Gravestone

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-05

Overview

gravestone is a prefab that represents an in-world grave marker. It supports multiple upgrade stages (undecorated → decorated with petals → final stage), interacts with the haunt system to update epitaphs and haunt values, spawns small ghosts periodically under specific conditions, and coordinates with the decoratedgrave_ghostmanager and hauntable components. It also handles saving/loading of buried mound data, custom epitaphs, stone variants, and ghost entity linkage. The system is primarily active on the master simulation.

Usage example

-- Spawning a default gravestone prefab (handled internally by DST)
local inst = SpawnPrefab("gravestone")
inst.Transform:SetPosition(x, y, z)

-- Upgrading via decoration (handled automatically by upgradeable component)
-- No direct calls needed; decoration occurs when a player interacts with the grave
-- while holding petals or equivalent upgrade items.

-- Custom epitaph (typically set via tile editor or dug grave instance)
inst.components.inspectable:SetDescription("'A loving memory'")

Dependencies & tags

Components used: gravediggable, hauntable, inspectable, inventoryitem, timer, upgradeable, decoratedgrave_ghostmanager, skilltreeupdater, combat (indirect, via AllPlayers checks), luck (indirect, via GetEntityLuckChance).
Tags added: grave, gravediggable.
Tags checked: ghostlyfriend, questing, ghostkid.

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
random_stone_choice	string	"1"–"4" (random)	Identifier for the gravestone visual variant (used for animation and inventory image).
mound	Entity	nil (created in constructor)	The buried mound entity linked to the grave; removed on dig up.
ghost	Entity	nil	Reference to the smallghost entity spawned on this grave; linked via LinkToHome.
setepitaph	string	nil	Custom epitaph string (set via tile editor).
_epitaph_index	number	1–#STRINGS.EPITAPHS (random)	Index into STRINGS.EPITAPHS for the default epitaph.
scrapbook_anim	string	"grave1" / "dug_grave1"	Animation name used for scrapbook icons.
scrapbook_hide	table	{ "flower" }	Layers hidden in scrapbook view.

Main functions

on_day_change(inst)

• Description: Attempts to spawn a smallghost once per day if the grave has no ghost and no nearby ghost is blocking. Spawning chance increases with ghostlyfriend players and Wendy's smallghost_1 skill.
• Parameters: inst (Entity) — the gravestone instance.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Does nothing if AllPlayers is empty or if a ghost already exists within range (TUNING.UNIQUE_SMALLGHOST_DISTANCE).

OnHaunt(inst)

• Description: Updates the haunt value and epitaph upon haunting. If not a custom epitaph (setepitaph), randomly picks a new epitaph distinct from the current one and sets haunt value to TUNING.HAUNT_SMALL; otherwise sets to TUNING.HAUNT_TINY.
• Parameters: inst (Entity).
• Returns: true (always).
• Error states: Rarely, if all epitaphs match the current one, defaults to the last epitaph in STRINGS.EPITAPHS.

OnDugUp(inst, tool, worker)

• Description: Handles the transition when the grave is dug up. Triggers FX, removes the gravediggable component, plays slide animation, schedules self-removal, and erodes the mound.
• Parameters:
  • inst (Entity)
  • tool (Entity)
  • worker (Entity)
• Returns: true.

OnDecorated(inst)

• Description: Triggered when the grave reaches the decorated stage (stage > 1). Plays FX, sets up flower-related timers (petal_decay, try_evil_flower), and registers the grave with decoratedgrave_ghostmanager.
• Parameters: inst (Entity).
• Returns: Nothing.

try_evil_flower(inst)

• Description: Attempts to spawn an flower_evil nearby if winter is not active and below the configured petal count threshold (TUNING.WENDYSKILL_GRAVESTONE_EVILFLOWERCOUNT).
• Parameters: inst (Entity).
• Returns: Nothing.

initiate_flower_state(inst)

• Description: Enables flower animation layer, starts petal decay and evil flower timers, and registers with ghost manager. Called during initial decoration and load.
• Parameters: inst (Entity).
• Returns: Nothing.

OnTimerDone(inst, data)

• Description: Callback for timer expiration. Handles petal decay (advances upgrade stage) and evil flower spawning/re-arming.
• Parameters:
  • inst (Entity)
  • data (table) — contains name of the timer ("petal_decay" or "try_evil_flower")
• Returns: Nothing.

SetStoneType(inst, stone_type)

• Description: Helper for dug_gravestone prefab; updates animation and inventory image based on stone type index.
• Parameters:
  • inst (Entity)
  • stone_type (number or nil) — stone variant (1–4). Defaults to random if nil.
• Returns: Nothing.

SetDugEpitaph(inst, index, setstring)

• Description: Helper for dug_gravestone; sets the epitaph either by index or custom string.
• Parameters:
  • inst (Entity)
  • index (number or nil) — index into STRINGS.EPITAPHS.
  • setstring (string or nil) — custom epitaph string. If both are nil, uses random.
• Returns: Nothing.

OnDugDeployed(inst, pt, deployer)

• Description: Deploys a new full gravestone from a dug_gravestone item. Copies epitaph, stone type, and mound state; plays placement animation and sound.
• Parameters:
  • inst (Entity, dug_gravestone)
  • pt (Vector3) — placement position.
  • deployer (Entity) — player/entity placing the grave.
• Returns: Nothing.

Events & listeners

• Listens to:
  • timerdone (via inst:ListenForEvent) — triggers OnTimerDone.
  • cycles (via inst:WatchWorldState) — triggers on_day_change.
• Pushes: None directly. Relies on component events (hauntable, upgradeable) for inter-component signaling.