Celebrations are in full swing in Waterdeep to commemorate the day the city was founded! The Champions have come to the Field of Triumph to join the festivities - but not all is well. Amongst the illusionary shows and magic-powered parades lurk servants of Archduke Zariel! Gather your formations and stop her evil plans before she harvests innocent souls for the Blood War!

Founders' Day 7 has arrived and introduces TWO new Champions! The first is Aeon, the Goliath Bard/Artificer from the creative mind B. Dave Walters. This Support/Debuff Champion is ready to bring her artificer skills to your formations and carve a path with her steel defender, Deuce. Next is Umberto Thornheart, the Human Druid, from the imaginative mind of Gail Simone. This Tanking/Support/Debuff Champion is ready to find clues, unleash some bees, and release the bear on your enemies. You can learn more about Aeon and Umberto Thornheart below. Also, you can choose three of eight previous Champions to unlock over the course of Founders' Day 7!

Also, starting with Founders' Day 7 we are introducing Event Augments to Events 2.0, with two augments that will help boost what you can get out of this event. Learn more about Event Augments later in this blog.

Table of Contents

• Aeon
• Umberto Thornheart
• Flex Champions
• Event Theme: Spies & Detectives
• Event Augments (NEW!)

Aeon

Aeon, a Goliath of exceptional intellect and charm, masterfully intertwines her skills as an Artillerist Artificer and Bard of the College of Whispers. Operating under the guise of a master tinkerer, she is, in truth, a cunning spy and manipulative puppet master.

Aeon is a Support and Debuff Champion who infiltrates the inner circle of one Patron each week to become eligible for all their adventures. She was created by B. Dave Walters, who the Idle Champions community already knows as the DM for many of our Idle Champions Presents livestreams and the creator behind Freely! He is also a published writer for comic books, graphic novels, and screenplays as well as a lead developer on many major TTRPGs. We're thrilled to bring another one of his characters into our formations!

Learn more about Aeon in our Champion Spotlight!

Umberto Thornheart

Umberto Thornheart is the orphaned child of two infamous thieves, and saw his parents executed for their crimes. Rather than live on the streets, he was taken in by the very detective who arrested his parents, and eventually became a detective himself, hoping to protect the innocent and (perhaps) reform the guilty.

Umberto Thornheart is a Tanking, Support, and Debuff Champion who employs his detective prowess to aid his allies. He fights enemies with bees from his Swarmstaff and transforms into a formidable brown bear when situations are dire. His ongoing investigations progressively enhance his abilities, making him an invaluable asset in long adventures. Once unlocked, you can find this Human Druid sharing Seat 7 with Minsc.

Learn more about Umberto Thornheart in our Champion Spotlight!

Flex Champions

Flex Slots allow players to unlock additional Champions and earn chests during events, choosing from a pool of retired Champions associated with the event. This collection of retired Champions includes the Champions from previous years of the event as well as some Champions whose events have been retired. This event's Flex Slot pool includes:

Event Theme: Spies and Detectives

Throughout the event, we release new Packs for the featured & flex Champions everyone is unlocking & gearing up. Continuing with Founders' Day, the skins included in these packs will share a new theme!

For this event we are drawing on our two newest Champions, Aeon and Umberto, for the theme. One is a spy and one is a detective, and they're sharing their skills with this month's Flex Champions. Each Champion has been assigned either the role of Spy or Detective and our art team have decked them out in the appropriate gear to get their new job done!



Starting today you can find the Detective Umberto Thornheart Theme Pack and the Spymaster Aeon Theme Pack in the in-game store. More Spies and Detectives are coming on July 10th and 17th.

Event Augments

Starting with Founders' Day 7 you can find a number of automatically unlocked augments to help boost what you can get out of each event. These augments will change each month, but some will return from time to time.

Boon Enhancements
Description: The power of most event boon buffs is increased by up to eight times.

Buff	Tier 1	Tier 2	Tier 3	Tier 4
Global DPS	100% > 200%	300% > 900%	500% > 2500%	900% > 7200%
Gold Find	100% > 200%	200% > 600%	300% > 1500%	400% > 3200%
Health	50% > 100%	100% > 300%	200% > 1000%	300% > 2400%
Click Damage	60s > 120s	150s > 450s	300s > 1500s	600s > 4800s
Game Speed	1.25 (no change)	1.75 (no change)	2.25 (no change)	2.75 (no change)

Empowered Rewards
Description: Tier 2 and higher event variants award Corrupted Gems in addition to their normal rewards

You can check out which Augments are active at any time by mousing over the Event Banner.



We hope you enjoy these Event Augments and look forward to what future augment possibilities could be!

To learn more about Events 2.0 check out our Blog Post!

Join our amazing community with any of the links below:

• 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!

Mastery required skill, and skill required patience and training. Whenever she would spend time working on an invention or deceiving folks in the local tavern, she thought of it as praying at the Temple of Knowledge. And she was a frequent attendant.

