Chameleon Robotics

Please note that lower-end devices may struggle to load chunks in the Abyss dimension!

Chameleon Robotics is a Minecraft mod for Fabric that adds adaptive robotic companions and a new dimension to explore: the Abyss. The Chameleon Robodog is a mechanical companion that copies the appearance of the blocks beneath its feet, certain blocks also grant special abilities, turning your Robodog into anything from a walking light source or sonar to a fireball launcher or lightning-powered defender.

Tame your own Robodog, give it commands, and choose the powers that suit your next adventure. Explore the Abyss together to discover abandoned camps, forgotten ruins, volcanic forges, and frozen supplies. Gather Morkite and salvaged electronics to craft equipment that helps you command, heal, and track your companion.
Two features make the Chameleon Robodog especially useful are:

• Its powers change with its surroundings. Moving onto a different block can change both its appearance and its abilities.
• You can preserve your favourite combination. Use an Eye of the Emerald to lock its current appearance and power, then use an Emerald Key whenever you want to restore automatic adaptation.

Robodog Abilities

Spoiler
To activate a block power, let your Robodog stand on one of the required blocks below. Its abilities activate automatically when their conditions are met.

Basic Bite

• Required block: Any copied block without a special power with the exception of Unbreakable, Light, Amethyst, Ice, Hay, Slime, Target, Iron, and Honey.
• Tamed adult Robodogs defend themselves and their owners with a short jumping bite.
• Damage: 4 damage
• Cooldown: 1 second.

Explosive

• Required block: TNT.
• The Chameleon Robodogs becomes lit like a TNT block, detonating after 4 seconds like ordinary TNT
• The explosion consumes the Robodog.
• Changing away from TNT power before the fuse finishes cancels it.

Fireball

• Required blocks: Netherrack, Soul Sand, Soul Soil, Basalt, Crimson Nylium, or Warped Nylium.
• Launches fiery projectiles at enemies.
• A tamed Robodog fighting under its owner’s commands deals 16 direct damage
• Default cooldown: 5 seconds when tamed; 30 seconds when wild.
• Grants fire immunity while the power is active.

Unbreakable

• Required blocks: Bedrock, Barrier, Structure Block, or any Command Block variant.
• Protects the Robodog from ordinary incoming damage.
• Damage: 4 damage

Dragon Breath

• Required block: End Stone.
• Fires dragon projectiles that leave a lingering breath cloud on impact.
• The cloud deals 6 damage per second
• Lasts 30 seconds after a short activation delay, expanding from a 3-block radius to 7 blocks.
• Default cooldown: 10 seconds when tamed; 30 seconds when wild.

Glowing

• Required blocks: Glowstone, Shroomlight, Froglights, Jack o’Lantern, Sea Lantern, or a lit Redstone Lamp.
• Turns your Robodog into a moving light source with light level 14.
• Temporary light follows it as it moves.
• Useful for exploring dark terrain while keeping the Robodog’s basic bite.

Sonar

• Required blocks: Amethyst Block or Budding Amethyst.
• Tamed adult Robodogs emit a chest-finding sonar pulse every 30 seconds within a 32 block radius through terrain
• Keeps its basic bite while helping you search for treasure.

Aquatic

• Required blocks: Prismarine, Prismarine Bricks, or their slab variants.
• Allows the Robodog to swim and navigate underwater.
• Fires a guardian-style beam at enemies.
• Damage: 7 damage
• Range: 12 blocks.
• Cooldown: 3 seconds.

Arrow Catch

• Required block: Target.
• Tamed adult Robodogs jump towards and catch incoming arrows to protect themselves and their owners.
• Successful catches prevent the caught arrow’s damage and effects.
• Catch cooldown: 3 seconds.
• Keeps its basic bite. Each catch requires an actual interception, so unreachable shots can still get through.

Sculk Power

• Required blocks: Sculk or Sculk Catalyst.
• Activates a powerful combat phase with 500 health
• Wild Robodogs become hostile bosses; tamed Robodogs use the phase against their enemies.
• Utilises sonic booms (dealing 10 damage when wild or 30 when tammed), rapid volleys of spectral arrows, and duplication attacks involving illusions of 8 Robodogs and splash potions.
• A major transformation for players seeking either a boss encounter or an exceptionally powerful companion.

Slippery

• Required blocks: Ice, Packed Ice, Blue Ice, or Frosted Ice (Emitted from Frost Walker).
• Gives the Robodog slippery movement, allowing it to slide across the ground.
• Keeps its 4-damage basic bite.

Soft Landing

• Required block: Hay Bale.
• Negates fall damage.
• Useful when travelling across cliffs, ledges, and uneven terrain.
• Keeps its 4-damage basic bite.

Bouncy

• Required block: Slime Block.
• Bounces after falling and retains its 4-damage basic bite.
• Tamed adult Robodogs can make purposeful jump attacks up to 3 blocks high and 3 blocks across.
• Jump attack cooldown: 2 seconds.
• Utilises jumps to reach elevated enemies and cross obstacles or gaps.

