Arcane Classes

ArcaneClasses is a Paper SMP plugin that lets every player choose a class — a set of unique, never-before-seen abilities that define how they fight, survive and interact with every other player on the server. What makes ArcaneClasses different from every other ability plugin is its mana system. There are no cooldown timers. Instead, every ability costs mana, and mana regenerates slowly over time. Run out and you are completely defenseless. This forces every player to make real decisions about when to strike, when to hold back, and when to spend everything they have.

No external dependencies. Requires Paper 1.21.11 and Java 21.

The Mana System

Every player has a mana bar displayed permanently above the hunger bar. Mana regenerates at 8 per second from a maximum of 400 — a fully empty bar takes roughly 50 seconds to restore. Main abilities cost 300–350 mana. Secondary abilities cost 100–200 mana. The math is intentional: use your main ability and you will not have it again for almost a full minute if you spend your secondaries in between.

Mana Crystal:

The Mana Crystal is a craftable item that instantly restores 200 mana on right-click. It is consumed on use and requires a very expensive craft.

Classes and Abilities

Berserker

A reckless warrior who punishes every mistake.

• /trigger 1 — Warcry Launch (100 mana, free): Propel yourself 10 blocks into the air. No fall damage on landing.
• /trigger 2 — Bloodrage (100 mana, unlock: 1 diamond block): Gain Strength II for 3 full minutes.
• /trigger 3 — Retribution (350 mana, unlock: 1 diamond block): Absorb all incoming damage for 7 seconds. On expiry, release it as a 1.5x damage burst to all nearby enemies. The more hits absorbed, the more devastating the release.

Vampire

A predator that grows stronger the longer it survives.

• Passive — Predator (free, always active): Permanently gain 1 heart per kill, capped at 14 hearts total. Resets on death.
• /trigger 2 — Sanguine Drain (300 mana, unlock: 1 diamond block): For 14 seconds, heal 1.5 hearts for every 2 hearts of damage dealt to enemies. Turns fights against multiple enemies into a healing opportunity.
• /trigger 3 — Smoke Form (150 mana, unlock: 3 diamond blocks): Transform into a visible cloud of black smoke. Gain flight and become completely unhittable for 4 seconds. Enemies can see exactly where you are — they just cannot touch you.

Juggernaut

An unstoppable wall of force that never stops regenerating.

• Passive — Fortitude (free, always active): Permanent Regeneration I from the moment you join. You never stop recovering.
• /trigger 2 — Tremor (150 mana, unlock: 1 diamond block): Stomp the ground and apply Slowness III to every player within 6 blocks for 8 seconds.
• /trigger 3 — Bulldoze (200 mana, unlock: 1 diamond block): Gain Speed III and crash through blocks and entities for 9 seconds. Blocks in your path physically shatter. Entities take 2 hearts of impact damage on collision. Jumping during Bulldoze breaks the blocks you land on.

Arbiter

The judge of the battlefield — strips power, calls lightning, smites the enemies to the ground.

• /trigger 1 — Divine Smite (150–300 mana, free): Call a lightning bolt on any entity in line of sight up to 20 blocks away. Damage rolls randomly between 3 and 5 hearts and mana cost scales at 50 per heart — rolled after activation, making every cast a gamble.
• /trigger 2 — Ascension (150 mana, free): Call a lightning bolt on yourself. Instead of damage, gain Speed III and Regeneration II for 10 seconds.
• /trigger 3 — Siphon (300 mana, unlock: 3 diamond blocks): Drain a targeted player's entire mana bar to zero instantly. Temporarily increase your own maximum mana by 100 for 19 seconds — stripping an enemy of all their abilities at the exact moment you need yours most.

Class Tomes

Upgrading and Trading

Every player starts with only their starter ability. To unlock further abilities, players must upgrade using their class tome — a written book that represents ownership of a class. Place the class tome and the required number of diamond blocks together in a crafting table to produce an upgraded tome. The new ability is immediately unlocked on craft.

Upgrade costs per class:

• Berserker: 1 diamond block for Bloodrage, then 1 diamond block for Retribution.
• Vampire: 1 diamond block for Sanguine Drain, then 3 diamond blocks for Smoke Form.
• Juggernaut: 1 diamond block for Iron Skin, then 1 diamond block for Bulldoze.
• Arbiter: 3 diamond blocks for Siphon. No further upgrades.

For trading, use /removeclass to strip your class and receive your class tome as a physical item in your inventory. Drop it on the ground for another player to pick up and claim the class at upgrade level 0. Pick your own tome back up and your class and all upgrades are fully restored. If a different player picks it up, your upgrades are permanently wiped and they start fresh at level 0.

Crafting Recipes

Class tomes can be upgraded using the recipe - class tome + 1 diamond block (and class tome + 3 diamond blocks for the arbiter class). Mana Crystal can be crafted using 4 diamonds, 2 nether stars, 2 blaze rods and 1 enchanted golden apple.

Commands

• /setpower [level] (arcane.admin, op by default): Assign any class to any player at any upgrade level instantly. The level argument is optional and defaults to 0 if omitted.
• /removeclass (everyone): Strip your class and receive a tradeable class tome in your inventory.
• /mypower (everyone): View your current class, mana, upgrade level and a full breakdown of which abilities are unlocked and locked with the cost to unlock the next one.
• /trigger <1/2/3> (everyone): Activate the ability in the corresponding slot.
• /trust <add/remove/list> [player] (everyone): Manage your trusted players list. Trusted players are completely immune to all your abilities — active and passive.

config.yml

Every value in the plugin is configurable without recompiling. Open plugins/ArcaneClasses/config.yml to adjust the mana maximum, regen rate and action bar refresh rate; the mana crystal boost amount and death behaviour; and every individual ability value across all four classes including mana costs, durations, damage values, heal ratios, launch velocities and ranges.