It's impossible to ignore this grinning goliath with extravagant style. Aeon's performances are dazzling, and her conversations are filled with wit and charm. But her true genius is what she accomplishes behind the scenes, gathering a wealth of knowledge and secrets all while deceiving her patrons with distracting displays!

I. Aeon

Aeon, a Goliath of exceptional intellect and charm, masterfully intertwines her skills as an Artillerist Artificer and Bard of the College of Whispers. Operating under the guise of a master tinkerer, she is, in truth, a cunning spy and manipulative puppet master. Aeon owns the renowned Greenhow, a unique tavern where patrons are served by her intricate automata, while she sells mechanical devices and curios embedded with Sending Stones and other surveillance tools; her ‘gifts’ have managed to make their way into some of the most powerful homes in the North Ward of Waterdeep. Her strategy is brilliantly deceptive; she portrays herself as a flamboyant performer and entertainer, so vivid and engaging that none suspect her of orchestrating a grand network of espionage, controlling events from the shadows.

Aeon is a Support and Debuff Champion who infiltrates the inner circle of one Patron each week to become eligible for all their adventures. She was created by B. Dave Walters, who the Idle Champions community already knows as the DM for many of our Idle Champions Presents livestreams and the creator behind Freely! He is also a published writer for comic books, graphic novels, and screenplays as well as a lead developer on many major TTRPGs. We're thrilled to bring another one of his characters into our formations!

Check out our Champion Spotlight Video embedded below for a quick overview of Aeon's abilities, and read on to get all of the details!

II. Aeon's Stats

Race: Goliath	Alignment: Lawful Evil
Gender: Female	Pronouns: She/Her
Age: 32	Affiliation: None	Class: Artificer/Bard

STR: 10	DEX: 10	CON: 12
INT: 20	WIS: 14	CHA: 18

Role: Support, Debuff

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Strahd, Zariel, Elminster (until July 3rd, 2027)

Seat: 10 (Tyril)

III. Aeon's Abilities

Basic Attack

• Cane Wand - Aeon fires an energy bolt from her cane at the closest enemy for one hit.

Passive Abilities

• Network of Espionage - Every week, Aeon targets one Patron for infiltration. Aeon can be used in any Patron adventure or variant for her current Patron target, even if she would not normally be available to be used due to variant or patron restrictions.

Formation Abilities

• Inner Circle - Aeon increases the damage of adjacent Champions by 100% for each Champion in the formation that is eligible for the Patron she is infiltrating this week, stacking multiplicatively.

• Uncover Weakness - Each enemy that Aeon damages gains a Stolen Secrets stack. Enemies with a Stolen Secrets stack take 100% more damage from all sources, stacking multiplicatively up to 5 times.

• Challenge Accepted - Aeon increases the effect of Inner Circle by 100% for each completed Patron challenge for her current Patron target, stacking multiplicatively.

Specializations

First Specialization

• Immediate Infiltration - Increase the effect of Inner Circle by 100% each time Uncover Weakness applies a Stolen Secrets stack, stacking additively up to 10 times per area and resetting when changing areas.

• Play the Long Game - Increase the effect of Inner Circle by 0.1% each time Uncover Weakness applies a Stolen Secrets stack, stacking additively up to 1,000,000 times and persisting until you reset the adventure.

Second Specialization

• Artificer's Arsenal - Cane Wand can now pierce through the targeted enemy, dealing one hit to all enemies in a line. Additionally, it deals 5 seconds of BUD-based damage to all enemies it hits.

• Spy Network - Inner Circle now affects all Champions within two slots of Aeon and its pre-stack effect is increased by 75%.

• Powerful Patronage - Increase the pre-stack effect of Challenge Accepted by 150% while on a Patron variant for the week's chosen Patron.

Ultimate Ability

• Deuce - Aeon's mechanical monkey Deuce fires a barrage at all enemies, dealing one ultimate hit to each one and knocking them back a short distance.

IV. Aeon's Epic Equipment

Slot 1: Global DPS	Slot 2: Inner Circle	Slot 3: Uncover Weakness
Slot 4: Challenge Accepted	Slot 5: Immediate Infiltration and Play the Long Game	Slot 6: Ultimate Attack Cooldown

V. Aeon's Achievement and Adventure Variants

Achievement:

• Scheming Strategist - Gain 10,000 stacks of Stolen Secrets with Aeon's Uncover Weakness ability. (Accumulates over multiple adventures.)

Adventure Variants:

Mechanical Mayhem - Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry with Aeon!

• Aeon starts in the formation. She can't be moved or removed.
• 1-2 Iron Defenders spawn with each wave. They don't drop gold nor count towards quest progress.
• Only Champions next to Aeon can deal damage.
• Area Goals:
  • Tier 1: Complete Area 75.
  • Tier 2: Complete Area 250.
  • Tier 3: Complete Area 600.
  • Tier 4: Complete Area 1200.

Spy's Strategy - Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry with Champions that work with a particular Patron.

