Death Penalty
Death Penalty, a Forge server mod by Moonlighting Labs, bans players for a timed period each time they die, and the length of the ban grows with each death.
What it does
Each death raises the player's penalty index, and the ban length is read from a Fibonacci sequence that runs from 0 minutes up to 17711 minutes, which is about 12 days 7 hours 11 minutes. When a player is killed by another player, the killer's penalty index rises as well, and the victim receives the penalty currently set for that player. The mod is meant to make life feel more valuable by banning players temporarily on the server.
Operators can query a player's penalty time and their index, and they can change the index directly. Death Penalty is server-side only, so players join without installing anything. It is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only, and the source code and issue tracker are public. Files exist for 1.20.1 and cover 1.19.2 – 1.20.1 in four release versions, with 1.3.0 as the latest Forge file.
Key features
Fibonacci ban lengths
The penalty time follows a Fibonacci sequence, so repeated deaths lead to steadily longer bans.
Penalty index per player
Every player keeps a penalty index that increases with each death, and the index sets the next ban length.
Player kill penalties
When one player kills another, the killer's index rises and the victim gets the penalty currently applied to them.
Operator commands
Operators can check a player's penalty time and index, and change the index when needed.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Hardcore-style servers
Server owners who want deaths to carry lasting cost can use the escalating bans to enforce that.
Roleplay and cursed servers
The mod suits servers built around harsh rules, where the ban schedule becomes part of the setting.
Who it’s for: Server owners who want timed bans after death, and operators who need to inspect or adjust a player's penalty index.
How it compares
Index Helper is a Forge mod for 1.20.1 that runs on both the client and the server, and it is under the MIT License without being open source. No Anvil Penalty is a Fabric mod for 1.21.4 that runs on the server alone and is open source under the Apache License 2.0. Keep XP on Death is a Fabric mod for 1.19.4 – 1.20.4 that runs on the server alone, released as CC0 1.0 Universal, and it handles experience rather than timed bans.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death Penalty | Forge | 1.19.2 – 1.20.1 | Server-side only | 2024-06-11 |
| Index Helper | Forge | 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2024-09-15 |
| No Anvil Penalty | Fabric | 1.21.4 | Server-side only | 2025-01-25 |
| Keep XP on Death | Fabric | 1.19.4 – 1.20.4 | Server-side only | 2024-02-08 |
Questions
Does Death Penalty need to be installed on the client?
How long can a ban last?
Can operators reset or change a penalty?
In the catalog
Death Penalty is one of 7,555 Cursed mods on ModsFinder, and one of 3,426 Cursed mods for Forge. 34,764 mods support Minecraft 1.20.1.
More from Moonlighting Labs
Similar mods
What the author says
This mod aims to make your life more valuable by temporarily banning you from the server. Each player has their own penalty index, which increases each time they cause the death of a player (even their own). If you die, your penalty will be imposed, which is defined by the Fibonacci sequence and can range from 0…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/death-penalty
- Owner
- Moonlighting Labs
- Published
- 2023-09-17
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2024-06-11
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15