Mob Spawners

The spawner_mobs.yml file in plugins/SmartSpawner/ controls the drop tables, XP values, head textures, and optional drop chances for each mob type used by Smart Spawners.

In-game Management

Use /ss edit smartspawner to edit existing mob entries. This editor is separate from the Item Spawner editor and has no switch button. To create an entry, use:

bash

/ss add smartspawner <mob> [name] [NBT tag]

The mob argument tab-completes living, spawnable entity types from the current server version and accepts namespaced IDs such as minecraft:zombie. The name is optional and defaults to a value such as zombie_spawner; spaces are converted to underscores. NBT is also optional and defaults to {}. When used, it is a summon-style SNBT compound and must include its outer braces:

bash

/ss add smartspawner zombie {}
/ss add smartspawner minecraft:zombie
/ss add smartspawner zombie Boss Room {NoAI:1b,Silent:1b}

SmartSpawner validates the tag without spawning an entity and stores it as nbt_data. The tagged entity is rendered as the rotating model inside the spawner cage; the plugin still generates virtual loot and does not spawn that entity into the world. Existing entries are never overwritten.

The loot screen has 27 slots and no pagination or navigation items. One lime stained-glass pane is shown immediately after the last configured loot item; click it to add an item, and it moves one slot forward.

Drop Multiplier

Each generation cycle rolls drops between min_mobs and max_mobs times (default: 1–4). The configured amounts are base values per mob; actual output is higher.

Configuration Format

yaml

custom_spawner_name:
  entity: MOB_NAME          # Required; controls the entity type
  experience: <number>
  nbt_data: <summon-style SNBT> # Present on entries created with /ss add
  drop_chance: <percentage>   # Optional, defaults to 100.0 when omitted
  mob_head:
    item: <MATERIAL>
    hash_texture: <hash>    # null for vanilla heads
  loot:                       # Optional
    1:
      item: <item>            # Required
      amount: <min>-<max>
      chance: <percentage>
      durability: <min>-<max> # Optional, for tools and weapons

Naming an Item

Each loot entry names its item in the item field. It is required: an entry without one is skipped and reported in the console.

item accepts three things:

Form	Example	Use it for
A material name	`ARROW`	Plain items
A `/give` item string	`tipped_arrow[potion_contents={potion:"minecraft:poison"}]`	Potions, enchanted items, named items, anything with extra data
`nbt:` plus a code	`nbt:H4sIAAAA...`	Items copied out of the game exactly as they are

The second form is the same text the /give command completes for you in game. Build the item you want with /give, copy the part after the player name, and paste it here between single quotes.

Entries are numbered, and the number is only a position in the list. The item line is what says what drops, which is why the same material can appear more than once:

yaml

poison_bogged_spawner:
  entity: BOGGED
  loot:
    1:
      item: 'tipped_arrow[potion_contents={potion:"minecraft:poison"}]'
      amount: 0-1
      chance: 50.0
    2:
      item: 'tipped_arrow[potion_contents={potion:"minecraft:slowness"}]'
      amount: 0-1
      chance: 10.0

An entry the server cannot read is skipped and reported in the console with the mob and entry name. The rest of the file still loads.

Properties Reference

Spawner-Level Properties

Property	Format	Description
`entity`	`ZOMBIE`	Entity type used by this named spawner entry
`experience`	`5`	XP generated per spawner trigger
`nbt_data`	`{profile:DrDonutt}`	Summon-style SNBT used by the rotating entity model inside the spawner cage
`drop_chance`	`75.0`	Chance the Smart Spawner item drops when broken. Omit to use 100.0.
`material`	`"PLAYER_HEAD"`	Head material displayed in the spawner block
`hash_texture`	`"abc123..."`	Base64 texture hash for player heads. Use `null` for vanilla heads.

Loot Properties

Property	Format	Description
`item`	`ARROW`	The item that drops. Omit it to use the entry name.
`amount`	`1-3`	Item quantity range per generation cycle
`chance`	`50.0`	Drop probability (0.0 to 100.0)
`durability`	`1-384`	Durability range for tools and weapons. A single value like `100` is also accepted.

Spawner Break Drop Chance

The drop_chance property controls whether the spawner item itself drops when that spawner is broken. This is independent of the loot chance which controls generated drops.

If drop_chance is omitted, the spawner always drops (100% chance).
If drop_chance is set, each break has that percentage chance of returning the spawner item.
When sneak_break is enabled, spawners with drop_chance configured cannot be sneak-broken as a stack; players must break one at a time.
Players with smartspawner.break.bypassdropchance always receive the drop and can use all stacking features.