Aeon starts in the formation. She can't be moved or removed.

You may only use core Champions and/or Champions eligible for Aeon's current Patron.

Area Goals:

• Tier 1: Complete Area 125.
• Tier 2: Complete Area 350.
• Tier 3: Complete Area 800.
• Tier 4: Complete Area 1400.

Discovered Secrets - Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry with your best debuffers.

• Aeon starts in the formation. She can't be moved or removed.
• Only monsters that have a debuff can take damage.
• Area Goals:
  • Tier 1: Complete Area 175.
  • Tier 2: Complete Area 450.
  • Tier 3: Complete Area 1000.
  • Tier 4: Complete Area 1600.

VI. Conclusion

Has Aeon charmed or manipulated her way into your roster? Tell us what secrets she's found out about your formations:

• 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!

"I have solved more cases than you have years in this world, I have faced more villains than you could dream of, and I am here to find this murderer and stop them before they kill again.”

When tragedy strikes and a mystery unfolds, there's no better investigator on the Sword Coast than Umberto Thornheart. He finds joy in detecting clues, and is an expert at solving even the most dastardly of puzzles!

I. Umberto

Umberto Thornheart is the orphaned child of two infamous thieves, and saw his parents executed for their crimes. Rather than live on the streets, he was taken in by the very detective who arrested his parents, and eventually became a detective himself, hoping to protect the innocent and (perhaps) reform the guilty.

Umberto Thornheart is a Tanking, Support, and Debuff Champion who employs his detective prowess to aid his allies. He was created by award-winning writer Gail Simone, who you may recognize from her work for DC, Marvel, WB, and many more! She has an extensive history crafting thrilling and emotional stories for a variety of comics, and we're thrilled to work with her to create this new Champion!

Check out our Champion Spotlight Video embedded below for a quick overview of Umberto's abilities, and read on to get all of the details!

II. Umberto's Stats

Race: Human	Alignment: Lawful Good
Gender: Male	Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 42	Affiliation: None	Class: Druid

STR: 15	DEX: 9	CON: 16
INT: 11	WIS: 17	CHA: 14

Role: Tanking, Support, Debuff

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Vajra, Zariel, Elminster (until July 3rd, 2027)

Seat: 7 (Minsc)

III. Umberto's Abilities

Basic Attack

Umberto has two attacks. A magic attack when he is in human form, and a Bear melee attack when he is in his ultimate Bear form.

• Swarmstaff - Umberto magically unleashes a small swarm of angry bees at the nearest foe, dealing 1 hit. If Beehive Barrage is unlocked, this adds one swarming bee to the enemy after Umberto's damage is applied.

• Bear Claw - Umberto moves up to the nearest foe and slashes them, dealing 1 ultimate hit.

Formation Abilities

• Detective's Entourage - Umberto increases the damage of all Champions in the two columns behind him by 100%.

• Beehive Barrage - Every second, Umberto's staff spawns a swarming bee, which buzzes around the staff, up to a maximum of 10 swarming bees. When an enemy attacks Umberto, he unleashes a swarming bee from the staff (if one exists) onto that enemy. When an enemy with one or more swarming bees is hit by any Champion, all their bees stings them, dealing 1 second of BUD-based damage for each bee. A maximum of 5 swarming bees can swarm a single enemy. Bees persist until the enemy is defeated, or until Umberto is removed from the formation.

• Ongoing Investigation - Pick an Investigation to pursue. Umberto gains stacks of Clue, and can start another Investigation after the Investigation concludes. Each Clue stack increases Detective's Entourage by 50%, stacking multiplicatively. Caps at 100 stacks. Once you are capped, additional Investigations are not offered. Clue stacks persist between areas and reset when the adventure ends.
• Rapid Reconnaissance: 2 hour duration, 10 stacks are awarded right away, but all but 1 are removed when the investigation ends (1 total)
• Steadfast Search: 8 hour duration, 1 stack awarded after every 2 hours, plus 2 stacks when the investigation ends (6 total)
• Thorough Inquiry: 24 hour duration, 1 stack awarded after every 3 hours, plus 16 stacks when the investigation ends (24 total)

• Protective Presence - Umberto increases the health of all other Champions by 25% of his max health, and any healing effect on those Champions is increased by 25%.

Specializations

First Specialization

• Law's Alliance - Umberto increases the effect of Detective's Entourage by 125% for each Lawful Champion in the formation, stacking multiplicatively.

• Family of Orphans - Umberto increases the effect of Detective's Entourage by 100% for each unaffiliated Champion in the formation, stacking multiplicatively.

• Call of the Wardens - Umberto increases the effect of Detective's Entourage by 300% for each Ranger or Druid Champion in the formation, stacking multiplicatively.

Second Specialization

• More Bees - Umberto's Beehive Barrage increases the number of swarming bees spawned each second by 400% (to 5/sec), and when an enemy hits Umberto the maximum number of bees (if available) are unleashed. Finally, the damage per bee is increased by 100%.

