Gameplay
The player, controlling a small party of characters, is generally allowed to explore the world as they wish, but only certain locations are accessible in each chapter. Compared to Betrayal at Krondor, Betrayal in Antara is more linear and restricted in where the player can travel. Plot is usually advanced through literary cutscenes. Each chapter begins and ends with a cutscene, consisting of text, spoken dialogue, and illustrations.
Most gameplay happens in the first-person 3D view of the game world. Aside from the overworld, there are also dungeons and caves to explore. There is also a 2D overhead map view, where the player is represented by a circular arrow marker. The map view is stationary while the player marker moves around; when the player reaches the edge of one map section, the next is loaded. The player also has the option to automatically mark shops, inns, temples, NPCs, chests, and other objects on the overhead map. During travel, the player may encounter enemies, at which point the game enters a separate combat screen, which is viewed in the third person. The player also may meet various NPCs throughout their travels. Dialogue is text-based with speech, and some NPCs have their own portraits as well. Conversation is tree-based. This is often used to get information, training, and items from NPCs. The game also includes a recall tool so that conversations with certain important NPCs can be played back later in the game.
Just like Betrayal at Krondor, combat is turn-based and takes place on a hexagonal grid. During their turn a character has multiple options, including but not limited to moving, attacking, casting a spell, and resting to regain stamina, which is used when a character attacks or is attacked. Once stamina is depleted, health is used and as it decreases, the character's skills (such as weapon accuracy and defense) are negatively affected. Characters have different melee options trading damage for accuracy. A fighter equipped with a bow or a magician with spells can attack from a distance.
Characters can acquire various status effects. Characters whose health drops to zero in combat are knocked out and acquire "Near Death" status, making them heal very slowly and extremely ineffective in combat; if wounds are properly cared for (using herbal packs or senwater), they will heal faster. Improved rate of healing is handled as a status effect, as are poisoning, drunkenness, and fatigue. If the entire party is near death, the game will end.
Each character has a set of skills. Skills are generally improved by using them. For example, fixing weapons will improve the Repair skill, which in turn will make the character more effective at fixing weapons in the future. Skills include defense, archery, mêlée weapon accuracy, spellcasting accuracy, enemy assessment during combat, weapon and armor repair, haggling, lockpicking, scouting for enemy ambushes, and stealth. Skills can be emphasized, causing them to improve faster. There are items which can improve skills both permanently (such as books) or temporarily (such as blood of Kor for melee accuracy or razorcup nectar for archery).
Spells are organized into six groups, grouped by magic symbol. Five groups of spells are combat spells and one group is non-combat spells. Spells first drain the caster's stamina and then health. Some spells have variable strength; the player can choose how much energy the spell consumes. Some combat spells also require that the target being within line of sight of or adjacent to the caster. Magic is learned from books that are sold in shops or found in various locations throughout the world. Aren can select up to five types of magic to research, which automatically occurs when resting. As Aren's skills within the various magical disciplines increases, he gains access to more spells.
Just as Betrayal at Krondor had moredhel wordlock chests, Betrayal in Antara has lever chests and beadlock chests. Lever chests have combination locks with letters and a riddle whose answer will open the chest if spelled out. However, unlike Betrayal at Krondor, in which the riddles were usually unrelated to Midkemia, many of the riddles in Betrayal in Antara require knowledge about the inhabitants, politics, creatures, etc. of Ramar. Beadlock chests have a puzzle in which the player is given a set of colored beads and exchange formulas and must obtain a certain combination of colored beads.
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