NeoOrigins Pack-Builder Cookbook

Working patterns to copy and adapt. Each recipe is a complete power file (or a small set of them). The reference pages hold every field: Power Types, Entity Actions, Conditions and Events.

New to NeoOrigins? Start with Getting started. Debugging a pack? See Test and debug a pack.

Contents:

Passive stats and effects

Passive health boost: +4 max HP 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:attribute_modifier",
  "name": "Tough Skin",
  "description": "+2 hearts maximum health.",
  "attribute": "minecraft:max_health",
  "amount": 4,
  "operation": "add_value"
}

Always has night vision 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:enhanced_vision",
  "name": "Night Adapted",
  "description": "See clearly in the dark."
}

enhanced_vision sets a brightness floor without the intrusive full-white overlay of the vanilla Night Vision effect. It takes no keybind slot; the player’s “Toggle Night Vision” key (K by default) switches it off and on. The codec also accepts an exposure field (0.0-1.0), but the client currently ignores it and applies a fixed floor.

Slow fall from high places 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:persistent_effect",
  "name": "Hollow Bones",
  "description": "Always falls slowly.",
  "effect": "minecraft:slow_falling",
  "amplifier": 0,
  "show_icon": false,
  "toggleable": false
}

persistent_effect applies the effect at infinite duration and re-applies it if it goes missing. Set show_icon: false so the effects HUD doesn’t clutter. Set toggleable: false so the player can’t turn it off.

Heal in water 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:condition_passive",
  "name": "Aquatic Recovery",
  "description": "Regenerates while submerged in water.",
  "condition": { "type": "neoorigins:submerged_in", "fluid": "minecraft:water" },
  "entity_action": { "type": "neoorigins:heal", "amount": 0.5 },
  "interval": 40
}

condition_passive is the workhorse 2.0 type: pair any condition with any action, and it fires every interval ticks when the condition holds. Replaces the old biome_buff, regen_in_fluid, burn_at_health_threshold, and several others.

Moon-blessed armor (condition-gated attribute)

Attribute modifiers accept a condition that edge-triggers at ~5-tick intervals. Pair with the new neoorigins:night condition for “stronger after dark” flavor.

{ "type": "neoorigins:attribute_modifier",
  "attribute": "minecraft:armor",
  "amount": 4.0, "operation": "add_value",
  "condition": { "type": "neoorigins:night" } }

The modifier is applied/removed automatically as daytime flips. Any condition works here: neoorigins:thundering for storm-blessed equipment, neoorigins:climbing for scaling-specific buffs, etc.

Warm near a campfire (near_block condition)

neoorigins:near_block scans a cubic radius for matching blocks and fires when any are found. Accepts any combination of block/blocks/ tag/tags fields with logical OR.

{ "type": "neoorigins:condition_passive",
  "condition": {
    "type": "neoorigins:near_block",
    "tags": ["minecraft:campfires", "#minecraft:fire"],
    "radius": 5
  },
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:apply_effect",
    "effect": "minecraft:fire_resistance",
    "duration": 100, "amplifier": 0
  },
  "interval": 20
}

Radius defaults to 4 and is clamped to 1-16 to keep the scan cheap.

Periodic feed / heal via neoorigins:action_over_time

NeoOrigins’ built-in neoorigins:tick_action ships no behaviour at all: it dispatches nothing. For any periodic action (periodically restore hunger, heal a fixed amount, apply an effect, run an arbitrary entity-action), use neoorigins:action_over_time. It is an alias for neoorigins:condition_passive (identical fields), so an optional condition gates whether the action runs each interval.

Periodic hunger restoration (e.g. for an origin that doesn’t eat conventionally):

{
  "type": "neoorigins:action_over_time",
  "interval": 40,
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:feed",
    "food": 1,
    "saturation": 0.2
  }
}

Periodic healing (independent of food / natural_regen_modifier):

{
  "type": "neoorigins:action_over_time",
  "interval": 60,
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:heal",
    "amount": 0.5
  }
}

interval is in ticks (20 = 1 second). The entity_action runs against the player. An optional condition (any ConditionParser verb, e.g. neoorigins:exposed_to_sun) gates each run. Any verb supported by ActionParser works (neoorigins:apply_effect, neoorigins:damage, neoorigins:execute_command, neoorigins:if_else for conditional wrapping, etc.).

