⚔️ Epic Vanguard

Epic Vanguard introduces loyal, highly trained Warrior Companions into your Minecraft world. Whether recruited in bustling village taverns, earned through honorable non-lethal duels, or rescued from Pillager cages, these warriors fight by your side with advanced tactical AI, intelligent survival routines, full gear customization, and native Epic Fight animations!

🌟 Key Features

🛡️ 1. Recruitable Warrior Companions

• Village Taverns & Wandering Mercenaries: Encounter unique warriors resting near village gathering points or roaming the streets.
• Pillager Outpost Prisoners: Infiltrate Pillager Outposts to find captured warriors trapped in wooden cages. Rescue them by handing them food, potions, or a blade to instantly earn their eternal loyalty for free!
• Distinct Appearances: Each warrior has a unique skin, randomized names (Aldric, Bram, Jorik, Sorin...), and varying starting gear.

📜 2. The Honor Contract System

Interact with an unrecruited warrior to open the Honor Contract interface. Warriors value honor and bravery, offering 3 ways to recruit them:

1. Mercenary Gold: Pay them with Gold Coins/Currency.
2. Special Fetch Quests: Provide the specific supplies they request (weapons, ores, or resources).
3. Honor Duel: Challenge them to a friendly, non-lethal duel! Prove your martial prowess in combat without either party dying to win their respect.

🎒 3. Full Companion HUD & 15-Slot Backpack

Right-click your recruited companion (or Sneak + Right-Click) to open their dedicated equipment and inventory screen:

• Armor Slots: Full support for Vanilla, modded, and custom armor sets (Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots).
• Dual Weapon Slots: Equip a main-hand weapon (Swords, Greatswords, Axes, etc.) and an off-hand shield or secondary weapon.
• 15-Slot Integrated Backpack: Store extra loot, arrows, food, and potions.
• Auto-Pickup: Companions actively gather dropped loot on the ground and store it into their backpack for you!

🍖 4. Autonomous Survival & Smart Auto-Heal

Companions are never mindless puppets; they take care of their own survival:

• Emergency Tactical Retreat (< 40% HP): When health drops below 40%, the warrior executes an immediate evasion roll, disengages from monsters, and runs away to safety.
• Smart Potion & Food Consumption:
  • Prioritizes Instant Health Potions and Golden Apples when in mortal peril.
  • Consumes food or Regeneration Potions when moderately injured.
  • Saves valuable potions outside of combat, using standard food for peacetime recovery.
• Authentic Animations & Sounds: Distinct eating and drinking sounds (GENERIC_EAT vs GENERIC_DRINK), accompanied by healing heart particles and magical potion swirls (HEART, HAPPY_VILLAGER, ENTITY_EFFECT).
• Container Recycling: Empty glass bottles (Items.GLASS_BOTTLE) and stew bowls (Items.BOWL) are neatly returned to their backpack!

🥋 5. Native Epic Fight Integration

Designed from the ground up to pair seamlessly with the legendary Epic Fight combat mod:

• True Epic Fight Animations: Companions perform dynamic attack combos, evasion rolls, guard animations, mounts, and stuns.
• Combat Balancing: Tailored Epic Fight attributes including Stamina Regen, Impact, Weight, and Stun Armor.
• Friendly Fire Protection: Companions are immune to wide-sweeping Epic Fight player attacks, ensuring fluid pair combat without accidental betrayals.

🎯 6. Tactical Combat Modes

Command your warrior's behavior on the fly:

• Aggressive Mode: Charges and eliminates any hostile mob within range.
• Defensive Mode: Guards the owner, only striking targets that attack either you or them.
• Guard Area Mode: Holds a designated guard perimeter around a specific location or structure.
• Follow Mode: Prioritizes sticking close to the player during treacherous travels.

🕹️ Quick Start Guide for Players

1. Find a Warrior: Search in vanilla villages near taverns/gathering blocks or Pillager Outposts.
2. Recruit: Right-click them to view their recruitment requirement (Gold, Items, or Duel) and sign their contract.
3. Equip: Sneak + Right-click to open their inventory. Give them your best armor, a strong weapon, and a shield.
4. Supply: Fill a few backpack slots with cooked food and a couple of Healing Potions.
5. Venture Forth: Explore dungeons, raids, and boss fights knowing you have a competent, intelligent ally watching your back!

⚙️ Server Configuration & Commands

Epic Vanguard includes server-wide settings for multiplayer servers:

• /vanguard friendlyfire <mode> — Adjust companion friendly fire:
  • DISABLED: Prevents players from damaging their own or allied warriors.
  • OWNER_ONLY: Only the warrior's rightful owner cannot harm them.
  • ENABLED: Standard full PVP damage.

📦 Modpack Policy

Yes, absolutely! You are completely free to include Epic Vanguard in any public or private modpack on CurseForge or elsewhere.

💬 Feedback & Issues

If you encounter any bugs or have feature suggestions, feel free to drop a comment or report them on our official tracker!