Gadgets Against Grind in FTB Skies 2

Gadgets Against Grind (GAG for short) is a utility mod built to cut down the repetitive busywork of everyday modded play. The idea is that each item takes some of the grind out of your day while still feeling Vanilla, and not as cheaty as running commands. The pack ships version 1.21.1-5.2.0 for NeoForge.^[1][2]

What it adds

• An Escape Rope to teleport your way out of caves.^[1]
• Hearthstones that take you to your personal spawn point or the world spawn, plus a variant you can bind to any location.^[1]
• A sign that blocks certain pesky intruders from entering your base. It is the 'No Solicitors!' Sign.^[1][3]
• Different types of Dynamite for easier mining and fishing.^[1]
• The Temporal Pouch, which tick-accelerates blocks in a Time-in-a-Bottle style. The mod author says it might be reworked in the future.^[1]
• Sacred Salt, Balm and Salve, which temporarily stop mobs from spawning near you so you can mine in peace.^[1]
• A Labeling Tool to rename items without burning lots of experience. Pigment Jars let you give your favourite tools custom colored names.^[1]

Who it is for

It suits anyone who wants quality-of-life help while mining, exploring caves, protecting a base or naming gear. Nothing here is a big progression gate. These are convenience tools you can pick up when a particular chore starts to annoy you.^[1]

Where it fits in the pack

The pack's quest book mentions the mod in the "useful_items_tips" chapter. Quests there ask you to obtain a GAG item: "Temporal Pouch" quest has you get the Temporal Pouch, and "No More Traders!" quest has you get the No Solicitors sign. Both quests are untitled in the quest data.^[3]

The mod author says most parameters of these items can be configured by pack developers, including recipes and disabling features entirely. The defaults are tuned to feel close to Vanilla.^[1]

Unverified I found no in-jar guidebook for this mod. The mod is also not on the ATM Star quest path.

Gadgets Against Grind adds utility items meant to cut down on tedious chores in modded play. Here is the order I'd make them in, and why, starting with the ones that save you the most walking and digging.^[1]

Hearthstone

Start with the Hearthstone. It teleports you to your personal spawn point or, if that is enabled, the world spawn. That is your way back home when you are far from base.^[4][5]

HearthstoneMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Empty slot	Polished Deepslate	Empty slot
Polished Deepslate	Amethyst Shard	Polished Deepslate
Empty slot	Polished Deepslate	Empty slot

Recipe id: gag:hearthstone

Escape Rope

Next, make the Escape Rope. It teleports you out of caves and buildings to the nearest point on the surface, so you don't have to dig or climb your way out.^[4][5]

Escape RopeMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Chain	Tripwire Hook
Chain	Empty slot
Chain	Lead

Recipe id: gag:escape_rope

Mining Dynamite

Mining Dynamite is a throwable explosive with a high efficiency against stone, and it drops all the blocks it destroys. That makes it a good tool for clearing rock quickly.^[4][5]

Mining DynamiteMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any deepslate cobblestone	any deepslate cobblestone	any deepslate cobblestone
any deepslate cobblestone	Tnt	any deepslate cobblestone
any deepslate cobblestone	Firework Rocket	any deepslate cobblestone

Recipe id: gag:mining_dynamite

'No Solicitors!' Sign

Once you have a base, the 'No Solicitors!' Sign wards off certain pesky intruders within a reasonable area. Right-click it with wool to toggle silent mode. The pack changed this recipe from the mod's own, so use the one below. It also has a quest: "No More Traders!" quest.^[3][4][5]

'No Solicitors!' SignChanged by the pack

Crafting Shapeless

• any sign
• any emerald gem
• Flint

Recipe id: gag:no_solicitors

This is the pack's changed recipe, not the mod default.

Temporal Pouch

The Temporal Pouch slowly accumulates time while it sits in your inventory. Use it on a ticking block to accelerate that block, spending some of the stored time. Its quest is "Temporal Pouch" quest, and it sits in the same quest chapter as the sign quest.^[3][4]

Temporal PouchMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any raw gold storage block	Nautilus Shell	any raw gold storage block
Leather	Ender Eye	Leather
Leather	Leather	Leather

Recipe id: gag:time_sand_pouch

Mob-repelling items

When you want to mine in peace, look at the Sacred items. Applying one gives you an effect that temporarily stops nearby hostile mobs from spawning. Start with Sacred Salt, because the salve and balm recipes build on it.^[1][4][5]

4× Sacred SaltMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Gunpowder or Redstone or Glowstone Dust
• Fermented Spider Eye or Poisonous Potato
• Glow Berries

