ItemsAdder: custom items and blocks on your server

What ItemsAdder is

ItemsAdder is a paid premium plugin made by a developer who goes by LoneDev. Its main purpose is to let Minecraft server admins add their own content (items, blocks, furniture, mobs, animations and interface overlays) without players having to install mods.

The whole mechanism rests on two pillars: a resource pack sent to the player automatically when they join the server, and YAML configuration files where the admin defines all the custom elements. From the player's side everything works like vanilla Minecraft: they just need to accept the resource pack.

The plugin is available on SpigotMC for about 25 EUR. It's an investment worth considering for RPG servers, survival servers with unique content, or servers with their own theme, where standing out is key.

ItemsAdder has been actively developed since 2019 and has one of the biggest communities among premium plugins. On SpigotMC the plugin has collected thousands of positive reviews and is updated regularly for new Minecraft versions.

How the resource pack works

The heart of ItemsAdder is its own resource pack, generated automatically by the plugin from your configuration files. When a player joins the server, Minecraft asks whether they want to download the resource pack. Once they accept, they see all the custom items, blocks and models.

ItemsAdder supports three methods of hosting the resource pack:

• Built-in HTTP server - the plugin serves the file itself on a port (8163 by default). The simplest solution on a VPS with its own IP. It requires opening the port in the firewall.
• Self-hosted via FTP/SFTP - you upload the generated pack to your own web server or CDN. More control, but more configuration.
• External hosting - for example GitHub Releases, Dropbox or dedicated resource pack hosting services. Useful when your hosting provider blocks extra ports.

The key point: ItemsAdder uses CustomModelData, a number assigned to an existing vanilla item (for example PAPER with CustomModelData 1001 displays the model of a custom sword). This limitation comes from Minecraft's architecture: up to version 1.21.3 there's no official API for creating new item IDs. Starting with version 1.21.4, Minecraft added support for the item_model component, which ItemsAdder already uses.

After every change to the configuration, you have to rebuild the resource pack with the /iazip or /iareload command. The plugin automatically compresses the files and updates the URL, so players get the new version the next time they join.

Creating items

You define every custom item in a YAML file inside the plugins/ItemsAdder/contents/ folder. The directory structure is completely up to you, so you can group items by pack or by theme.

An example definition of a custom sword:

info:
  namespace: moj_serwer
items:
  miecz_ognia:
    display_name: "Fire Sword"
    permission: moj_serwer.miecz_ognia
    resource:
      material: DIAMOND_SWORD
      generate: true
      textures:
        - item/miecz_ognia.png
    durability:
      max_custom_durability: 1024
    attribute_modifiers:
      mainhand:
        attackDamage: 8
    lore:
      - "&7Forged in the flames of the Nether."
    events:
      interact:
        right:
          set_on_fire:
            duration: 5

The namespace field is a unique identifier for your content pack, so items from different packs don't collide. The resource.material field points to the vanilla item that "pretends" to be your model. You put the textures in the contents/moj_serwer/textures/item/ folder.

ItemsAdder supports:

• 3D models in JSON format (Blockbench-compatible)
• Animated textures (mcmeta)
• Custom durability and repair
• Particle effects on use
• Sounds tied to actions
• Events, for example setting a player on fire on hit or healing on consumption
• Integration with skill systems (MMOItems, AureliumSkills)

You can download ready-made item packs from the official wiki and from Polymart, where the community shares both free and paid sets.

Creating blocks

Creating custom blocks is one of the technically hardest parts of modding a Minecraft server. ItemsAdder solves it cleverly: it uses note block states or mushroom block states as "containers" for custom blocks.

In Minecraft, a note block has 800 unique states. ItemsAdder reserves those states for your blocks: the player sees the model from the resource pack, and the server engine sees a note block in a specific state. As a result, the blocks behave like real blocks: they can be collected, placed and mined at the proper speed.

An example block definition:

items:
  rubin_ore:
    display_name: "Ruby Ore"
    resource:
      material: PAPER
      generate: false
      model_path: block/rubin_ore
    specific_properties:
      block:
        placed_model:
          type: REAL_NOTE
          break_particles_material: DIAMOND_ORE
        hardness: 5
        blast_resistance: 6
        drop_exp:
          min: 2
          max: 5

The REAL_NOTE type means using a note block state: the block is "real", has collision, you can stand on it and you can mine it. The alternatives are REAL_TRANSPARENT (supports transparency) and REAL_WIRE (based on tripwire, for thin elements).

Blocks also support custom drops. You can configure your ore to drop only at a specific mining level or with a specific item, which fits well with RPG systems.

Custom mobs

ItemsAdder lets you create custom mobs with their own 3D models and animations. Mobs are defined much like items, in YAML files that reference a Blockbench model.

Mob models for ItemsAdder are made in Blockbench with the ItemsAdder plugin. The plugin supports a full set of animations: walking, running, attacking, dying, eating and custom animations defined by the creator.

The biggest power shows up with the MythicMobs integration. You can assign an ItemsAdder model to a MythicMobs mob, and you get a beast with a unique look and advanced AI logic, combat phases, special attacks and rewards. This combination is used on dozens of RPG servers.

