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How to Adjust Damage on a Garry’s Mod Server

Garry’s Mod has no confirmed universal player-damage multiplier. Use ScalePlayerDamage for bullet hit groups, EntityTakeDamage for all player damage, and ScaleNPCDamage or sk_npc_* convars for NPCs.
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Garry’s Mod does not provide a confirmed, universal player-damage multiplier convar. For reliable control, change damage in server-side Lua: use GM:ScalePlayerDamage for bullet hits to players, and GM:EntityTakeDamage when the rule must cover every damage type. NPCs use a separate hook, GM:ScaleNPCDamage, and sk_npc_* hit-group convars.

The safest workflow is to start with a small server addon, test it on a private server, and then check whether your gamemode changes or replaces the result. The examples below keep player and NPC rules separate so you can identify exactly which part of the server is responsible for each multiplier.

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What actually controls damage in Garry’s Mod?

Damage is processed through several systems rather than one documented “damage multiplier” setting. The correct method depends on the victim, damage type and whether you need a body-part rule.

Method Controls Lua required Important limitation
GM:ScalePlayerDamage Player damage by hit group Yes Called for bullet damage to players
GM:EntityTakeDamage Damage received by entities, including players Yes The hook does not provide the same hit-group argument as ScalePlayerDamage
GM:ScaleNPCDamage NPC damage by hit group Yes Uses NPC hit-group skill convars
sk_npc_* convars NPC hit-group values No, when set in server configuration They affect NPCs, not players
Another Player and NPC Damage Multiplier addon Per-part player and NPC multipliers plus additional damage categories No custom Lua required Listed defaults and behavior should be verified on your own build

Claims that a single built-in convar changes all player damage should be treated as unverified. The similarly named sk_player_head, sk_player_leg and sk_player_stomach entries appear in HL2-style convar lists, but their effect on Garry’s Mod player damage has not been confirmed.

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Choose the scope before changing a value

Use a body-part rule for bullet hits

Use ScalePlayerDamage when you want headshots, limbs or other hit groups to receive different damage from bullets. The hook receives the player, hit-group identifier and a damage-information object. Calling ScaleDamage on that object changes the amount that continues through the damage pipeline.

Use an all-damage hook for a global player rule

Explosions, falls, fire, melee and other non-bullet sources may not pass through ScalePlayerDamage. Use EntityTakeDamage when every source should be multiplied. Because this hook does not expose the same hit-group parameter, the usual implementation applies one multiplier to all damage received by a player.

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Use NPC-specific controls for NPCs

NPCs follow a different path. ScaleNPCDamage receives an NPC, hit group and damage-information object, while sk_npc_* values provide per-hit-group settings such as sk_npc_head. These settings do not configure player damage.

Install a server-side Lua addon

  1. On the server, create an addon directory such as garrysmod/addons/damage_rules/.
  2. Inside it, create lua/autorun/server/damage_rules.lua. Files under autorun/server are loaded only by the server.
  3. Paste one of the focused examples below rather than combining unrelated hooks immediately.
  4. Restart the server or reload the addon, then test with a controlled weapon and a known target.
  5. Only after the result is correct should you add NPC, explosion or gamemode-specific rules.

Keep the multiplier in a named table or variable. That makes later balancing changes auditable and prevents a number hidden inside several conditionals from being overlooked.

Set player bullet damage by hit group

The following server hook doubles headshot damage and halves damage to the other listed hit groups. The numbers are examples; replace them with the values your server design requires.

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local playerDamageMultipliers = {
    [HITGROUP_HEAD] = 2.0,
    [HITGROUP_CHEST] = 0.5,
    [HITGROUP_STOMACH] = 0.5,
    [HITGROUP_LEFTARM] = 0.5,
    [HITGROUP_RIGHTARM] = 0.5,
    [HITGROUP_LEFTLEG] = 0.5,
    [HITGROUP_RIGHTLEG] = 0.5
}

hook.Add("ScalePlayerDamage", "ServerPlayerHitgroupMultipliers", function(ply, hitGroup, damageInfo)
    local multiplier = playerDamageMultipliers[hitGroup]
    if multiplier then
        damageInfo:ScaleDamage(multiplier)
    end
end)

Leaving a hit group out of the table leaves its incoming damage unchanged. This is useful when you want to alter headshots but preserve the gamemode’s existing chest, stomach and limb behavior.