Hazards and weaknesses

Fire weakness: +50% damage from fire 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:modify_damage",
  "name": "Flammable",
  "description": "Takes +50% damage from fire.",
  "direction": "in",
  "damage_type": "#minecraft:is_fire",
  "multiplier": 1.5
}

Tag-based damage filters (#minecraft:is_fire) catch IN_FIRE + ON_FIRE + LAVA + HOT_FLOOR + FIREBALL in one rule. Bare damage_type strings ("lava") match only that specific source.

Lose 1 HP every 2s while in daylight (Vampire pattern) 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:condition_passive",
  "name": "Sun Allergy",
  "description": "Takes damage while exposed to daylight.",
  "condition": { "type": "neoorigins:exposed_to_sun" },
  "entity_action": { "type": "neoorigins:damage", "amount": 1, "source": { "name": "on_fire" } },
  "interval": 40
}

neoorigins:exposed_to_sun is the canonical day-exposure condition: it checks both time-of-day and that the block column above the player lets skylight through.

Diet and food

Carnivore: can only eat meat 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:food_restriction",
  "name": "Carnivore",
  "description": "Can only eat meat.",
  "mode": "whitelist",
  "item_tag": "#minecraft:meat"
}

For finer control, list several tags under item_tag as an array; the player can eat anything in any listed tag. Every entry is read as an item tag (the leading # is optional), so put individual items in a tag of your own rather than listing bare item IDs.

Restricted diet + make non-food items edible (Skeleton pattern)

Combine food_restriction to block normal food with edible_item to make non-food items consumable. The Skeleton origin uses this pattern: only bone meal, rotten flesh, and spider eyes are edible.

Step 1. Restrict to a whitelist tag:

Create the item tag at data/mypack/tags/item/skeleton_foods.json:

{
  "replace": false,
  "values": [
    "minecraft:bone_meal",
    "minecraft:rotten_flesh",
    "minecraft:spider_eye"
  ]
}

Step 2. Block all food except the whitelist:

{
  "type": "neoorigins:food_restriction",
  "mode": "whitelist",
  "item_tag": "mypack:skeleton_foods"
}

Step 3. Make bone meal edible (rotten flesh and spider eye are already vanilla food items, but bone meal is not):

{
  "type": "neoorigins:edible_item",
  "tags": ["mypack:skeleton_bone_meal"],
  "nutrition": 3,
  "saturation": 0.4,
  "always_edible": true
}

With the companion tag at data/mypack/tags/item/skeleton_bone_meal.json:

{ "replace": false, "values": ["minecraft:bone_meal"] }

The origin JSON references both powers: food_restriction blocks normal eating, edible_item grants the bone meal override. The whitelist tag must include every food item the player can eat. Items that edible_item makes edible and that have no vanilla food component (bone meal here) never reach the food_restriction check, so listing them is harmless but not required.

Food restores more hunger and saturation

Use the dedicated neoorigins:modify_food_nutrition power type. It overrides the nutrition of matching food to an absolute target value (it is not a multiplier), and rescales saturation proportionally to the food’s original saturation-to-nutrition ratio. Filter to a single item with food_item or to a group with food_tag; omit both to retune every food. If AppleSkin is installed its tooltip and held-food preview show your value rather than the vanilla one, so players can see the buff before they eat.

{
  "type": "neoorigins:modify_food_nutrition",
  "name": "Hearty Bread",
  "description": "Bread fills more hunger; saturation scales with it.",
  "food_item": "minecraft:bread",
  "nutrition": 8
}
Field Type Required Default Description
nutrition int no 1 Target hunger value matching food is set to. Saturation rescales proportionally.
food_item string no — Restrict to this exact item id.
food_tag string no — Restrict to this item tag (leading # optional).

To add a flat bonus on top of normal eating instead of overriding, pair neoorigins:modify_food with a food_finished action. (food_eaten fires when the player starts eating, before the food applies; use it to cancel an eat, not to add to one.)

{
  "type": "neoorigins:action_on_event",
  "name": "Well Fed",
  "description": "Gain +2 extra saturation whenever you eat.",
  "event": "food_finished",
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:modify_food",
    "food": 0,
    "saturation": 2.0
  }
}

Eat stone for food, eat diamonds for Luck (Caveborn consumables)

Chained pattern: an edible_item power makes items consumable, and an action_on_event power listens on ITEM_USE_FINISH to apply a bonus when a matching item is eaten. Cross-reference using a custom item tag in food_item_in_tag.