• More Clues - Umberto increases the maximum number of Ongoing Investigation's Clue stacks by 50%.

• More Damage - Increase the effect of Detective's Entourage by 200%.

Ultimate Ability

• Brown Bear Bash - Umberto transforms into a bear for 15 seconds, resetting the base attack cooldown of all Champions in the formation. For the duration, Umberto's base attack changes to Bear Claw and the attack cooldown of all Champions in the formation is reduced by 2 seconds, causing them to attack more often.

IV. Umberto's Epic Equipment

Slot 1: Global DPS	Slot 2: Increase Health	Slot 3: Detective's Entourage
Slot 4: Ongoing Investigation	Slot 5: Specializations	Slot 6: Ultimate Attack Cooldown

V. Umberto's Achievement and Adventure Variants

Achievement:

• Not The Bees! - Have Umberto unleash 10,000 bees with his Beehive Barrage ability.

Adventure Variants:

Guardian of the Wilds - Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry with Umberto!

• Umberto starts in the formation. He can't be moved or removed.
• Only Umberto and Champions in the two columns behind him can deal damage.
• Area Goals:
  • Tier 1: Complete Area 75.
  • Tier 2: Complete Area 250.
  • Tier 3: Complete Area 600.
  • Tier 4: Complete Area 1200.

Investigation Time - Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry with a detailed investigation!

• Umberto starts in the formation. He can't be moved or removed.
• His assistant bees, Sherlock Combs and Dr. Buzz Watson, take up two slots in the formation, and assist Umberto with his investigations.
• Area Goals:
  • Tier 1: Complete Area 125.
  • Tier 2: Complete Area 350.
  • Tier 3: Complete Area 800.
  • Tier 4: Complete Area 1400.

Umberto's Friends - Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry with Umberto's friends!

• Umberto starts in the formation. He can't be moved or removed.
• You may only use Lawful, Unaffiliated, Druid, and/or Ranger Champions.
• Area Goals:
  • Tier 1: Complete Area 175.
  • Tier 2: Complete Area 450.
  • Tier 3: Complete Area 1000.
  • Tier 4: Complete Area 1600.

VI. Conclusion

How has Umberto helped you solve the mystery of the most difficult formations? Let us know how this detective has helped:

• 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!

Founders' Day is noted on city calendars as the first day of Flamerule and commemorates the Free City of Waterdeep's founding. The Field of Triumph is the site of illusory shows of the history of the city as well as martial exhibitions by the guard and other noted warriors of the city. The Champions have joined in the celebration, but Archduke Zariel of Avernus has set a plan in motion to harvest souls for the Blood War during the festivities!

Will our Champions be able to stop her in time?

Founders' Day 6 introduces Strongheart, the Human Paladin from the Dungeons & Dragon Cartoon Show (as well as the Wild Beyond the Witchlight Campaign!), and brings back Nahara, the aasimar warlock/bard from The Black Dice Society, and Sergeant Knox, the human fighter from Neverwinter.

New Champion: Strongheart

Strongheart is a fearless seeker of justice, risking his life to ensure that good triumphs over evil. He is thoughtful, kind, and seldom rash, yet never hesitant to punish those who spit in the face of law and order.

Strongheart is a support and healing Champion who helps you complete your quests, literally, as he doubles the quest progress of his adventuring party. He heals his nearby companions to make sure those quests can be completed, and he's always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Once unlocked, you can find this human paladin in Slot 11 (Jamilah).

For more information on Strongheart and his abilities, check out his Champion Spotlight!

Year Six Variants

Oath of Justice: Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry with Strongheart! Strongheart starts in the formation (Slot 5) and can be moved, but not removed. Only Strongheart and Champions next to him can deal damage.

Reach Area 75.

Oath of Valor: Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry with good heroes. Strongheart starts in the formation (Slot 5) and can be moved, but not removed. Only Strongheart and Good champions can deal damage.

Reach Area 125.

Oath of Friendship: Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry with Strongheart's new friends. Strongheart starts in the formation (Slot 5) and can be moved, but not removed. Only Strongheart and Champions from the affiliation with the most members in the formation can deal damage.

Reach Area 175.

Much more detail and information can be found in the game! Enjoy!

“Justice needs champions. I count myself as one.”

This resolute paladin is committed to destroying evil wherever it can be found, and is ready to sacrifice himself to help those in need. Strongheart is a formidable warrior surrounded by righteous people, and is always looking out for like-minded individuals who also believe that good must triumph over evil.

I. Strongheart

Strongheart is a fearless seeker of justice, risking his life to ensure that good triumphs over evil. He is thoughtful, kind, and seldom rash, yet never hesitant to punish those who spit in the face of law and order.

Strongheart is a support and healing Champion who helps you complete your quests, literally, as he doubles the quest progress of his adventuring party. He heals his nearby companions, and is always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Once unlocked, you can find this human paladin in Slot 11 opposite Jamilah.

