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Is vanilla Minecraft combat too boring for you? Fear not, Dynamic Sword Skills will have you parrying, dodging, and attempting to perform strategic devastating attacks on your enemies!
Many of you may recognize these skills from my other mod, Zelda Sword Skills; this mod is a standalone version providing ONLY the combat skills, for those who don't want tons of Zelda-related items, mobs, dungeons and other things clogging up their games but still want to spice up combat.
By default, each player will begin with a single Basic Sword skill orb; more orbs can be acquired by looting chests or by defeating mobs and even other players. Weapons with Looting give a much higher chance of an orb drop, and various settings can be configured in the configuration file.
MOD REVIEWS
SCREENSHOTS
BASIC CONTROLS
The default control settings are described below, and may be accessed and changed in the in-game control settings available from the options menu.
While using Basic Sword Technique to lock on to a target, certain keys become available for use in lieu of using the mouse, although the mouse may also be used and is, in fact, recommended.
In the game options menu under control settings for 'Dynamic Sword Skills Keys', you will find all of the key bindings used by DSS; DO NOT assign any of these to WASD or LMB / RMB - those are vanilla controls which may be used as alternates to some of the mod keys, provided that the config setting is set to allow skill activation via vanilla controls (which it is by default).
What this means is if vanilla controls are enabled, you can use either the DSS 'Attack' key [up arrow], OR the vanilla attack key [LMB] to perform an attack while locked on to a target, but assigning the LMB to be the DSS 'Attack' key would likely not give you the desired result.
Gamepad Users: you may want to assign the left and right arrow keys to buttons on your controller, otherwise you may not be able to activate Spin Attack.
Key Effect
x Activate or deactivate Basic Sword Technique's targeting system
Tab Switches targeting to the next available target
. (period) Toggle auto-targeting: when on, next available opponent will automatically be targeted when the current target is no longer valid; press while sneaking to toggle player-targeting.
v Toggles the combo HUD on/off
p Opens or closes the Skill Book (no item required)
Arrow Keys (only usable while locked on to a target)
Up Interchangeable with the 'attack' key (LMB by default)
Down Interchangeable with the 'back' key ('s' by default)
Left Interchangeable with the 'left' key ('a' by default)
Right Interchangeable with the 'right' key ('d' by default)
RCtrl Interchangeable with the 'use item' key (RMB by default)
Note that using the arrow keys is the only way possible to use certain skills with a single keystroke - using WASD always requires a 'double-tap', i.e. tapping the same key twice in quick succession.
Note also that there is no equivalent of 'forward' when using the arrow keys, so the vanilla keybinding ('w' by default) must always be used when called for in a skill's activation requirements.
SWORD SKILLS
Basic Sword Technique
Activation: Press x while looking at a target
Effect: Locks view on to target and allows chaining attacks into deadly combos
Exhaustion: None
Range: 6 blocks plus one per level
Special: Each successive attack inflicts one extra point of damage, cumulative
Notes:
- Using this skill to lock on to a target is a prerequisite for using ALL other skills
- While locked on, special controls become available: see the Basic Controls section
- Deactivate by pressing X once more, moving out of range, or killing everything in sight
Armor Break
Activation: Charge up by holding the attack key; the skill will trigger when the charge is sufficient
Effect: This powerful blow ignores the target's armor value when inflicting damage
Exhaustion: High (2.0 minus 0.1 per level)
Damage: Same as a normal attack, including enchantment bonuses, but ignoring the target's armor
Charge Time: 20 ticks minus one tick per level
Back Slice
Activation: Hold left or right then tap forward twice; attack at the right time to deal extra damage
Effect: Circle around a foe to strike at its vulnerable backside!
Exhaustion: Moderate (1.0 minus 0.05 per level)
Damage: Adds +10% to the damage per level, possibly more against vulnerable enemies
Effective Angle: 40 degrees plus 20 per level
Special: 5% base chance per level to knock off the opponent's chest armor
Dash Attack
Activation: Attack while blocking with a shield
Effect: Charges towards target, inflicting minor damage and knocking the target back
Exhaustion: Moderate (1.0 minus 0.05 per level)
Damage: 4 + level
Notes: Standing too close to the target will not build up enough momentum to cause any damage
Dodge
Activation: Double-tap left or right to dodge in that direction
Effect: Quickly dodge out of the way of incoming attacks
Exhaustion: Very Low (0.05)
Chance to Dodge: 10% per level plus a time bonus of up to 20%
Notes:
- The amount of time during which the player is considered 'dodging' increases with skill level
- Can be configured to activate with a single tap only when using the arrow keys
Ending Blow
Activation: Forward, forward, and attack during combo
Effect: Build up combo momentum and then finish off your enemy with a decisive strike, gaining bonus xp if successful or becoming flat-footed if not
Damage: +(level * 20) percent
Duration of vulnerability: 45 - (level * 5) ticks
Exhaustion: High (2.0 minus 0.1 per level)
XP Bonus: level + (value between 1 and the opponent's last remaining health)
Special:
- May only be used after two or more consecutive strikes on the same target
- Slaying an opponent with this move grants additional experience
- Failure to slay the target results in not being able to attack for the duration
Leaping Blow
Activation: Jump while holding the use item key
Effect: Upon landing, unleashes a devastating AoE attack that damages all in its path in addition to temporarily causing weakness
Exhaustion: High (2.0 minus 0.1 per level)
Damage: Base sword damage, plus 1.0F per level, plus weakness for (50 + (10 * level)) ticks
Notes:
- Range and area of effect increase with level.