Edibility side:

{ "type": "neoorigins:edible_item",
  "tags": ["mypack:eat_diamond"],
  "nutrition": 6, "saturation": 1.2, "always_edible": true }

Bonus side:

{ "type": "neoorigins:action_on_event",
  "event": "item_use_finish",
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:if_else",
    "condition": { "type": "neoorigins:food_item_in_tag",
                   "tag": "#mypack:eat_diamond" },
    "if_action": { "type": "neoorigins:apply_effect",
                   "effect": "minecraft:luck", "duration": 6000, "amplifier": 1 }
  }
}

Ship the item tag at data/mypack/tags/item/eat_diamond.json.

Combat triggers

On kill: heal 2 hearts 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:action_on_event",
  "name": "Blood Diet",
  "description": "Feed on the fallen.",
  "event": "kill",
  "entity_action": { "type": "neoorigins:heal", "amount": 4 }
}

See EVENTS.md for the full list of event keys. Common ones: kill, hit_taken, attack, jump, land, food_eaten, block_break.

Composing power sets

Individual 2.0 power types are intentionally narrow so they can be combined. For a “rat”-style origin that marks small mobs it kills and gets a heal buff when attacking anything on the list:

  • neoorigins:entity_set — declares the UUID set (e.g. mypack:kill_list)
  • neoorigins:action_on_event with event: kill, entity_action: { type: neoorigins:add_to_set, set: mypack:kill_list } — appends victims to the set
  • neoorigins:condition_passive with condition: { type: origins:target_in_set, set: mypack:kill_list } and entity_action: { type: neoorigins:heal, amount: 0.5 } — heals when attacking a marked target

Each piece is a separate power entry in the origin’s powers array. The entity_set power carries no behaviour on its own: it’s the shared name other powers read and write.

Active abilities and costs

Active ability: short dash forward 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:active_ability",
  "name": "Dash",
  "description": "Press the skill key to dash forward.",
  "cooldown_ticks": 60,
  "hunger_cost": 1,
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:dash",
    "strength": 1.2,
    "allow_vertical": true
  }
}

Active abilities take skill slots in the order they appear in the origin’s powers array: the first on Skill 1 (V by default), the next on Skill 2 (G), and so on. To bind one to a named hotkey instead, set key to a number N (Hotkey N).

Forward dash in look direction

The neoorigins:dash action projects a strength magnitude along the player’s look vector. Canonical V2 replacement for active_dash.

{ "type": "neoorigins:active_ability",
  "cooldown_ticks": 60, "hunger_cost": 2,
  "entity_action": { "type": "neoorigins:dash",
                     "strength": 2.2,
                     "allow_vertical": true } }

Set allow_vertical: false for ground-lock dashes that ignore look pitch. Sets hurtMarked = true internally so client prediction doesn’t discard the impulse.

Ability with a resource cost

Moved to its own page: Give an ability a cost.

Projectiles and spells

Projectile that drowns enemies in an AoE at the impact point

Fires a snowball-sized projectile; where it lands, every undead in a 5-block radius takes magic damage and gets heavy slowness for six seconds. This is one power: an active ability whose action fires a projectile with an on_hit_action attached.

{
  "type": "neoorigins:active_ability",
  "name": "Drowning Bolt",
  "description": "Fires a bolt that drowns enemies where it lands.",
  "cooldown_ticks": 200,
  "hunger_cost": 3,
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:spawn_projectile",
    "entity_type": "minecraft:snowball",
    "speed": 1.8,
    "inaccuracy": 0.2,
    "on_hit_action": {
      "type": "neoorigins:area_of_effect",
      "radius": 5.0,
      "include_source": false,
      "entity_condition": { "type": "neoorigins:target_group", "group": "undead" },
      "entity_action": {
        "type": "neoorigins:and",
        "actions": [
          { "type": "neoorigins:apply_effect",
            "effect": "minecraft:slowness",
            "duration": 120,
            "amplifier": 2,
            "show_icon": true },
          { "type": "neoorigins:damage",
            "amount": 1.0,
            "source": { "name": "drown" } }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