II. Strongheart's Stats

Race: Human	Alignment: Lawful Good
Gender: Male	Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 39	Class: Paladin

STR: 15	DEX: 12	CON: 13
INT: 12	WIS: 13	CHA: 17

Role: Support, Healing

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Zariel, Strahd (with feat) Vajra (with feat)

Slot: 11 (Jamilah)

III. Strongheart's Design

The noble adventuring party known as Valor's Call was founded by Strongheart, and he alone determines who can become a member of this prestigious group. They have a long history in Dungeons and Dragons lore, with the most recent appearance in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight helping the party battle against the League of Malevolence. This epic paladin doesn’t worship any deity, but instead devotes himself to the ideal that the world can be spared from evil by those who have enough courage to stand against it.

Strongheart may be the leader of Valor's Call, but that doesn't mean he takes the spotlight. He is fully committed to supporting his companions whenever he can. Any Champion adjacent to him will benefit from his healing, as well as have their damage boosted. He has an increased chance to score a Critical Hit, and when it lands, he'll improve his boost he gives to companions' damage and healing! Whenever there is an active Season, Strongheart increases the rate his formation adds to any season quest progress.

Part of being a good leader is the ability to work with a variety of people, and his Specializations buff his main damage boost depending on the type of Champion in your formation. If you have a team filled with good aligned Champions, pick Valor's Call. When a Season is active choose A Just Quest to increase his support according to your Season Level. Or Strongheart can temporarily join the most populous affiliation in the formation and boost their power by becoming an Honorary Member. Sometimes the best way to support the team is to leap into action, and with the sentient longsword Steel at his side, Strongheart will fearlessly attack the closest foe. If a powerful enemy approaches, he will cast his favorite spell to Command: Yield! This will stun that evildoer so all attacks can do additional damage!

Strongheart is prepared to sacrifice himself for the greatest good, but with his help everyone will survive and triumph over any encounter!

IV. Strongheart's Abilities

Basic Attack

• Steel - Strongheart attacks the closest enemy with his sword, Steel, dealing one hit.

Passive Abilities

• Critical Hit - Strongheart's base chance to Critical Hit is 20%.

Formation Abilities

• Justice Needs Champions - Strongheart increases the damage of all adjacent Champions by 100%.

• Seasoned Knight - Season Quest progress made by Strongheart's party is increased by 100%.

• Courage to Stand - Heal champions affected by Justice Needs Champions for 2 health per second.

• Righteous Might - Whenever Strongheart lands a critical hit, for the next 20 seconds he:
  • Increases the damage of Justice Needs Champions by 400%.
  • Increases the healing amount of Courage to Stand by 100%.
  • Reduces the base attack speed cooldown of himself and Champions affected by Justice Needs Champions by 0.5 seconds.
  This ability can trigger multiple times, with the damage bonus and healing stacking multiplicatively and the cooldown stacking additively.

Specializations

• Valor's Call - Strongheart increases the damage bonus of Justice Needs Champions by 100% for each good Champion in the formation, stacking multiplicatively.

• A Just Quest - Strongheart increases the damage bonus of Justice Needs Champions by 12.5% for each Season Level you have gained in the current Season, stacking multiplicatively.

• Honorary Member - Strongheart gains the affiliation(s) of the most populous affiliation(s) in the formation, and increases the damage bonus of Justice Needs Champions by 150% for each Champion from the affiliation(s) (including himself, now), stacking multiplicatively. If two affiliations have the same number of members in the formation, then he gains both affiliations and counts both affiliations for the buff.

Ultimate Ability

• Command: Yield! - Strongheart moves forward and Commands the enemy with the most health to Yield, stunning it for 6 seconds. While it is stunned, all attacks against the enemy deal additional 15 seconds worth of BUD.

V. Strongheart's Epic Equipment

Slot 1: Global DPS	Slot 2: Justice Needs Champions	Slot 3: Courage to Stand
Slot 4: Righteous Might	Slot 5: Specializations	Slot 6: Ultimate Cooldown

VI. Conclusion

Are you prepared to stand and fight with this legendary hero? Let us know how much Strongheart is helping you achieve your season goals 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!

Founders' Day is noted on city calendars as the first day of Flamerule and commemorates the Free City of Waterdeep's founding. The Field of Triumph is the site of illusory shows of the history of the city as well as martial exhibitions by the guard and other noted warriors of the city. The Champions have joined in the celebration, but the Archduke Zariel of Avernus has set a plan in motion to harvest souls for the Blood War during the festivities!

Will our Champions be able to stop her in time?

Founders' Day 5 introduces Nahara, the aasimar warlock/bard from The Black Dice Society, and brings back Sergeant Knox, the human fighter from Neverwinter, and Freely, the lucky halfling from Heroes of the Planes! Players have until Monday, July 11th at 12PM PDT to complete their event unlocks and objectives.