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How the hook behaves

  • ply is the player receiving the damage.
  • hitGroup identifies the body region reported for the hit.
  • damageInfo is the mutable damage object; call ScaleDamage rather than replacing it with a new object.
  • The hook is intended for bullet damage to players, so it is not a complete solution for explosions, fall damage, fire or melee.

If another addon or gamemode also changes the same damage object, the final result can depend on load order and the other code’s logic. Test the complete server, not only an isolated copy of the file.

Apply one multiplier to every type of player damage

For a rule such as “players take 75 percent damage from every source,” use EntityTakeDamage. This example changes only players and leaves NPCs and props alone.

local allPlayerDamageMultiplier = 0.75

hook.Add("EntityTakeDamage", "ServerAllPlayerDamageMultiplier", function(entity, damageInfo)
    if not IsValid(entity) or not entity:IsPlayer() then return end
    damageInfo:ScaleDamage(allPlayerDamageMultiplier)
end)

This hook runs for all damage that reaches the entity-damage stage, which makes it appropriate for non-bullet sources. It is intentionally uniform: it does not distinguish head, chest or limbs. If you need both a bullet hit-group rule and an all-damage rule, understand that a bullet may be affected by both hooks. A bullet headshot could therefore receive the product of the two multipliers, depending on the game’s damage order and any other installed hooks.

Limit the rule by damage type or attacker

You can inspect the damageInfo object before scaling. For example, a server may choose to modify only damage caused by a particular attacker class or only selected damage categories. Do not assume a numeric damage-type mask without checking the constants used by your Garry’s Mod branch; log the received values during testing and then write the narrowest condition that matches your design.

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Configure NPC damage

Use the NPC hit-group hook in Lua

NPC hit groups use a separate hook. A basic rule can be written as follows:

local npcDamageMultipliers = {
    [HITGROUP_HEAD] = 2.0,
    [HITGROUP_CHEST] = 1.0,
    [HITGROUP_STOMACH] = 1.0,
    [HITGROUP_LEFTARM] = 1.0,
    [HITGROUP_RIGHTARM] = 1.0,
    [HITGROUP_LEFTLEG] = 1.0,
    [HITGROUP_RIGHTLEG] = 1.0
}

hook.Add("ScaleNPCDamage", "ServerNPCHitgroupMultipliers", function(npc, hitGroup, damageInfo)
    local multiplier = npcDamageMultipliers[hitGroup]
    if multiplier then
        damageInfo:ScaleDamage(multiplier)
    end
end)

As with players, this example changes the damage object rather than returning a number. It covers the hit-group path handled by the hook; it should not be presented as a universal modifier for every NPC damage source.

Use sk_npc_* values when a convar is enough

The NPC system reads per-hit-group values from convars such as sk_npc_head. You can place the values in the server’s configuration so they are applied when the server starts, or set them from the server console and verify the resulting value. The exact set of available hit-group convars depends on the game content and NPC implementation, so confirm each name with the console’s convar listing rather than assuming every NPC supports every region.

These values are NPC controls. Setting an sk_npc_* convar does not establish a player damage multiplier.

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Use a convar-based Workshop addon when you do not want to write Lua

The Workshop addon titled Another Player and NPC Damage Multiplier exposes convars for per-body-part player multipliers, including AnotherDMGMultiplier_Plr_Head and AnotherDMGMultiplier_Plr_Arm. The listed defaults are a head multiplier of 2 and arm and leg multipliers of 0.25. The description also covers NPC damage, explosion damage and poison-headcrab damage.

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Those defaults are the addon’s listed settings, not a guarantee about every server or current Garry’s Mod build. After installing it, query the convars on your server, change one value at a time and test each damage category. If the addon and your gamemode both register damage hooks, document which component should have final authority before adding another scaling script.