The wiring (key piece introduced in 2.0.0):

  • on_hit_action: any action, fired when the projectile lands. Stored on the projectile at spawn time, drained on impact.
  • Impact-centered AoE: area_of_effect inside an on_hit_action automatically centers on the impact point, not the caster’s position. Works because the projectile-impact dispatcher installs a ProjectileHitContext on the action-context holder before invoking your action; area_of_effect reads it and rebuilds its AABB.
  • Undead-only filter: entity_condition with target_group: undead filters each caught entity (mobs and players alike) before the damage+effect runs, so normal mobs and players aren’t caught. Put the filter here, not in an if_else inside entity_action: if_else has no mob-target form, so an if_else there only ever runs on caught players.
  • Drown-tagged damage: source: { name: "drown" } makes the hit read as drowning, with the correct sound and hit indicator.

Tuning notes:

  • radius: 5.0 is pragmatic. Smaller feels weak, larger hits from across the room.
  • duration: 120 = 6 seconds of Slowness II. Persistent enough to feel impactful, short enough that the next cooldown matters.
  • amount: 1.0 per hit, single-shot. For an attrition-style drowning, wrap in a condition_passive that fires at an interval while a marker entity exists at the impact point (more plumbing).

For a fully custom projectile (homing, chaining, trail effects), use a custom entity type that extends AbstractNeoProjectile. See JAVA_API.md. The reference neoorigins:homing_projectile entity ships with the mod and demonstrates the pattern; pack authors reference it directly:

{
  "type": "neoorigins:spawn_projectile",
  "entity_type": "neoorigins:homing_projectile",
  "speed": 1.2,
  "on_hit_action": { "type": "neoorigins:heal", "amount": 2 }
}

The Java subclass handles per-tick AI (in this case, steering toward the nearest living entity); the DSL on_hit_action still fires independently on impact, so custom projectiles integrate cleanly with the rest of the 2.0 action pipeline.

Black hole: pull everything nearby toward a point and damage the center

Active ability that spawns a lingering gravity well at the caster’s position. Pulls for two seconds, then expires.

{
  "type": "neoorigins:active_ability",
  "name": "Singularity",
  "description": "Collapse space at your feet for a moment.",
  "cooldown_ticks": 400,
  "hunger_cost": 6,
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:spawn_black_hole",
    "radius": 8.0,
    "duration_ticks": 40,
    "pull_strength": 2.5,
    "damage_per_tick": 2.0,
    "effect_type": "sonic"
  }
}

Tuning notes:

  • duration_ticks: 40 = 2 seconds. Longer reads as overpowered fast.
  • Combine with an on_hit_action on a spawn_projectile to drop the black hole wherever the projectile lands instead of the caster’s feet. swap entity_action for: 
    { "type": "neoorigins:spawn_projectile",
  "entity_type": "neoorigins:magic_orb",
  "speed": 2.0,
  "on_hit_action": { "type": "neoorigins:spawn_black_hole", "radius": 6.0, "duration_ticks": 40 } }

Tornado: fling entities in a cone 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:active_ability",
  "name": "Whirlwind",
  "description": "Summon a tornado where you're looking.",
  "cooldown_ticks": 300,
  "hunger_cost": 5,
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:spawn_projectile",
    "entity_type": "neoorigins:magic_orb",
    "speed": 1.5,
    "effect_type": "frost",
    "on_hit_action": {
      "type": "neoorigins:spawn_tornado",
      "radius": 6.0,
      "duration_ticks": 80,
      "pull_strength": 1.5,
      "lift_strength": 0.8,
      "spin_strength": 0.8,
      "damage_per_interval": 1.5
    }
  }
}

The wiring:

  • Projectile carries the tornado to wherever the caster aims.
  • on_hit_action drops a spawn_tornado at the impact point (the projectile-hit context auto-rebases the spawn to the hit location).
  • lift_strength: 0.8 lifts targets ~2 blocks over the tornado’s lifetime, enough to disorient without throwing them across the map.

Lingering damage cloud at projectile impact

Classic poison/acid cloud pattern: the projectile carries a cloud, the cloud ticks its action on an interval until it expires.

