ReviveSystem v2.0

A full-featured revival system for Minecraft Hardcore and Semi-Hardcore servers.

ReviveSystem gives dead players a second chance — but only through teamwork, rare items, and strategic decisions. When a player dies, they aren't permanently eliminated. Instead, they enter Spectator Mode and must wait for another player to bring them back. This keeps the Hardcore feeling intact while preventing frustration from permanent death.

Compatible with: Paper, Spigot, Bukkit — Minecraft 1.21 through 26.2+

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Table of Contents

1. How It Works — Step by Step
2. The Head Mechanic (Bonus Hearts)
3. Items & Crafting Recipes
4. All Commands
5. All Permissions
6. Full Configuration Guide
7. Language & Messages
8. Installation Guide
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Troubleshooting

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How It Works — Step by Step

Here's exactly what happens during a typical gameplay session:

1. A Player Dies

When a player dies in your world, three things happen automatically:

1. Their head drops as a physical item at their death location (a Player Head with their skin).
2. They enter Spectator Mode — they can fly around and watch, but they cannot interact with the world, break blocks, or chat commands that affect gameplay.
3. A death info screen appears — a GUI window showing their Level and total Playtime, which automatically closes after 5 seconds (configurable).

The player is now "dead" and waiting for revival.

2. How to Revive a Dead Player

There are three ways to bring a dead player back:

Method A: The Revive Item (Nether Star)

• Another player crafts or finds a Revive Item (looks like a Nether Star with a blue name).
• They hold it in their hand and right-click.
• The dead player is instantly revived into Survival Mode with full health.
• The Revive Item is consumed (used up).

Method B: The Respawn Point (Player Head on Soul Sand)

• Another player picks up the dead player's dropped head.
• They surround it with Soul Sand in a crafting table (head in center, soul sand all around).
• This creates a Respawn Point — a special head item.
• When they place this head on the ground, the dead player is teleported to that location and revived.
• The placed head disappears after 2 seconds.

Method C: Admin Command

• A server admin or operator can use the command /revive <playername> to instantly revive any dead player.

3. After Revival

• The player returns to Survival Mode with the configured amount of health (default: full 10 hearts).
• Their death count and revival status are saved — they won't be put back into Spectator if they die again (they've already used their revival).
• All their progress (XP, items they had) follows normal Minecraft death rules.

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The Head Mechanic (Bonus Hearts)

This is a separate, optional feature that works alongside the revive system:

• When a player picks up a dropped player head (from someone's death) and puts it on as a helmet, they receive +20 bonus hearts (10 extra full hearts, for a total of 20 full hearts).
• A chat message tells them about the bonus hearts.
• The "Kopf hoch!" advancement is awarded (appears as a toast notification).
• A level-up sound plays.
• When the player takes the head off, their hearts go back to normal (10 full hearts).
• The bonus hearts amount, sound, and volume are all configurable.

Head Protection

Dropped player heads are valuable revival tokens. By default, they can be destroyed by lava and explosions. You can change this in the config:

• head.kill-at-lava: false → Heads survive lava
• head.kill-at-explosion: false → Heads survive explosions (TNT, Creepers, etc.)

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Items & Crafting Recipes

Revive Item

Property	Value
Base Item	Nether Star
Display Name	§bRevive Item (aqua colored)
Effect	Revives one dead player
Consumed on use	Yes

Crafting Recipe:

    [Player Head]
[Gold Ingot] [Emerald] [Gold Ingot]
    [Totem of Undying]

In the 3×3 crafting grid:

• Top row: empty — Player Head — empty
• Middle row: Gold Ingot — Emerald — Gold Ingot
• Bottom row: empty — Totem of Undying — empty

Respawn Point

Property	Value
Base Item	Player Head (with dead player's skin)
Display Name	§bRespawn Point of [PlayerName]
Effect	Place to revive the specific player

Crafting Recipe:

[Soul Sand] [Soul Sand] [Soul Sand]
[Soul Sand] [Player Head] [Soul Sand]
[Soul Sand] [Soul Sand] [Soul Sand]

Place a dead player's dropped head in the center, surrounded by 8 Soul Sand blocks.

