Shadowthrall Centipede

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-07

Overview

This file defines three prefabs for the Shadowthrall Centipede: shadowthrall_centipede_controller, shadowthrall_centipede_head, and shadowthrall_centipede_body, plus a temporary spawner. The controller is the logical center that manages a body of segments via the centipedebody component, while heads and bodies are physical components with shared behavior and interaction logic (e.g., collisions, sound, damage handling). The centipede functions as a boss-style entity with complex AI, planar damage, and world interaction (smashing structures, eating miasma, ignoring many environmental hazards).

Usage example

-- The centipede is spawned as a controller entity with attached segments:
local controller = SpawnPrefab("shadowthrall_centipede_controller")
if controller and controller:IsValid() then
    -- Segments are spawned automatically via the controller's brain after a delay
    -- The head can be accessed via controller.heads[1] if available
    -- Brains are assigned automatically during construction
end

Dependencies & tags

Components used: health, combat, eater, locomotor, lootdropper, planarentity, planardamage, sanityaura, teleportedoverride, inspectable, drownable, timer, knownlocations, centipedebody, riftspawner (via event listener).

Tags added:

• Common to all segments: shadow_aligned, shadowthrall, electricdamageimmune, shadowthrall_centipede, toughworker, tree_rock_breaker, groundpound_immune, quakeimmune, quakebreaker, largecreature.
• Head-only: centipede_head.
• Body-only: centipede_body.
• Controller-only: shadowthrall_centipede_controller, NOCLICK, INLIMBO, NOBLOCK.

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
miasma_counter	number	0	Tracks miasma consumed; resets after slurping 3 units. Defined only on heads.
control_priority	number	PRIORITY_BEHAVIOURS.WANDERING	Current behavior priority (WANDERING, EATING, etc.). Defined only on heads.
PRIORITY_BEHAVIOURS	table	{RUN_AWAY=3, CHARGING=2, EATING=1, WANDERING=0, STUCK=-1}	Behavior priority constants. Defined only on heads.
spike_variation	number	random (1–3)	Selected from {"spikeA", "spikeB", "spikeC"}; determines visible sprite. Saved/loaded.
flipped	boolean	false	Tracks if the segment is inverted; used by second head logic.
controller	entity reference	nil	Reference to controller entity. Not set directly in this file.
recoil_effect_offset	Vector3	Vector3(0, 1.5, 0)	Offset for particle effects during attacks.
rot	number	0	Placeholder for rotation tracking (TODO).

Main functions

commonfn(data)

• Description: Shared constructor for all centipede segment types (head, body, controller). Sets up transforms, physics, animations, tags, and common components. Returns a fully constructed entity.
• Parameters: data (table) - Includes MASS, BANK, and optionally TAG (e.g., HEAD_DATA, BODY_DATA).
• Returns: inst (entity) — The constructed entity with components attached.
• Error states: None documented; returns early on clients if TheWorld.ismastersim is false.

headfn()

• Description: Constructor specifically for the centipede head. Extends commonfn with AI brain, idle sound, and head-specific properties.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: inst (entity) — The head entity.
• Error states: Returns early on clients if TheWorld.ismastersim is false.

torsofn()

• Description: Constructor specifically for the centipede body segments. Extends commonfn and marks it as a proxy for scrapbook display.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: inst (entity) — The body segment entity.
• Error states: None documented.

controller_fn()

• Description: Constructor for the centipede controller entity. Creates the logical center with centipedebody component, health, combat, and brain; triggers segment spawning.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: inst (entity) — The controller entity.
• Error states: May defer segment spawning if POPULATING is true.

SetSpikeVariation(inst, variation)

• Description: Sets the visible spike sprite variation on a centipede segment.
• Parameters:

• inst (entity) — Target segment.
• variation (number, optional) — Index into SPIKE_SYMBOLS; defaults to random.

• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Skips invisible layers via AnimState:Hide(), shows selected layer.

SetBackwardsLocomotion(inst, bool)

• Description: Enables or disables backwards movement by applying a speed multiplier of -1 to the locomotor.
• Parameters:

• inst (entity) — Target segment.
• bool (boolean) — true to enable backwards movement.

• Returns: Nothing.

DamageRedirectFn(inst, attacker, damage, weapon, stimuli)

• Description: Combat callback to redirect damage to the controller entity when the segment is attacked.
• Parameters: Standard combat callback arguments.
• Returns: inst.controller if valid, else nil.
• Error states: Does nothing if inst.controller is invalid or missing.

TeleportOverrideFn(inst)

• Description: Disables teleportation for centipede segments; returns current position.
• Parameters: inst (entity).
• Returns: inst:GetPosition() — Current world position.
• Error states: None.

OnDeath(inst)

• Description: Called when the controller dies; forces all body segments to be killed.
• Parameters: inst (entity) — The controller.
• Returns: Nothing.

Events & listeners

• Listens to: blocked — Plays hit sound and may trigger vibration effects.
• Listens to: broke_tree_rock — Pushes start_struggle event to the controlling head.
• Listens to: death (controller only) — Triggers OnDeath to kill body segments.
• Listens to: ms_riftaddedtopool, ms_riftremovedfrompool (spawner only) — Controls when the centipede spawns/despawns via rift state.
• Pushes: attacked — Fired on controller head when any segment takes damage.
• Pushes: invincibletoggle — Fired by health component when invincibility changes.