When the addon approach is preferable

  • You want server-console controls instead of editing Lua.
  • You need packaged handling for several damage categories and body parts.
  • Your administrators need to tune values without redeploying an addon file.

When custom Lua is preferable

  • You need conditions based on team, weapon, attacker, map or round state.
  • You need a small, auditable rule with no dependency on a third-party addon.
  • You need to control exactly whether a rule applies to players, NPCs or both.

Sandbox convars and god-mode settings

Some hosting guides mention sbox_plpldamage and sbox_godmode in server.cfg. These are Sandbox-oriented toggles, not a general replacement for Lua damage scaling. The available summary is internally inconsistent about which value of sbox_plpldamage keeps player-to-player damage active, so do not publish or deploy a value without testing it on the exact server and gamemode you run. Treat sbox_godmode as a protection toggle rather than a body-part multiplier.

If a server appears to ignore your scaling code, first check that a god-mode or invulnerability setting is not preventing damage altogether. Disable that protection only for a controlled test, then restore the setting your server requires.

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Test changes without guessing

  1. Back up the current addon and configuration files.
  2. Run a private listen or dedicated server with the same gamemode and workshop content used in production.
  3. Test one weapon against a player at the head, chest and limb hit groups. Record the unmodified and modified damage values.
  4. Test at least one non-bullet source, such as an explosion or fall, if you used EntityTakeDamage.
  5. Spawn an NPC and test its head and body separately if you changed NPC settings.
  6. Restart the server and repeat a small test to confirm that values load from server.cfg or the addon at startup.
  7. Remove or disable competing damage addons during diagnosis, then re-enable them one at a time.

For temporary diagnostics, add a server-side print inside the relevant hook and log the entity, hit group and incoming damage. Remove verbose logging after the rule is confirmed; production logs can become difficult to read during busy rounds.

Troubleshoot the common failure modes

Bullet damage changes, but explosions do not

This is the expected limitation of ScalePlayerDamage. Add a carefully scoped EntityTakeDamage rule for the additional damage sources, and check that the bullet is not being multiplied twice.

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NPCs ignore the player rule

Player hooks do not configure NPCs. Use ScaleNPCDamage or the appropriate sk_npc_* convar.

The convar exists but has no visible effect

Confirm that the convar belongs to the NPC system, that the target is an NPC affected by that value, and that another addon or gamemode has not overwritten it. Player sk_player_* entries remain unverified for Garry’s Mod damage and should not be used as the foundation of a production rule.

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The Lua file loads but values are unchanged

Check the server console for syntax errors, confirm the file is under lua/autorun/server, and verify that the hook name and function arguments are spelled exactly. Then test with a clean server configuration to rule out a gamemode or addon that changes the same damage object.

The rule works in Sandbox but not in a role-play or combat gamemode

Gamemodes such as DarkRP and TTT can register their own hooks or apply later damage changes. Compatibility with every gamemode and current Garry’s Mod branch is not established here. Compare the result with the gamemode disabled, inspect its server-side damage code where permitted, and keep your multiplier in a uniquely named hook so it is easy to trace.

Recommended decision path

Your requirement Start with Why
Different bullet damage for player head, chest or limbs ScalePlayerDamage It supplies the player hit group and mutable damage object
One player multiplier for bullets, explosions, falls and other sources EntityTakeDamage It handles damage at the entity level
Different NPC values by hit group ScaleNPCDamage or sk_npc_* These are the NPC-specific controls
Console-managed player and NPC values with additional categories Another Player and NPC Damage Multiplier addon It exposes documented convars and broader coverage, subject to local verification
Player-versus-player permission or invulnerability behavior Sandbox settings only after a direct test sbox_plpldamage behavior is not sufficiently established to prescribe a value

For most custom servers, begin with one small Lua hook, test it under the production gamemode, and add the second hook only when a specific damage category remains uncovered. This keeps stacking, overrides and future balance changes understandable.

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