Rivalry & Tactics

Rivalry & Tactics is a dynamic combat evolution mod for Minecraft Fabric that transforms hostile mobs into intelligent adversaries. Instead of static AI, mobs develop rivalries, coordinate tactically, and adapt to your combat style, creating emergent gameplay where encounters feel personal and meaningful.

Key Features

Nemesis System - Mobs that kill you become persistent rivals who remember your name, grow stronger with each victory, and actively hunt you across dimensions.
Commander System - Natural leaders emerge among mob groups, issuing tactical orders like flanking, retreating, and focusing fire.
Adaptive Combat Memory - Per-player profiles track your combat style. Mobs adjust their behavior based on whether you're aggressive, defensive, or rely on specific weapons.
Elite Mutations - Landing critical hits can trigger mutations, transforming ordinary mobs into elite variants with unique traits.
Mob Communication - Injured mobs alert nearby allies, creating dynamic threat responses and coordinated attacks.
10 Elite Traits - Berserk, Stonehide, Swift, Armorsunder, Hunter, Shrapnel, Vampiric, Resilient, Venomous, and Elusive.
Visual Feedback - See nemesis titles, commander crowns, and elite markers using vanilla particles and custom names.
Persistent Data - Nemesis and commander data persist across sessions via world save.
Multiplayer-Safe - Per-player profiles and nemeses work correctly on servers.
Fully Configurable - Enable/disable each system, adjust thresholds, cooldowns, and difficulty scaling.

How It Works

The Nemesis System

When a mob kills you, it becomes your personal nemesis:

Stage	Kills Required	Effects
Rival	1 kill	Remembers your name, gains title
Nemesis	2 kills	+20% health, +10% damage
Arch-Nemesis	3 kills	+40% health, +20% damage, glowing effect
Eternal Foe	5+ kills	+60% health, +30% damage, fire resistance

Nemeses display custom titles like "☠ Zombie, Slayer of [YourName]" and will prioritize targeting you over other players.

The Commander System

When enough hostile mobs gather, one may be promoted to commander:

Aspect	Details
Promotion Chance	15% per eligible mob when group size reached
Minimum Group	3 hostile mobs within range
Command Range	24 blocks (configurable)
Visual Indicator	Crown symbol (♛) in custom name

Commanders issue tactical orders to their subordinates:

Order	Trigger Condition	Effect
Focus Fire	Player at medium range	All subordinates target the same player
Flank	Player using shield	Mobs spread out to attack from sides
Retreat	Commander below 30% health	Group falls back temporarily
Charge	Player fleeing	Aggressive coordinated rush
Surround	Large group available	Mobs encircle the player

Adaptive Combat Memory

The mod tracks how you fight and adjusts mob behavior accordingly:

Pattern	What It Measures
Melee vs Ranged	Ratio of close-range to long-range attacks
Shield Usage	How often you block damage
Jump Crits	Frequency of critical hits from jumping
Weapon Preference	Your most-used weapon type
Hit-and-Run	Attack-then-retreat patterns

Counter Behaviors

Based on your profile, mobs apply counter-biases:

Your Style	Mob Counter
Heavy melee	Increased kiting, maintains distance
Ranged dominance	Aggressive closing, sprint attacks
Shield reliance	Flanking movements, surround tactics
Jump crit spam	Erratic movement, harder to predict
Hit-and-run	Pursuit behavior, won't let you escape

Elite Mutations

When you land a critical hit on a mob, there's a chance it mutates into an elite variant:

Factor	Effect on Mutation
Critical Hit	Base 15% mutation chance
Low Health	Increased chance when mob is desperate
Random Traits	1-3 traits assigned randomly
Visual Marker	"✦ Elite" prefix with purple formatting

Mob Communication

Injured mobs alert nearby allies:

Trigger	Radius	Effect
Takes Damage	16 blocks	Nearby mobs become aware of threat
Below 50% HP	24 blocks	Urgent alert, faster response
Death	32 blocks	All nearby mobs alerted to killer

Alerted mobs gain temporary aggression boost and will converge on the threat source.