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All Commands

Command	Description	Permission
/revive	Shows help and available commands	Everyone
/revive <player>	Revives a dead player instantly	revivesystem.use
/revive reload	Reloads config and messages without server restart	revivesystem.admin
/rev	Alias for /revive	Same as /revive

Command Examples

/revive Steve          → Revives the player "Steve"
/revive reload         → Reloads all configuration files
/rev Alex              → Short form: revives "Alex"

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All Permissions

Permission	Description	Default
revivesystem.use	Allows using the /revive <player> command	Everyone
revivesystem.craft	Allows crafting the Revive Item	Everyone
revivesystem.head	Allows using the Head Mechanic (bonus hearts)	Everyone
revivesystem.admin	Allows /revive reload and admin commands	OP only

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Full Configuration Guide

After the first server start, the file plugins/ReviveSystem/config.yml is created. Here's every option explained:

# ============================================================
# ReviveSystem Configuration v2.0
# ============================================================

# Language for all messages. Options: de, en, es
# You can also create your own language file (see Language section below)
language: de

# ============================================================
# Head Mechanic Settings
# ============================================================
head:
  # Set to false to completely disable the head mechanic
  # (bonus hearts, advancement, sound — everything)
  enabled: true

  # How many BONUS hearts the player gets when wearing a head.
  # 20 = +10 full hearts (total: 20 full hearts = 40 HP)
  # 10 = +5 full hearts (total: 15 full hearts = 30 HP)
  # 40 = +20 full hearts (total: 30 full hearts = 60 HP)
  bonus-hearts: 20

  # Should dropped player heads be destroyed when they fall in lava?
  # true = yes, the head will burn and be lost forever
  # false = no, the head is immune to lava damage
  kill-at-lava: true

  # Should dropped player heads be destroyed by explosions (TNT, Creepers)?
  # true = yes, explosions can destroy heads
  # false = no, heads are protected from explosions
  kill-at-explosion: true

  # The sound that plays when a player puts on a head.
  # Must be a valid Minecraft sound name.
  # Examples: ENTITY_PLAYER_LEVELUP, UI_TOAST_CHALLENGE_COMPLETE,
  #           ENTITY_ENDER_DRAGON_GROWL, BLOCK_BEACON_ACTIVATE
  advancement-sound: ENTITY_PLAYER_LEVELUP

  # Volume of the sound (0.0 = silent, 1.0 = normal, 2.0 = loud)
  advancement-sound-volume: 1.0

  # Pitch of the sound (0.5 = deep/slow, 1.0 = normal, 2.0 = high/fast)
  advancement-sound-pitch: 1.0

# ============================================================
# Revive System Settings
# ============================================================
revive:
  # After how many deaths should the player become a spectator?
  # 1 = after the first death (default, most hardcore)
  # 2 = after the second death (more forgiving)
  # 3 = three strikes and you're out
  deaths-required: 1

  # Can a player revive THEMSELVES with a Revive Item?
  # true = yes, a spectator can self-revive if they somehow have the item
  # false = no, another living player must revive them (default)
  allow-self-revive: false

  # How long (in ticks) the death info GUI stays open.
  # 20 ticks = 1 second. Default: 100 ticks = 5 seconds.
  spectator-gui-duration: 100

  # Should a player head drop when a player dies?
  # true = yes, a head with the player's skin drops at the death location
  # false = no head drops (disables the Respawn Point mechanic)
  drop-head-on-death: true

  # Health the player gets after being revived.
  # 20.0 = full health (10 full hearts)
  # 10.0 = half health (5 full hearts)
  # 2.0  = barely alive (1 full heart)
  revive-health: 20.0

# ============================================================
# Data & Performance Settings
# ============================================================
data:
  # Auto-save player data every X seconds.
  # 300 = every 5 minutes (recommended)
  # 60  = every minute (more frequent, slightly more disk I/O)
  # 0   = disabled (data is only saved when it changes)
  auto-save-interval: 300

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Language & Messages

ReviveSystem supports multiple languages out of the box: German (de), English (en), and Spanish (es).

