It's the day before Shieldmeet and the Open Lord of Waterdeep has gone missing. Nobody has seen Laeral Silverhand in days, and it is imperative that she be found before the meeting with the Masked Lords begins.

At the behest of the Blackstaff, the Champions are sent to discover what happened...

Midsummer 6 introduces Vin Ursa, a Plasmoid Fighter/Rogue Bounty Hunter - and CNE Original! It also brings back Valentine, the Reborn Half-Elf Sorcerer from The Black Dice Society, and Ellywick Tumblestrum, the Gnome Planeswalker and Greatest Bard in the Multiverse. Players have until Monday, August 7th at 12PM PDT to complete their event unlocks and objectives.

New Champion: Vin Ursa

Vin Ursa is one of the deadliest bounty hunters in Wildspace. Raised by a community of Autognome thieves and trained by a former Xaryxian assassin, Vin is an expert at completing dangerous jobs. To keep her skills honed, she spends much of her off time in the Arena of Blood. If there's one thing you should hope for in Wildspace, it's to avoid ending up on the wrong side of her L.A.S.E.R. sight.

Vin Ursa is a Support and Gold Find Champion who builds up a ledger of Favored Foes as you progress through an adventure. She supports the formation in capturing her Favored Foes and makes sure the extra reward is worth it. Once unlocked, her skills can be hired into slot 7 opposite Minsc.

For more information on Vin Ursa and all of her mental powers, check out her Champion Spotlight!

Year Six Variants

• A New Hope - Search for the absent Open Lord of Waterdeep with Vin Ursa!
  
  • Vin Ursa starts in the formation (Slot 4). She can be moved, but not removed.
• Only Champions in the front two columns can deal damage.
• Complete Area 75.

• The Menagerie - Search for the absent Open Lord of Waterdeep against foes of every type.
  
  • Vin Ursa starts in the formation (Slot 5) with her Bounty Hunter and ultimate abilities unlocked. She can be moved, but not removed.
• Each wave, an extra monster with a random monster type spawns. It drops no gold nor does it count towards quest progress.
• Every 10 areas, all monster health is increased by an additional 100%, stacking multiplicatively.
• Complete Area 125.

• Journey's End - Search for the absent Open Lord of Waterdeep with the Good, the Bad, or the Neutral.
  
  • Vin Ursa starts in the formation (Slot 5). She can be moved, but not removed.
• Only Champions from the most represented alignment(s) on the good/evil axis can deal damage.
• Complete Area 175.

Join our community and discuss these new updates in these spaces:

• The Idle Champions Subreddit or Steam forums.
• The Official Idle Champions Discord.
• Our YouTube Channels: Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms and CNEGames.
• Our social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!

See in-game for more information!

"Did anyone see how cool that was?!"

Some of the most deadly folk in Wildspace are also the most knowledgeable about the dangers travelers could encounter. That's why having a bounty hunter like Vin Ursa on your side is extremely helpful. If you need someone with the skills and information needed to get any job done, then this Plasmoid is the one you want to hire!

I. Vin Ursa

Vin Ursa is one of the deadliest bounty hunters in Wildspace. Raised by a community of Autognome thieves and trained by a former Xaryxian assassin, Vin is an expert at completing dangerous jobs. To keep her skills honed, she spends much of her off time in the Arena of Blood. If there's one thing you should hope for in Wildspace, it's to avoid ending up on the wrong side of her L.A.S.E.R. sight.

Vin Ursa is a Support and Gold Find Champion who builds up a ledger of Favored Foes as you progress through an adventure. She supports the formation in capturing her Favored Foes and makes sure the extra reward is worth it. Once unlocked, her skills can be hired into slot 7 opposite Minsc.

II. Vin Ursa's Stats

Race: Plasmoid	Alignment: Lawful Evil
Gender: Female	Pronouns: She/Her
Age: 27	Class: Fighter/Rogue

STR: 8	DEX: 20	CON: 12
INT: 13	WIS: 17	CHA: 10

Role: Support/Gold

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Strahd

Slot: 7 (Minsc)

III. Vin Ursa's Design

Creating a new CNE original character is an opportunity to stretch our D&D muscles, while also crafting someone who can help fill the gaps in our roster. Our Content Designer, Treavor Bettis, knew that we needed more evil and female Champions as well as races that have not appeared in our formations yet. With those specifications in mind, he crafted a plasmoid fighter/rogue who tries her best to be cool and suave. While her skills and abilities make her appear composed and effortlessly awesome, her personality is more exuberant and bubbly.

As a renown bounty hunter, Vin Ursa has traveled all across Wildspace, and is so comfortable among the stars that she can be used in any Light of Xanyxis adventure or variant. Being successful at this job requires knowing as much about your target as possible, so she'll study the monsters in the current adventure to add them to her roster of Favored Foes. This means everyone in the formation does extra damage against them, and they drop more gold when defeated. Vin Ursa's first Specialization increases the damage of Champions in either the Front Deck or the Rear Deck. Those in the Deck she has chosen will get an extra bonus to damage the more Favored Foes Vin Ursa is tracking. And because she's excellent at Contract Negotiations, using a Bounty Contract while she's in the formation will increase her Deck Specialization damage bonus even more!

