ValheimScalpelsSkellyStaff

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1.0.0

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Scalpel's Skelly Staff 1.0.0

Choose what the Dead raiser summons and recall your existing skeletons with middle mouse. Built against the local full-release Valheim 1.0.16 assemblies and BepInEx 5.4.23.5 / Valheim pack 5.4.2350.

The ZIP contains the mod DLL, this README and a changelog. The config is generated on first launch; your existing config is preserved when updating. It uses Harmony supplied with BepInEx. No game DLLs, custom creature assets, or other mods are included or required.

Release status: 1.0 promotes the candidate that the author has now play-tested, reporting the selected skeleton type on every summon. The summoning and recall gameplay code is unchanged from that candidate. Compilation and automated checks also pass against Valheim 1.0.16. Multiplayer ownership transfer still needs broader live-client testing.

Installation

Close Valheim.
Extract the ZIP into the game folder, keeping its directory structure:
- BepInEx/plugins/ScalpelsSkellyStaff/ScalpelsSkellyStaff.dll
Launch through your normal BepInEx installation. Look for Scalpel's Skelly Staff 1.0.0 loaded in BepInEx/LogOutput.log.
Equip the Dead raiser, the existing skeleton-summoning staff. This mod does not add a new craftable weapon.

Install on the player client that will use the staff. Other players and the dedicated server are not required to install it by design: skeletons, their equipment, and their positions use ordinary game objects and synchronization. A server-only installation cannot provide controls or choose summons for an unmodded client. The DLL may be present on a dedicated server, but there is no extra server feature, configuration enforcement, or custom networking handshake in this version.

When updating, replace only the DLL and keep your config.

Controls

These commands work while holding the Dead raiser, with normal gameplay input available. They are inactive in inventory, chat, console, text-entry and menu screens, during death and teleportation.

| Control | Action |

| --- | --- |

| Left-click | Cast normally, using the selected type |

| Middle-click | Recall eligible loaded skeletons to clear positions near you |

| Left Shift + middle-click | Cycle Melee -> Archer -> Random, show the selection and save it |

Default selection is Melee. Selection affects future casts, not already-summoned skeletons. It is captured when the summoning ability starts; changing mode during its delayed spawn applies to later casts. The choice is saved in this installation's config, shared by characters using that config.

Melee selects a normal melee loadout; it does not offer a separate shield selector. Archer selects a native bow loadout. Random leaves the game's equipment choice untouched. No new mage or special skeleton class is added. Normal Eitr/health costs, skill scaling, cast timing and summon-count limits remain in effect. Casting beyond the normal cap can still dismiss an older summon.

The default command buttons consume the staff's secondary-attack input while held, so a middle-click recall should not also trigger its secondary attack. Other weapons keep their normal controls. Bindings can be changed in the config; Mouse2 means middle mouse. A shortcut with LeftShift specifically uses the left Shift key. None disables that shortcut. If both shortcuts match, type cycling wins.

There is no key-selection UI. Avoid assigning primary attack, block, movement, chat, or menu keys: only secondary attack is suppressed, and this mod cannot reserve arbitrary actions or other mods' hotkeys. Controller support is not implemented as a dedicated feature.

How recall works

Middle-click moves each eligible existing skeleton instance, preserving its current health, equipment, level and active effects. It does not heal, respawn, duplicate, or increase the number of summons. Recall itself costs no Eitr or health. There is a three-second cooldown between manual attempts.

New skeletons receive the summoner's character ID in their ordinary network data. Recall checks that ID, so one player's command does not recall another player's marked summons. Marked skeletons can be recalled even after being told to wait. Recalled skeletons resume following their summoner; current movement paths and combat targets are cleared, although they can acquire nearby enemies again normally.

