Something is hunting you.

Skinwalker adds a single, intelligent predator to the Overworld night. It does not rush in like a normal mob. It watches, mimics, lures, and only then attacks — and even then, it may let you live.

Only one Skinwalker can exist within a large area at a time, so each encounter feels personal and tense rather than a swarm.

How it hunts (four phases)

Stalking — For the first minutes after it finds you, it stays disguised as harmless animals (cows, pigs, sheep, wolves, and more). It circles at a distance, retreats when you stare at it, and may flash its true form for a split second when your back is turned. You cannot cheese it: hitting it while disguised only chips it for tiny damage and provokes a brutal counter.

Mimicry — It copies your appearance or keeps uncanny mob disguises. Watched disguises freeze and stare. Player mimics spam crouch. Movement feels wrong on purpose.

Lure — Fake sounds (chests, creepers, cats), false torches, phantom door breaks, and glowing treasure trails that lead toward it. Pick up the bait and it vanishes in your hands.

Attack — True form revealed. It blinks in and out of melee range, breaks torches and campfires near you, applies brief Darkness, and chases aggressively. After enough hits or time, it withdraws back to stalking — it is meant to terrify, not endlessly farm you.

If you escape far enough for long enough, it blinks away and despawns. It can return later.

Horror and atmosphere

Torch stress — Nearby lights flicker and dim when it is close.
Attack discomfort — Crosshair and hunger bar shake, screen vignette after hits.
Audio and particles — Teleport cracks, smoke, screams on reveal; the world feels wrong before you see it.

(Visual horror effects are client-side; gameplay is server-authoritative.)

Drops and crafting

Skinwalker Hide — Dropped when you finally kill one (Looting helps).
Skinwalker Satchel — Craft with 4 Leather + 1 Hide.

Satchel: Right-click to cycle disguises through every unique mob type you have killed. Shift + right-click to clear your disguise. Other players see your chosen form; your nametag is hidden while disguised. Empty satchel: "The satchel is empty — kill creatures to steal their shapes."

Combat notes

Extremely high health — expect a long fight, not a one-swing kill.
Mercy rules — It avoids finishing low-health players and backs off after a burst of attacks, then may stalk you again minutes later.
Creative mode — Largely ignored by its hunt AI.

Spawning

Natural spawns in Overworld biomes at night (standard monster rules: dark, valid ground).
Extra chance for night spawns near players in already-generated chunks.
Spawn egg included for Creative testing (still respects the one-per-area rule).

Multiplayer

Works on servers: disguises and satchel state sync to other players; each area still enforces one active Skinwalker. Server and all clients need this mod plus GeckoLib.

Requirements

Required	Version
Minecraft	1.21.1
NeoForge	21.1+
GeckoLib	4.8.4+

Tips for survivors

Do not trust glowing loot on the ground at night.
If something passive stares at you and does not behave normally, back away.
Breaking line of sight does not mean it left — it may be counting distance before it despawns or returns.
The satchel is optional power fantasy: your kills become your wardrobe.

Beware The Skinwalker