A lone hunter can be dangerous, and Vin Ursa's L.A.S.E.R. attack skills are formidable. But she knows that working with a team can bring down even more dangerous prey. Her second Specialization decides what kind of team she will support with a damage bonus, either Good, Neutral, or Evil Champions. With her Ultimate she blasts an enemy, and if she crits she'll make that enemy type one of her Favored Foes so the rest of the team can help take the target down!

Vin Ursa has built her renown fighting some of the most terrifying creatures this side of the Abyss, and has a long list of Favored Foes to help your formation do the same!

IV. Vin Ursa's Abilities

Basic Attack

• L. A. S. E. R. - Vin Ursa fires a shot from her relay and deals one hit to a random enemy.

Passive Abilities

• Wildspace Lover - Vin Ursa can be used in any Light of Xaryxis campaign adventure or variant, even if she would not normally be available to be used due to variant or patron restrictions.

Formation Abilities

• Bounty Hunter - Vin Ursa picks a random monster type from a monster in the current adventure as her Favored Foe for the current adventure. Favored Foes drop 100% extra gold and all Champions deal 100% damage to them.

• Vicious Vantage - Vin Ursa increases the effect of your Deck specialization by 100% for each Favored Foe she has, stacking multiplicatively.

• Contract Negotiations - Whenever you use a Bounty Contract with Vin Ursa in the formation, Vin Ursa increases the effect of your Deck specialization by 25% until the end of the current adventure, stacking multiplicatively. Caps at 100 stacks.

First Specialization

• Front Deck - Vin Ursa increases the damage of all champions in the front two columns by 400%.

• Rear Deck - Vin Ursa increases the damage of all champions in the rear two columns by 400%.

Second Specialization

• Friends in Low Places - Vin Ursa increases the damage of Evil Champions by 400%.

• Friends in Meh Places - Vin Ursa increases the damage of Neutral (on the Good/Evil axis) Champions by 400%.

• Friends in High Places - Vin Ursa increases the damage of Good Champions by 400%.

Ultimate Ability

• Target Acquisition - Vin Ursa fires at a random enemy dealing one hit of ultimate damage with a 20% chance to crit, increases additively by buffs to crit chance. She preferentially fires at enemies that aren't already one of her Favored Foes. If she scores a critical hit, Vin Ursa adds the target creature's type(s) to her list of Favored Foes for the rest of the adventure.

V. Vin Ursa's Epic Equipment

Slot 1: Global DPS	Slot 2: Bounty Hunter	Slot 3: Vicious Vantage
Slot 4: Front Deck and Rear Deck	Slot 5: Specializations	Slot 6: Ultimate Cooldown

VI. Conclusion

Hiring Vin Ursa into your formation can help bring you fame and fortune! You can tell us stories about the bounties you've collected in several places:

• The Idle Champions Subreddit or Steam forums.
• The Official Idle Champions Discord.
• Our YouTube Channels: Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms and CNEGames.
• Our social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!

It's the day before Shieldmeet and the Open Lord of Waterdeep has gone missing. Nobody has seen Laeral Silverhand in days, and it is imperative that she be found before the meeting with the Masked Lords begins.

At the behest of the Blackstaff, the Champions are sent to discover what happened...

Midsummer 5 introduces Valentine, the Reborn Half-Elf Sorcerer from The Black Dice Society, and brings back Ellywick Tumblestrum, the Gnome Planeswalker and Greatest Bard in the Multiverse, and Beadle & Grimm, the purveyors of the Pandemonium Warehouse and owners of the Giant's Bane Tavern. Players have until Monday, August 1st at 12PM PDT to complete their event unlocks and objectives.

I. New Champion: Valentine

Valentine was once a social butterfly, nightlife connoisseur, and princess of a shady family business until her life ended in sudden tragedy. Through the mysterious will of Bluetspur, Valentine was given a second chance at life, though no miracle comes without consequence. Now she wanders the domains of dread with her companion Tatyana, in search of purpose and power.

Valentine is a Support and Gold Find Champion who takes hold of any incoming positional formation abilities, and uses her telepathic powers to broadcast and boost them, making those abilities more deadly! When you want to add her to your formation, you can swap her with Calliope in slot 5.

For more information on Valentine and all of her mental powers, check out her Champion Spotlight!

Year Five Variants

• Tregrum's Day Out - Search for the absent Open Lord of Waterdeep with Tregrum, a perfectly normal black cat. Champions might be a bit distracted by this absolutely normal cat.
  • Complete Area 75.

• Stunning Teamwork - Valentine joins the search for the missing Open Lord of Waterdeep, helping keep monsters stunned so the Champions can push forward!
  
  • Monsters take 99% less damage when they are not stunned, but stun effects last twice as long.
  • Complete Area 125.

• Positional Play Valentine insists on being the center of attention while the search for the absent Open of Lord Waterdeep continues!
  
  • Non-positional formation abilities, other than Valentine's abilities, are disabled.
  • Complete Area 175.

See in-game for more information!

It's a constant struggle to keep control over your own life and destiny when traversing the Domains of Dread. But our next Champion is determined to be in charge no matter who, or what, stands in her way.

Valentine was altered and reanimated after her horrific murder, and while this second chance comes with a heavy price, she's determined to use the power it provides to her own benefit. She joins her companions in The Black Dice Society in the Idle Champions roster during Midsummer 5.

