How far would you go to celebrate foolishness?

Festival of Fools is a time honored tradition in Sword Coast communities. Townsfolk engage in the usual gluttonous consumption of food and drink during the festivities, but they also play pranks on each other.

Unfortunately, one prankster has decided to play a practical joke on a Frost Giant nearby...

Festival of Fools 3 introduces Briv Steelmarrow, Half-Orc Paladin (Oath of Heroism), and brings back Rosie and Strix Beestinger. Players have until Monday, March 23 at 12PM Pacific to complete their Festival of Fools 3 unlocks and objectives.

Year 3 Champion: Briv Steelmarrow

Relentlessly brave but markedly uncouth, Briv Steelmarrow is a stalwart champion of the weak, innocent, downtrodden, and oppressed. Centuries ago, a cabal of Netherese mages experimented on Briv’s clan, gifting him with a magical metal inside his bones that he can pull through his skin and shape for attack or defense. Once a slaver, Briv sought atonement by joining the Order of the Lost Cause, an elite group of knights that travel across Faerûn, taking on quests that only fools would pursue.

Briv is a Tank, Support, and Healing Champion. He uses his Unnatural Haste ability to speed up area progression, and his Steelbones boosts his defense while buffing Champions behind him. When you want to add Briv to your formation, you can swap him with Calliope (Slot 5).

For more information about Briv, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Briv Steelmarrow dev blog!

Year 2 Champion: Rosie Beestinger

Weighing in at just under 30 pounds and with a grandmotherly demeanor befitting her advanced age, Rosie Beestinger is easily mistaken for someone on the wrong side of the “aggressor/victim” relationship. But this is a mix-up that few people make more than once.

Rosie Beestinger is a sassy DPS Champion. Her damage increases for each Champion in the formation younger than she is, and she catches and deflects incoming missiles.

When you want to add Rosie Beestinger to your formation, you can swap her with Tyril (Slot 10). For more information about Rosie, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Rosie Beestinger dev blog!

Year 1 Champion: Strix Beestinger

The Sorcerer known as Strix is from Sigil, the City of Doors at the center of the multiverse. Very little is known of Strix's heritage, even to herself, but it was recently discovered that she was a powerful member of the Skizzicks family, who long ago made a pact with Asmodeus, ruler of the Nine Hells, to become Tieflings.

Strix Beestinger is a 'Trash Witch' DPS Champion who attacks enemies with Fireballs. Her Poor Hygiene ability causes approaching enemies to take increased damage. When you want to add Strix to your party, you can swap her with Jamilah (Slot 11).

Year Three Variants

• A Little Perspective — Pixies spawn at random in all non-boss areas. When a Pixie spawns, it shrinks a random Champion by 33%, decreasing their damage done by 99%. This effect persists until the Pixie causing it is killed. This effect can stack multiplicatively if multiple Pixies target the same Champion.
  Reach Area 75.


• Nerves of Steel — Briv starts in the formation and can not be moved, removed, or swapped out. Normal enemies move faster and attack faster; bosses are unaffected.
  Reach Area 125.


• A Delicious Diversion — A cart of tasty pies, baguettes, and other baked snacks takes up two slots in the formation; the cart has 100 hit points. Ravenous Crows and Famished Rats spawn randomly in each area. These additional creatures have armored health. If, for whatever reason, the cart is smashed, you immediately lose the area and go back to the previous area.
  Reach Area 175.

Year Two Variants

• A Lighter Touch — Only Champions with a Strength (STR) score of 14 or lower may be used. Additionally, Champions with an Intelligence (INT) score of 14 or higher deal 400% increased damage.
  Reach Area 75.


• Flay the Fools — During boss areas, Mind Flayers appear and attack the formation. While alive, Mind Flayers make all other enemies immune to damage.
  Reach Area 125.


• Beestingers Unleashed — This adventure features unique dialogue created with the help of Strix & Rosie themselves! Strix and Rosie Beestinger begin the adventure in your formation with Strix asking Rosie what it means to be a Beestinger. No other Champions are able to be used, however, both Strix and Rosie Beestinger have increased damage, increased attack speed, and reduced Ultimate ability cooldowns. Additionally, Rosie Beestinger's Matriarch also doubles her health.
  Completing this adventure will unlock a bee outfit for both Rosie & Strix!
  Reach Area 175.

Year One Variants

• Foolish Variance — Champions randomly do between 0.1% and 199.9% of their actual damage with each hit.
  Reach Area 75.


• Persistent Foolishness — The Drunken Fool appears randomly in non-boss areas. Only one can be spawned at a time, but he has special abilities each time he appears.
  Reach Area 125.


• Like Father Like Son — The farmer's son takes up a slot in the formation. He moves to a new slot every 25 areas. Every 15 seconds (in non-boss areas) the farmer's son foolishly summons a Frost Giant to attack the formation unless Strix is adjacent to him.
  Reach Area 175.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

It's time for the latest Idle Champion Spotlight, and this time around we're talking about a Tanking, Support, and Healing Champion who can create heavy armor with Netherese Steel stored in his very bones!

And did we mention that this Half-Orc Champion has his very own flumph ally?

Read on and learn all about Briv Steelmarrow...

I. Savage Paladin

Relentlessly brave but markedly uncouth, Briv Steelmarrow is a stalwart champion of the weak, innocent, downtrodden, and oppressed. Centuries ago, a cabal of Netherese mages experimented on Briv’s clan, gifting him with a magical metal inside his bones that he can pull through his skin and shape for attack or defense. Once a slaver, Briv sought atonement by joining the Order of the Lost Cause, an elite group of knights that travel across Faerûn, taking on quests that only fools would pursue.

