Village Elder — a rare villager that anchors villages

Summary / Concept
Introduce a rare “Village Elder” that appears naturally in well-developed villages, signaling leadership and providing subtle village-wide benefits. The Elder represents experience and presence, giving villages personality and functional effects without adding new blocks or UI.

Emergence Mechanics

• Village must have all beds claimed, all professions filled, and a bell present.

• When a villager kid grows up, they may claim the workstation previously held by one of their parent. Professions like Cleric, Librarian, and Shepherd might have a higher chance to trigger this.

• The parent villager whose workstation is inherited then becomes the Elder.

• Optional bonus: Villages with multiple banners of the same design (20+) slightly increase the probability that a kid villager inherits its parent's workstation, thus the parent villager becomes an Elder.

Visual Distinction

• Gray hair and/or longer beard, or reading glasses

• Wields a cane

• Slightly slower walking speed

• Optional subtle robe accent

Passive Effects

• Chunks containing the village center remain loaded

• Villagers respond more reliably to raids or emergencies

• Village beds and workstations are more stable

Balance & Rarity

• Only one Elder may exist within a large surrounding region

• If the Elder dies or village conditions are lost, they revert to a normal villager

• Effects are local; no direct player advantage

Player Notification

• When hostile mobs attack a village with an Elder, players receive a message:

  “The village is under attack!”