docs(client): add CLIENT-PATCHES.md describing the Fractured client bundle

Documents the four binary artifacts that pair with this server
(patch-enUS-4/5/6.MPQ + patched Wow.exe), where they live (the
Releases page; not in the tree per the repo-tidy policy), and how a
contributor installs them on top of a clean 3.3.5a client. Cross-
referenced from the contrib/fractured-dev-extras README.

Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>

contrib/fractured-dev-extras/CLIENT-PATCHES.md

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+# Fractured Client Patches
+
+Binary client artifacts that pair with this server. They live on the
+[Releases page](https://github.com/Dawnforger/Fractured/releases),
+**not** in the tree, so the repo stays lean and binaries can be
+re-downloaded without bloating `git clone`.
+
+This file is the table of contents and install guide.
+
+---
+
+## What ships in a release
+
+| Artifact | Size | Purpose |
+|---|---|---|
+| `patch-enUS-4.MPQ` | ~5 MB | DBC + GlueXML bake. Adds `CLASS_PARAGON` (id 12), the character-create slot, glue strings, talent-tab DBC entries, and the Paragon resource bar definitions. Required for character creation as Paragon to even show up. |
+| `patch-enUS-5.MPQ` | ~40 KB | FrameXML overrides. Replaces stock `PlayerFrame.lua` / `RuneFrame.lua` / `ComboFrame.lua` / `UnitFrame.lua` with Paragon-aware versions: rune simulator, combo-point simulator, server-authoritative resource sync over the `PARAA` addon channel, action-button usability + click guards. |
+| `patch-enUS-6.MPQ` | ~160 KB | The `ParagonAdvancement` addon. Replaces the talent pane (`N` key) for Paragon characters with the Character Advancement panel: per-class spell tabs, talent grid, Overview/Search tabs, AE/TE currency, commit / reset / preview, login-time toast suppression. |
+| `Wow.exe` | ~7.5 MB | 3.3.5a (build 12340) client byte-patched to skip the MPQ signature check so custom `patch-enUS-N.MPQ` files load. Diff against stock is a few bytes; everything else is unchanged. |
+
+Server and client work as a pair: the addon talks to `mod-paragon` on the
+worldserver via `WHISPER` addon-channel messages with the `PARAA` prefix
+(currency push, spell/talent snapshot, commit, combo points, rune
+cooldowns, learn-toast silence window). Mismatched versions usually
+manifest as the panel rendering blank or AE/TE reading 0/0.
+
+---
+
+## Install
+
+You need a 3.3.5a (build 12340) WoW client. ChromieCraft's free 3.3.5a
+download is the canonical clean source if you don't already have one.
+
+1. Download every artifact from the latest release matching this server
+   build:
+   `https://github.com/Dawnforger/Fractured/releases/latest`
+2. Replace `Wow.exe` at the root of your client install with the patched
+   one from the release. Keep a backup of the original if you want.
+3. Drop `patch-enUS-4.MPQ`, `patch-enUS-5.MPQ`, `patch-enUS-6.MPQ` into
+   `Data/enUS/`. (For other locales, rename the suffix accordingly —
+   contents are locale-independent, only the filename ordering matters
+   to the loader.)
+4. Edit `Data/enUS/realmlist.wtf` to point at your server, e.g.
+   `set realmlist your.host.tld`.
+5. Launch `Wow.exe`. The login screen should reach the realm list. Make
+   a Paragon character (the new class entry on the create screen) and
+   press `N` in-world to open the Character Advancement panel.
+
+If the panel opens empty / AE+TE read 0/0 / `N` opens the stock talent
+pane: your client is loading an older `patch-enUS-6.MPQ`, or the
+worldserver image is older than commit `4d2a80d` (the
+`character_paragon_panel_spell_revoked` migration). Pull both ends to
+the same release tag and rebuild the worldserver image.
+
+---
+
+## Building the patches yourself
+
+The MPQs are reproducible from the dev tree (not in this repo —
+`Classless Dev/Paragon Patch UI/` and
+`Classless Dev/Paragon Advancement/` on the maintainer's workstation)
+via two PowerShell scripts in `tools/`:
+
+```
+tools\build_paragon_ui_patch.ps1 -Deploy            # -> patch-enUS-5.MPQ
+tools\build_paragon_advancement_patch.ps1 -Deploy   # -> patch-enUS-6.MPQ
+```
+
+`patch-enUS-4.MPQ` is the DBC + GlueXML bake; the bake scripts live with
+the rest of the dev tooling and are not part of this repo by design
+(see the repo-tidy policy in `README.txt` next to this file).
+
+The patched `Wow.exe` is a one-time hex-edit of the stock 3.3.5a
+client. The diff is publicly documented in the WoW emulation community
+under names like "MPQ signature patch" / "no-CD-signature patch".
+
+---
+
+## Versioning
+
+Releases are tagged to match the state of `main` they were built from.
+The release notes call out which server commit shipped alongside each
+artifact set, so a contributor running `git checkout <tag>` on this
+repo can pull the matching client bundle and have a guaranteed-aligned
+end-to-end build.

contrib/fractured-dev-extras/README.txt

@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ AzerothCore. Upstream AzerothCore does not ship these paths.
 Contents:
 - BUILD-NATIVE.md — fork-specific native build notes (moved from repo root).
 - CLAUDE.md — optional AI assistant context (moved from repo root).
+- CLIENT-PATCHES.md — what ships in a Fractured client release (MPQs +
+  patched Wow.exe), where to download them (Releases page), and how
+  to install them. Binaries themselves are NOT in the tree.
 - *.log — local build logs (moved from repo root when present).
 
 Operational files (docker-compose.override.yml, env/dist, modules/mod-paragon,