An example custom mob configuration in ItemsAdder:

info:
  namespace: moj_serwer
entity_models:
  smok_ognia:
    display_name: "Fire Dragon"
    model: entity/smok_ognia
    animations:
      walk:
        speed_multiplier: 1.0
      attack:
        duration: 1.2

Then in MythicMobs you reference this model with the option Options.ItemsAdder: moj_serwer:smok_ognia. The player sees a beautiful 3D model, and MythicMobs manages all the behavior logic.

Furniture and decorations

One of the most appreciated ItemsAdder features is its furniture system. Furniture means multi-block decorative structures (chairs, tables, beds, lamps, chests) that you can place in the game world.

Technically, furniture is built from invisible armor stands with resource pack models attached. That lets it have custom dimensions, extend beyond a single block and be placed at different angles.

ItemsAdder ships with several furniture sets out of the box, but the real value is being able to create your own. You export a model from Blockbench, configure the hitboxes, and you're done. Furniture supports:

• Sitting (players can sit on a chair or bench)
• Player collision (it blocks movement)
• Interactions (opening cabinets, activating mechanisms)
• Placement on walls and ceilings (for example pictures and lamps)
• Rotation in 8 or 16 directions

The FurnitureLib and FurnitureEngine plugins are alternatives for the furniture system, but ItemsAdder integrates everything in one ecosystem, which eliminates compatibility problems between plugins.

Emotes

ItemsAdder supports animated player emotes: full character animations that other players see in real time. A player can wave, dance, laugh or perform any animation the admin has defined.

Emotes work by overriding the player model in the resource pack and playing the animation on the client side. To make an emote visible to others, ItemsAdder uses protocol tricks with entity metadata.

Examples of how emotes are used:

• VIP greetings at spawn (a special animation for donors)
• Character class animations in RPG games (a wizard casting spells)
• Dances and gestures in social areas
• Death animations instead of the default fall of the character

Emotes can be tied to ranks through LuckPerms, for example only players with the VIP rank get access to rare animations. It's a popular part of the monetization offer on servers.

GUI and HUD

ItemsAdder includes an advanced system for creating overlays on the player interface (HUD). You can show your own bars, icons, counters and information right on the player's screen, with no extra plugins.

HUD in ItemsAdder works by overriding the bossbar or actionbar with a custom Bitmap Font from the resource pack. The effect: the player sees a pixel-art overlay on the screen that looks like part of the game interface.

Typical HUD uses:

• Mana/energy bar - a spell resource shown next to the health bar
• Currency counter - a balance or experience points in the corner of the screen
• Temperature/hunger/pollution indicator - for survival servers with survival mechanics
• Compass miniature - direction and coordinates at the top of the screen
• Achievement notifications - animated banners when something is unlocked

To build a HUD you can use the editor integrated into the plugin or external tools like HMCCosmetics. ItemsAdder also provides an API for developers, so other plugins can register their own HUD elements.

Price and license

ItemsAdder is a paid premium plugin available only on the SpigotMC platform. The current price is about 25 EUR per license. Check the current price on the SpigotMC page, since it may change.

Your purchase gives you:

• A license for one server (one IP or one proxy network)
• Access to all updates for an unlimited time
• Access to the official Discord support channel
• Access to the official wiki with documentation

Important licensing points:

• Each server needs a separate license, because one license doesn't cover a farm of servers
• BungeeCord/Velocity networks may qualify as one license, but it's worth confirming with the author
• You download the plugin through the SpigotMC panel after purchase, since the .jar file isn't publicly available
• There's no "trial" version. Before buying you can only test in a local environment, with a few limitations

The price may look high next to free alternatives like Oraxen CE (Community Edition), but ItemsAdder offers far more features, better documentation and active support. For servers with a budget, it's a solid investment that pays off quickly through a better player experience.

Comparison with Oraxen

ItemsAdder's main competitor is Oraxen. For years the choice was "free alternative vs paid premium", but the situation got more complicated: Oraxen introduced a paid premium plan (Oraxen Pro), while ItemsAdder stayed at a fixed price.

When to choose ItemsAdder: you have a budget, you need emotes and an extensive HUD, you want native MythicMobs integration, and you care about professional support and a big community of resources.

When to choose Oraxen CE: you have zero budget for plugins, you only need custom items and blocks, and you value open source and the ability to modify the code.

Compatibility

ItemsAdder is compatible with:

• Minecraft versions: 1.14 - 1.21.x (updated continuously)
• Server software: Paper (recommended), Spigot, Purpur, Pufferfish
• Networks: BungeeCord, Velocity (the plugin is installed on each backend separately)
• MythicMobs - native integration of models and mobs
• MMOItems - custom stats attached to IA items
• AureliumSkills / AuraSkills - a skill system with IA items
• LuckPerms - permissions for items, emotes and ranks
• EssentialsX - kits and shops with IA items
• PlaceholderAPI - custom placeholders for HUDs and chats
• WorldGuard - region protection that accounts for IA blocks

Known limitations:

• It doesn't work on Bedrock Edition (Java only)
• It requires the player to accept the resource pack, and players with the resource pack turned off see only vanilla items
• Large resource packs can slow down joining the server (download time)
• The note block/mushroom block state limits cap the number of unique blocks (about 800 note block + 54 mushroom)
• It isn't compatible with other plugins that use the same note block states without a dedicated integration

You'll find more about server plugins in the plugin catalog. If you're building an RPG server, also check out MythicMobs: combining the two plugins opens up great possibilities for creating unique bosses and adventures.