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Overview

The Spell Cycling system allows you to bind up to 9 different spells or abilities to a single item and cycle through them using Right-Click (forward) or Shift + Right-Click (backward). The active spell is tracked using item NBT data.
This system is ideal for magic wands, multi-tool items, or any weapon that needs multiple modes without cluttering the hotbar.

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How It Works

  1. NBT Storage: Spells are stored in the item’s NBT under spells.1.id, spells.2.id, etc.
  2. Active Index: Current spell index is tracked in activespell NBT tag
  3. Cycling: Right-click cycles forward, Shift + Right-click cycles backward
  4. Bounds Checking: Automatically wraps around when reaching min/max spell count

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NBT Structure

Items using spell cycling should have the following NBT structure: 
MyWand:
  Type: BLAZE_ROD
  Options:
    CustomNBT:
      maxspells: 3
      activespell: 1
      spells:
        1:
          id: fireball-spell
          name: "Fireball"
        2:
          id: heal-spell
          name: "Heal"
        3:
          id: teleport-spell
          name: "Teleport"
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maxspells
integer
required
Maximum number of spells bound to this item (1-9).
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activespell
integer
default:"1"
Currently selected spell index (1 to maxspells).
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spells.<index>.id
string
required
The MythicMobs skill ID to execute for this spell slot.
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spells.<index>.name
string
Display name for the spell (optional, for UI feedback).

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Core Skills

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Casting Active Spell

spell-cycle-cast:
  Skills:
  - setvar{var=skill.cycleindex;val="<trigger.item.hand.nbt.activespell>"}
  - switch{condition=variableequals{var=skill.cycleindex;val=<case>};
    cases=
       case 1=[ - vskill{s=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.1.id>} ]
       case 2=[ - vskill{s=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.2.id>} ]
       case 3=[ - vskill{s=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.3.id>} ]
       case 4=[ - vskill{s=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.4.id>} ]
       case 5=[ - vskill{s=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.5.id>} ]
       case 6=[ - vskill{s=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.6.id>} ]
       case 7=[ - vskill{s=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.7.id>} ]
       case 8=[ - vskill{s=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.8.id>} ]
       case 9=[ - vskill{s=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.9.id>} ]
    } @self

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Cycling Right (Forward)

spell-cycle-right:
  Skills:
  - setvar{var=skill.cycleindex;val="<trigger.item.hand.nbt.activespell>+1"}
  - skill{s=spell-cycle-checkbounds}
  - setItemNBT{key=activespell;value="<skill.var.cycleindex>"}

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Cycling Left (Backward)

spell-cycle-left:
  Skills:
  - setvar{var=skill.cycleindex;val="<trigger.item.hand.nbt.activespell>-1"}
  - skill{s=spell-cycle-checkbounds}
  - setItemNBT{key=activespell;value="<skill.var.cycleindex>"}

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Bounds Checking

spell-cycle-checkbounds:
  Skills:
  - sound{s=block.stone_pressure_plate.click_on;v=0.3;p=1.9;audience=self}
  - setvar{var=skill.cycleindex;val=1} ?varinrange{var=skill.cycleindex;val=><trigger.item.hand.nbt.maxspells>}
  - setvar{var=skill.cycleindex;val=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.maxspells>} ?varinrange{var=skill.cycleindex;val=<1}
The bounds checking automatically wraps the index: cycling past the last spell goes to spell 1, cycling before spell 1 goes to the last spell.

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Complete Item Example

Mage wand with 5 spells: 
ArcaneWand:
  Type: BLAZE_ROD
  Display: '<gradient:#4A00E0:#8E2DE2>Arcane Wand</gradient>'
  Options:
    CustomNBT:
      maxspells: 5
      activespell: 1
      spells:
        1:
          id: spell-fireball
          name: "Fireball"
        2:
          id: spell-frostbolt
          name: "Frostbolt"
        3:
          id: spell-lightning
          name: "Lightning"
        4:
          id: spell-heal
          name: "Heal"
        5:
          id: spell-shield
          name: "Shield"
  Skills:
  # Cast active spell on left-click
  - skill:spell-cycle-cast ~onAttack
  
