Difficulty Scaling

Monsters scale with level and punish underleveled players, but they do it by boosting their HP pools - your damage is still intact, you simply have to land more hits on higher-level foes. The system uses true HP modification to increase monster max HP based on their level, so stat upgrades feel rewarding while each level increases the amount of health to burn through. Features:

Higher-level monsters deal more damage and are tankier
Fighting underleveled is dangerous (gap penalties)
4 difficulty presets: Easy, Normal, Hard, Extreme
All values configurable via preset

Difficulty Presets

Preset	Monster→Player Dmg/Lvl	HP%/Lvl	Gap Dmg Mult	Gap Def Mult	Best For
EASY	+0.5%	+2%	×0.75	×0.75	New players
NORMAL	+1%	+3.25%	×1.0	×1.0	Default
HARD	+2%	+4.5%	×1.25	×1.25	Experienced
EXTREME	+4%	+6.5%	×1.5	×1.5	Hardcore

Example (Level 50 monster, NORMAL):

Damage: Base × 1.5 → 1.5× harder
1 + (50 × 0.01) = 1.5
If base 10 damage → 15 damage
Tankiness: Max HP × 2.63 → 2.63× tankier
HP mult 1 + (50 × 0.0325) = 2.625
If base 100 HP → 263 HP (needs 2.63× more hits to kill)

Monster Damage Scaling (Monster → Player)

Formula: Final = Base × (1 + Level × Monster→Player Dmg%/Lvl)

Level	EASY	NORMAL	HARD	EXTREME
25	1.125×	1.25×	1.5×	2.0×
50	1.25×	1.5×	2.0×	3.0×
75	1.375×	1.75×	2.5×	4.0×
100	1.5×	2.0×	3.0×	5.0×

Monster HP Scaling

Formula: Max HP = Base × (1 + Level × HP%/Lvl)
HP Multiplier: 1 + (Level × HP%/Lvl) Monsters have their max HP increased based on their level. The HP bar reflects the actual increased HP. This approach keeps player damage from being artificially reduced - instead of nerfing your hits, monsters simply require more of them as their HP grows with level.

Level	EASY	NORMAL	HARD	EXTREME
25	1.49×	1.81×	2.14×	2.63×
50	1.98×	2.63×	3.28×	4.25×
75	2.46×	3.44×	4.41×	5.88×
100	2.95×	4.25×	5.55×	7.5×

Example (L87, NORMAL):
HP mult 1 + (87 × 0.0325) = 3.83 → if base 100 HP → 383 HP (3.83× more HP).

Gap Damage Bonus (Monster → Player)

Gap damage bonus only applies when the monster is higher level than the player: When Monster Level > Player Level (Positive Gap):

Monster deals extra damage
Formula: Final = Base × (1 + Gap × 0.01 × GapDmgMult)

When Player Level > Monster Level (Negative Gap):

No damage change - gap bonus returns 1.0× (no effect)
Negative gaps only affect XP rewards, not damage dealt

Base rate: +1% per level above player (scaled by preset).

Level Gap	EASY	NORMAL	HARD	EXTREME
+1	+0.75% (1.01×)	+1% (1.01×)	+1.25% (1.01×)	+1.5% (1.02×)
+5	+3.75% (1.04×)	+5% (1.05×)	+6.25% (1.06×)	+7.5% (1.08×)
+10	+7.5% (1.08×)	+10% (1.10×)	+12.5% (1.13×)	+15% (1.15×)
+20	+15% (1.15×)	+20% (1.20×)	+25% (1.25×)	+30% (1.30×)
+30	+22.5% (1.23×)	+30% (1.30×)	+37.5% (1.38×)	+45% (1.45×)
+50	+37.5% (1.38×)	+50% (1.50×)	+62.5% (1.63×)	+75% (1.75×)
0 or negative	1.0× (no change)	1.0× (no change)	1.0× (no change)	1.0× (no change)

Gap damage to player can be disabled via EnableGapLevelDamageToPlayer: false in config - monsters will not get bonus damage from level gap.

Gap Defense (Player → Monster)

When you’re below the monster’s level, you can optionally deal less damage via damage resistance. Tiered by gap, this is an extra layer on top of the HP scaling toughness above - disable it if you prefer consistent damage and let the increased HP do the heavy lifting.

Level Gap	EASY	NORMAL	HARD	EXTREME
0–5	100%	100%	100%	100%
6–10	90%	85%	80%	75%
11–20	85%	75%	70%	65%
21–30	75%	70%	65%	55%
31+	55%	50%	30%	20%

Formula: Damage Taken = Original / Resistance Multiplier
Resistance Multiplier: 1 / Damage Taken Percentage Gap defense uses damage resistance (divide by multiplier), not percentage reduction. For example, if you deal 75% damage (gap 11–20, NORMAL), the resistance multiplier is 1 / 0.75 = 1.333× - your damage is divided by 1.333×. Defense cap: the highest gap tier now leaves you dealing 55% (EASY), 50% (NORMAL), 30% (HARD), or 20% (EXTREME) damage - roughly 45% / 50% / 70% / 80% reduction. Monsters stay more killable when underleveled.

