Overview#
The Limited Lives Mod is designed for players who find standard survival too easy but Hardcore mode too punishing. It introduces a 'middle-ground' difficulty where players have a set number of lives. Unlike other mods that simply count deaths, Limited Lives visually and mechanically punishes the player by shrinking their health bar. Every time you die, a portion of your permanent health is stripped away. Once you reach the limit, the consequences are permanent, making every decision in the world critical for long-term survival.
Core Mechanics#
The mod operates on a simple but brutal principle: Every Mistake Is Permanent.
The Life System
Players start with a configurable number of lives (default is typically 10). Unlike traditional lives which are just a counter, these lives are tied directly to your Maximum HP.
- Health Attrition: By default, every death results in the loss of half a heart (1 HP) from your permanent health bar.
- Visual Feedback: As you die more frequently, your health bar physically shortens on the HUD, leaving you with fewer hearts to survive the next encounter.
- The Final Death: When a player loses all their hearts or reaches the death threshold defined in the config, they are hit with the 'Final Death' penalty.
Death Penalties#
When a player runs out of lives, the mod triggers a specific consequence based on the server or world configuration. There are two primary modes of punishment:
| Penalty Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Spectator Mode | The player is permanently switched to Spectator Mode. They can still fly around and view the world but can no longer interact with blocks, mobs, or players. |
| Server Ban | The player is kicked and banned from the server. This can be configured as a permanent ban or a timed ban (e.g., 24 hours) to simulate a 'respawn timer'. |
Commands#
The mod provides several commands for players to check their status and for administrators to manage the life system. The base command is /ll or /limitedlives.
| Command | Description | Permission |
|---|---|---|
/ll |
Displays your current remaining lives and health status in chat. | All Players |
/ll check [player] |
Checks the life count of a specific player. | All Players |
/ll set <player> <amount> |
Sets a specific player's death count to the designated number. | Admin |
/ll add <player> <amount> |
Adds a specific number of deaths to a player's total. | Admin |
/ll remove <player> <amount> |
Removes deaths from a player (effectively giving them lives back). | Admin |
Configuration#
The mod is highly customizable via the limitedlives-common.toml (Forge/NeoForge) or config.json (Fabric) file. Server owners can fine-tune the difficulty to suit their community.
Key Configuration Options
startingLives: The number of lives a player has when they first join the world.healthLossPerDeath: The amount of max health (in half-hearts) lost upon death. Setting this to 2 would remove a full heart per death.punishmentType: Choose betweenSPECTATOR,BAN, orKICK.banDuration: If punishment is set to ban, this defines the length of the ban in minutes (set to -1 for permanent).minimumHealth: The floor for health loss. Prevents players from dropping below a certain number of hearts (e.g., 1 heart) if you don't want them to be fully eliminated.
Items and Crafting#
In its base version, the Limited Lives mod does not add new items, focusing entirely on the health-reduction mechanic. However, it is frequently paired with other mods or data packs that introduce 'Life Crystals' or 'Artificial Souls' to allow players to regain lost health through expensive crafting.
Common Community Recipe for Life Restoration:
- Center: Nether Star
- Corners: Enchanted Golden Apples
- Sides: Netherite Ingots
Note: Check your specific modpack's 'JEI' (Just Enough Items) menu to see if a life-recovery item has been added by the pack creator.
Installation Requirements#
To ensure the mod functions correctly, the following dependencies are required based on your chosen loader:
- Fabric: Requires the Fabric API to be installed alongside the mod.
- Compatibility: The mod is compatible with most major content mods (Alex's Mobs, Create, etc.) as it only modifies the player's health attribute.