I. New Champion: Nahara

When she fell into the mists of Ravenloft, Nahara was unable to remember anything from her life, or previous lives. All she knows is she's caught in the conflict between her current Patron, Azalin Rex, and his foe Strahd von Zarovich, who has been desperately seeking her out.

Nahara is a DPS and Speed Champion who permanently grows more powerful as she recovers her lost memories by completing areas and quickly dispatching enemies. When you want to add her to your formation you can swap her with Nayeli in slot 3. She joins her friends from the Black Dice Society during this Founders' Day, and you can find more details about her in her Champion Spotlight.

Year Five Variants

• Durable Devils - Save Waterdeep from the chaos of a Founders' Day gone awry while Nahara practices her targeting on some armored imps that have shown up!
  Reach Area 75.


• Double Trouble - The Founders' Day chaos continues, but this time Nahara will help you speed through increased area requirements.
  Reach Area 125.


• Barovian Bliss - Strahd has joined in the Founders' Day chaos, attacking Nahara and her Black Dice Society friends through the thick fog!
  Reach Area 175.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

The Champions are at the Field of Triumph in Waterdeep for Founders' Day to watch the illusory shows of the history of the city and the Founders themselves. But Archduke Zariel of Avernus has set a plan in motion to harvest souls for the Blood War during the festivities!

Will our Champions be able to stop her in time?

Founders' Day 4 introduces Sergeant Knox, the human fighter from Neverwinter, and brings back Freely, the lucky halfling from Heroes of the Planes, and Documancer Walnut Dankgrass. Players have until Monday, July 12th 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: Sergeant Alphonse Knox

The imposing presence of Sergeant Knox came to Neverwinter when the Mintarn mercenaries were hired to retake the city following the eruption of Mount Hotenow. Soon he became a daily presence and mentor for new Adventurers in the city. Celeste reached out to her old friend following the catastrophic events at Elturel, hoping the veteran mercenary would join the Champions as they face the greatest foe the Sword Coast has ever seen!

Sgt. Knox is a Tanking & Support Champion who leads from the front, using his Rallying Cry to increase the damage of those behind him. Additionally, he has great synergy with Neverwinter allies Makos and Celeste, buffing and being buffed by their abilities in turn. When you want to add him to your formation, you can swap him with Asharra (Slot 6).

II. Sgt. Knox’s Stats

Race: Human	Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Fighter	Gender: Male
Age: 50

STR: 19	DEX: 12	CON: 15
INT: 12	WIS: 10	CHA: 14

Role: Tanking & Support
Eligible for Patrons: Mirt the Moneylender, Vajra Safahr, Zariel
Slot: 6 (Asharra)

III. Sgt. Knox's Design

Sergeant Knox chooses what is right above all else, even orders. Hailing from Neverwinter along with his companions Celeste and Makos, Sgt. Knox is fiercely loyal to his city. Alphonse Knox is a sergeant in the Neverwinter Guard, and one of Lord Neverember's personal guards. Sgt. Knox was in charge of the defense efforts when Valindra Shadowmantle put Neverwinter under siege.

Sgt. Knox is a solid Tanking and Support Champion even without his Neverwinter Companions: Celeste and Makos. He buffs Champions behind him with Rallying Cry and this can be further enhanced with Explosive Rally. Sgt. Knox has great synergy in formation with Celeste and Makos, with Allies of Convenience buffing both Makos' Dark Blessing and Sgt. Knox's own Rallying Cry. An old war ally, Celeste is used to healing Sgt. Knox, and his thus Blessed by SelÈ—ne, if he is affected by Celeste's Mass Cure Wounds. As a Hero of Neverwinter Sgt. Knox can increase the health of all of his companions, and protect them with his Shield Wall.

For more information on Sergeant Knox and his abilities, check out his Champion Spotlight!

Year Four Variants

• Neverwinter Defenders - Sergeant Knox starts in the formation. He cannot be moved or removed.
  - The damage of all Champions is increased by 50% if Celeste is in the formation, and an additional 50% if Makos is in the formation.
  - Enemy damage & Speed is increased by 100%.
  - Getting to know Sergeant Knox: Knox works best with his fellow Neverwinter Allies Celeste (slot 2) & Makos (slot 9) in the formation. Place them directly behind Knox to maximize their benefit!
  Reach Area 75.


• Afterparty — A pair of Bearded Devils join the formation, but they're just here for the souvenirs.
  - Quest goals are doubled.
  Reach Area 125.


• Blast from the Past - Sergeant Knox starts in the formation. He cannot be moved or removed.
  - Only Champions with INT of 12 or higher can be used.
  - Each area, zombies aligned with Valindra attack the party. They do not drop gold, nor do they count towards quest progress.
  - Valindra Shadowmantle replaces Zariel in area 50.
  Reach Area 175.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

An imposing tree trunk of a man with an eyepatch stands before you, his greataxe casually on his back. He turns to you and says "Celeste said you needed help from an old mercenary?"

