Offline DAoC v0.31b - optional Sluaghbinder expansion

Latest v0.31b maintenance — solo Bard group guard (September 26)

This refreshed optional patch keeps every existing Sluaghbinder, bounty,
pet-art, and Shannon beach-rat feature. It corrects one shared Bard AI
condition: a solo Bard gamebot can no longer treat its missing party as a
valid reason to cast group-only PvE add mez. Grouped add control, PvP mez,
healing, songs, and other classes are unchanged.

The Release source passed 1,981/1,981 server tests. The optional installer
still creates a separate playable copy with rollback; the selected normal
v0.31 game remains untouched. For a fresh install, use the
new Bard-guard patch
and, if you want to edit the class, its
matching source ZIP.
The download helper fetches the newly refreshed normal v0.31 base first.
The older Bard-and-beach-rats ZIP is superseded and not recommended for new
installs; it and immutable tags remain available for historical use. This
maintenance does not add Darkness Falls and does not claim a live client test.

Historical v0.31b update — Bard combat and Shannon beach rats (September 25)

Sluaghbinder remains a separate, optional Hibernian class. Players who do
not want it should continue using normal v0.31
or preserved v0.3.
To add the class, use DOWNLOAD.AND.PLAY.v0.31b.cmd or the current patch linked
above. The September 25 patch ZIP
is retained for history but is superseded.
The installer copies a clean v0.3/v0.31 game into a new sibling folder; the
selected original stays untouched and the new copy keeps its rollback command.

• Bard companions and autonomous gamebots no longer repeatedly mesmerize
  their ordinary PvE kill target. They keep fighting and healing as secondary
  healers. A grouped Bard may control a separate, full-health add attacking
  the party, with a bounded retry delay.
• Stationary companion Bards, Skalds, and Minstrels complete ordinary buffs
  before song twisting resumes. Traveling companion Bards favor
  speed/endurance; Skalds and Minstrels favor speed/health regeneration.
  Autonomous gamebot song scheduling is unchanged.
• Shannon Estuary gains a spaced level-1/2 beach-rat camp. The installer
  applies the same repeat-safe correction to the copied database within its
  existing transaction. Its pre-patch database backup and rollback restore
  that copy; no account, character, or bot database is published.

Developers can use the maintained optional source branch
or matching editable source ZIP.
The branch Release build passed and the copied-database migration passed
disposable v0.3 and already-updated v0.31 checks, including backup restoration.
A fresh in-client test is not claimed. The original v0.31b Git tag and older
patch assets remain available. Quest story details remain in-game.

Previous v0.31b update — Bounty Masters plus optional Sluaghbinder (September 25)

Sluaghbinder remains a separate, optional Hibernian class. Normal v0.3 and v0.31 remain playable without it. No Git, coding, or LLM is needed.

• With Sluaghbinder: use DOWNLOAD.AND.PLAY.v0.31b.cmd, or download the current patch linked above, extract it, and run INSTALL SLAUGHBINDER PATCH.cmd against a clean v0.3/v0.31 folder. It creates a separate sibling copy with a rollback command; the original folder is not changed. The September 25 bounty patch ZIP is historical and superseded.
• Without Sluaghbinder: use normal v0.3 or v0.31. The optional class is not silently installed there.

The current optional patch includes the shared three-realm Bounty Master system: journal-tracked repeatable hunts, level-scaled rewards, unlimited rerolls with a half-XP penalty, free refresh of outleveled hunts, major level-50 boss contracts, and a red target dot on the local zone/dungeon map. The journal's BOUNTY MAP button opens the current map, so travel to the target area first. It also includes the long-journal login fix, variable-level species kill credit, and /stables route help.

Sluaghbinder characters still begin as Acolytes and can follow Muirenn's class path at level 5. Dullahan's Bulwark protects with blunt weapon and shield, Abhartach's Bane fights with scythe and plague magic, and Sluagh Covenant strengthens undead pets. Five linked epic quests unlock at levels 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50; story details remain in-game. The prior private pet textures, Dullahan and Zombie Defender appearances, Zombie Priest dagger, Covenant heal-over-time upkeep, and September 23 shared bot/route fixes remain included.

The old v0.31b patch ZIPs remain available as historical snapshots. Developers can use the maintained optional source branch or updated source ZIP. The v0.31b Git tag stays historical. Start with LLM-QUICKSTART.

Verification: Release build succeeded; full optional server suite 1,942 passed, 0 failed. Focused bounty/stable tests, client patch checks, payload hashes, and rollback-path checks passed. This does not replace an in-client gameplay test on a fresh download. The original local Offline DAoC installation and personal saves were not changed.

The customization code was made by AI coding agents under the owner's direction and testing. Upstream OpenDAoC and third-party client/data rights remain with their respective owners.