Lifesteal SP

A singleplayer take on the Lifesteal SMP format. Every death costs you a heart. Gain them back by crafting the Enchanted Totem. Run out of hearts and it's over.

How it works

Losing hearts

Every time you die, your maximum health is permanently reduced by one heart. You start with 10 hearts and the floor is zero.

Game over

When your last heart is gone, the world locks. You'll see a game over screen and the world won't be continuable. It's still accessible from the main menu so you can look back at your journey, but you can't play on.

Gaining hearts back

Craft an Enchanted Totem and right-click it to gain one heart permanently. Hearts are capped at 10 by default (configurable). Crafting one isn't easy:

That's 8 notch apples!

Configuration

On first launch a lifesteal_sp.json config file is generated in your config folder. Available options:

{
  "max_hearts": 10
}

max_hearts controls the cap on how many hearts you can hold. Default is 10. Set it higher if you want to stack multiple Enchanted Totems beyond the vanilla maximum.

Compatibility

• ✅ Server-side only — no client mod required
• ✅ Fabric, Minecraft 26.1.2

FAQ

Is this actual hardcore?
No. The world doesn't delete and you respawn normally until your hearts hit zero. It's a middle ground between normal and hardcore — mistakes have lasting consequences without a single bad death ending everything.

Can I recover from 1 heart?
Yes, but you'll need to survive long enough to hunt 8 notch apples, which is its own challenge at 1 heart.

What happens to hearts above the max if I lower the config?
Your current health won't be reduced retroactively — the cap only applies to gaining new hearts via the Enchanted Totem.