I. Valentine

Valentine was once a social butterfly, nightlife connoisseur, and princess of a shady family business until her life ended in sudden tragedy. Through the mysterious will of Bluetspur, Valentine was given a second chance at life, though no miracle comes without consequence. Now she wanders the domains of dread with her companion Tatyana, in search of purpose and power.

Valentine is a Support and Gold Find Champion who takes hold of any incoming positional formation abilities, and uses her telepathic powers to broadcast and boost them, making those abilities more deadly! When you want to add her to your formation, you can swap her with Calliope in slot 5.

II. Valentine's Stats

Race: Reborn Half-Elf	Alignment: True Neutral
Class: Sorcerer	Gender: Female	Pronouns: She/Her
Age: 22
Affiliation: Black Dice Society

STR: 9	DEX: 13	CON: 14
INT: 12	WIS: 13	CHA: 17

Role: Support, Gold Find
Eligible for Patrons: Vajra, Strahd (via Feat), Zariel (via Feat)
Slot: 5 (Calliope)

III. Valentine's Design

Host, writer, producer, and TTRPG performer Saige Ryan has extensive experience creating content in a huge variety of spaces! We were excited to work with her and bring her Champion to life! Idle Champions fans will know her best as the creator of Valentine from The Black Dice Society, but she also plays characters in several shows on Pixel Circus, and can be found enjoying gaming and pop culture content on Smosh Games as well as her own Twitch channel.

The most deadly weapon Valentine has is her mind, and she uses her telepathic abilities to boost the deadliness of the formation. The more positional formation abilities that she is affected by, the more powerful she can make the rest of the formation! She can use Tregrum, the aberrant spirit in her brain, to harness that power and turn it into a damage boost for DPS Champions. As a Socialite she'll also share or boost those formation abilities with those damage dealers! And as she enjoys A Life of Leisure Valentine will also turn those abilities into an increase in gold find.

Valentine can focus on damage, gold, or her friendship with her fellow Black Dice Society member Tatyana. When All Hail the God Brain, Tregrum further boosts the damage of DPS Champions. If Tatyana is being My Loyal Bodyguard and making sure that Valentine is affected by her Faithful Friend ability, Valentine will return the favor and boost its effect! But if what matters most is gold find, the Family Business will increase that power substantially! When helping her friends isn't enough, Valentine will take damage into her own hands and summon the Arms of Hadar! She'll move to the closest enemy while inky black tentacles erupt out of her body, causing massive damage to all enemies in a huge area all while they are grappled and stunned!

IV. Valentine's Abilities

Basic Attack

• Mind Sliver - Valentine attacks a random enemy with a mental magic attack for one hit, and enemies have a 50% chance that they are stunned for 2 seconds.

Formation Abilities

• Tregrum - The aberrant spirit in Valentine's brain telepathically reaches out to the other Champions in the formation. For each positional formation ability affecting Valentine, she increases the damage of all Champions with the DPS role by +100%, stacking multiplicably.

• Socialite - Valentine duplicates any positional formation abilities that are affecting her to Champions in the formation with the DPS role. If the receiving Champion already has the formation ability, the formation ability is instead boosted by +50%.

• A Life of Leisure - Valentine increases the formation's gold find by +100% for each positional formation ability affecting her, stacking multiplicably.

Specializations

• All Hail the God Brain - Tregrum's pre-stack damage increase is increased by +25%.

• My Loyal Bodyguard - If Valentine is affected by Tatyana's Faithful Friend ability, its effect is increased by +200%.

• Family Business - A Life of Leisure's total gold find is increased by +200%.

Ultimate Ability

• Arms of Hadar - Valentine moves up near the closest enemy and inky black tentacles erupt from her eyes, mouth, and hands to attack nearby enemies. Enemies in the area take massive damage, and are grappled by tentacles for 4-8 seconds. While grappled, the enemies are stunned and take +1000% damage from all sources.

V. Valentine's Epic Equipment

Slot 1: Global DPS	Slot 2: Tregrum	Slot 3: Socialite
Slot 4: A Life of Leisure	Slot 5: Ultimate Attack Damage	Slot 6: Ultimate Attack Cooldown

Conclusion

Valentine might be cold and calculated, but we are very excited for her to join Idle Champions, and hope you give her a warm welcome into your formation! Let us know how much you're enjoying the growing Black Dice Society roster on the Idle Champions Subreddit, on the Steam forums, or on the Official Idle Champions Discord!

It's the day before Shieldmeet and the Open Lord of Waterdeep has gone missing. Nobody has seen Laeral Silverhand in days and it is imperative that she be found before the meeting with the Masked Lords begins.

At the behest of the Blackstaff, the Champions are sent to discover what happened...

Midsummer 4 introduces Ellywick Tumblestrum, Gnome Bard, legendary Planeswalker, and the Greatest Bard in the Multiverse, and brings back, Beadle & Grimm, the purveyors of the Pandemonium Warehouse and owners of the Giant's Bane Tavern, and the speedy hero of Baldur's Gate, Shandie Freefoot. Players have until Monday, August 2nd at 12PM PDT to complete their event unlocks and objectives.

For more information about Year 4 Events and how they work, please check out our Year 4 Events Dev Blog.