{
  "type": "neoorigins:active_ability",
  "name": "Spore Bolt",
  "description": "Fires a spore that lingers where it lands.",
  "cooldown_ticks": 200,
  "hunger_cost": 3,
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:spawn_projectile",
    "entity_type": "neoorigins:magic_orb",
    "speed": 1.8,
    "effect_type": "spore",
    "on_hit_action": {
      "type": "neoorigins:spawn_lingering_area",
      "radius": 4.0,
      "duration_ticks": 120,
      "interval_ticks": 20,
      "particle_type": "minecraft:spore_blossom_air",
      "entity_action": {
        "type": "neoorigins:area_of_effect",
        "radius": 4.0,
        "include_source": false,
        "entity_action": { "type": "neoorigins:apply_effect",
          "effect": "minecraft:poison", "duration": 60, "amplifier": 1 }
      }
    }
  }
}

The nested area_of_effect inside the cloud’s entity_action centers on the cloud’s position (not the caster’s), because the lingering-area tick passes the cloud’s location to the action context holder.

Arcane bolt: a straight-flying spell projectile (no gravity)

Recipe #11 fires a projectile that arcs under gravity. Set no_gravity: true and it flies dead straight along your aim like a laser bolt, and the 2.1 visual fields let you style the orb without any Java. Here it’s a cyan sphere with a soul-fire trail that deals magic damage on hit.

{
  "type": "neoorigins:active_ability",
  "name": "Arcane Bolt",
  "description": "Fire a straight bolt of arcane energy.",
  "cooldown_ticks": 40,
  "hunger_cost": 2,
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:spawn_projectile",
    "entity_type": "neoorigins:magic_orb",
    "speed": 2.2,
    "no_gravity": true,
    "orb_color": "#30E0FF",
    "glow_color": "#1060FF",
    "shape": "sphere",
    "size": 0.35,
    "trail_particle": "minecraft:soul_fire_flame",
    "on_hit_action": {
      "type": "neoorigins:target_action",
      "action": {
        "type": "neoorigins:damage",
        "amount": 6.0,
        "source": { "name": "magic" }
      }
    }
  }
}

on_hit_action runs on the caster, so the damage is wrapped in target_action, which retargets it onto the entity the bolt hit (and does nothing on a block hit). A bare damage here would hurt the caster.

no_gravity works on any projectile entity (vanilla minecraft:arrow included), not just the magic orb; it sets the vanilla no-gravity flag so drag still applies but the projectile never drops.

Elemental cast: one-line fireball / wind bolt

For a quick spell without wiring up spawn_projectile yourself, the dedicated active cast powers fire a styled projectile on the skill key. active_fireball lobs small fireballs; active_bolt throws a wind charge.

{
  "type": "neoorigins:active_fireball",
  "name": "Fire Cast",
  "description": "Hurl a small fireball.",
  "speed": 1.6,
  "cooldown_ticks": 80
}

Swap to "type": "neoorigins:active_bolt" for a knockback wind charge (speed default 1.2, cooldown_ticks default 80). Both take the next free skill slot, like any active ability (see recipe #8).

Toggles

Toggleable abilities (no keybind slot)

Moved to its own page: Make a toggle.

Mobs and mounts

Summon a minion 

{
  "type": "neoorigins:summon_minion",
  "name": "Raise Skeleton",
  "description": "Call a skeleton guardian.",
  "mob_type": "minecraft:skeleton",
  "max_count": 2,
  "cooldown_ticks": 400,
  "hunger_cost": 6,
  "despawn_ticks": 12000,
  "death_damage": 2.0,
  "mainhand": "minecraft:bow",
  "head": "minecraft:iron_helmet"
}

Summons get their AI rewritten automatically: they won’t attack the summoner, and they fight back against whatever the summoner is fighting. death_damage is the HP penalty when the minion falls in combat.

Hunting predator: conditional mob aggression (mob origins)

mob_behavior rewrites a mob origin’s AI so the mob hunts players. With aggression: "conditional" the mob only turns hostile when all hostile_when conditions hold against the prospective target: here, only players who are in daylight and not sneaking. It still retaliates when struck (retaliate defaults true) and calls nearby packmates.

