Config-File Skills

You can add a brand-new skill without writing any Java. Experience Skills scans a folder of JSON files at startup and registers a skill for each one, exactly as if a plugin had declared it. This is the easiest way for modpack makers to add skills around attributes that already exist.

Location

Drop .json files into:

config/experienceskills/skills/

The folder is created for you on first launch. Every .json file in it (searched recursively) becomes one skill.

File Format

Each file has three top-level keys:

Key	Description
name	The skill's unique id. Everything derived from the skill is keyed off this.
attribute	The registry id of the attribute the skill buffs.
defaultConfig	The skill's settings — the same fields as a Skill Config block.

{
  "name": "luck",
  "attribute": "minecraft:luck",
  "defaultConfig": {
    "enabled": true,
    "incrementPerLevel": 0.1,
    "xpAwardActionCount": 100,
    "xpPointToAward": 5,
    "rgbColor": 43520,
    "operation": "add_value",
    "maxLevel": 50,
    "stat": "minecraft:animals_bred",
    "dropOnDeath": true
  }
}

That single file adds a Luck skill that trains from animals bred and adds flat Luck as it levels. It gets its own orbs, HUD bar and Luck Experience Bottle Experience Bottle, all in its rgbColor (43520 is #00AA00).

Rules & Limits

• name must be unique across all skills, including built-ins and addon skills.
• attribute must already exist. Config-file skills can only buff an attribute that some mod (vanilla or otherwise) has registered — they can't create a new attribute. To add a new attribute you need the Plugin API.
• stat must be a custom statistic. Use a built-in Experience Skills stat or a minecraft:custom stat. Per-block / per-item statistics can't drive a skill directly.
• Config-file skills get the automatic attribute bonus only — they can't attach custom per-update logic (a Handler). For that, use a Java plugin.
• After first run the skill also appears in the main config, where its defaultConfig becomes the editable live values.

When to use which

Use config-file skills to buff an existing attribute from an existing stat with no code. Reach for the Plugin API when you need a new attribute, a new stat, or custom logic that a single attribute modifier can't express.