Greetings, Champions!

We hope your August has been filled with joy and adventures, both inside and outside Idle Champions. It's a very busy month for us here at Codename Entertainment, not just because we continue to work on live servicing our games while half our staff go on holiday, but also because we're gearing up for PAX West.

Wait -- did we mention that we'll be at PAX West again this year? Whoops. Let me start over. We're going to be at PAX West again this year! And not only are we hosting our very own booth (#7301 on Floor 6) but we will be featuring a whole bunch of fun stuff. Read on to learn more...

Put a Bird on it for Charity

Some of you may remember that last year we did a charity fundraiser for Take This and AFK Rooms at PAX, raising over $11,500 in support of Mental Health Awareness!

This year we have partnered with the incredible Amy T. Falcone, aka Walnut Dankgrass on Acquisitions Incorporated: The "C" Team, to bring Walnut's Familiar, Vizier, the Steller's Jay, to Idle Champions.

Would you like to know more? We have a video for you!



Through August 27th, 2019, all net proceeds from the Vizier the Steller's Jay Familiar Pack will be donated to Take This in support of AFK Rooms at PAX events. It's a fantastic cause and one we really believe in, so we hope you'll help!

Meet the Cool Kids

What fun is a PAX without your friends? This year we're hosting some amazingly-talented folks over at Booth 7301 for signings/meet & greets, and when we're not already introducing you to awesome people our artists will be drawing caricatures of PAX attendees as D&D classes. Ever wanted to have your likeness immortalized as a Warlock or Barbarian on a fragile sheet of paper? PAX West is your chance!

PAX West Booth 7301 Schedule

Note: subject to change, because, well, things happen and you adapt ;)

TIME	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
10AM–12PM	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures
12PM–1PM	High Rollers	The "C" Team & Anna Prosser	Anna Prosser	Caricatures
1PM–2PM	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures
2PM–3PM	Erin M Evans	Erin M Evans	Caricatures	Caricatures
3PM–4PM	Caricatures	High Rollers	High Rollers	Caricatures
4PM–5PM	Scott Kurtz	Caricatures	Scott Kurtz	Caricatures
5PM–6PM	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures

Yes, you read that right: it's all caricatures, all day long on Monday, September 2nd. Many PAX attendees wait until Monday to get their caricatures done, and that's awesome - but keep in mind that the queue for caricatures does tend to fill up quickly!

Free PAX Stuffâ„¢

At past events we've always had a selection of Champions for players to pick up through Champion Postcards. This PAX we're going to put a little bit of a spin on it and make things far more simple. There will be one giveaway to rule them all: Rockstar Jim Darkmagic!

Anyone who drops by Booth 7301 can pick up a Champion Postcard that unlocks Rockstar Jim Darkmagic, a costume based on Mike Krahulik's cosplay at Acquisitions Incorporated Live - PAX West 2018. And, if you don't already have Jim Darkmagic unlocked, the Rockstar Jim Darkmagic Postcard will unlock him for you as well.



I can already hear the collective groan of players who will miss out on PAX West and their chance to get Rockstar Jim Darkmagic. Worry not, friends — we will be making Rockstar Jim Darkmagic available again in the future. So while PAX West 2019 will be your first chance to get this exclusive outfit, it will return, and in the meantime you'll be at least as cool as Jim!

Is that it?

No, that's not all! But the other stuff isn't quite ready to be shared. We have a rather ambitious idea for our booth setup this year and we're still working on it, unsure about whether or not this crazy idea will work. We hope to share that info soon, but everyone may have to wait until the doors open to PAX West and then head on over to Booth 7301 on Floor 6 in order to find out...

In the meantime, we hope you'll consider contributing to Take This by grabbing your very own Vizier the Steller's Jay Familiar!

It's a time of celebrations and festivities for Waterdeep. Founders' Day is a time of legendary displays of martial and arcane prowess from the notable Champions who call the City of Splendor home, where visitors and locals alike gather and share stories of Waterdeep's history.

Unfortunately, these festivities have also attracted the attention of one of the Lords of the Nine Hells, who has come to collect souls for the Blood War...

Founders' Day 2 introduces the Wild Elf Druid, Walnut Dankgrass, and brings back Deekin Scalesinger, the Kobold Bard. Players will have until Monday, July 15th, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT, to unlock them!

New Champion: Walnut Dankgrass

Walnut is a child of the Enclave Panax Anima, an all-female clan of woodland defenders within the Kryptgarden Forest. Not only a frighteningly enthusiastic member of Acquisitions Incorporated, she also strives to protect the natural world by any means necessary. Did we mention she also has the goddess Mielikki living inside her? That seems important.

Walnut is a versatile Tank and Support Champion. Her Documancer ability can be customized for your formation needs through multiple specializations. When you want to add Walnut to your formation, you can swap her with Delina (Slot 8).

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

Returning Champion: Deekin Scalesinger

A former member of the Dripping Fang clan, Deekin was once a Skald for a White Dragon named Tymofarrar. Once he was released from Tymofarrar's service, he set out to become the most amazing storyteller in all of FaerÈ—n. He yearns to sing and tell stories of heroic deeds, but his songs often devolve into "tales" of the doom that is coming to him or his companions.

Deekin is a Support Champion. He helps the party by buffing DPS and by attracting enemies (to help clear areas more quickly) with his Song of Doom. When you want to add Deekin to your formation, you can swap him with Bruenor (Slot 1).

Year Two Variants

• Rain of Fire — Fireballs occasionally rain from the sky, damaging a random Champion. These Fireballs become more frequent the further you progress.


• Close Quarters Combat — Only Champions with melee Base Attacks may be used.