Combat Examples

Scenario	Monster Dmg	Monster Tank	Gap Dmg	Gap Def	Result
L50 vs L50	1.5×	2.25×	None	None	Fair
L45 vs L55	1.55×	2.25×	+10% (1.10×)	85% taken	Harder
L45 vs L70	1.70×	2.25×	+25% (1.25×)	50% taken	Very hard
L45 vs L86	1.86×	2.25×	+41% (1.41×)	25% taken	Nearly impossible

Configuration

File: mods/Zuxaw_RPGLeveling/RPGLevelingConfig.json

{
  "difficultyPreset": "normal",
  "EnableMonsterLevelScale": true,
  "EnableGapLevelDefense": true,
  "EnableGapLevelDamageToPlayer": true,
  "EnableGapLevelXpReducer": true
}

Field	Type	Description
difficultyPreset	String	`"easy"`, `"normal"`, `"hard"`, or `"extreme"`
EnableMonsterLevelScale	Boolean	If `true` (default), monster level scaling is enabled: monster damage/HP scale with level (HP scaling is the primary toughness mechanic, so your damage stays consistent while higher levels require more hits), gap damage bonus (monster → you) and gap defense (you → monster) apply, and XP from kills uses the new level-based system (monster level + level gap). If `false`, all monster level scaling is disabled: no level-based damage/HP, no gap damage/defense, and XP from kills falls back to the old HP-based formula (only mob max HP). Monster/zone levels and level display above player head still work visually.
EnableGapLevelDefense	Boolean	If `true` (default), extra level-gap defense is applied: you deal less damage when underleveled via damage resistance tiers. If `false`, gap defense is disabled - your damage to monsters is not reduced by the gap, letting you feel each stat-point increase while HP scaling handles the toughness. Use `false` for a more consistent damage feel or when HP-scaling alone provides enough challenge.
EnableGapLevelDamageToPlayer	Boolean	If `true` (default), level-gap damage scaling is applied: when a monster is above your level, it deals extra damage (gap damage bonus). If `false`, gap damage to player is disabled - monsters do not get bonus damage from level gap; only monster base damage/HP scaling and gap defense (you → monster) still apply. Use `false` to avoid “monsters hit harder when you’re underleveled.”
EnableGapLevelXpReducer	Boolean	If `true` (default), XP is reduced when you are underleveled (monster level above yours) - see the level-difference table in Formulas. If `false`, no XP reduction for being underleveled - you get full XP (1.0×) from higher-level monsters.

Difficulty scaling (monster damage/HP) is controlled by EnableMonsterLevelScale. difficultyPreset sets damage%, HP%, and gap multipliers. EnableGapLevelDefense turns off gap defense (player → monster). EnableGapLevelDamageToPlayer turns off gap damage (monster → player). EnableGapLevelXpReducer turns off XP reduction when underleveled.

Formulas Summary

Monster damage (monster → player):
Final = Base × (1 + Level × Monster→Player Dmg%/Lvl) Monster HP:
Max HP = Base × (1 + Level × HP%/Lvl) Gap damage (monster → you):
Final = Base × (1 + Gap × 0.01 × GapDmgMult) (only when Gap > 0, otherwise 1.0×) Gap defense (you → monster):
Damage Taken = Original / Resistance Multiplier
Resistance Multiplier = 1 / TierValue[Gap]
(capped: EASY/NORMAL min 25% damage, HARD/EXTREME min 10% damage). Disabled when EnableGapLevelDefense is false. Damage pipeline (you → monster):
Final = (Raw + DamageStatFlat) × DamageStatMult / GapResistanceMult
(Note: Monster HP is increased via HP modifiers. Gap penalties use damage resistance.) Defense pipeline (monster → you):
Final = Raw × MonsterLevelMult × (1 + Gap × 0.01 × GapDmgMult) × (1 - PlayerDefense)
(Note: Gap bonus only applies when Gap > 0, otherwise multiplier is 1.0×)

Implementation Notes

Level-based HP scaling via true HP modification - monsters have increased max HP based on their level
Level-based HP scaling via true HP modification - monsters have increased max HP based on their level, so player damage stays consistent but higher-level mobs simply take more hits
Mobs display increased HP in their HP bar (reflects actual HP)
HP modifiers are applied via EntityStatMap modifiers (similar to HardcoreMode approach)
Gap penalties use damage resistance (divide by multiplier) - when you’re underleveled, your damage is divided by a resistance multiplier
Gap defense capped per preset: EASY/NORMAL 75% reduction (25% min damage), HARD/EXTREME 90% reduction (10% min damage); monsters remain more killable
Gap defense can be disabled via EnableGapLevelDefense: false in config
Gap damage bonus only applies when the player is underleveled (positive gap)
Negative gaps (player > monster) do not reduce damage - they only affect XP rewards
Scaling is always enabled and controlled via difficultyPreset

See Formulas for XP and leveling, and Configuration for main plugin config.

Getting Started

Guides

Classes & Passives

Usage

Mod Content

Configuration

Troubleshooting

For Developers

Changelog

Difficulty Scaling

Difficulty Scaling

Difficulty Presets

Monster Damage Scaling (Monster → Player)

Monster HP Scaling

Gap Damage Bonus (Monster → Player)

Gap Defense (Player → Monster)

Combat Examples

Configuration

Formulas Summary

Implementation Notes

​Difficulty Scaling

​Difficulty Presets

​Monster Damage Scaling (Monster → Player)

​Monster HP Scaling

​Gap Damage Bonus (Monster → Player)

​Gap Defense (Player → Monster)

​Combat Examples

​Configuration

​Formulas Summary

​Implementation Notes

Difficulty Scaling

Difficulty Presets

Monster Damage Scaling (Monster → Player)

Monster HP Scaling

Gap Damage Bonus (Monster → Player)

Gap Defense (Player → Monster)

Combat Examples

Configuration

Formulas Summary

Implementation Notes