Totem Of Undying icon

Totem of Undying Give Command Generator

  • Item id: minecraft:totem_of_undying
  • Command: /give

The totem of undying is the only item that intercepts death itself, which makes it the cleanest extra-life primitive a map can hand out. One /give puts it in a player's hand without anyone building an evoker farm, and because activation consumes the item, the economy balances itself: every totem issued is exactly one refunded death, no more.

Custom names and lore matter more on totems than on most items because a totem sits visibly in the offhand for its whole lifespan. A gold-named contract with a lore line spelling out the deal is interface text the player carries into every fight. Counts are worth using too: totems refuse to stack, so a /give with a count of 5 lays five lives across five separate slots, turning the hotbar itself into a life counter.

Example commands

Boss-arena second chance

/give @p minecraft:totem_of_undying[custom_name={text:"Contract of the Evoker",color:"gold"},lore=["One death, refunded","Consumed on use"]] 1

Name and lore together turn a plain totem into a scripted arena item that players immediately read as their single free death.

Five-life hardcore kit

/give @p minecraft:totem_of_undying 5

Totems never stack, so a count of 5 lands in five separate slots, giving each player a visible countdown of remaining lives.

Epic keepsake totem

/give @p minecraft:totem_of_undying[custom_name={text:"Last Breath",color:"light_purple"},rarity=epic] 1

Pairing a light purple name with epic rarity marks this as a story item, distinct from the disposable lives handed out at spawn.

The same build across versions

Rows appear only where the output actually changes -- copy the one that matches your world.

Java 1.16

/give @p minecraft:totem_of_undying{display:{Name:'{"text":"Contract of the Evoker","color":"gold"}',Lore:['{"text":"One death, refunded"}','{"text":"Consumed on use"}']}} 1

Java 1.21.4

/give @p minecraft:totem_of_undying[custom_name='{"text":"Contract of the Evoker","color":"gold"}',lore=['{"text":"One death, refunded"}','{"text":"Consumed on use"}']] 1

Java 26.2

/give @p minecraft:totem_of_undying[custom_name={text:"Contract of the Evoker",color:"gold"},lore=["One death, refunded","Consumed on use"]] 1

Bedrock 26.x

# Omitted Java-only item data for Bedrock: custom_name, lore.
/give @p totem_of_undying 1
  • Omitted Java-only item data for Bedrock: custom_name, lore.

Worth knowing

  • A totem of undying only triggers from the main hand or the offhand at the moment of fatal damage; sitting anywhere else in the inventory does nothing.
  • On activation it leaves the holder at half a heart, then applies Regeneration II for 45 seconds, Fire Resistance for 40 seconds, and Absorption II for 5 seconds, consuming the totem.
  • It cannot cancel void damage or the /kill command; both bypass totems entirely, so falling out of the world still ends the run.
  • The maximum stack size is 1, so /give with a count spreads totems across separate inventory slots rather than piling them into one.
  • In survival the renewable source is evokers, found in woodland mansions and in later raid waves, each dropping a single totem on death.

FAQ

Does a totem of undying work from the offhand?

Yes, either the main hand or the offhand counts at the instant of fatal damage. Anywhere else in the inventory does nothing, which is why players park one in the offhand slot.

Will a totem of undying save a player from the void or /kill?

No. Void damage and the /kill command both bypass totems, so a fall out of the world or an admin kill ends the run regardless of what is being held.

How do I give a player several totems at once?

Set a count on the /give. Because the stack limit is 1, a count of 5 fills five slots, and each slot quietly represents one extra life for that player.