• Aww, Hells Nuts — Enemies become much more powerful over the course of the adventure. Walnut starts the adventure in your formation and cannot be moved, removed, or swapped out. Demonic Squirrels occasionally spawn. When killed, these squirrels drop Hell-Nuts, which increase the effectiveness of Walnut's Documancer ability and last until the end of the adventure, stacking additively.

Year One Variants

• Spectator Sport — Three local farmers have joined in on the Founders' Day tussle, and won't take the hint that they should probably take a seat. It might be because they are pretty drunk. They take up a slot in your formation and change positions every 25 areas.


• Doom is Coming to Waterdeep — Deekin must sing a song so everyone in Waterdeep knows that doom is coming. I know. We tried talking to him. However, he doesn't know which spot will give him the best acoustics. Deekin is always in your formation and will change positions every 10 areas. Deekin cannot be moved because, well, Deekin is singing a song.


• The Blood War — Whenever you kill a demon, devils get stronger and demons get weaker, and vice-versa.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

It's time for our newest Champion Spotlight! Today, we're previewing the release of Walnut Dankgrass, the Wood Elf Druid, Documancer, and final member of Acquisitions Incorporated: The "C" Team! Read on to learn about this new and exciting Champion releasing later today in Founders' Day Y2!

Who is Walnut?

Walnut Dankgrass (the k is silent) is played by Amy T. Falcone on Penny Arcade's The "C" Team every Wednesday at 4PM Pacific on twitch.

Walnut is a child of the Enclave Panax Anima, an all-female clan of woodland defenders within the Kryptgarden Forest. Not only a frighteningly enthusiastic member of Acquisitions Incorporated, she also strives to protect the natural world by any means necessary. Did we mention she also has the goddess Mielikki living inside her? That seems important.

Walnut Drankgrass is the fourth and final member of Acquisitions Incorporated: The "C" Team. She joins fellow "C" Team members Donaar Blit'zen, K'thriss Drow'b, and Rosie Beestinger as the latest Event Champion to join Idle Champions.

Walnut's Stats

Race: Elf (wood)	Class: Druid	Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Age: 62	Affiliation: Acq Inc "C" Team
STR: 8	DEX: 16	CON: 14
INT: 10	WIS: 20	CHA: 10

To add Walnut to your formation, you can swap her with Delina (Slot 8).

Basic Attack

Walnut has two different base attacks which trigger based on which form Walnut is in:

• Elf Form - Wicked Scimitar: Walnut attacks the closest enemy with her scimitar.


• Wolf Form - Bite: Walnut savagely attacks the closest enemy, dealing damage to that enemy and others near it.

Formation Abilities

• Documancer — Documancer is the heart of Walnut's kit and is buffed by other abilities. Documancer increases the damage of all Champions adjacent to Walnut by 5% for each enemy killed in a given area. It caps at 50 stacks (enemies killed) and resets when changing areas. The longer you're on an area, the more she'll buff her adjacent allies! This is especially helpful at your wall.


• Job's Done — When the current area's quest is completed, increase the effect of Documancer for 30 seconds. This cooldown resets to 30 seconds whenever an enemy is killed in a completed area. This is another ability that helps you collect more gold near you wall. Finish the quest and hanging around for a bit? Walnut is on the case!


• Wolfnut — Whenever Walnut is under attack, she uses Wild Shape to turn into a wolf, gaining a temporary health shield equal to 10 HP for each enemy on screen as she transforms. This shield remains even if she reverts back to elf form. While in wolf form, her attack changes from Wicked Scimitar to Bite and the effect of Contractual Obligations is doubled.


• Contractual Obligations — Increase the health of all Champions by a percentage of Walnut's maximum health. This effect is doubled when Walnut is in wolf form. This helps her tank in the front of the formation, keeping those behind her safe!


• Pen-Paws — Increase the effect of Documancer for every 2 seconds that Walnut is in wolf form, stacking additively. Caps at 50 stacks. When she leaves wolf form, the stack count decreases every 4 seconds until she enters wolf form again. This again helps position her as a strong tank, increasing the damage of those around her while she's under attack!

Specializations

Walnut has two sets of specializations, one for extending the reach of Documancer to affect more Champions and a second for increasing the effects of it based on synergies.

First Specialization Choices

• Extended Warranty — Documancer now also applies to all Champions within 2 slots of Walnut and is buffed by 100%. Spread the Documancer love to more Champions!


• Sign and Date — Documancer now also applies to all Champions in the top or bottom slots of each column and is buffed by 50%. Added flexibility for Documancer based on where your DPS slosts are.


• Ah, Screw It — Documancer now applies to all Champions in the formation but is not buffed. This allows you to get everyone a boost, but it doesn't buff Documancer any more than it already is.

Second Specialization Choices

• Co-Signers — The effect of Documancer is increased separately on each Champion by 100% (multiplicatively) for each of the following "C" Team abilities affecting them:
• K'Thriss's Unseen Encouragement
• Donaar's Lead By Example
• Rosie's Deflect Missiles (includes Rosie herself)
You obviously want this specialization if you're running a "C" Team heavy formation.

• Temporary Alliance — Increase the effect of Documancer by 25% for each Champion with an affiliation other than the "C" Team. Champions with no affiliation do not count. Nice try, Spurt.

Ultimate Attack

Forest Friends — Walnut summons a swarm of lovable forest creatures that rush in and damage all enemies. Each enemy that is killed heals everyone in the party by 10% of their max health. If no enemies are killed, everyone in the formation gains a temporary hit point shield equal to 100% of their max health.

Equipment

Final Thoughts

Walnut is the final piece to the "C" Team and we're excited to see folks' "C" Team formations! She's a strong and versatile tank who can customize her Documancer ability to work in multiple types of formations! Try her out and let us know what you think!

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