Pray to restore player lives

[osayra]

Would be cool to be able to build some kind of shrine/altar/prayer beads/etc that can be used once per day, and if it's used with enough consistency you'll get extra lives / restore lost ones. I imagine there wouldn't be a cap on it to promote consistency .

( It would be boring to base it off real world religion, but idk too much about the lore so I can't give any suggestions, maybe something with gears since that seems to be a motif )

If anyone is inspired by this and thinks of a different way to do it thats awesome , I really just like the idea of having this looming threat of permadeath, while also having the ability to lessen that threat by working at something to get extra lives

6/30. after thinking on it again something like animism would fit perfectly with the vibe of the game, ignore the gears bit

Edited July 1, 2025 by osayra
clarity+rethinking

[Enjen]

32 minutes ago, osayra said:

Would be cool to be able to build some kind of shrine/altar/prayer beads/etc that can be used once per day, and if it's used with enough consistency you'll get extra lives / restore lost ones. I imagine there wouldn't be a cap on it to promote consistency .

( It would be boring to base it off real world religion, but idk too much about the lore so I can't give any suggestions, maybe something with gears since that seems to be a motif )

If anyone is inspired by this and thinks of a different way to do it thats awesome , I really just like the idea of having this looming threat of permadeath, while also having the ability to lessen that threat by working at something to get extra lives

Hey welcome to the forum!~ 
I actually think your idea is such a cool concept! I'm trying to create a server with a very similar mechanic. It's lightly modded and wants to encourage community building and player-run systems! Obviously the player count is: me
at the moment hahahaha

On my server you are given a set amount of "Souls" when you join for the first time  after that you can craft more as well as trade Souls with other players! Once you're amount reaches < 0 Souls you are temporarily banned from the server (Still haven't decided on a proper time frame somewhere between 30mins and 2hrs irl time). It has the same feeling of Permadeath but you can return after the God of the World of Vitalismos, Athalos, "finishes restoring your body".
 

In theory, other players can provide materials and food to an "Athalos Shrine" to speed up the "restoring" process, decreasing your temp-ban time. So another reason to have a community that cares about one another!

[LadyWYT]

Welcome to the forums! It's a neat concept, but I don't think it should be part of the core game. 

2 hours ago, osayra said:

( It would be boring to base it off real world religion, but idk too much about the lore so I can't give any suggestions, maybe something with gears since that seems to be a motif )

This is one major reason why it shouldn't be added as a core feature: religion, whether it pulls from real world religions or not, is a touchy subject for many people. The game does feature some loose religious references, but overall, religion is left up to a player's own interpretation, and is therefore able to appeal to a wider variety of players as a result. 

2 hours ago, Enjen said:

I'm trying to create a server with a very similar mechanic. It's lightly modded and wants to encourage community building and player-run systems! Obviously the player count is: me
at the moment hahahaha

On my server you are given a set amount of "Souls" when you join for the first time  after that you can craft more as well as trade Souls with other players! Once you're amount reaches < 0 Souls you are temporarily banned from the server (Still haven't decided on a proper time frame somewhere between 30mins and 2hrs irl time). It has the same feeling of Permadeath but you can return after the God of the World of Vitalismos, Athalos, "finishes restoring your body".

This is the best way to implement religion as a gameplay mechanic. If players desire it, leave it up to them to determine how it's implemented. A whole lot of controversy is avoided that way.

Edit: because I'm a dumb-dumb sometimes and forgot what section of the forums I was in. I want to say someone already made a mod that implements this sort of idea, though without the religious aspect. https://mods.vintagestory.at/temporallife

Edited June 29, 2025 by LadyWYT

[osayra]

On 6/29/2025 at 11:09 AM, Enjen said:

Hey welcome to the forum!~ 
I actually think your idea is such a cool concept! I'm trying to create a server with a very similar mechanic. It's lightly modded and wants to encourage community building and player-run systems! Obviously the player count is: me
at the moment hahahaha

On my server you are given a set amount of "Souls" when you join for the first time  after that you can craft more as well as trade Souls with other players! Once you're amount reaches < 0 Souls you are temporarily banned from the server (Still haven't decided on a proper time frame somewhere between 30mins and 2hrs irl time). It has the same feeling of Permadeath but you can return after the God of the World of Vitalismos, Athalos, "finishes restoring your body".
 

