Welcome to Nethergate! If you need help getting started, run the “Nethergate Docs” program in the Nethergate folder and read the “Beginner’s Tutorial” chapter. For now, you should find equipment and talk to commander Vibius.
Move around by clicking on the terrain or by using the keypad (usually much easier). If Nethergate is too hard or too slow, you can adjust the speed and difficulty using the Preferences Window (select Preferences in the File menu).
Welcome to Nethergate! If you need help getting started, run the “Nethergate Docs” program in the Nethergate folder and read the “Beginner’s Tutorial” chapter. For now, you should find equipment and talk to Cormac the druid.
Move around by clicking on the terrain or by using the keypad (usually much easier). If Nethergate is too hard or too slow, you can adjust the speed and difficulty using the Preferences Window (select Preferences in the File menu).
Everyone responds to 'Look', 'Name', and 'Job' (use the buttons at the bottom). To ask about something else, click on the lit up words (click on 'Demon' to ask about demons). Certain people respond to 'Buy' and 'Sell', which puts you in shopping mode.
Shortcuts: To get the previous response, press the Back button (or hit space). To ask about something special, use the Ask About button. Select Record to write notes in your journal, and select Bye (or type Escape) to stop talking.
Click on the name of the spell you want to cast. Then, if it's a spell cast on a party member, click on that character’s portrait. If it’s a harmful spell, click on the target.
Shortcut: Typing the letter by the spell name picks a spell. To change the caster, click on the new caster’s portrait. The number after the spell name is the casting cost. Finally, typing capital ‘C’ has a character cast the same spell he/she last cast.
Now you can view and edit your character’s skills. Click on the name of the skill you want to change (a description of the skill will then appear to the upper right) and press the Up or Down arrows to change the skill.
Use the lower right section to add or lose character Advantages and Disadvantages. There, you can also see which spells and recipes you know and what special items you have. Select Done when you’re finished.
This is the Character Info screen, where you can see your characters’ statistics and do training. You can train and increase your skills in the training buildings in Shadow Valley Fort or Nethergate.
To see the special items, spells, recipes, etc. that you have, use the options to the lower right. Click on something to see it described in the upper right. When you’re finished, select Done.
Sometimes, outdoors or in stores, you will find herbs to make potions, using recipes you buy from sages in town. To make a potion, select an active PC by clicking on his/her name or typing '1'-'6', and press the potion making button.
Click on the name of the potion you want to make. The character needs a high enough Potion Making skill and the right ingredient. For a full description of all potions, go to the Character Info screen and select the different recipes.
Before you begin the game, you can edit your adventurers. You start with four pre-fabricated characters. To customize them, select Edit Statistics to get to the Character Info screen. When you’re ready to play, press Done.
Your Health and War Circle skills can only be as high as your Druidism skill. Beast Circle can only be as high as War Circle, Craft Circle can only be as high as Health Circle, and Spirit Circle can only be as high as Beast or Craft Circle.
You don't have enough skill points left to buy this skill. The number of skill pts. to buy a level of a skill is the number in the Cost column. When you kill enough monsters, you start to gain skill points.
Here, you can spend your hard earned cash on miscellaneous goodies. To select a character to do the buying, click on the character's portrait (or type '1' - '6'). Click on the name of an item or type 'a'-'g' to buy something.
To get info on an item (if available) click on the little 'I' button in the item's entry. Finally, when you’re through shopping, type Escape or press the Done button.
One of your characters has just become diseased. This slowly and gradually causes a wide variety of damaging effects. Healers and certain spells (like Recovery) can cure disease, and it slowly fades over time.
One of your characters has just been magically put to sleep. He/she will eventually wake up, and an Alertness spell can hasten the process.
One of your characters has just been covered with webs. This will slow the character down in combat and make his/her fighting much less effective. To clean off the webs, pause repeatedly (press the Wait button).
One of your characters has just been paralyzed. He/she will not be able to move for quite some time. This can be cured by the spell Unshackle Mind or by going to a healer. This is a pretty nasty effect.
One of your characters has just been poisoned. This character will take damage every few moves until the poison wears off. Several spells (like Purge Venom) cure poison.
One of your characters has just been blessed or cursed. This affects how often he or she hits in combat and how much damage the blows do. The effects fade away gradually with time.
One of your characters has just been slowed/hasted. A slowed character loses one out of every two turns in combat. A hasted character gets twice the action points in combat. Both effects wear off fairly quickly.
From here, you can select which nearby items to pick up. Click an item (or type 'a'-'r') to pick it up. To have someone else pick stuff up, click their character portrait (or type '1'-'6').
If no hostile monsters are near, you can pick up everything nearby. Otherwise, you can only grab items in adjacent spaces. Some items are not yours (they’re marked with ‘NY’) ... taking them may anger the townspeople.