I. New Champion: Ellywick Tumblestrum

Thanks to a lucky draw from the notorious Deck of Many Things, Ellywick Tumblestrum is now the Greatest Bard in the Multiverse! Her magnificent music has dazzled beings across many planes, including royalty from the Feywild. The Summer Queen and the Queen of Air and Darkness were so moved by her performance that they gifted the bard her exquisite instrument, the beautiful lute Morningmist. She tells tales of her amazing adventures at the Witchlight Carnival, aided by her frog companion Groak.

Ellywick is a Support, Gold Find, and Healing Champion who uses the Deck of Many Things to augment her abilities. When you want to add her to your formation you can swap her with Tyril (Slot 10).

II. Ellywick's Stats

Race: Gnome	Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Class: Bard	Gender: Female
Age: 125

STR: 12	DEX: 17	CON: 14
INT: 13	WIS: 12	CHA: 20

Role: Support, Gold Find, Healing
Eligible for Patrons: Vajra, Strahd, Zariel
Slot: 10 (Tyril)

III. Ellywick's Design

Ellywick Tumblestrum is not only a featured Planeswalker in the latest Magic: The Gathering release: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, she is also a character you may encounter in the upcoming D&D TRPG Adventure: The Wild Beyond The Witchlight. We are so excited to continue the fun that Magic started with Ellywick's debut, and get everyone up to speed on her before you run into her on your next D&D campaign!

When we started to design Ellywick, we had the benefit of learning her backstory from The Wild Beyond Witchlight, but also what her Planeswalker Card would bring to the table. It allowed us to take inspiration from both brands' representations of Ellywick to create our own!

Ellywick is a Support, Gold Find, and Healing Champion who you'll find in Slot 10 (Tyril). Ellywick Tumblestrum is a Gnome Bard, legendary Planeswalker, and the Greatest Bard in the Multiverse. She won that title of 'Greatest Bard in the Multiverse' from a lucky pull from the Deck of Many Things, and her interaction with that iconic Dungeons & Dragons magic item is integral to her Idle Champions design.

Her Specializations allow you to increase the power of one of her abilities and increase the chance of drawing more beneficial cards, while her Ultimate Call Of The Feywild takes direct inspiration from her Planeswalker card, bringing 6 fey creatures forth to heal her allies and harm her enemies.

For more information on Ellywick and her abilities, check out her Champion Spotlight!

Year Four Variants

• Pixie Trickery - One slot is taken up in the formation by a Pixie riding an intellect devourer, who is along to watch Ellywick do her thing.Each time a boss arrives on screen, all Champions are stunned for 5 seconds. If Ellywick is in the formation, the stun does not take effect.
  Reach Area 75.


• Fey Harmonies — Ellywick starts in your formation. She can be moved. Every area, two Satyrs arrive to harmonize. While any Satyrs are on screen, all enemies can only be damaged by bards. Only Champions with CHA 14 or higher can be used.
  Reach Area 125.


• Draconic Dissonance — Every area five chromatic Dragon Wyrmlings spawn with the second wave. Each type of Dragon buffs the Dragons on screen in a unique way:
  • White - When a Dragon attacks, it heals 20% of its health.
  • Blue - Increase the normal attack cooldown of Champions by .5 seconds.
  • Black - When a non-boss Dragon dies, there's a 25% chance that it immediately respawns.
  • Red - Dragons move 100% faster.
  • Green - Dragons deal 100% additional damage.

If Ellywick is in the formation, one fewer Wyrmling spawns in each area.
Reach Area 175.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

Each year the citizens of Waterdeep celebrate Ahghairon's Day, honoring the first Open Lord of Waterdeep and the founder of the Lords of Waterdeep. Common folk leave violets and effigies at Ahghairon's Tower and the House of Wonder, Lords toast Ahghairon and the Watchful Order, and Guildmasters offer toasts in the name of the Lords.

For this year's festivities, the party has received an assignment from the Open Lord of Waterdeep, Laeral Silverhand — and when the Open Lord calls, you must answer...

Ahghairon's Day 3 introduces Omin Dran, CEO and founder of Acquisitions Incorporated, and brings back Jim Darkmagic, the most famous and powerful wizard from Acq Inc, as well as Ishi Snaggletooth. Players will have until Monday, August 17th, 2020 at 12:00PM PDT, to complete their event unlocks and objectives.

Year Three Champion: Omin Dran

Omin Dran built the organization called Acquisitions Incorporated to facilitate his quest to find his true sister, at least in part. Despite his unprecedented success in establishing the market for franchised adventuring across the Sword Coast and beyond, Omin's full measure eludes most people. He is known to be a worshiper of Tymora, ruthless in matters of business, feckless in matters of love, and hopeless in games of chance. He is often accused of being a Masked Lord of Waterdeep, though that would explain some things...

Omin is a Gold Find and Support Champion. He uses Champion of Tymora to buff adjacent allies and Contractual Obligations to increase Gold Find. When you want to add Omin to your formation, you can swap him with Nayeli (Slot 3).

For more information about Omin, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Omin Dran dev blog!