Recipe id: gag:sacred_salt

From there you can make Sacred Salve. Sacred Balm can be made either from the salt or by upgrading a salve you already have.^[5]

Sacred SalveMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Glow Ink Sac
• Honey Bottle
• any small flower
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt

Recipe id: gag:sacred_salve

Sacred BalmMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Honeycomb
• Phantom Membrane
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Bowl

Recipe id: gag:sacred_balm

Sacred BalmMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Phantom Membrane
• Sacred Salve
• Bowl

Recipe id: gag:sacred_balm_from_salve

Optional extras

• Fishing Dynamite is a throwable explosive that only works underwater and deals increased damage to fish. It's handy if you'd rather not fish.^[4][5]
• Labeling Tool changes the name of any item in your inventory at no cost.^[4][5]
• Pigment Jar starts out empty. Once filled, you can use it in a labeling tool to change the color of an item's name. The in-game hint says to grind up some dye with flint, then add some milk.^[4][5]

Fishing DynamiteMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Gravel or Sand	Dried Kelp	Gravel or Sand
Dried Kelp	Tnt	Dried Kelp
Gravel or Sand	Fishing Rod	Gravel or Sand

Recipe id: gag:fishing_dynamite

Labeling ToolMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Empty slot	Paper	Paper
Paper	any wooden rod	any iron ingot
Empty slot	any iron ingot	Chain

Recipe id: gag:labeling_tool

Pigment JarMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Glass Bottle
• Glowstone Dust
• any wooden button

Recipe id: gag:pigment_jar

Gadgets Against Grind is a utility mod. It adds various utility items and blocks, and the goal of each item is to reduce the grind you face in day-to-day modded play. Some of them, like the mob-repelling ones, only work temporarily. The sources here don't describe machines, multiblocks, power, fluids or automation for it, so this section walks through how each item works instead.^[1]

Teleportation

The Escape Rope teleports you out of caves and buildings to the nearest point on the surface.^[4][5]

Escape RopeMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Chain	Tripwire Hook
Chain	Empty slot
Chain	Lead

Recipe id: gag:escape_rope

The Hearthstone teleports you to your personal spawn point, or to the world spawn if that option is enabled. There's also a stronger variant that has channelled the energy of raw lightning. It teleports you to a single bound location, and hitting it with lightning again resets it. The in-game hint for getting it is "Strike with Lightning".^[4][5]

HearthstoneMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Empty slot	Polished Deepslate	Empty slot
Polished Deepslate	Amethyst Shard	Polished Deepslate
Empty slot	Polished Deepslate	Empty slot

Recipe id: gag:hearthstone

Dynamite

Mining Dynamite is a throwable explosive that is very efficient against stone, and it drops all the blocks it destroys. Fishing Dynamite is also throwable, but it only works underwater and deals increased damage to fish.^[4][5]

Mining DynamiteMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any deepslate cobblestone	any deepslate cobblestone	any deepslate cobblestone
any deepslate cobblestone	Tnt	any deepslate cobblestone
any deepslate cobblestone	Firework Rocket	any deepslate cobblestone

Recipe id: gag:mining_dynamite

Fishing DynamiteMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Gravel or Sand	Dried Kelp	Gravel or Sand
Dried Kelp	Tnt	Dried Kelp
Gravel or Sand	Fishing Rod	Gravel or Sand

Recipe id: gag:fishing_dynamite

Keeping mobs away

Sacred Salt, Sacred Balm and Sacred Salve are the mod's ways of temporarily stopping mobs from spawning near you. When you apply a repelling item, you get an effect that stops nearby hostile mobs from spawning, so you can mine in peace.^[1][4][5]

4× Sacred SaltMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Gunpowder or Redstone or Glowstone Dust
• Fermented Spider Eye or Poisonous Potato
• Glow Berries

Recipe id: gag:sacred_salt

Sacred SalveMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Glow Ink Sac
• Honey Bottle
• any small flower
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt

Recipe id: gag:sacred_salve

Sacred BalmMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Honeycomb
• Phantom Membrane
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Bowl

Recipe id: gag:sacred_balm

The balm has a second recipe that starts from a salve instead of salt, which is handy if you already have one.^[5]

Sacred BalmMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Phantom Membrane
• Sacred Salve
• Bowl

Recipe id: gag:sacred_balm_from_salve

For your base, the 'No Solicitors!' Sign wards off certain pesky intruders within a reasonable area. Right-click it with wool to toggle silent mode.^[4][5]

'No Solicitors!' SignChanged by the pack

Crafting Shapeless

• any sign
• any emerald gem
• Flint

Recipe id: gag:no_solicitors

This recipe was changed by the pack.