Elite Traits

Each trait provides unique abilities and stat modifications:

Trait	Visual	Effect
Berserk	🔴 Red	+30% damage, +20% attack speed, -15% health
Stonehide	⬛ Gray	+50% armor, +4 armor toughness, -20% speed
Swift	💨 Aqua	+40% movement speed, +20% attack speed
Armorsunder	⚫ Dark Gray	Attacks reduce target's armor durability faster
Hunter	🌲 Dark Green	Can summon reinforcements when damaged
Shrapnel	🟡 Gold	Explodes on death, dealing AoE damage
Vampiric	🩸 Dark Red	Heals for portion of damage dealt
Resilient	💚 Green	+40% max health, faster regeneration
Venomous	💜 Purple	Attacks inflict poison effect
Elusive	🟣 Light Purple	Harder to hit, faster when fleeing

Traits stack—an elite with Berserk + Swift + Vampiric is extremely dangerous.

Configuration

Config file location: .minecraft/config/rivalry_and_tactics.json

{
  "nemesis": {
    "enabled": true,
    "maxNemesesPerPlayer": 5,
    "nemesisHealthBonus": 0.2,
    "nemesisDamageBonus": 0.1,
    "nemesisSpeedBonus": 0.05,
    "killsForArchNemesis": 3,
    "nemesisPersistsDeath": true,
    "nemesisGlowsAtMaxLevel": true
  },
  "commander": {
    "enabled": true,
    "promotionChance": 0.15,
    "minGroupSize": 3,
    "commandRange": 24,
    "orderCooldownTicks": 100,
    "commanderHealthBonus": 0.3,
    "maxSubordinates": 8
  },
  "adaptive": {
    "enabled": true,
    "memoryDurationTicks": 72000,
    "meleeWeight": 1.0,
    "rangedWeight": 1.0,
    "shieldWeight": 1.5,
    "jumpCritWeight": 1.2,
    "decayRate": 0.01,
    "counterBiasStrength": 0.5
  },
  "elite": {
    "enabled": true,
    "mutationChanceOnCrit": 0.15,
    "minTraits": 1,
    "maxTraits": 3,
    "statBoostMultiplier": 1.0,
    "permanentElites": false
  },
  "communication": {
    "enabled": true,
    "alertRadius": 16,
    "urgentAlertRadius": 24,
    "deathAlertRadius": 32,
    "alertCooldownTicks": 60
  }
}

Config Options Explained

Nemesis System

Option	Default	Description
`enabled`	`true`	Master toggle for nemesis system
`maxNemesesPerPlayer`	`5`	Maximum concurrent nemeses per player
`nemesisHealthBonus`	`0.2`	Health increase per kill tier (20%)
`nemesisDamageBonus`	`0.1`	Damage increase per kill tier (10%)
`nemesisSpeedBonus`	`0.05`	Speed increase per kill tier (5%)
`killsForArchNemesis`	`3`	Kills required for arch-nemesis status
`nemesisPersistsDeath`	`true`	Nemesis data survives mob death
`nemesisGlowsAtMaxLevel`	`true`	Eternal foes have glowing effect

Commander System

Option	Default	Description
`enabled`	`true`	Master toggle for commander system
`promotionChance`	`0.15`	Chance for eligible mob to become commander
`minGroupSize`	`3`	Minimum nearby mobs for commander promotion
`commandRange`	`24`	Blocks within which commander can issue orders
`orderCooldownTicks`	`100`	Ticks between order updates (5 seconds)
`commanderHealthBonus`	`0.3`	Health bonus for commanders (30%)
`maxSubordinates`	`8`	Maximum mobs under one commander

Adaptive Combat

Option	Default	Description
`enabled`	`true`	Master toggle for adaptive memory
`memoryDurationTicks`	`72000`	How long combat data persists (1 hour)
`meleeWeight`	`1.0`	Weight multiplier for melee action tracking
`rangedWeight`	`1.0`	Weight multiplier for ranged action tracking
`shieldWeight`	`1.5`	Weight multiplier for shield usage tracking
`jumpCritWeight`	`1.2`	Weight multiplier for jump crit tracking
`decayRate`	`0.01`	Rate at which old behaviors are forgotten
`counterBiasStrength`	`0.5`	Intensity of counter-behavior adaptations

