Iron & Blood Alpha 0.1.0 — First Blood

The first Alpha release of Iron & Blood lays the foundation for a realistic and immersive melee combat overhaul. This version introduces the core systems that define the mod: true weapon values, real armor defense, stamina pressure, wounds, bleeding, deflection, and counterattack openings.

Core Combat

Iron & Blood replaces simple vanilla-style damage trading with a new combat resolution system built around Body Damage and Defense Damage. Body Damage determines how severe a hit becomes after defense is overcome, while Defense Damage determines how well an attack can overcome armor, shields, guard, and defensive posture.

Weak attacks can now fail to harm a well-protected target. A blade that cannot defeat armor may be deflected entirely, while a weapon with high Defense Damage can pressure armor, posture, and stamina even when it does not rely on cutting flesh.

Armor and Defense

Armor now behaves as a real defensive layer instead of a simple damage reduction number. It can absorb, reduce, or fully deflect attacks depending on the incoming Defense Damage, armor condition, stamina state, direction of attack, and current combat status.

Armor condition affects defensive effectiveness, and minimum defense floor rules prevent armor from becoming meaningless even under pressure. Exposed states can lower that floor, creating short windows where successful attacks become more dangerous without turning into direct damage multipliers.

Stamina Combat

Stamina is now a central part of combat. Attacking, blocking, guarding, sprinting, and taking hits all interact with stamina. A fighter with low stamina becomes easier to pressure, and a Broken target suffers reduced defensive efficiency rather than taking artificial bonus damage.

This makes stamina a true combat resource, not just a movement bar.

Directional Defense

Attacks now interact differently depending on direction. Front, side, and back attacks modify effective defense and stamina pressure. Side and back attacks make it harder for the target to use armor and posture effectively, but they do not directly increase Body Damage or Defense Damage.

Direction matters because defense is physical, positional, and dependent on posture.

Counter Exposed

This Alpha introduces Counter Exposed, a short counterattack opening created when an attack is fully defended against. Shield blocks, weapon guards, armor deflections, and perfect timing blocks can expose the attacker to the successful defender.

During this opening, the first valid counter hit gains a guaranteed minimum Body Damage result and increased stamina pressure. A full shield block grants a minimum 20% Body Damage result and causes 120% stamina damage taken. A successful weapon guard grants 25% and 125%. A passive armor deflection grants 10% and 110%. A perfect timing block grants 30% and 130%.

Counter Exposed is consumed by the first valid counter hit. It does not directly increase Body Damage or Defense Damage. It represents a real opening created by a failed attack and a successful defense.

Wounds and Bleeding

Basic Wounded and Bleeding state support has been added. These systems are designed to create lasting combat pressure instead of acting as simple damage-over-time effects. A wounded or bleeding fighter is not merely losing health; they are being forced to fight under pressure, manage risk, and survive the consequences of mistakes.

Weapon Identity

Weapons now begin to form distinct battlefield roles through Body Damage, Defense Damage, stamina cost, and damage type tags. Swords, axes, hammers, spears, daggers, shields, and heavy weapons are no longer just different damage numbers. Each weapon type is designed to support a different way to fight.

Slash, Pierce, and Strike tags have also been added as a foundation for future sound, visual, wound, bleeding, and impact behavior.

Combat Feedback

Initial hooks have been added for immersive combat feedback, including armor deflection, armor impact, flesh hits, shield blocks, weapon guards, bleeding, broken defense, and exposed openings. These effects are intended to make every combat result readable, physical, and believable.

Configuration and Compatibility

Early configuration and tag-based structure have been added for weapons, armor, and core combat behavior. This creates the foundation for future modpack balancing, compatibility work, and deeper customization.

Alpha Notes

This is an early Alpha release. Balance is experimental and expected to change. Visual effects, sound feedback, UI clarity, weapon values, armor values, and compatibility behavior are still in progress. Integration with other combat mods, including Epic Fight, is planned separately and may require additional tuning.

Design Goal

Iron & Blood is not a stat fantasy.

This Alpha begins the foundation for combat where armor matters, stamina matters, weapons matter, timing matters, and every mistake can leave a wound.