  # Cycle forward on right-click
  - skill:spell-cycle-right ~onUse
  Conditions:
  - crouching false
  
  # Cycle backward on shift + right-click
  - skill:spell-cycle-left ~onUse
  Conditions:
  - crouching true

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Example Spells

spell-fireball:
  Cooldown: 3
  Skills:
  - message{m="<red>🔥 Fireball!"}
  - projectile{t=FIREBALL;v=2;onEnd=fireball-explode}

spell-frostbolt:
  Cooldown: 2
  Skills:
  - message{m="<aqua>❄ Frostbolt!"}
  - projectile{t=SNOWBALL;v=3;onEnd=frostbolt-freeze}

spell-lightning:
  Cooldown: 5
  Skills:
  - message{m="<yellow>⚡ Lightning!"}
  - lightning @PIR{r=3}

spell-heal:
  Cooldown: 10
  Skills:
  - message{m="<green>❤ Heal!"}
  - heal{a=20} @self
  - effect:particles{p=heart;a=20}

spell-shield:
  Cooldown: 15
  Skills:
  - message{m="<blue>🛡 Shield!"}
  - aura{name=shield;d=100;oe=shield-absorb}

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Visual Feedback

Add visual indicators for spell cycling: 
spell-cycle-right:
  Skills:
  - setvar{var=skill.cycleindex;val="<trigger.item.hand.nbt.activespell>+1"}
  - skill{s=spell-cycle-checkbounds}
  - setItemNBT{key=activespell;value="<skill.var.cycleindex>"}
  
  # Visual feedback
  - sound{s=block.stone_pressure_plate.click_on;v=0.3;p=1.9;audience=self}
  - actionmessage{m="<gold>→ <white>Spell [<aqua><skill.var.cycleindex><white>/<gray><trigger.item.hand.nbt.maxspells><white>]"}
  - actionmessage{m="<yellow><trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.<skill.var.cycleindex>.name>"}

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Advanced: Dynamic Spell Names

Display the spell name when cycling: 
spell-cycle-checkbounds:
  Skills:
  - sound{s=block.stone_pressure_plate.click_on;v=0.3;p=1.9;audience=self}
  - setvar{var=skill.cycleindex;val=1} ?varinrange{var=skill.cycleindex;val=><trigger.item.hand.nbt.maxspells>}
  - setvar{var=skill.cycleindex;val=<trigger.item.hand.nbt.maxspells>} ?varinrange{var=skill.cycleindex;val=<1}
  
  # Show spell name
  - switch{condition=variableequals{var=skill.cycleindex;val=<case>};
    cases=
      case 1=[ - actionmessage{m="<red><trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.1.name>"} ]
      case 2=[ - actionmessage{m="<aqua><trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.2.name>"} ]
      case 3=[ - actionmessage{m="<yellow><trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.3.name>"} ]
      case 4=[ - actionmessage{m="<green><trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.4.name>"} ]
      case 5=[ - actionmessage{m="<blue><trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.5.name>"} ]
    }

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Multi-Tool Example

Not just for magic - use for utility tools: 
MultiTool:
  Type: DIAMOND_PICKAXE
  Display: '<rainbow>Multi-Tool</rainbow>'
  Options:
    CustomNBT:
      maxspells: 3
      activespell: 1
      spells:
        1:
          id: tool-veinminer
          name: "Vein Miner"
        2:
          id: tool-treecutter
          name: "Tree Cutter"
        3:
          id: tool-excavator
          name: "Excavator"
  Skills:
  - skill:spell-cycle-cast ~onBreak
  - skill:spell-cycle-right ~onSwing

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Limitations

Maximum 9 Spells: The system supports up to 9 spells per item due to the switch statement structure. For more spells, consider using multiple items or a different system.

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Best Practices

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1. Provide Clear Feedback

Always let players know which spell is active: 
- actionmessage{m="Active: <yellow><trigger.item.hand.nbt.spells.<trigger.item.hand.nbt.activespell>.name>"}

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2. Use Appropriate Triggers

  • ~onUse: For cycling (right-click)
  • ~onAttack: For casting (left-click)
  • ~onSwing: Alternative for casting

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3. Add Cooldowns

Prevents spam casting: 
spell-fireball:
  Cooldown: 3  # 3 second cooldown
  Skills:
  - ...

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4. Organize Spell Order

Group similar spells logically:
  • Offensive spells first
  • Defensive spells middle
  • Utility spells last

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Performance Notes

The spell cycling system is marked as deprecated by the original author with the comment “I don’t use this anymore, but it’s here anyway.” However, it remains functional and useful for multi-spell items.

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Alternative: Item Ability System

For more advanced spell management, consider using MythicMobs’ built-in item ability system or custom GUI-based spell selection.

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