💡 Photophobic Mobs

A lightweight, highly configurable Fabric mod that completely overhauls how mobs react to light, heat, and darkness.

Photophobic Mobs introduces a dynamic contrast between light-fearing monsters, shadow stalkers, and light-seeking creatures—turning light sources into tactical survival tools and breathing realistic life into mob behavior!

🌟 Sunlit vs. Shadow Mechanics

🧟 1. Light-Phobic Mobs (Zombies, Skeletons, Phantoms, & Configurable Mobs)

• Light Avoidance: Monsters actively retreat from illuminated blocks (torches, lanterns, etc.) to seek safety in darkness.
• Held & Dropped Light Fear: Holding a torch in your hand or tossing one on the ground forces nearby monsters to back away.
• Fire & Lava Panic: Mobs actively scan for and pathfind away from hazardous fire, campfires, and lava.
• Panic Effects: When fleeing, mobs emit smoke and angry villager particles, occasionally gaining a brief burst of panic speed.

🕷️ 2. Light-Attracted Mobs (Creepers, Spiders, & Configurable Mobs)

• Moth to a Flame: Creepers and Spiders roaming in the dark are naturally drawn toward bright lights and torches.
• Nighttime Base Invasions: Well-lit sanctuaries become primary targets if left open—watch your perimeter at night!

🦇 3. Dual-Behavior Mobs (Bats, Flying Mobs & Modded Creatures) [NEW in v1.2.0]

• The Best of Both Worlds: Mobs in this category are drawn to gentle lights (torches, lanterns) like moths, but will instantly panic and flee from destructive heat sources (campfires, fire, lava).
• Native 3D Flight AI: Bats wake from ceiling roosting, smoothly fly toward torches to flutter around them, and flee in full 3D when hazards are detected.

⚙️ Key Features

• Real-Time Commands: Update mob lists and settings instantly without server restarts using /photophobic.
• 100% Dedicated Server & LAN Compatible: Built server-side using native Minecraft Goal AI—clients don't even need the mod installed to join!
• Zero TPS Lag: Tick-staggering spreads block scans evenly across 1-second intervals using Entity IDs, preventing lag spikes even with 50+ mobs in loaded chunks.
• Modpack Safe: Includes chunk-loading protections (hasChunkAt) and $O(1)$ cached registry checks.

🛠️ Configuration

Everything is configured via .minecraft/config/photophobicmobs.json and reloads instantly with /photophobic reload.

👥 Mob Categories:

• fleeMobIds: Mobs that run away from light into darkness (Zombies, Skeletons).
• attractMobIds: Mobs attracted to light sources at night (Creepers, Spiders).
• dualBehaviorMobIds: Mobs drawn to light (torches), but fleeing from fire & lava (Bats, Insects).

💡 Item & Danger Formatting (lightItemIds):

• "minecraft:torch=8.0" — Sets a custom 8-block detection radius.
• "minecraft:glowstone" — Uses default radius.
• "minecraft:campfire=12.0:flee" — Tagged with :flee so dual-behavior mobs actively run away from it.
• Fully supports any modded block or item!

💬 In-Game Commands (OP Level 2)

• /photophobic reload — Instantly reloads photophobicmobs.json.
• /photophobic addflee <id> / /photophobic removeflee <id> — Adds/removes light-fleeing mobs.
• /photophobic addattract <id> / /photophobic removeattract <id> — Adds/removes light-attracted mobs.
• /photophobic adddual <id> / /photophobic removedual <id> — Adds/removes dual-behavior mobs.
• /photophobic addlight <id> — Adds an item/block to the light registry.

🧪 Multi-Version Support

Official releases are compiled and tested for:

• Minecraft 1.19.4 – 1.20.1
• Minecraft 1.20.2 – 1.20.4
• Minecraft 1.20.5 – 1.21.1
• Minecraft 1.21.2 – 1.21.4
• Minecraft 26.1 – 26.2

(Requires Fabric Loader 0.15.0+ and Fabric API)

🔌 Forge & NeoForge Compatibility

Playing on Forge or NeoForge? This mod also runs smoothly on Forge and NeoForge modpacks using Forgified Fabric API (and Sinytra Connector where applicable)! No special configuration needed just drop it into your mods folder alongside the compatibility layers.

🐛 Bug Reports & Feedback

Found an odd mob interaction or want support for a specific modded entity? Feel free to leave a comment or submit an issue on our tracker!