Elite Mutations

Option	Default	Description
`enabled`	`true`	Master toggle for elite system
`mutationChanceOnCrit`	`0.15`	Chance to mutate on critical hit (15%)
`minTraits`	`1`	Minimum traits for new elites
`maxTraits`	`3`	Maximum traits for new elites
`statBoostMultiplier`	`1.0`	Global multiplier for trait stat boosts
`permanentElites`	`false`	Whether elites persist indefinitely

Mob Communication

Option	Default	Description
`enabled`	`true`	Master toggle for communication system
`alertRadius`	`16`	Normal alert range in blocks
`urgentAlertRadius`	`24`	Urgent alert range when below 50% HP
`deathAlertRadius`	`32`	Alert range on mob death
`alertCooldownTicks`	`60`	Cooldown between alerts (3 seconds)

Visual Indicators

Nemesis Titles

Level	Name Format
Rival	"☠ [MobType], Rival of [Player]"
Nemesis	"☠ [MobType], Nemesis of [Player]"
Arch-Nemesis	"☠ [MobType], Arch-Nemesis of [Player]"
Eternal Foe	"☠ [MobType], Eternal Foe of [Player]" (+ Glowing)

Commander Markers

Indicator	Meaning
"♛ Commander [MobType]"	Active commander with subordinates
"Commander [MobType]"	Commander who lost their group

Elite Markers

Indicator	Meaning
"✦ Elite [MobType]"	Mutated elite variant
Purple bold text	Elite name formatting

Multiplayer Compatibility

This mod is server-side and works on both singleplayer and multiplayer:

Environment	Compatibility
Singleplayer	✅ Full support
Dedicated Server	✅ Requires mod on server
LAN Worlds	✅ Full support
Client-Only	❌ Not supported

Player combat profiles are stored per-player
Nemeses remember specific players
Commanders coordinate against whoever they're targeting
Elites and communication work for all players

Data Storage

Persistent data is stored in the world save:

Data Type	Storage Location
Config	`.minecraft/config/rivalry_and_tactics.json`
Nemesis Data	World save (per-world)
Commander Data	World save (per-world)
Player Profiles	World save (per-player)

Data is saved automatically when players disconnect and when the server stops.

Installation

Install Fabric Loader (0.15.6 or newer) for Minecraft 1.20.1.
Install Fabric API (0.92.0+1.20.1 or newer).
Download the mod JAR file.
Place the JAR into your .minecraft/mods folder (or server mods folder).
Launch Minecraft with the Fabric profile.

Building from Source

Clone the repository and run the Gradle build:

git clone https://github.com/AaravVishal1/rivalry-and-tactics
cd rivalry-and-tactics
./gradlew build

The compiled JAR will be in build/libs/.

For development:

./gradlew runClient    # Run Minecraft client
./gradlew runServer    # Run dedicated server

Requirements

Dependency	Version
Minecraft	1.20.1
Fabric Loader	0.15.6+
Fabric API	0.92.0+1.20.1
Java	17+

Troubleshooting

Nemeses aren't forming

Check that nemesis.enabled is true in the config.
Verify the mob actually killed you (environmental deaths don't count).
Check maxNemesesPerPlayer hasn't been reached.

Commanders aren't appearing

Ensure commander.enabled is true.
Verify there are enough hostile mobs nearby (minGroupSize).
The promotion chance is 15% by default—it's not guaranteed.

Elite mutations not triggering

Confirm elite.enabled is true.
Must be a critical hit (jumping attack).
Default chance is 15%—not every crit triggers mutation.

Adaptive counters feel too strong

Reduce counterBiasStrength in the config (e.g., 0.25).
Increase decayRate for faster forgetting.
Vary your combat style to dilute the profile.

Performance issues

Increase cooldown values (orderCooldownTicks, alertCooldownTicks).
Reduce commandRange and alert radii.
Disable individual systems you don't want.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.