By default, recall also recognizes unmarked friendly skeletons already following you, such as summons created before installing. Their original summoner ID is unavailable, so current follow status is the eligibility rule; a successful recall records your character ID. If somebody else's unmarked skeleton has been commanded to follow you, it also meets this rule. Disable IncludeExistingFollowers if you want strict ID-only recall. Unmarked skeletons waiting in place are not adopted automatically. Wild skeletons and other summoned creatures are excluded.

The mod searches near a three-metre arrival radius. It checks the floor, slope, headroom and space for each skeleton, and avoids submerged ground, tar, lava and ship decks. Stand on solid ground yourself. If it cannot find a suitable position, it leaves that skeleton where it is and reports the skipped count. This is a geometry check, not a guarantee against enemies, fire, traps, or every modded hazard.

Important limitations

Loaded creatures only. Recall scans skeletons currently instantiated on your client, within the configured distance (200 metres by default). Increasing that setting does not load distant map areas. It does not edit remote saved creature records or force distant zones to load.
No resurrection. Dead, dismissed, or already-despawned skeletons cannot be recalled. The game's normal distance, logout and summon-cap dismissal rules remain active. Use recall before those rules remove them.
Not a portal transport system. Portal travel, dungeon transitions, logout and long-distance travel can unload or dismiss followers. Do not expect recall to retrieve them afterward. Moving between nearby loaded positions is the intended use.
Multiplayer simulation ownership can move between peers. With AllowOwnershipTransfer = true, the mod uses the game's native ownership claim before changing your loaded summon. This has not been tested with multiple live clients. Server policies, ownership races, latency, and other AI/network mods may interfere. If you see rubber-banding or ownership issues, disable that option; remotely simulated skeletons will then be skipped explicitly. Installing the DLL on a server does not remove this limitation.
Standard Dead raiser and friendly skeletons only. The built-in prefab names are StaffSkeleton and Skeleton_Friendly. Renamed/replacement staff or creature prefabs are not supported automatically. Other staffs and wild skeletons are untouched.
Equipment-overhaul compatibility is not guaranteed. Selection searches the native equipment seed rather than replacing creature assets. A modified equipment table may not contain the requested type, or another mod may change how it is rolled. The original summon is retained if selection fails. Equipment verification logs a warning if the result differs from the request. Avoid running another skeleton-selection or summon-AI overhaul alongside this one for the initial test.
Optional automatic recall is distance-only. It is off by default. When enabled, it checks distant loaded followers while the staff is held. It is not a stuck detector; middle-click handles a nearby stuck skeleton. It cannot reliably prevent dismissal when you put the staff away, teleport, or move beyond the loaded area.
No server-enforced balance/config sync. Config is local. Recall deliberately makes repositioning easier while preserving native summoning costs and limits.

RPG Equipment, Magic Hammer and Reliable Smelting are not required. This mod does not alter their inventory, building, or chest-transfer hooks, but coexistence with the complete installed mod set still needs an in-game check.

Config

Config file: BepInEx/config/au.tyvalheim.scalpelsskellystaff.cfg. Exit Valheim completely, edit the config, then start the game again. File edits are not reloaded while the game is running and may be overwritten when settings are saved. In-game type cycling saves SelectedType automatically. Existing diagnostic configs retain their choices: set TraceSummons = false if you no longer want the extra log messages.

| Section / key | Default | Purpose |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Summoning / SelectedType | Melee | Melee, Archer, or Random for future casts |

| Controls / Recall | Mouse2 | Recall shortcut |

| Controls / CycleType | Mouse2 + LeftShift | Type-selection shortcut |

| Controls / SuppressSecondaryAttack | true | Consume secondary attack during staff commands |

| Recall / MaximumDistance | 200 | Metres, 5-500; loaded creatures only |

| Recall / PlacementRadius | 3 | Preferred arrival radius, 1.5-8 metres |

| Recall / CooldownSeconds | 3 | Attempt cooldown, 0.5-60 seconds |

| Recall / AllowOwnershipTransfer | true | Allow native transfer of simulation ownership |

| Recall / IncludeExistingFollowers | true | Include unmarked friendly skeletons following you |

| AutomaticRecall / Enabled | false | Optional distance catch-up while holding the staff |

| AutomaticRecall / Distance | 40 | Catch-up threshold, 10-150 metres; keep below MaximumDistance |

| AutomaticRecall / CheckIntervalSeconds | 2 | Check interval, 0.5-10 seconds; cooldown also applies |

| Interface / ShowEquipHint | true | Brief type and controls notification on equip |

| Diagnostics / VerboseLogging | false | Detailed selection and recall diagnostics |

| Diagnostics / TraceSummons | false | Per-cast capture, seed and equipment trace |

