Poisoner

Information

Type	Minion
Artist	Aidan Roberts

"Add compound Alpha to compound Beta... NOT TOO MUCH!"

Appears in Cult of the Clocktower Episode by Andrew Nathenson

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Summary

"Each night, choose a player: they are poisoned tonight and tomorrow day."

The Poisoner secretly disrupts character abilities.

• Each night, the Poisoner chooses someone to poison for that night and the entire next day.
• A poisoned player has no ability, but the Storyteller pretends they do. They do not affect the game in any real way. However, to keep up the illusion that the poisoned player is not poisoned, the Storyteller wakes them at the appropriate time and goes through the motions as if they were not poisoned. If their ability gives them information, the Storyteller may give them false information.
• If a poisoned player uses a "once per game" ability while poisoned, they cannot use their ability again.

How to Run

Each night, wake the Poisoner. They point at any player. The chosen player becomes poisoned—put the POISONED reminder token by the chosen player's character token. Put the Poisoner to sleep. (This poisoned player wakes and acts normally. They have no ability, but they think they do. If their ability would give them information, you can give false information to them if you wish. See “Drunkenness and Poisoning” in the rulebook.)

Each dusk, the poisoned player becomes healthy—remove their POISONED reminder.

Examples

During the night, the Poisoner poisons the Slayer. The next day, the Slayer tries to slay the Imp. Nothing happens. The Slayer now has no ability.

The poisoned Empath, who neighbours two evil players, learns a "0.” The next night, the Empath, no longer poisoned, learns the correct information: a "2.”

The Investigator is poisoned. They learn that one of two players is the Baron, even though neither is a Minion. (Or even the right players, but the wrong Minion type.)

The Undertaker is poisoned. Even though the Imp died today, they learn that the Virgin died. A few days later, a poisoned Saint dies, and the game continues.

The Poisoner poisons the Mayor, then becomes the Imp. The Mayor is no longer poisoned because there is no Poisoner in play.

Tips & Tricks

• Identifying targets for poison is vital. Characters who get information over several nights like the Fortune Teller or Undertaker are great choices if you can find them. You can also make your choice based on the player; players who are strong leaders and rallying the good team or players who are quiet and trying not to attract attention are good options.

• Undermine players who trust each other by poisoning the characters getting key info in that clique. If a group is rallying around an Undertaker, you can turn the entire group on someone innocent by poisoning them at the right time.

• Co-ordinate with your Demon so that you are not selecting the same players - unless they are a character like the Ravenkeeper, you'll just be wasting your poison for the day!

• Targeting characters like the Virgin, Slayer or Mayor can be excellent, but only if they use their ability while they are poisoned. You'll need to convince them to use their ability, or time it right so that they are compromised at the moment they choose to activate.

• It's risky, but you can poison your own Demon, and use the lack of death for that night to bluff as the Monk or Soldier. (You should probably warn your Demon you're going to do this!)

• If everyone is on board with the idea, try poisoning the Scarlet Woman. If the Imp chooses to kill themselves, the Scarlet Woman will become the new Demon... unless you poison them first! That way, you or a third Minion can become the new Imp and keep the Scarlet Woman in play. Just don't get your Imp killed while the Scarlet Woman is still poisoned!

• You will usually be more efficient as a Poisoner by selecting multiple targets around the town rather than focusing on one player for the entire game. You only really need to poison the Fortune Teller on the night they're checking your Demon, for example - then you're free to mess with other characters. This method of poisoning is also more difficult to detect than sticking to one player.

• On the other hand, if you only poison one player, that player might end up looking like the Drunk, perhaps hiding the real Drunk, or making it look like a Baron is in play.

• On the first night, if you don't know who to poison, poison a player sitting next to the Demon. You know which player is the Demon, and on the off chance that an Empath is sitting next to the Demon, you'll be giving some very damaging information to the good team.

• Make use of your Spy! They know who the best targets are and can guide you in the right direction.

Fighting the Poisoner

• The Poisoner is unlikely to target you because of your ability on the first night, since they don't know anyone but their fellow evil players and will be acting blindly. Therefore, you can usually trust that your ability will work correctly on the first night and day. This is particularly important for characters like the Virgin and the Slayer, who only get to use their abilities once, as well as the Washerwoman, Librarian, Investigator, and Chef.

• The Poisoner will especially want to target characters who get information over multiple nights, such as the Empath, Undertaker or Fortune Teller. They will also be keen to undermine characters like the Slayer, who can kill their Demon. If you think a Poisoner is in play, be cautious about these characters and their information, especially if they have come out publicly. However, if you believe a player has been poisoned, you can usually assume they were given false information by the Storyteller.

• If you are a character that would be unaffected by poison (e.g. Butler, Chef who has gotten their info), you can try to bluff as a juicy target for the Poisoner, ensuring that they don't target anyone else.

• Separating the Poisoner from the Drunk can be crucial. Knowing that you have one in play might signal what else is in the game. Uncovering a Drunk might tell you that the Recluse is telling you the truth, or that the Butler might be lying. The Librarian or Investigator, Undertaker, and Ravenkeeper can be the best ways to find out which is in play, but a lot of different people getting wrong information might point to the Poisoner.

• Be alert for characters who suddenly start getting inconsistent information, especially if they have recently revealed to the group. For example, an Empath who is still sitting between the same neighbours but is suddenly getting a different number to the previous nights is likely poisoned.

• In the absence of more obvious targets, poisoners typically will end up targeting players that are:
  • Strong or outspoken, especially if they are rallying or leading the good team
  • Friends or loved ones - it's hard to resist!
  • Quiet, or are trying not to attract attention; these look like they have something to hide.

• Unlike other Minions, the Poisoner is deadly throughout the entire game so long as they are alive. If you have a lead on a suspected Poisoner, it is always to your benefit to take them out as early in the game as possible. For example, an Investigator may know that one of two players is the Poisoner; it is best to execute them both. Alternatively, two players may be claiming to be the same character; this is usually an indication a Minion is doubling up with an existing good player, and eliminating both of them removes the Poisoner from contention.

• Remember that the Poisoner causes information to be misleading, not wrong. If you learn that you might have been poisoned, you might still have had true information!