondary Skills:

Health (Level: 7 + END + the sum of all weaponry skills) - Probably the most important skill. This determines how much damage you can withstand before you die. Each time you get hit, you lose some health. When your health drops below 0, you die. Read the chapter on Beating People Up for more information.
Spell Energy (Level: INT + the sum of all druidism skills) - How much energy you have to cast magic spells. When you cast a spell, you lose some energy. It comes back slowly with time.
Poison Resistance (Level: END + HRD + LCK) - Helps you resist the effects of poison and disease. Each level of it increases your chance of resisting a poison attack by %5.
Magic Resistance (Level: END + DRU + LCK) - Helps you resist the effects of magical attacks (like energy bolts). Each level of it increases your chance of resisting magic by %5.
Willpower (Level: INT + DRU + LCK + ROM) - Helps you resist the effects of charming and paralysis. Each level of it increases your chance of resisting by %5.
Rune Reading (Level: INT + DRU + FAE) - Helps you understand strange runes and writing you find in your journeys. When you find an interesting scroll, the more Rune Reading skill you collectively have in your party, the better your chances of understanding it.
Item Lore (Level: INT + DRU + TUS + FAE) - Item Lore helps you identify items you find in your travels. If your Item Lore is high enough to identify an item you are holding or trying to get, it will become identified. The more Item Lore skill you collectively have in your party, the better your chances of identifying an item.
Potion Making (Level: HCR + FAE + (AID / 2)) - Used for making potions. For a character to use a recipe, his or her Potion Making skill must be high enough. The higher this skill is, the better your chance of making the potion. You can learn more about potion making in the chapter on Things To Do In Town.

Character Traits:

When creating a character, you can choose traits. Traits come in two flavors: Advantages and Disadvantages. These will help (or hinder) your character’s performance in the adventure to come. Each trait affects how fast your character gains skill points. The more advantages you have, the more slowly you will gain skill points, and vice versa. These are the 15 traits you can choose from (the number in parentheses is the percentage bonus or penalty applied to your experience when you have this trait).

Advantages:

Faerie Blood (-%20 penalty to experience): You were sired on the isle of Britannia, and one of your ancestors was a bit exotic. Because of this, hostile magic has less of an effect on you, and sometimes the faerie folk will treat you more kindly.
Toughness (-%10): One wouldn’t know it to look at you, but you were born with an exceptionally strong constitution. Weapon blows and poison will affect you less.
Nimble Fingers (-%8): You have a natural talent for dealing with those newfangled lock things, and traps are far less of a threat to you.
Recuperation (-%12): When something damages you, you’ll recover more quickly. Your natural rate of healing is increased, and you’ll be more resistant to disease.
Beastmaster (-%10): Animals like you. A lot. In fact, sometimes, when you’re in trouble, you can call animals to aid you. (This is a command in the Actions menu.)
Fast on Feet (-%12): There’s no moss growing on you. You can move more quickly than others. You’ll act sooner in combat, and sometimes you’ll even be able to take extra actions.
Faerie Familiar (-%8): You are lucky enough to have received a blessing in your past. Because of this, you can occasionally call a faerie to aid you. (This is a command in the Actions menu.)
Nature Lore (-%5): The birds and the bushes and all the little animals of the forest are friends to you. You’re more likely to find special things outside.
Highly Alert (-%8): To put it kindly, you’re a bit on the hyper side. Fortunately, because of this, you’re more likely to resist magical sleep and paralysis.
Mighty Warrior (-%20): You’re a natural born fighter. Every weapon is your friend, and every target jumps in the way of your blows. Your chance to hit in combat is much better, and your attacks will do more damage.

Disadvantages:

Cursed at Birth (%20 bonus to experience): You were born under a bad sign. You’ve been down since you began to crawl. If it wasn’t for bad luck, you wouldn’t have no luck at all.
Sluggish (%15):You’re always kind of sleepy. A bit slow on your feet. You’ll always get fewer action points in combat. At least you get more time to smell the flowers.
Frail (%10): You were a sickly child, and the harsh ancient environment hasn’t been easy on you. Disease and poison will have more of an effect on you, and your constant coughing will annoy your friends.
Berserk Rage (%8): You have a hair-trigger temper. In combat, you’re always close to going berserk. When this happens, your attacks will do more damage, but your foes will have a much easier time hitting you.
Rational Mind (%8): The Greeks brought about a more scientific, rational age, and you’ve really bought into it. All of this magic stuff bugs you. You can’t use magical items, and any spell you cast will be very weak.