Year Two Champion: Jim Darkmagic

James Winifred Darkmagic III is the scion of a mysterious, multi-planar wizarding family. As an entertainer and purveyor of the 'Jim Darkmagic Experience,' the legendary mage can often be found in markets and town squares performing feats of mundane legerdemain. The renown he has earned for these feats is nearly equaled by the reputation that follows him as a Chief Arcanist (and occasional arsonist) for Acquisitions Incorporated.

Jim is a DPS and Support Champion. His Wand of Wonder offers varied Support effects, and his Magic Magic Magic Magic increases the DPS of Champions with magic base attacks. When you want to add Jim to your formation, you can swap him with Minsc (Slot 7).

For more information about Jim, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Jim Darkmagic dev blog!

Year One Champion: Ishi Snaggletooth

Ishi Snaggletooth hails from a warren of Kobolds living in the sewers under Baldur's Gate. Always the type to be more curious than careful, she accidentally stowed away on a ship headed to Port Nyanzaru. There, she met her dear friend, the Firbolg Littlefox. Often shunned by humans, Ishi hopes to prove herself as a true hero however she can. Ishi's biggest claim to fame is the defeat of the known swordsman, Hershel Von Saberburg, and since that day she's touted herself as a renowned duelist to anyone that'll listen to her.

Ishi is always the fastest Champion in your formation. She increases her own damage as well as the party's Gold Find based on the number of non-human members. When you want to add Ishi to your party, you can swap her with Jarlaxle (Slot 4).

For more information about Ishi, check out the Dev Blog: Champion Balance Update (March 2020) dev blog!

Year Three Variants

• Lords of Waterdeep — Word has gotten around that you're searching for an ex Lord of Waterdeep, and fans of the city's ruling council join your adventure. A 'masked lord' of Waterdeep starts in your formation. Every 25 areas, another one joins you, filling the formation from the back to front.
  Reach area 75.


• Vajra's Command — Vajra Safahr, The Blackstaff, suggests you take only the heartiest of the Champions with you on this endeavor. Omin counters that there are none heartier than Acquisitions Inc. Only Champions with CON 14 or higher, and/or an affiliation of 'Acq Inc "C" team' or 'Acquisitions Incorporated' can be used.
  Reach area 125.


• Fortune Favors the Bold — Omin starts the adventure in the formation and cannot be moved or swapped out. Whenever a Champion attacks a non-boss enemy and kills them, the next base attack cooldown of Champions adjacent to them is reduced by 0.25 seconds. Whenever a Champion attacks a non-boss enemy and doesn't kill them, the enemy moves 100% faster and deals 100% more damage. This effect can stack additively.
  Reach area 175.

Year Two Variants

• Spelling "Bee" — Our Champions continue to struggle to spell "Ahghairon's day". Spelling Bees spawn at random, reducing the DPS of whomever kills them by 90% for 20 seconds. If that Champion kills another Spelling Bee before their debuff expires, the effect stacks and resets the cooldown back to 20 seconds.
  Reach area 75.


• Magical Misadventure — Only Champions whose base attacks are magical may be used.
  Reach area 125.


• Center of the Multiverse — Jim Darkmagic starts the adventure in the formation and cannot be moved or swapped out. Only formation slots which Jim considers to be useful to himself may be used (the columns in front of and behind him).
  Reach area 175.

Year One Variants

• Memory Magic — Two slots in your formation are affected by a magical spell causing all of the bandits to fight for the Eye of Gruumsh spellcaster. These affected slots change every 15 seconds by moving to a random adjacent slot. Heroes in affected slots must concentrate on resisting the magic, so they are unable to attack and all their Formation Abilities are disabled.
  Reach area 75.


• Orcs Among Us — One, two, or three Powered-up Orc Fighters spawn randomly with each wave. They have triple health, do triple damage, they do not drop any gold, and they do not count toward any quest progress.
  Reach area 125.


• No Humans Allowed — Ishi has been shunned by humans too many times, and for once she just wants them to see how it feels! You cannot use Human Champions in this variant.
  Reach area 175.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

It's the day before Shieldmeet and the Open Lord of Waterdeep has gone missing. Nobody has seen Laeral Silverhand in days and it is imperative that she be found before the meeting with the Masked Lords begins.

At the behest of the Blackstaff, the Champions are sent to discover what happened...

Midsummer 3 introduces Beadle & Grimm, the purveyors of the Pandemonium Warehouse and owners of the Giant's Bane Tavern, brings back the speedy hero of Baldur's Gate, Shandie Freefoot, and the street rogue, Xander Cesso. Players have until Monday, July 27th at 12PM PDT to complete their event unlocks and objectives.

Year 3 Champion: Beadle & Grimm

Beadle and Grimm have been best friends & adventuring partners their entire lives. Together, they have faced the most dangerous foes their realm had to offer and built a respite alongside the frozen north's harsh realities: The Giant's Bane Tavern.

Beadle & Grimm are Support and DPS Champions able to swap places in the formation on demand. The longer that one is in the formation, the more powerful the other becomes when swapped in. When you want to add Beadle & Grimm to your formation, you can swap them with Delina (Slot 8).

For more information about Beadle & Grimm, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Beadle & Grimm dev blog!

Year 2 Champion: Shandie Freefoot

Shandie grew up on the rough streets of the Lower City of Baldur's Gate. She quickly learned that if she wanted to survive, she needed to be fast on her feet and even faster with her wit and weaponry. The first time Shandie saw a bowmaster gracefully launch an arrow into a bull's-eye, she knew she had to master archery. With years of practice under her belt, any opponents underestimating this stealthy halfling will soon realize how dangerous she is as a volley of arrows bear down on them unexpectedly from shadowy corners.