In theory, other players can provide materials and food to an "Athalos Shrine" to speed up the "restoring" process, decreasing your temp-ban time. So another reason to have a community that cares about one another!

I love your community mechanic that's really cool

[osayra]

On 6/29/2025 at 1:16 PM, LadyWYT said:

Welcome to the forums! It's a neat concept, but I don't think it should be part of the core game. 

This is one major reason why it shouldn't be added as a core feature: religion, whether it pulls from real world religions or not, is a touchy subject for many people. The game does feature some loose religious references, but overall, religion is left up to a player's own interpretation, and is therefore able to appeal to a wider variety of players as a result. 

This is the best way to implement religion as a gameplay mechanic. If players desire it, leave it up to them to determine how it's implemented. A whole lot of controversy is avoided that way.

Edit: because I'm a dumb-dumb sometimes and forgot what section of the forums I was in. I want to say someone already made a mod that implements this sort of idea, though without the religious aspect. https://mods.vintagestory.at/temporallife

that mod you suggested is so close to perfect but I hate that items are involved, makes it feel too game-y unfortunately
 

[LadyWYT]

21 minutes ago, osayra said:

that mod you suggested is so close to perfect but I hate that items are involved, makes it feel too game-y unfortunately
 

There was another one, I think, that let you sacrifice items in rituals in return for getting a temporary buff. Unfortunately I don't recall the name of said mod though.

[osayra]

30 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

There was another one, I think, that let you sacrifice items in rituals in return for getting a temporary buff. Unfortunately I don't recall the name of said mod though.

that sounds so tough I'll find it somehow

I found it I think, 'Saints Of Cataclysm'

Edited July 1, 2025 by osayra

[Christian Lewis]

I am currently making something similar to this concept, but i haven't thought of adding lives yet. It uses a mood system on a per player basis, and has a API key with system instructions to send to it, and based on the AI's response (along with custom commands it sends back) will effect the player and their world. I don't exactly have alters yet (it would be hard to train an AI to judge alters) but it can take sacrifices and based on those, do certain actions. But i think adding a way to add lives would be a great addition to a kind of prayer mod, and i might consider adding it to mine too!

I was then struck by 27 lightning bolts

[Enjen]

41 minutes ago, Christian Lewis said:

I am currently making something similar to this concept, but i haven't thought of adding lives yet. It uses a mood system on a per player basis, and has a API key with system instructions to send to it, and based on the AI's response (along with custom commands it sends back) will effect the player and their world. I don't exactly have alters yet (it would be hard to train an AI to judge alters) but it can take sacrifices and based on those, do certain actions. But i think adding a way to add lives would be a great addition to a kind of prayer mod, and i might consider adding it to mine too!

I was then struck by 27 lightning bolts

HAHAHAHHA WHOAH HOW CREATIVE!!

This looks like lots of fun to play around with. Does God have access to every command? Is his answer to every disrespect just to strike lightning to the defiant? 

[Narg]

On 7/3/2025 at 1:02 PM, Christian Lewis said:

I am currently making something similar to this concept, but i haven't thought of adding lives yet. It uses a mood system on a per player basis, and has a API key with system instructions to send to it, and based on the AI's response (along with custom commands it sends back) will effect the player and their world. I don't exactly have alters yet (it would be hard to train an AI to judge alters) but it can take sacrifices and based on those, do certain actions. But i think adding a way to add lives would be a great addition to a kind of prayer mod, and i might consider adding it to mine too!

I was then struck by 27 lightning bolts

Just brainstorming, what about a stone table/anvil, and tags on like 10 decorative items as worthy/unworthy of the gods. AI just tallies good vs bad ground stored directly adjacent. place a temporal gear or something to sacrifice it to the gods and receive an extra life?