- Damage caused by Leaping Blow contributes only to Combo damage, not size.
Mortal Draw
Activation: While empty-handed and locked on, hold the use item key and attack
Effect: The art of drawing the sword, or Battoujutsu, is a risky but deadly move, capable of inflicting mortal wounds on unsuspecting opponents with a lightning-fast blade strike
Exhaustion: Very High (3.0 minus 0.2 per level)
Damage: Inflicts double damage when successful
Duration: Window of attack opportunity is (level + 2) ticks
Notes:
- Only works as a counterattack, so it must be timed according to your opponent's strike
- The first sword found in the action bar will be used for the strike; plan accordingly
- There is a 1.5s cooldown between uses, representing re-sheathing of the sword
Parry
Activation: Double-tap back / down
Effect: Parries an incoming blow when being attacked; cannot parry unarmed attacks.
Exhaustion: Low (0.3 minus 0.02 per level)
Chance to Disarm: 10% per level plus a timing bonus of up to 20%
Notes:
- Successfully parrying an attack will knock the aggressor back slightly, even if not disarmed
- For players of equal parry skill, chance to disarm is determined solely by timing
- Can be configured to activate with a single tap only when using the arrow keys
Rising Cut
Activation: Jump while sneaking and attack
Effect: Rising slash flings enemy upward, inflicting standard sword damage, providing the opportunity for a second strike, and likely inflicting fall damage as well
Range: 2 + level blocks
Exhaustion: Very High (3.0 minus 0.2 per level)
Special: May only be used while locked on to a target
Spin Attack
Activation: Press left then right or right then left and hold both until spin attack commences
Effect: A devastating spinning attack hits every enemy in a 360 degree arc
Range: Hits enemies within 3 blocks, plus 0.5 blocks per level
Exhaustion: Very High (3.0 minus 0.2 per level)
Notes: If using the arrow keys, only one key (left or right arrow key) needs to be held to activate, and the spin will be in that direction
Super Spin Attack
Activation: Automatic while performing a regular Spin Attack and at full health; quickly tap attack to continue spinning
Effect: Same as the regular spin attack, but you can spin up to one extra time per level
Range: Adds an additional 0.5 blocks per level above and beyond regular Spin Attack range
Exhaustion: Same as the spin attack, applied each spin
Sword Beam
Activation: Attack while sneaking to unleash a beam of energy; must have nearly full health
Effect: Shoots a beam of energy capable of damaging one or possibly more targets
Damage: base sword damage + level
Exhaustion: Very High (3.0 minus 0.2 per level)
Range: Approximately 12 blocks plus one per level
Special: Requires full health to use (can be configured to allow 0.3 hearts missing per level, up to 1.5)
Notes: Hitting a target with the beam counts as a direct strike for combos
Sword Break
Activation: Double-tap back while blocking
Effect: A fierce block that is capable of destroying the opponent's blade
Exhaustion: High (2.0 minus 0.1 per level)
Damage: Up to 90 durability damage to the opponent's held item (15 * (level + 1))
Duration: Time allowed before skill fails is 2 ticks at level 1, up to 8 ticks at max level
Notes:
- Only works when being attacked by an enemy holding an item
- Has no effect other than blocking the attack if the attacker's held item can not be damaged
- Must release the block key in between uses
PERMISSIONS
Dynamic Sword Skills is an open source mod released under the GPL v3, meaning you have the right to include this mod in your modpack (regardless of who you are), use it for custom maps, etc. All I ask is that you credit me as the original author and provide a link to this page so users can find the most up-to-date information. Thanks for your cooperation.
MODDING API
The Dynamic Sword Skills API allows any mod to add their very own Skill-granting Items.
The API files are in 7-zip format, including both a deobfuscated jar and a source jar for easy development. All links are direct download.