Sgt. Knox of Neverwinter is the latest Champion to join the Idle Champions roster with Founder's Day 4! Read on to learn about this formidable tank's abilities.

I. Sergeant Alphonse Knox

The imposing presence of Sergeant Knox came to Neverwinter when the Mintarn mercenaries were hired to retake the city following the eruption of Mount Hotenow. Soon he became a daily presence and mentor for new Adventurers in the city. Celeste reached out to her old friend following the catastrophic events at Elturel, hoping the veteran mercenary would join the Champions as they face the greatest foe the Sword Coast has ever seen!

Sgt. Knox is a Tanking & Support Champion who leads from the front, using his Rallying Cry to increase the damage of those behind him. Additionally, he has great synergy with Neverwinter allies Makos and Celeste, buffing and being buffed by their abilities in turn. When you want to add him to your formation, you can swap him with Asharra (Slot 6).

II. Sgt. Knox’s Stats

Race: Human	Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Fighter	Gender: Male
Age: 50

STR: 19	DEX: 12	CON: 15
INT: 12	WIS: 10	CHA: 14

Role: Tanking & Support
Eligible for Patrons: Mirt the Moneylender, Vajra Safahr, Zariel
Slot: 6 (Asharra)

III. Sgt. Knox's Design

Sergeant Knox chooses what is right above all else, even orders. Hailing from Neverwinter along with his companions Celeste and Makos, Sgt. Knox is fiercely loyal to his city. Alphonse Knox is a sergeant in the Neverwinter Guard, and one of Lord Neverember's personal guards. Sgt. Knox was in charge of the defense efforts when Valindra Shadowmantle put Neverwinter under siege.

Sgt. Knox is a solid Tanking and Support Champion even without his Neverwinter Companions: Celeste and Makos. He buffs Champions behind him with Rallying Cry and this can be further enhanced with Explosive Rally. Sgt. Knox has great synergy in formation with Celeste and Makos, with Allies of Convenience buffing both Makos' Dark Blessing and Sgt. Knox's own Rallying Cry. An old war ally, Celeste is used to healing Sgt. Knox, and his thus Blessed by SelÈ—ne, if he is affected by Celeste's Mass Cure Wounds. As a Hero of Neverwinter Sgt. Knox can increase the health of all of his companions, and protect them with his Shield Wall.

IV. Sgt. Knox's Abilities

Basic Attack

• Battleaxe — Knox swings his enormous Battleaxe through the nearest group of enemies.

Formation Abilities

• Rallying Cry — Increase the damage of Champions in the columns behind Sergeant Knox by 100% for each positional formation ability affecting them (each individual champion), stacking additively and including this one. Buffs will apply to the post-stack value.

• Blessed By SelÈ—ne — If affected by Celeste's Mass Cure Wounds, Sergeant Knox takes 25% less damage from all attacks, excluding attacks that instantly kill him.

• Allies Of Convenience — If adjacent to Makos, the effects of Rallying Cry and Makos' Dark Blessing abilities are increased by 200%.

• Hero of Neverwinter — Sergeant Knox increases the health of all other Champions by 25% of his max health.

Specializations

• Explosive Rally — Rallying Cry now stacks multiplicatively, with buffs applying to the post-stack value, but it's base percentage is decreased to 35%.

• Altruistic Rally — Increase the effect of Celeste's Crusader's Mantle and Makos' Dark Blessing abilities by 100% each.

• Shield Wall — Increase the max health of Sergeant Knox by 50%.

Ultimate Ability

• Break The Line — Knox swings his massive axe in a huge arc, knocking all nearby enemies back, and moderately damaging and stunning them for 2 seconds. He then leaps forward at a random enemy and swings his axe in a massive overhead blow, dealing massive damage and stunning enemies in the area for 5 seconds.

V. Sgt. Knox’s Epic Equipment

Slot 1: Global DPS	Slot 2: Global DPS	Slot 3: Max Health
Slot 4: Rallying Cry	Slot 5: Ultimate Damage	Slot 6: Ultimate Cooldown

VI. Conclusion

What do you think about Sgt. Knox and how he fits into the meta with his Neverwinter companions, Celeste and Makos? 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 the latest Idle Champion Spotlight, and this time around we're talking about a well-traveled Gold Find and Support Champion!

And did we mention that this lucky halfling directly increases your Divine Favor as well?

Read on and learn all about Freely...

I. Lucky Halfling

Freely has traveled across multiple Planes, but he has always had his luck to keep him safe. Even an unfortunate detour into being trapped as an Illithid ultimately led him into the company of his new friends, Beyond Heroes! Armed with the magic in his blood, and the Faith that flows through his sword, he always seeks to destroy evil wherever he can sense it. Freely prefers to act first and think later, since hey, things always tend to work out for him anyway, right?

Freely is a Gold Find and Support Champion. He increases your divine favor directly with his Adventurous Tale ability. When you want to add Freely to your formation, you can swap him with Minsc (Slot 7).