Examples

Mob with Custom Head

yaml

# Reference: https://minecraft.wiki/w/Cow#Drops
cow_spawner:
  entity: COW
  experience: 3
  mob_head:
    item: "PLAYER_HEAD"
    hash_texture: "b667c0e107be79d7679bfe89bbc57c6bf198ecb529a3295fcfdfd2f24408dca3"
  loot:
    1:
      item: LEATHER
      amount: 0-2
      chance: 66.67
    2:
      item: BEEF
      amount: 1-3
      chance: 100.0

Mob with Vanilla Head

yaml

# Reference: https://minecraft.wiki/w/Skeleton#Drops
skeleton_spawner:
  entity: SKELETON
  experience: 5
  mob_head:
    item: "SKELETON_SKULL"
    hash_texture: null
  loot:
    1:
      item: BONE
      amount: 0-2
      chance: 66.67
    2:
      item: ARROW
      amount: 0-2
      chance: 66.67
    3:
      item: BOW
      amount: 1-1
      chance: 8.5
      durability: 1-384

Mob with Weapons

yaml

# Reference: https://minecraft.wiki/w/Wither_Skeleton#Drops
wither_skeleton_spawner:
  entity: WITHER_SKELETON
  experience: 5
  mob_head:
    item: "WITHER_SKELETON_SKULL"
    hash_texture: null
  loot:
    1:
      item: COAL
      amount: 0-1
      chance: 33.33
    2:
      item: BONE
      amount: 0-2
      chance: 66.67
    3:
      item: WITHER_SKELETON_SKULL
      amount: 0-1
      chance: 2.5
    4:
      item: STONE_SWORD
      amount: 1-1
      chance: 8.5
      durability: 1-131

Mob with Tipped Arrows

yaml

# Reference: https://minecraft.wiki/w/Bogged#Drops
bogged_spawner:
  entity: BOGGED
  experience: 5
  mob_head:
    item: "PLAYER_HEAD"
    hash_texture: "a3b9003ba2d05562c75119b8a62185c67130e9282f7acbac4bc2824c21eb95d9"
  loot:
    1:
      item: BONE
      amount: 0-2
      chance: 66.67
    2:
      item: 'tipped_arrow[potion_contents={potion:"minecraft:poison"}]'
      amount: 0-2
      chance: 50.0

Mob with Potions and Enchanted Gear

yaml

witch_spawner:
  entity: WITCH
  experience: 5
  loot:
    1:
      item: 'potion[potion_contents={potion:"minecraft:strength"}]'
      amount: 0-1
      chance: 5.0
    2:
      item: 'diamond_sword[enchantments={"minecraft:sharpness":5}]'
      amount: 1-1
      chance: 0.5

Mob with Drop Chance

yaml

allay_spawner:
  entity: ALLAY
  experience: 0
  drop_chance: 75.0   # 75% chance to drop spawner when broken
  mob_head:
    item: "PLAYER_HEAD"
    hash_texture: "df5de940bfe499c59ee8dac9f9c3919e7535eff3a9acb16f4842bf290f4c679f"

Mob with No Drops

yaml

# Reference: https://minecraft.wiki/w/Bat#Drops
bat_spawner:
  entity: BAT
  experience: 0
  mob_head:
    item: "PLAYER_HEAD"
    hash_texture: "81c5cc1f40005a33124c60384a0f17a36a7b19ae90f1c32dcda17b5b56280a43"
  # No loot section = no item drops

Drop Mechanics

Actual drops per generation cycle are calculated as:

actual_drops = base_amount × random(min_mobs, max_mobs)

With defaults (min_mobs=1, max_mobs=4):

Config amount	Possible output
`1-1`	1–4 items
`2-3`	2–12 items
`1-2`	1–8 items

Each loot entry is rolled independently. A single cycle can produce multiple item types simultaneously.

Finding Head Textures

Custom player head textures can be found at:

Use the hash portion of the texture URL only (without http://textures.minecraft.net/texture/).

Vanilla Head Materials

Some mobs use built-in skull types with hash_texture: null:

SKELETON_SKULL
WITHER_SKELETON_SKULL
ZOMBIE_HEAD
PIGLIN_HEAD
DRAGON_HEAD

Default Configuration

SmartSpawner ships with a comprehensive default spawner_mobs.yml covering all vanilla mob types with accurate drop tables based on Minecraft Wiki data.

View online: GitHub: spawner_mobs.yml
Reset: Delete spawner_mobs.yml and restart the server to regenerate it.

Give Spawners

bash

/ss give <player> smart_spawner <name> [amount]

Examples:

bash

/ss give Steve smart_spawner skeleton_spawner 1
/ss give Player123 smart_spawner wither_skeleton_spawner 3

Mob Spawners ​

In-game Management ​

Configuration Format ​

Naming an Item ​

Properties Reference ​

Spawner-Level Properties ​

Loot Properties ​

Spawner Break Drop Chance ​

Examples ​

Mob with Custom Head ​

Mob with Vanilla Head ​

Mob with Weapons ​

Mob with Tipped Arrows ​

Mob with Potions and Enchanted Gear ​

Mob with Drop Chance ​

Mob with No Drops ​

Drop Mechanics ​

Finding Head Textures ​

Vanilla Head Materials ​

Default Configuration ​

Give Spawners ​

Mob Spawners

In-game Management

Configuration Format

Naming an Item

Properties Reference

Spawner-Level Properties

Loot Properties

Spawner Break Drop Chance

Examples

Mob with Custom Head

Mob with Vanilla Head

Mob with Weapons

Mob with Tipped Arrows

Mob with Potions and Enchanted Gear

Mob with Drop Chance

Mob with No Drops

Drop Mechanics

Finding Head Textures

Vanilla Head Materials

Default Configuration

Give Spawners