Shandie is an agile Support Champion. Her Dash ability can increase formation speed, while Explosive Arrows and Agile Allies offer potent formation buffs. When you want to add Shandie to your formation, you can swap her with Asharra (Slot 6).

For more information about our latest Champion, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Shandie Freefoot dev blog!

Year 1 Champion: Xander Cesso

Fascinated by magic at a young age when he lived in an orphanage, but lacking any ability or proficiency, Xander is not terribly good at much of anything, though something about his adorable clumsiness and childlike wonder anytime magic is being used nearby has been known to inspire those around him. Until recently, he was living on the streets of Waterdeep, scraping together just enough to survive. Now, he is a faithful member of your party, always ready to leap into the fray, even if he doesn't really seem to be able to hit much of anything.

Xander is a Support Champion. His Lucky Shot ability has a chance to double quest progress, and his Streetwise ability increases the damage of Champions behind him. When you want to add Xander to your formation, you can swap him with Calliope (Slot 5).

Year Three Variants

• Arvaiss' Next Trap - Every area, a collection of magical monsters attempt to thwart your progress. Once they spawn, their effects are active until they are destroyed.
  
  • Young Red Dragons(Armored) - No other monsters can be damaged until all the Young Red Dragons on-screen are destroyed.
  • Fire Snake - The base attack cooldown for each Champion is increased by 1 second while this enemy is alive.
  • Giant Fire Beetle - While this enemy is alive, all enemies are increased in size by 20%, deal 300% more damage and move at 100% increased speed.
  Reach Area 75.


• Showoffs - Beadle & Grimm are ready to show the Champions how they do things in the frozen north! Beadle starts unlocked and in the formation. They can be moved. Champions can only be used if they meet one or more of the following requirements:
  
  • Strength 18 or higher
  • Dexterity 17 or higher
  • Intelligence 16 or higher.
  
  Reach Area 125.


• A Contest, You Say? - Beadle & Grimm have started some infighting on which method of attacking is best. It's time to answer the question, but the enemies are not going to make it easy on you!
  
  • Enemies have 300% more hit points.
  • Enemies attack twice as often.
  • When an enemy is killed by a type of Base Attack (Melee, Ranged, or Magic) the Champions with the same Base Attack type have their damage decreased by 2% while Champions with the other Base Attack types have their damage increased by 1%.
  
  Reach Area 175.

Year Two Variants

• Dreams of Grandeur — Jenks really wants to meet Vajra Blackstaff. From Area 12 onward, Jenks takes up a slot in your formation.
  Reach Area 75.


• Stay Back — Only Champions that attack with ranged or magic-based attacks can be used.
  Reach Area 125.


• Haunted Past — Only Neutral, Evil, or Champions with a Dexterity (DEX) score of 15 or higher can be used. Shandie beings the adventure in your formation and cannot be swapped out, moved, or removed. Strahd Vampires that can only be damaged by Shandie randomly spawn in non-boss Areas. Luckily, Shandie will prioritize Strahd Vampires over all others and attack twice as frequently when they are present.
  Reach Area 175.

Year One Variants

• Waterdeep Escort — The Waterdeep City Watch Officer insists that he accompany you on your adventure. He fills one slot in the formation, and if he is killed, your DPS goes down by 33% every 10 seconds.
  Reach Area 75.


• Drow Deception — The Drow said they were looking for a wizard, but the Champions seem like a more interesting quarry to chase! A Stealthy Drow Pickpocket appears on every level, and if they reach the formation, you fail the area and have to head back to the previous level.
  Reach Area 125.


• Commander Xander — Xander takes the lead as his childhood wishes of becoming a Hero have come true! Champions not adjacent to Xander have a 50% chance to miss whenever they attack (Xander isn't great at command). Those that are adjacent to Xander attack normally. He does enough missing for everyone.
  Reach Area 175.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

It's time for the latest Champion Spotlight or should we say Spotlights? It's two-in-one with Beadle & Grimm making their debut in Midsummer 3!

Read on to find out how this dynamic duo swaps in and out to tag team crush their enemies...

I. Beadle & Grimm

Beadle and Grimm have been best friends & adventuring partners their entire lives. Together, they have faced the most dangerous foes their realm had to offer and built a respite alongside the frozen north's harsh realities: The Giant's Bane Tavern.

Beadle & Grimm are Support and DPS Champions able to swap places in the formation on demand. The longer that one is in the formation, the more powerful the other becomes when swapped in. When you want to add Beadle & Grimm to your formation, you can swap them with Delina (Slot 8).

II. Beadle & Grimm's Stats

Beadle

Race: Dwarf	Alignment: True Neutral
Class: Rogue/Wizard	Gender: Male
Age: 91	Affiliation: none

STR: 13	DEX: 17	CON: 12
INT: 16	WIS: 10	CHA: 8

Role: Support, Gold

Grimm

Race: Human	Alignment: Chaotic Good
Class: Barbarian	Gender: Male
Age: 26	Affiliation: none

STR: 18	DEX: 12	CON: 16
INT: 12	WIS: 9	CHA: 14

Role: DPS, Support

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt the Moneylender, Vajra Safahr, Strahd von Zarovich. Read on to understand how!