Lightning

• Required blocks: Copper blocks and variants.
• Uses close-range strikes dealing 5 damage when unstruck.
• Attracts nearby lightning during thunderstorms when exposed to the sky.
• When struck by lightning, the Robodog is empowered for 10 minutes, dealing 1,024 damage per strike.
• Grants fire and lightning damage immunity while the power is active.

Magnet

• Required block: Iron Block.
• Tamed adult Robodogs attract useful dropped items within 16 blocks.
• Collects items, carries them, and drops them for its owner.
• Holds up to 27 stacks.
• Ignores common clutter such as dirt, rotten flesh, and string.
• Keeps its 4-damage basic bite.

Sticky Bite

• Required block: Honey Block.
• Adds Slowness II for 8 seconds on top of the basic bites.
• Damage: 4 damage.
• Helps keep enemies within reach and makes pursuing threats easier to control.

Your Robotic Companion

Spoiler

Taming and Breeding

• Find wild Chameleon Robodogs throughout all five Abyss biomes.
• Feed a wild adult Iron Ingots to tame it.
• Feed your tamed Robodog Redstone to restore 4 health.
• Redstone also starts Robodog breeding when an adult is at full health and can speed up baby growth.

Robodog Collar

• Craft a collar and use it on your tamed Robodog to access its command menu.
• Follow: Stays near you and helps in combat.
• Stay: Holds its position and avoids fights.
• Guard: Defends a chosen spot.
• Roam: Wanders freely.
• The menu displays its current health and active block power.

Eye of the Emerald and Emerald Key

• Eye of the Emerald: Locks your Robodog’s current block appearance and ability.
• Emerald Key: Restores automatic camouflage and block powers.
• Keep a useful ability ready while travelling across different terrain.

Healing Pad

• Provides a recovery station for injured tamed Robodogs.
• Restores 2% of maximum health each second while a Robodog rests on it.
• Injured companions naturally seek nearby accessible pads.

Robodog Tracker

• Use a crafted tracker on your tamed Robodog to create a compass bound to it.
• Points toward the linked Robodog while it is loaded in the same dimension.

Treasure Hunting

• Healthy tamed adult Robodogs on Follow or Roam can explore with their nearby owners in the Abyss.
• Sniff out buried salvage and dig at stone, deepslate, tuff, or blackstone.
• Finds include coal, raw metals, and occasional diamonds or emeralds.
• Can scent expedition camps and lead you toward reachable campsites, waiting when you fall behind.

Explore the Abyss

Build a Nether-portal-shaped frame from Iron Blocks, then activate it with a Lava Bucket to enter the Abyss. Nearby tamed Robodogs set to Follow can travel through the portal with you.

Five Distinct Biomes

• The Abyss: Dark terrain with drifting soul wisps, cyan flames, and deepslate spikes.
• Volcanic Wasteland: A volcanic landscape filled with ash, embers, and rising smoke.
• Crystal Caverns: Amethyst scenery with sparkling particles, and crystal spikes.
• Grand Abyss: Vast terrain with swirling dust, stone motes, and the Grand Bridge.
• Frozen Abyss: An icy region with snowstorms, hidden supply crates, and powdered snow traps.

Structures and Discoveries

• Camper’s Ruins: Forgotten camps found across all five regions, containing supplies and robotic salvage.
• Expedition Camps: Found in the Abyss, Grand Abyss, and Volcanic Wasteland, with supplies and equipment caches.
• Grand Bridge: A bridge landmark structure in the Grand Abyss.
• Volcanic Forges: Found in the Volcanic Wasteland supplying basic equipment and loot.
• Frozen Supply Crates: Found in the Frozen Abyss, with supplies and electronic components.
• Wormfall Craters: Found in the Abyss and Grand Abyss as remenants of the Abyssal Worm;

Creatures and Encounters

• Crystal Moths: Ambient creatures found fluttering through Crystal Caverns.
• Abyssal Phantoms: Hostile flying packs that threaten players who spend time in the dimension.
• Abyssal Worm: A dangerous encounter capable of delivering a lethal strike, placing blocks over your head can protect you from its lethal attack.
• Grand Abyssal Worm: A colossal distant sighting, accompanied by directional rumbles as it arches and dives beneath the terrain.

Morkite and Robotics Equipment

• Mine Morkite and search structure loot for electronic components.
• Craft Circuit Boards, RAM, and CPUs.
• Recover Batteries and Storage Disks from loot.
• Combine these materials to create collars, trackers, Healing Pads, and appearance-locking equipment.

KNOWN BUGS:

• The Grand Abyssal Worm appearence fails to render correctly with shaders
• Building overworld Abyss portals at spawn consistenly spawn the player in the Abyss biome, and only the Abyss biome.
• Structures such as Camper's ruins spawn floating or on top of blocks such as dripstone, or amethyst buds
• Air blocks generate inside terrain or otherwise filled with dripstone, amethyst buds, or sometimes structures

Installation
Requires Fabric, Fabric API, and GeckoLib for 26.3. Mod Menu is optional and provides access to configuration settings.