Briv is a Tank, Support, and Healing Champion. He uses his Unnatural Haste ability to speed up area progression, and his Steelbones boosts his defense while buffing Champions behind him. When you want to add Briv to your formation, you can swap him with Calliope (Slot 5).

II. Briv's Stats

Race: Half-Orc	Alignment: Chaotic Good
Class: Paladin (Oath of Heroism)	Gender: Male
Age: 42	Affiliation: none

STR: 16	DEX: 14	CON: 16
INT: 10	WIS: 8	CHA: 18

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Vajra

III. Briv's Design

It's always a joy to work with a passionate creator to bring their character to life as a Champion in our game, and working with D&D Beyond's Adam Bradford was no exception. Adam was quick to provide numerous examples of Briv character art, including the official art by Max Dunbar, which really went a long ways towards helping to paint the visual picture of Briv Steelmarrow.


Art by Max Dunbar

Briv's abilities were an interesting challenge. With Netherese Steel in his bones, Briv has the ability to shoot it out of his pores to create heavy armor at will — or even violently expel it as a kind of shrapnel weapon, pulling it back into his body afterwards. These abilities became Steelbones, the core of Briv's design where he gains stacks of Steelbones when he is attacked, Netherese Steel, where Briv increases the damage of Champions behind him based how many stacks of Steelbones he has, and Netherese Explosion, where he uses the steel in his body to create an explosion out from him.

With Unnatural Haste we gave Briv a unique new ability that allows you to actually skip areas(!), consuming stacks of Sprint in the process. There is a minimum number of stacks needed for this ability to be able to proc (50), and each time it triggers it will consume a percentage of your stacks. How do you get Sprint stacks, you ask? When you reset, all stacks of Steelbones you have are converted into Sprint stacks, which persist through resets until they're consumed by Unnatural Haste. This will offer players quite the boost through those early levels after you complete a long Free Play. Don't worry about missing out on gems or loot — you will still earn anything you may have missed from areas you skip!

A pet flumph named Phlo accompanies Briv wherever he goes, and he has a unique ability, Healing Phlo, where Phlo stores healing power whenever Briv is struck by an attack. After 10 hits or 10 seconds, whichever comes first, Phlo heals all Champions in the party for 50% of the damage that Briv received during that time!

Flumphs really are the best.

IV. Briv's Abilities

Basic Attack

• Mocking Cleave — Briv leaps out and attacks a random enemy with his greatsword, cleaving all nearby enemies as well. On each enemy hit, there is a 20% chance that they will stop attacking another Champion and attack Briv if possible..

Formation Abilities

• Steelbones — Whenever Briv comes under attack, metal shoots out of his pores, covering him in heavy armor. This effect persists as long as Briv remains under attack, and for an additional five seconds afterwards. While armored, Briv takes 10% less damage and gains a stack of Steelbones whenever he is hit by an enemy attack.

• Netherese Steel — Briv increases the damage of all Champions behind him by 0.01% for each stack of Steelbones he has gained.

• Unnatural Haste — Briv has a 25% chance of sprinting forward quickly on steel-springs after completing a new area, skipping the next area entirely. This action consumes 4% of his Sprint stacks, and requires at least 50 stacks to occur. When you reset the adventure, all stacks of Steelbones that Briv has gained convert into stacks of Sprint, which persist between resets until they are used by this ability.
  
  Note: if the chance of springing forward surpasses 100%, it is divided by 2 and becomes a 50%+ chance to spring forward 2 areas. Likewise for surpassing 200%, 300%, etc.
• 100% / 2 -> 50% chance to skip 2 areas
• 200% / 4 -> 50% chance to skip 3 areas
• 300% / 6 -> 50% chance to skip 4 areas
• If you skip a boss area in this way, the gems, chests, red jewels, etc. from it are collected automatically.

• Healing Phlo — Briv's pet flumph Phlo appears next to Briv and telepathically stores healing power whenever Briv is hit. After 10 hits or 10 seconds, whichever comes first, Phlo heals all Champions in the party for 50% of the damage Briv took during that time. The 10 second timer only starts when Briv takes a hit and does not fire if the healing is triggered by taking 10 hits. It would start again at 10 seconds on the next hit after healing triggers.

• Oath of Heroism — Briv increases the max health of all other Champions by 25% of his max health.

Specializations

• Metalborn — Unnatural Haste uses 20% less Sprint stacks whenever it activates.

• Tempered Steel — Increase the effect of Netherese Steel by 100%.

• Go With The Phlo — Increase the heal of Healing Phlo by 50%.

Ultimate Ability

• Netherese Explosion — Briv forces all of his remaining Netherese Metal out of his body, shooting it in all directions in an arc in front of him, damaging enemies that it passes through. He then draws it back into himself, dealing double damage to enemies it hits on its way back to him.

V. Briv's Equipment

Slot 1: Global DPS	Slot 2: Max Health	Slot 3: Netherese Steel
Slot 4: Unnatural Haste	Slot 5: Ultimate Damage	Slot 6: Ultimate Cooldown

VI. Conclusion

Briv Steelmarrow is an absolute beast of a Champion, a savage paladin who can offer tanking, healing, and support, all in one package. We are excited to see how well he fits in to the Idle Champions meta. 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!