III. Beadle & Grimm's Design

We were elated to collaborate with Matthew Lillard and Bill Rehor on bringing Beadle and Grimm to Idle Champions. We've interacted with the crew from Beadle & Grimm's at multiple D&D events, and we fell in love with the story that their company was named after their home group's D&D Characters!

When we reached out to them to discuss their characters a bit more, we learned about many of their past exploits, including the tavern they created together: The Giant's Bane Tavern. At some point during the discussion, we decided to challenge ourselves with the design of this pair: what would it mean to have a tag-team set of Champions in one Champion slot?

We started with the idea that their shared Ultimate Attack, Tag Team, would swap Beadle for Grimm and vice versa. That ability (and its name), gave us a north star to look to during design. In every aspect of their character (where possible), they are working together.

Beadle & Grimm have all the advantages of two sets of stats and alignments, but none of the disadvantages, which is why their Inseparable ability allows both of them to be eligible for an adventure, variant, or Patron even if only one of them qualifies!

We are very excited to see what opportunities this opens up for players...

IV. Beadle & Grimm's Abilities

Basic Attack

Their normal attack changes based on who is currently in play.

• Magic Wand (Beadle) — Beadle bonks a random enemy with a wand (dealing half damage). This unleashes two magic missiles that fly out and hit two other random enemies for full damage.

• Giant's Bane (Grimm) — Grimm cleaves through the nearest enemies with his two enormous greatswords.

Formation Abilities

• Get Buff — Beadle and Grimm increase the damage of themselves or the Champions around them.
  • Beadle Increase the damage of Champions within 2 slots of himself by 100%.
  • Grimm Increase the damage of Grimm by 100% for each Barbarian in the formation, stacking multiplicatively.

• Special Order — Beadle and Grimm provide a utility to help the party.
  • Beadle Whenever Beadle damages an enemy that is not at full health, that enemy will drop 25% more gold when it is killed. Does not stack.
  • Grimm Enemies damaged by Grimm take 25% more damage until they are killed (except from ultimates). Can stack additively up to 10 times on a single enemy.

• Long Rest — While Beadle is active, Grimm's buff increases by 1 stack every 10 seconds. While Grimm is active, Beadle's buff increases by 1 stack every 10 seconds. When a Champion swaps out using their Tag Team ultimate, their stacks are reset, and while they're in-play their stacks reduce by 1 every 10 seconds. Stacks are additive.
  • Beadle — Increase the effect of Beadle's Get Buff by 10% per stack.
  • Grimm — Increase the effect of Grimm's Special Order by 10% per stack.

• Inseparable — Beadle and Grimm are so inseparable that if either one qualifies for an adventure restriction based on their tags, ages, ability scores, then both can be used.

Beadle's Specializations

• As Quick As Me — Increase the effect of Beadle's Get Buff by 100% for each Champion with a DEX score of 17 or higher, stacking multiplicatively and then applying to Get Buff multiplicatively

• As Clever As Me — Increase the effect of Beadle's Get Buff by 100% for each Champion with an INT score of 16 or higher, stacking multiplicatively and then applying to Get Buff multiplicatively.

Grimm's Specializations

• Chip Away — Increases the effect of Grimm's Special Order by 100% (up to 50% per stack)

• Strongman Contest — Grimm's Get Buff now also adds a stack for any Champion with a STR score of 18 or higher.

Ultimate Ability

• Tag Team — Their ultimate attack changes based on who is currently in-play.
  • Beadle — Grimm leaps into the fray, smashing a random enemy and all nearby enemies before leaping back into the formation while Beadle teleports into the shadows to recover.
  • Grimm — Beadle teleports into the center of the battle and explodes with arcane magic, damaging and stunning all enemies. He then slips quietly back into the formation as Beadle leaps away for a brief rest.

V. Beadle & Grimm's Equipment

Slot 1: Self DPS buff	Slot 2: Global DPS buff	Slot 3: Get Buff buff
Slot 4: Special Order buff	Slot 5: Long Rest buff	Slot 6: Ultimate Damage buff

VI. Conclusion

What do you think about Beadle & Grimm? If you have feedback, let us know in a Community Q&A or Champion feedback post on the Idle Champions Subreddit, on the Steam forums, or on the Official Idle Champions Discord!

It's time for our newest Champion Spotlight! Today, we're previewing the release of James "Jim" Winifred Darkmagic III, human wizard and member of Acquisition's Incorporated. Read on to learn about this new and exciting Champion releasing later today in Ahghairon's Day Y2!

"Jim" who?

James Winifred Darkmagic III is the scion of a mysterious, multiplanar wizarding family. As an entertainer and purveyor of the 'Jim Darkmagic Experience,' the legendary mage can often be found in markets and town squares performing feats of mundane legerdemain. The renown he has earned for these feats is nearly equaled by the reputation that follows him as a Chief Arcanist (and occasional arsonist) for Acquisitions Incorporated.

Jim Darkmagic is a founding member of the Acquisitions Incorporated, played by Mike Krahulik. He joins his 'comrades' from the C-Team: Rosie, K'thriss, Donaar, and Walnut.