Each character can only carry so many pounds worth of stuff, and you are trying to pick up too much. Increasing a character's strength increases the amount of weight you can carry.
Wearing any sort of armor, shield, helm, gloves, or boots which encumber you interferes with spell casting. They prevent casting of spells not in the Health or War Circles.
One of your characters just learned a new magical spell. Before you can cast it, however, you need to get enough spell points and a high enough skill in this spell circle.
This person has looked over your items and maybe offered to buy some of them. Click on the 'Sell' button to sell it, for the amount to the right of the button. Some people only try to buy certain sorts of items.
Merchants will only buy items that have been identified. If you want to sell something, you may need to find a sage to identify it (such as Quintus in Shadow Valley Fort or Morgan in Shadowvale).
This character will, for a fee, identify some of your items whose natures are, as yet, unknown to you. Click on the 'ID' button by the item to get it identified.
You have just opened a door. To open any door, walk into it. Some walls have secret doors in them. To search a wall for secret doors, walk into it. Many special things are hidden in the dungeons.
You have just entered combat mode! To equip a weapon (to use it in combat), click on it. Everyone will now move one at a time, faster people first. To attack a bad guy, walk into it. For more information on combat mechanics, type '?'.
If you’re a Celt, early in the game, you may need to rely heavily on magic (make sure to have a character with War Circle skill of 3). Your melee people won't be strong for a while. Hit the 'End' button to leave combat.
One of your characters has just been shielded or weakened. This affects how often he or she gets hit in combat and how much damage enemy blows do. The effects fade away gradually with time.
One of your characters has just been charmed. He/she will start to fight you. This can be cured by the spell Unshackle Mind or by waiting for a little while. This can be pretty nasty.
One of your characters has just been sprayed with acid. He/she will take a decreasing amount of damage every turn until the acid wears off.
You have just made this town angry at you, by stealing something or damaging a friendly person with a weapon or a damaging spell. You can still finish the game, but it may be harder now.
You have just reached a special encounter. Some special encounters are activated by stepping on them and others by searching the right spot (to search, stand next to a spot and look at it). Special stuff can be hidden in all terrain types.
At the Preferences window, you can select options to speed up the game, change how the game window is positioned, turn the sound on and off, and make the game easier or harder.
You are now creating a new character, which starts with the same skills as the default character you started with. You can then edit its skills and traits. Later, use the Options menu to set the character’s name and graphic.
You've just written what this person just said down in your talking journal. To review it later, select See Adventure Notes from the Options menu.
You've just written what this special encounter says down in your adventure journal. To review it later, select See Adventure Notes from the Options menu.
One of your characters has just been cursed. That character will function worse in combat, be hit more easily, and take more damage from blows for a while. Curses wear off fairly quickly.
This command brings up a map of the area you're in. Generally, maps of dungeons and the outdoors will be remembered. However, if a town undergoes some sort of major change, you'll lose your map for that town.
You have just lost some health. Your health is a measure of how much punishment you can take before dying - the more the better. Whenever you get hit, you lose some health. Taking damage when your health is down to 0 will kill you.
Your spell points are what you expend to cast spells. Each spell drains away some of your spell points. Time and rest restore them. When creating a character, you get 3 bonus spell points for every level of Mage and Priest Spells skill you buy.
Some sorts of doors are much harder to open. For example, closed gates need to be opened by finding their controls. Other doors are immune to lockpicks or magic spells and can only be opened with keys.
This door is locked. You can either try to pick the lock (this uses Tool Use skill, and you need lockpicks) or bash it down (which can damage you). You can also try the spell Pass Portal, when you learn it.
This door is locked. You can either try to pick the lock (this uses Tool Use skill and lockpicks, and is difficult for Celts) or bash it down (which can damage you). You can also try the Craft Circle spell Pass Portal.
One of your characters is now temporarily invulnerable. For a short time, he or she will be immune to all damage.
One of your characters is now temporarily magic resistant. The effects of magical damage, charming, paralysis, and other similar effects will be reduced.
One of your characters is now temporarily berserk. This character will be more effective in combat, but your foes will have an easier time attacking him/her.
One of your characters has just gained a skill point. These can be traded in for higher skills at the trainer’s building, back at Shadow Valley Fort (in the northwest corner).
One of your characters has just gained a skill point. These can be traded in for higher skills at the trainer’s hut, back at Nethergate (just east of your hut).
Oops. One of your characters has just died. You can get this character brought back to life by a healer (such as Mugain in Nethergate). Or, you can go back to an old save file. Or, you can delete this character and create a new one.
Oops. One of your characters has just died. You can get this character brought back to life by a healer (there’s one in the swamp south of the Crone Caverns). Or, you can go back to an old save file. Or, you can delete this character and make a new one.