Changing the Language

1. Open plugins/ReviveSystem/config.yml
2. Change language: de to your desired language code (e.g., en or es)
3. Run /revive reload or restart the server

Customizing Messages

All messages are stored in YAML files in the plugin folder:

• plugins/ReviveSystem/messages_de.yml — German
• plugins/ReviveSystem/messages_en.yml — English
• plugins/ReviveSystem/messages_es.yml — Spanish

You can edit any message directly in these files. Use § color codes for formatting:

• §a = green, §b = aqua, §c = red, §e = yellow, §7 = gray
• §l = bold, §o = italic, §n = underline

Available placeholders:

• %player% — Player name
• %level% — Player level
• %playtime% — Total playtime in hours
• %deaths% — Number of deaths
• %hearts% — Bonus heart count

Creating a New Language

1. Copy messages_en.yml to messages_xx.yml (replace xx with your language code)
2. Translate all messages
3. Set language: xx in config.yml
4. Run /revive reload

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Installation Guide

Requirements

• A Minecraft server running Paper, Spigot, or Bukkit
• Minecraft version 1.21 or newer (tested up to 26.2)
• Java 21 or newer

Step-by-Step Installation

1. Download the latest ReviveSystem.jar file
2. Stop your Minecraft server (if it's running)
3. Copy the JAR file into your server's plugins/ folder
4. Copy the KopfAdvancementPack folder into your server's datapacks/ folder (inside your world folder, e.g., world/datapacks/)
5. Start the server
6. Verify the plugin loaded by checking the console for: ReviveSystem v2.0 aktiviert!
7. Configure the plugin by editing plugins/ReviveSystem/config.yml
8. Reload with /revive reload — no server restart needed!

Updating from v1.0

If you're updating from ReviveSystem v1.0:

• Your existing playerdata.yml is fully compatible — no data loss!
• Old player heads (without PDC tags) will still be recognized
• The new config options will be added automatically with default values
• Your old config values (kill_at_lava, kill_at_explosion) will need to be manually transferred to the new format (head.kill-at-lava, head.kill-at-explosion)

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Frequently Asked Questions

General

Q: What happens when a player dies?

They drop their head as an item, enter Spectator Mode, and see a brief info screen showing their level and playtime. They can fly around and watch but cannot interact with the world.

Q: Can a dead player still chat?

Yes! Chat is not restricted. Dead players can communicate with living players to coordinate their revival.

Q: What happens if nobody revives a dead player?

They stay in Spectator Mode indefinitely until someone revives them or an admin uses /revive <player>.

Q: Can I have multiple lives before becoming a spectator?

Yes! Change revive.deaths-required in config.yml. Set it to 2 for two lives, 3 for three, etc.

Q: Does the plugin affect vanilla advancements?

No. The "Kopf hoch!" advancement is in its own namespace (revivesystem:) and does not interfere with any vanilla Minecraft advancements.

Technical

Q: Is the plugin compatible with other plugins?

Yes. ReviveSystem uses standard Bukkit/Paper events and does not modify vanilla mechanics. It should work alongside most other plugins.

Q: Does the plugin cause lag?

No. Version 2.0 includes significant performance optimizations:

• Player data is saved asynchronously (no main thread blocking)
• Configuration values are cached (not re-read on every event)
• Explosion checks only scan nearby entities (not the entire world)
• A dirty-flag system prevents unnecessary disk writes

Q: Where is player data stored?

In plugins/ReviveSystemData/playerdata.yml. This file is saved asynchronously and auto-saved at a configurable interval (default: every 5 minutes).

Q: Can I reset a player's death count?

Currently, you need to manually edit plugins/ReviveSystemData/playerdata.yml and remove or reset the player's UUID entry. A command for this may be added in a future version.

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Plugin doesn't load	Check that you're running Java 21+ and Paper/Spigot 1.21+
"Kopf hoch!" advancement doesn't appear	Make sure the KopfAdvancementPack is in world/datapacks/ and run /reload
Head doesn't give bonus hearts	Check that head.enabled: true in config.yml and the head has the correct format
Revive Item doesn't work	Make sure the player is actually in Spectator Mode and hasn't already been revived
Messages are in the wrong language	Change language in config.yml and run /revive reload
Changes to config don't apply	Run /revive reload to apply changes without restart

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Support

For support, feedback, or suggestions, feel free to contact me on Discord: desertlox

(Feature with the Advancement pack coming in the future)

License

This plugin is not open source. All rights reserved.