Automatic recall uses a threshold of at least PlacementRadius + 2 metres to avoid repeatedly moving skeletons already near their arrival points. It only checks while normal gameplay input is available.

First gameplay check and troubleshooting

Equip the Dead raiser on open, dry ground. Confirm the hint appears. Use left Shift + middle-click to select Archer, then cast normally. Repeat for Melee and Random. Watch normal costs and the staff's summon cap.
With a living skeleton following you, move a short distance and middle-click. Confirm the same skeleton appears nearby with unchanged health and equipment. Try a stuck position and an already-nearby skeleton too.
Try a crowded room: unsuitable destinations should be skipped, not forced into walls. Try middle-click in menus and with another weapon; neither should invoke recall.
With a second player, summon separate groups and recall them separately. Check that marked groups are not mixed, including after another peer begins simulating them. Confirm both players see the same weapons and positions.
If using automatic recall, enable it and test walking away with the staff held. Do not use a portal as the first test; unloaded/dismissed summons are outside this version's scope.

For investigation, enable VerboseLogging = true and/or TraceSummons = true, restart, reproduce once, and retain BepInEx/LogOutput.log before restarting again. Relevant lines include Scalpel's Skelly Staff, Selected, Verified skeleton, Equipment verification mismatch, Requested native ownership, and Recalled. Report whether the session was solo, a hosted game, or a dedicated server, and whether another player was close to the skeletons.

The DLL builds with warnings treated as errors. 1,729 automated assertions cover seed-search behavior, ownership policy, type cycling and range boundaries. 45 static checks against the installed game's assemblies cover patch arguments, coroutine layout, seed timing/draw order, and native ownership/recall APIs. These checks do not execute Unity physics, verify live pointer input, or substitute for multiplayer testing.

Removing the mod

Close Valheim and remove ScalpelsSkellyStaff.dll; its config may also be removed. There is no custom inventory, custom creature prefab, or separate save file to migrate. Existing creatures are normal friendly skeletons with a native equipment seed; unused summoner/type metadata is ignored by the game. Normal summon persistence and dismissal rules continue to apply.

Credits

Mod development: Gomisan. This mod was coded with the assistance of ChatGPT 6.0.

BepInEx team and contributors: https://github.com/BepInEx/BepInEx

Andreas Pardeike and Harmony contributors: https://github.com/pardeike/Harmony

BepInEx HarmonyX contributors: https://github.com/BepInEx/HarmonyX

Iron Gate: Valheim and its existing assets. No game or framework DLLs are bundled.

Promo artwork: OpenAI image generation; illustrative artwork, not a gameplay screenshot.

Media

Scalpel's Skelly Staff release artwork

AI-generated promotional artwork reused from Nexus, not a gameplay screenshot.

View the Nexus gallery.

Thunderstore installation

Install BepInExPack Valheim and this package through your mod manager, or follow the manual instructions above. The mod DLL is byte-identical to the public Nexus 1.0.0 release. No gameplay changes or version bump were made for packaging. OpenAI Codex assisted with packaging and documentation; separate AI metadata preserves the original DLL.

Discord and feedback

Questions, feedback and bug reports are equally welcome on Nexus or Gomisan's Mods Discord. Use whichever is easier; no need to cross-post. New members should join through the invite first, then open the Scalpel's Skelly Staff feedback post.

ScalpelsSkellyStaff

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