{
  "type": "neoorigins:mob_behavior",
  "aggression": "conditional",
  "aggro_range": 24.0,
  "anger_linger_ticks": 300,
  "call_for_help": true,
  "hostile_when": [
    { "type": "neoorigins:exposed_to_sun" },
    { "type": "neoorigins:not",
      "condition": { "type": "neoorigins:sneaking" } }
  ]
}

Set aggression: "hostile" to always hunt (skip hostile_when), or leave it "neutral" to keep vanilla AI and only fight back when hit. target_type lets the mob hunt another entity type instead of players.

Beast rider: mount entities on demand

mount raycasts for an entity in front of you and seats you on it. Great for a tamer/druid origin: ride mobs (and optionally players) with one key.

{
  "type": "neoorigins:mount",
  "name": "Mount Beast",
  "description": "Leap onto the creature you're looking at.",
  "range": 6.0,
  "cooldown_ticks": 60,
  "allow_mobs": true,
  "allow_players": false,
  "mount_position": "shoulder"
}

block_bosses (default true) keeps players off the Ender Dragon and Wither. mount_position: "shoulder" offsets the rider to one side instead of sitting centered on top.

Mining and movement

Bare-hand stone mining (Caveborn pattern)

Make the player’s empty hand behave as a vanilla tool at any tier, enabling proper drops and mining speed without holding an actual item.

{ "type": "neoorigins:bare_hand_tool", "tool": "minecraft:stone_pickaxe" }

Stack multiple instances to emulate several tool types simultaneously (pickaxe + axe + shovel). Config accepts any vanilla tool item ID; the runtime reads the item’s tool component to determine correct-for-drops and break speed. Only fires while the main hand is empty.

Fortune-from-effect (Mining Fortune gated by a buff)

Combine with the recipe above: while the player has minecraft:luck (granted by the consumable), ore blocks drop as if mined with a real Fortune pickaxe. Vanilla ApplyBonusCount.ORE_DROPS math, so the distribution matches a Fortune enchantment exactly.

{ "type": "neoorigins:fortune_when_effect",
  "effect": "minecraft:luck", "level": 2, "target": "#c:ores" }

Ancient debris is hardcoded-excluded (vanilla parity: Fortune doesn’t affect netherite drops). Pack authors can narrow target to e.g. #minecraft:diamond_ores for a diamond-only bonus.

Elytra-style flight without an elytra (Phantom/Elytrian)

Grant gliding behavior: press jump while falling, spread wings like a vanilla elytra user. No chest-slot requirement.

{ "type": "neoorigins:natural_glide" }

Pair with neoorigins:elytra_boost for launch-speed amplification. Contrast: neoorigins:flight is a toggle power (it takes a skill slot) that, while on, launches the same elytra-style flight from a jump in mid-air. natural_glide needs no toggle; it is pitch-based gliding, the real-elytra feel.

Origins, layers and respawn

Reroll my custom layer: wiring up a spare orb

NeoOrigins ships six orb items. Two have hardcoded behaviour: neoorigins:orb_of_origin rerolls the origin layer and neoorigins:orb_of_class rerolls the class layer. The other four (gold_orb, pink_orb, purple_orb, teal_orb) are deliberately inert. Right-clicking one does nothing on its own. They exist so a pack can bind its own meaning to them without registering an item, and they have no crafting recipe for the same reason: the pack that claims an orb decides what it costs.

1.21.1 vs 26.x: a shaped recipe’s key entries are objects on 1.21.1 ("G": { "item": "minecraft:gold_ingot" }) and bare ingredient strings on 26.x ("G": "minecraft:gold_ingot").

All six are in the #neoorigins:orbs item tag.

The walkthrough below takes neoorigins:gold_orb and turns it into a reroll token for a custom layer.

Step 1: the custom layer.

data/mypack/origins/origin_layers/bloodline.json:

{
  "order": 3,
  "name": "mypack.layer.bloodline",
  "origins": [
    "mypack:bloodline_ashborn",
    "mypack:bloodline_tidecaller",
    "mypack:bloodline_stonekin"
  ],
  "allow_random": true,
  "auto_choose": false,
  "hidden": false,
  "enabled": true
}

The layer id is derived from the file path, so this layer is mypack:bloodline. That is the id the orb has to name.

