Roleplay Chat

[!WARNING] Most features described below (RP identity system, nametag visibility, introduction system) require version 2.0 or later and Minecraft 1.21.6. Earlier versions only include the proximity chat system.

A Minecraft Fabric mod (1.21.6) for roleplay servers. It replaces the vanilla chat with a proximity-based system, assigns each player an anonymous hex code identity, and gives them an RP name visible only to players they've been introduced to.

Proximity Chat

Every chat message is delivered only to players within a configured range. The range depends on the type of message, triggered by a prefix character or a slash command.

Support messages are only visible to server operators (permission level ≥ 2) and the sender.

Colors, ranges, and prefix characters are all configurable — see Configuration.

Color fade with distance

Messages fade toward black as the receiver moves away from the sender, reaching full black at maximum range. Players outside range receive nothing.

Chat message examples

Speak	Whisper	Shout
Action	OOC	Global OOC

Dice Roll

/roll broadcasts a dice result to nearby players (same range as Action, 25 blocks by default).

Syntax: /roll [NdF[±bonus]]

* Alice [1d20+3] → 17  (14+3)
* Bob [1d6] → 4  (Critical Failure)

Rolling the maximum value shows (Critical Success) in bold; rolling 1 shows (Critical Failure) in bold.

RP Identity System

Anonymous hex code

Every player is assigned a unique 6-digit hex code at their first connection (e.g. #15AACF). This code:

• Appears on their nametag (gray italic, below their RP name).
• Replaces their Minecraft username in chat until they have an RP name.
• Shows as a hover tooltip on their name in chat once they have an RP name.
• Works as a target in all vanilla commands (/kick, /ban, /op, /tp, /give, /kill, /damage, …) — type # and autocomplete will suggest codes.

RP name

On first connection, players are shown a screen to choose their RP name:

Name input

Validation error

The screen cannot be bypassed with Escape — pressing Escape opens the pause menu, and the screen reappears when the player returns to the game.

Rules:

• Must be non-empty.
• Must be 32 characters or fewer.
• Must be unique (case-insensitive).

Once set, the RP name can be changed at any time with /rpname <name>.

RP name chat example

Once a player has an RP name, it appears in chat instead of their hex code:

Nametag Visibility

Introduction system

By default, other players' RP names are hidden — their nametag shows ?. To reveal your identity to a specific player:

/rp present #15AACF

This sends a notification to that player and permanently records the introduction. After a reconnect, introductions are restored automatically.

Nametag states

Known player

Not yet introduced

No RP name yet

Line-of-sight occlusion

RP names are not visible through walls. If a solid block stands between your camera and another player, their entire nametag disappears — even if they have introduced themselves to you. Creative mode bypasses this check.

Clear line of sight

Wall between players

Creative mode — wall ignored

Identity-concealing headgear

A player wearing an item tagged roleplay-chat:conceals_identity in the helmet slot appears as ? to everyone — even players they've introduced themselves to. Their hex code remains visible so staff can still identify them.

Concealing helmet worn

Creative mode — concealment ignored

The mod ships with minecraft:leather_helmet in this tag by default. To add more items, create a datapack file:

data/roleplay-chat/tags/items/conceals_identity.json

{
  "replace": false,
  "values": [
    "minecraft:leather_helmet",
    "yourmod:hood",
    "yourmod:balaclava"
  ]
}

"replace": false merges your list with the mod's defaults instead of replacing them.

Configuration (server admins)

Settings live in config/roleplay-chat.json (next to your server or .minecraft folder). The file is created with defaults on first run. Edit it as UTF-8 to preserve special prefix characters (e.g. «).

Each message type has three fields:

Reload without restart: /roleplaychat reload (operator level 4) re-reads the file while the server is running. If the file is invalid, the current settings are kept and an error is logged.

Supported keys: speak, whisper, shout, action, ooc, globalOoc, support, roll.

Example (excerpt):

{
  "speak": {
    "radius": 30,
    "color": 16777215,
    "characters": []
  },
  "whisper": {
    "radius": 4,
    "color": "#CC33CC",
    "characters": ["«", "\""]
  },
  "shout": {
    "radius": 80,
    "color": 13369344,
    "characters": ["!"]
  }
}