Speeding up blocks

The Temporal Pouch slowly accumulates time while it's in your inventory. Use it on a ticking block to accelerate that block, spending some of the stored time. Its tooltip shows how many Grains of Time it holds. The mod page describes it as Time-in-a-Bottle style and says it might be reworked in the future.^[1][4]

Temporal PouchMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any raw gold storage block	Nautilus Shell	any raw gold storage block
Leather	Ender Eye	Leather
Leather	Leather	Leather

Recipe id: gag:time_sand_pouch

Renaming and coloring

The Labeling Tool changes the name of any item in your inventory at no cost.^[4][5]

A filled Pigment Jar can be used in the labeling tool to change the color of an item's name. You can combine pigment jars to mix colors. An empty jar needs filling first. The in-game hint is to grind up some dye with flint, then add some milk.^[4][5]

Labeling ToolMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Empty slot	Paper	Paper
Paper	any wooden rod	any iron ingot
Empty slot	any iron ingot	Chain

Recipe id: gag:labeling_tool

Pigment JarMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Glass Bottle
• Glowstone Dust
• any wooden button

Recipe id: gag:pigment_jar

Configuration

The mod's author says most parameters of these items can be configured by pack developers, including recipes and disabling features entirely.^[1]

Unverified The mod's config settings, such as durations, ranges, or whether the Hearthstone can use the world spawn, would be set in its config file. The sources here include no config files for this mod in the pack, so those values are not shown.

The pack's quest book doesn't lay out a tier ladder for this mod, so there is no official order to follow. What the sources do show is a handful of small utility items, and the quest book only points you at a few of them. I'll stick to what's confirmed rather than invent a progression.^[3][5]

What the quest book covers

The mod's quests sit in the useful_items_tips chapter. "Temporal Pouch" quest has an item task for the Temporal Pouch, and "No More Traders!" quest has an item task for the 'No Solicitors!' Sign. Neither quest has a title in the pack data.^[3]

Temporal PouchMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any raw gold storage block	Nautilus Shell	any raw gold storage block
Leather	Ender Eye	Leather
Leather	Leather	Leather

Recipe id: gag:time_sand_pouch

Quest item. This is the mod's own recipe, unchanged by the pack.

'No Solicitors!' SignChanged by the pack

Crafting Shapeless

• any sign
• any emerald gem
• Flint

Recipe id: gag:no_solicitors

Quest item. The pack changed this recipe.

The Sacred line

The chain of items that clearly builds on itself is the Sacred line. Sacred Salt comes first, then Sacred Salve, which is made from the Salt, then Sacred Balm. You can make the Balm starting from Salt, or upgrade a Salve directly. These are all mod recipes, not changed by the pack.^[5]

4× Sacred SaltMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Gunpowder or Redstone or Glowstone Dust
• Fermented Spider Eye or Poisonous Potato
• Glow Berries

Recipe id: gag:sacred_salt

Sacred SalveMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Glow Ink Sac
• Honey Bottle
• any small flower
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt

Recipe id: gag:sacred_salve

Sacred BalmMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Honeycomb
• Phantom Membrane
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Sacred Salt
• Bowl

Recipe id: gag:sacred_balm

Sacred BalmMod recipe

Crafting Shapeless

• Phantom Membrane
• Sacred Salve
• Bowl

Recipe id: gag:sacred_balm_from_salve

Upgrade path if you already have a Salve.

Other gadgets you can craft

The rest of the mod's items all have in-pack crafting recipes, and they are standard mod recipes. The sources don't rank them or place them in an order, so you can make them whenever you need them.^[5]

• Escape Rope^[5]
• Hearthstone^[5]
• Mining Dynamite^[5]
• Fishing Dynamite^[5]
• Labeling Tool^[5]
• Pigment Jar^[5]

Gadgets Against Grind only shows up in one quest chapter in this pack: "useful_items_tips". It's a small appearance, so there's no long questline to follow here.^[3]

• Quest "Temporal Pouch" quest is an item task that asks for the Temporal Pouch.^[3]
• Quest "No More Traders!" quest is an item task that asks for the 'No Solicitors!' Sign.^[3]

Both quests are untitled in the pack files and each has just one task, which is to hold the item listed above.^[3]

Unverified The sources don't say which of the two quests comes first, whether either has prerequisites, or what rewards they give, so the order and rewards are unconfirmed.