II. Freely's Stats

Race: Halfling	Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Bard/Warlock	Gender: Male
Age: 42	Affiliation: none

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

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt

III. Freely's Design

We had the great fortune to cross paths with B. Dave Walters while participating in the D&D Live events over the last few years. As we grew to know B. Dave better, we learned that in addition to playing Freely on Beyond Heroes and Silver & Steel, he's also the writer for A Darkened Wish, an awesome human (and an awesome vampire), and just an all-around cool creator in the D&D Community. We knew we wanted to work with him, and in early 2019 we talked to him about bringing Freely to the game.

(Side note: we know what you're thinking. Yes, it really can take well over a year for everything to line up behind the scenes to introduce a new Champion to the game. We actually already have nearly all of our Champions locked in through 2021...)

When we sat down to start working with B. Dave on Freely, it was immediately apparent that even though all Halflings are lucky, Freely has a special connection to Yondalla, the creator of the halfling pantheon and the halfling race itself. Yondalla offers protection to all halflings in the form of incredible luck, and when it comes to Freely, his unique Luck of Yondalla ability is core to his design.

Luck of Yondalla grants Freely and his allies chances to have enemies drop more gold (Requisition), to reduce their attack cooldowns (Follow-Through), to increase the damage enemies take (Opportunity), and to stun enemies (Stagger). This is further boosted by his Unlucky For Them ability, which increases the effect of Luck of Yondalla for each enemy affected by it.

When Freely is in your formation, An Adventurous Tale increases the amount of Divine Favor you collect when you reset (Complete Adventure) based on the number of areas you've cleared during that adventure.

Finally, Freely uses Cutting Words to distract enemies when he is within three slots of a Tank Champion who is under attack, increasing the Overwhelm of the Tank Champion.

Okay, now it's time to talk details...

IV.Freely's Abilities

Basic Attack

• Eldritch Blast — A beam of aquamarine crackling energy streaks towards a random enemy.

Formation Abilities

• Luck of Yondalla — Freely, and any allies granted this ability through his specializations, have the Luck of Yondalla backing them up. Whenever they attack, one of the following Lucky Breaks occurs completely at random, affecting all enemies hit by the attack. Each Lucky Break can be applied on each enemy once for each Champion with Luck of Yondalla. Each application lasts for 15 seconds, so even if 10 Champions are attacking a single enemy with Luck of Yondalla, the actual Lucky Break applications on the enemy will vary over time.



• Requisition — Target will drop 10% more gold when they are killed, stacking multiplicatively. This Lucky Break can be buffed by equipment and feats.
• Follow-Through — Any Champion who attacks this enemy has their next base attack's cooldown decreased by 0.1 sec for each application of this Lucky Break on the enemy. This Lucky Break is never buffed.
• Opportunity — The targeted enemy takes 100% more damage from all attacks, inclusive, stacks multiplicatively.
• Stagger — Target has a 2% chance to be stunned for 1 second when they are attacked by any Champion, stacking additively.This Lucky Break is never buffed.

• Unlucky For Them — The total effect of Luck of Yondalla: Opportunity is increased by 100% on enemies affected by it. This buff applies once to the total value of the applications.

• An Adventurous Tale — If Freely is in your formation when you complete an area for the first time, he keeps track of it for future tales. When you reset your adventure, you'll collect an additional .01% of Divine Favor for each area Freely tracked, stacking additively but applying multiplicatively. Freely does not have to be in your formation when you reset to gain the additional Divine Favor, but he does need to be in your formation when you complete an area to increase his bonus. The bonus resets when you complete your adventure. This ability is buffed by feats and equipment.

• Cutting Words — Freely distracts enemies if he is within 3 slots of a Tank Champion who is under attack by at least 1 enemy, increasing the overwhelm point of such Champions by 5. This ability is not buffed.

Specializations

• Trust in Law — Grants Luck of Yondalla to all Lawful Champions in your formation. Affected Champions now cause Lucky Breaks whenever they attack.

• Value Neutrality — Grants Luck of Yondalla to Neutral Champions (on the Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic scale) in your formation. Affected Champions now cause Lucky Breaks whenever they attack.

• Always Expect Chaos — Grants Luck of Yondalla to Chaotic Champions in your formation. Affected Champions now cause Lucky Breaks whenever they attack.

Ultimate Ability

• I Will Not Deafen — Freely grabs his sword and launches himself toward an enemy, showering green and red lightning in his wake until he smashes into his opponent for massive damage. It also applies all four Lucky Breaks on that enemy or any they didn't already have.

V. Freely's Equipment

Slot 1: Global DPS	Slot 2: Luck of Yondalla: Requisition	Slot 3: Unlucky For Them
Slot 4: An Adventurous Tale	Slot 5: Ultimate Damage	Slot 6: Ultimate Cooldown

VI. Conclusion

Freely is an interesting Champion, and we are excited to see how well he fits into the Idle Champions meta with his Divine Favor Buff. 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!