Step 2: the power that binds the orb.

data/mypack/origins/powers/gold_orb_reroll.json:

{
  "type": "neoorigins:action_on_event",
  "name": "Bloodline Orb",
  "description": "Right-click a gold orb to re-pick your bloodline.",
  "hidden": true,
  "event": "item_use",
  "item_condition": { "item": "neoorigins:gold_orb" },
  "entity_action": {
    "type": "neoorigins:open_layer_picker",
    "layers": ["mypack:bloodline"],
    "commit_mode": "deferred",
    "cost": 3,
    "message": "Choose a new bloodline",
    "consume_item": true
  }
}

Three fields carry the whole behaviour:

  • item_condition scopes the handler to the gold orb. Leave it off and the power fires on every item use: snowballs, ender pearls, food, everything. This is the single most common way to get this wrong.
  • layers names the layers to clear and re-show. Everything not listed stays chosen. List more than one to reroll several at once.
  • consume_item removes one orb from the main hand when the pick commits. Creative players keep it.

commit_mode: "deferred" means closing the picker without choosing is a free cancel and restores the previous bloodline; the 3 XP levels are charged only on commit. Use "immediate" if you want the cost paid up front and a cancelled pick to leave the layer empty (the layer’s auto-default then fills it). Full field table in Core effect verbs.

Step 3: grant the power.

A power file on its own does nothing: something has to hand the power to the player. An orb should work no matter what origin the holder picked, so grant it globally rather than attaching it to one origin.

data/mypack/global_powers/orbs.json:

{
  "entity_types": ["minecraft:player"],
  "powers": ["mypack:gold_orb_reroll"]
}

Global sets are granted on login and re-reconciled on /reload. See GLOBAL_POWERS.md. If you would rather the orb only work for certain origins, list mypack:gold_orb_reroll in those origins’ powers array instead and skip this file.

This is the step that gets missed most often. The orb is craftable, the power JSON parses clean, nothing happens on right-click, and the log is silent: nobody holds the power.

Step 4: the crafting recipe.

data/mypack/recipe/gold_orb.json:

{
  "type": "minecraft:crafting_shaped",
  "pattern": [
    "GRG",
    "RER",
    "GRG"
  ],
  "key": {
    "G": "minecraft:gold_ingot",
    "R": "minecraft:redstone",
    "E": "minecraft:ender_eye"
  },
  "result": {
    "id": "neoorigins:gold_orb",
    "count": 1
  }
}

Two things to watch on the recipe:

  • The folder is recipe, singular. recipes is the pre-1.21 spelling and a file left there loads nothing, silently.
  • The key entry shape changed between Minecraft versions. On 26.1 and later each key maps to a bare ingredient string: "G": "minecraft:gold_ingot", as above. On 1.21.1 it is an object: "G": { "item": "minecraft:gold_ingot" }. Compare data/neoorigins/recipe/orb_of_class.json in the jar for the version you are building against.

To hand the orb out instead of crafting it, skip step 4 and use /give @s neoorigins:gold_orb, a loot table, or a villager trade. Steps 1-3 are what make the orb do anything; the recipe is only how the player gets one.

Binding all four spare orbs to different layers. Write one power per orb, each with its own item_condition and layers. They can live on the same origin or on a global power set; the handler only cares that the player has the power and is holding the right orb.

Sleepless origin with bed-anchored respawn

prevent_action SLEEP blocks sleep transitions. The SleepPreventionEvents handler automatically sets the player’s respawn point at the bed before cancelling, so players still get the anchor benefit — great for vampires, phantoms, wardens.

{ "type": "neoorigins:prevent_action", "action": "SLEEP" }

Feedback message “You don’t need sleep, but you remember this place.” fires on bed interaction.

Where to go next

  • POWER_TYPES.md: every power type with full field tables. When a recipe here mentions a type, the details live there.
  • CONDITIONS.md: the 90+ condition verbs you can use in condition fields.
  • ACTIONS.md: the 60+ action verbs you can use in entity_action fields.
  • EVENTS.md: the event keys for action_on_event.
  • MIGRATION.md: if you’re porting a pre-2.0 pack or an upstream Origins/Apoli/Apugli pack.
  • ARCHITECTURE.md: for understanding how powers are resolved, dispatched, and cached (useful for pack-author debugging but not required reading).

The source of truth for every alias, verb, and event key is the Java code under src/main/java/com/cyberday1/neoorigins/. If a doc drifts from the code, the code wins. When in doubt, grep.

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