Good news: this pack leaves almost every Gadgets Against Grind option at the mod's own default. Only one option in the main config is flagged as changed by the pack, so you can mostly rely on the mod's normal behaviour. Here are the options you are most likely to care about and the values the pack uses.^[6]

The one thing the pack changed

temporal_pouch.level_filter is the list of levels where the Temporal Pouch will not work. The pack currently sets it to an empty list, and the config file marks it as changed from the mod default. temporal_pouch.invert_level_filter is currently false, so the empty list means no level is blocked by this filter.^[6]

Hearthstone

• misc.hearthstone.warmup is currently 100 ticks (5 seconds to use the stone) and misc.hearthstone.cooldown is currently 1,200 ticks (60 seconds between uses). Both are the mod defaults.^[6]
• misc.hearthstone.durability is currently 64, and misc.hearthstone.energized_durability for the energized hearthstone is currently 256. Both are the mod defaults.^[6]
• misc.hearthstone.range is currently -1, which means unlimited range.^[6]
• misc.hearthstone.dimension_multiplier is currently 2, the damage multiplier for travelling across dimensions. Setting it to -1 would disable cross-dimension teleporting, but the pack currently leaves it at 2.^[6]
• misc.hearthstone.allow_world_spawn is currently true, so the stone sends you to the spawn point if you have no respawn point. misc.hearthstone.ignore_spawn_block is currently false and misc.hearthstone.use_anchor_charge is currently true.^[6]
• On the client side, misc.hearthstone.hide_position is false. Turn it on if you stream and don't want to show your base coordinates in the GUIs.^[7]

Escape Rope

As the config currently stands, the rope takes 60 ticks (3 seconds) to use per misc.escape_rope.warmup, then has a 200 tick (10 second) wait per misc.escape_rope.cooldown. misc.escape_rope.durability is currently 512. All three are the mod defaults.^[6]

Dynamite

• Mining Dynamite currently has an explosion radius of 7 blocks (dynamite.mining_radius). With dynamite.mining_gives_haste currently true, it gives Haste to a player it hits.^[6]
• Fishing Dynamite currently has a radius of 4 blocks (dynamite.fishing_radius). dynamite.fishing_instakill is currently true, so fish die outright. If it were false, fish would take 2x damage instead.^[6]
• dynamite.fishing_damage_all is currently true, so Fishing Dynamite damages all entities, not just fish. Keep that in mind when you blast near other mobs or players.^[6]
• dynamite.fishing_additional_loot is currently 5, which sets how many extra fish from the vanilla loot table may drop. dynamite.fishing_targets is currently "hybrid", which combines the abstract fish check with the fish tag filter.^[6]

Temporal Pouch

• temporal_pouch.duration_per_use is currently 30 seconds of acceleration per use, and temporal_pouch.grains_used is currently 600 grains per click.^[6]
• temporal_pouch.max_rate is currently 8, which the config describes as a top speed of 2^8 = x256.^[6]
• temporal_pouch.allow_random_ticks is true, so the pouch can speed up crops and saplings. temporal_pouch.random_tick_chance is 4096.^[6]
• temporal_pouch.pouch_capacity is currently 2,147,483,647 grains, effectively the maximum.^[6]

No Solicitors sign

misc.no_solicitors_radius is currently 64 blocks in this pack, the radius in which the sign stops Wandering Traders from spawning. The config file lists 64 as the mod default, although its own comment text mentions 32.^[6]

FTB Skies 2 1.22.0 ships Gadgets Against Grind 1.21.1-5.2.0. The mod has been in the pack since FTB Skies 2 1.0.1 or earlier. Below are the notable changes from the mod's own changelogs, newest first.^[2]

Mod releases

• 1.21.1-5.2.0 (the version in this pack): fixes some minor issues with component formatting and the EMI plugin, which now uses its own random instead of the world random. Version numbers also changed format because the author switched to AlmostGradle for build workflows.^[2][8]
• 5.1.1: fixes not being able to enchant the mod's breakable items with Unbreaking or Mending outside of Creative Mode, plus some minor UX and description improvements.^[9]
• 5.1.0: fixes a bug when you had multiple Temporal Pouches in your inventory at the same time, and a minor bug with EMI recipes. On-screen tooltips were also reworked to be less visually noisy.^[10]
• 5.0.2: fixes a bug where every breakable item was actually unbreakable, caused by Minecraft code changes in 1.21 that the author hadn't noticed.^[11]

Unverified Changelogs for versions older than 5.0.2 and pack changelog entries for this mod were not available, so anything the mod changed before that or between pack releases is unverified.