How Effects Work

damage{amount=6}   +onHurt   @trigger
└─ mechanic ───┘   └trigger┘ └targeter┘

• Mechanic: what happens. See All Mechanics.
• Trigger: when, prefixed +. Optional; a line with no trigger runs when the mob spawns. See Triggers.
• Targeter: to whom, prefixed @. Optional; a line with no targeter acts on the mob itself. See Targeters.

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Where lines go

toast:
  base: zombie
  model: toast
  effects:
  - narrate "&7Sir Toast greets you!" +onInteract @trigger
  - damage{amount=2}                  +onHurt     @trigger
  - lightning                         +onDeath    @self

  effects:
  - skill{s=smash} +onHurt @trigger
  smash:
  - lunge{velocity=1.6}
  - delay 0.5s
  - damage{amount=10} @playersRadius[4]

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Writing a mechanic

• Options go in braces right after the name, no space: potion{type=poison;duration=5s;level=1}.
• Names, aliases and option keys are case-insensitive. Damage{A=5} is damage{amount=5}.
• Message mechanics take a quoted string: narrate "hi" is narrate{message=hi}.
• Durations take units: 40t (ticks), 2s, 1.5m, 500ms. A bare number in an effect line is ticks.
• Colours use & codes: &6Golden.
• Numbers can be placeholders, ranges and maths: damage{a=<caster.level>*2}, summon{amount=1to3}.
• Every mechanic also takes the line options: delay, repeat, cooldown, chance and the rest, plus inline ?conditions.

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The rules worth knowing

• Changes reach new mobs. /le reload, then spawn a fresh one. Mobs already in the world keep what they were spawned with.
• A target list can be empty. A line whose targeter finds nobody does nothing, which is normal: +onDeath @trigger after fall damage has no killer.
• Player-only mechanics skip everyone else. narrate @entitiesInRadius{r=10} reaches only the players among them.
• One # trap. Effect lines are quoted when they load so that the old #onHurt triggers keep working, which means a trailing # comment on an effect line is part of the line. Put comments on their own line.

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When a line doesn’t work

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Where to go next

• My First Effect walks through the basics on a real mob.
• Building a Boss puts the pieces together into a two-phase fight.