Jim's Stats

Race: Human	Alignment: Chaotic Neutral	Class: Wizard
Age: 41	Affiliation: Acquisitions Incorporated
STR: 8	DEX: 14	CON: 10
INT: 18	WIS: 12	CHA: 14

To add Jim to your formation, you can swap him with Minsc (Slot 7).

Basic Attack

Jim attacks random enemies with his own brand of magic missiles.

Formation Abilities

Magic magic magic magic — Increase the damage of all Champions whose base attacks are magic by 50% (stacks multiplicatively) for each such Champion in the formation.

Wand of Wonder — Every 5 attacks, Jim uses their Wand of Wonder. It provides one of four random effects:

• Slow the target for 15 seconds.
• Stun the target for 5 seconds.
• Polymorph the target into an abyssal chicken with very little health or an armored mimic that drops more gold. (this effect cannot affect boss or special creatures).

Fan Club — Increase Jim's damage by 50% for each Champion in the column in front of and behind them (stacks multiplicatively).

Specializations

Jim's Specializations allow him to choose which route to focus on, DPS (Darkmagic cheer squad) or Support (Is there an echo in here?)

• Darkmagic Cheer Squad — This choice will increase the effect of Jim's Fan Club, letting him focus on his own damage.


• Is There An Echo In Here? — This choice will increase the effect of Magic magic magic magic, allowing him to support his allies more, if you're into that sort of thing.

Ultimate Attack

Jim's Magical Maelstrom — Jim attacks all enemies with a showery shower of sparks. You can't miss it!

Equipment

Final Thoughts

We're psyched to add Jim to the game, and feel he has a lot to offer the most magical of formations.

As always, feel free to send us feedback on via the Idle Champions Subreddit, Steam forum, or the Idle Champions Discord!

Every four years, a special leap year day follows Midsummer between Flamerule 30 and Eleasis 1. Known as Shieldmeet, this special day is celebrated across Faerûn.

In the city of Waterdeep, Shieldmeet also serves another important purpose. On this auspicious day every four years, the lords of Waterdeep meet with the Open Lord to reaffirm their rule.

As the Champions arrive in the City of Splendor on Midsummer, the day before Shieldmeet, they are summoned by The Blackstaff, Vajra Safahr. It seems that Open Lord Laeral Silverhand has gone missing...

Midsummer 2 introduces Shandie Freefoot, the Halfling Rogue and member of the Heroes of Baldur's Gate. Players will have until Monday, August 5th, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT, to unlock her!

New Champion: Shandie Freefoot

Shandie grew up on the rough streets of the Lower City of Baldur's Gate. She quickly learned that if she wanted to survive, she needed to be fast on her feet and even faster with her wit and weaponry. The first time Shandie saw a bowmaster gracefully launch an arrow into a bull's-eye, she knew she had to master archery. With years of practice under her belt, any opponents underestimating this stealthy halfling will soon realize how dangerous she is as a volley of arrows bear down on them unexpectedly from shadowy corners.

Shandie is an agile Support Champion. Her Dash ability can increase formation speed, while Explosive Arrows and Agile Allies offer potent formation buffs. When you want to add Shandie to your formation, you can swap her with Asharra (Slot 6).

For more information about our latest Champion, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Shandie Freefoot dev blog!

Year One Champion: Xander Cesso

Fascinated by magic at a young age when he lived in an orphanage, but lacking any ability or proficiency, Xander is not terribly good at much of anything, though something about his adorable clumsiness and childlike wonder anytime magic is being used nearby has been known to inspire those around him. Until recently, he was living on the streets of Waterdeep, scraping together just enough to survive. Now, he is a faithful member of your party, always ready to leap into the fray, even if he doesn't really seem to be able to hit much of anything.

Xander is a Support Champion. His Lucky Shot ability has a chance to double quest progress, and his Streetwise ability increases the damage of Champions behind him. When you want to add Xander to your formation, you can swap him with Calliope (Slot 5).

Year Two Variants

• Dreams of Grandeur — Jenks really wants to meet Vajra Blackstaff. From Area 12 onward, Jenks takes up a slot in your formation.


• Stay Back — Only Champions that attack with ranged or magic-based attacks can be used.


• Haunted Past — Only Neutral, Evil, or Champions with a Dexterity (DEX) score of 15 or higher can be used. Shandie beings the adventure in your formation and cannot be swapped out, moved, or removed. Strahd Vampires that can only be damaged by Shandie randomly spawn in non-boss Areas. Luckily, Shandie will prioritize Strahd Vampires over all others and attack twice as frequently when they are present.

Year One Variants

• Waterdeep Escort — The Waterdeep City Watch Officer insists that he accompany you on your adventure. He fills one slot in the formation, and if he is killed, your DPS goes down by 33% every 10 seconds.


• Drow Deception — The Drow said they were looking for a wizard, but the Champions seem like a more interesting quarry to chase! A Stealthy Drow Pickpocket appears on every level, and if they reach the formation, you fail the area and have to head back to the previous level.


• Commander Xander — Xander takes the lead as his childhood wishes of becoming a Hero have come true! Champions not adjacent to Xander have a 50% chance to miss whenever they attack (Xander isn't great at command). Those that are adjacent to Xander attack normally. He does enough missing for everyone.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!