Scarlet Woman

Information

Type	Minion
Artist	Marianna Carr

"You have shown me the secrets of the Council of the Purple Flame. We have lain together in fire and in lust and in beastly commune, and I am forever your servant. But tonight, my dear, I am your master."

Appears in Cult of the Clocktower Episode by Andrew Nathenson

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Related Jinxes (Open)

	Al-Hadikhia If there are two living Al-Hadikhias, the Scarlet Woman Al-Hadikhia becomes the Scarlet Woman again.
	Fang Gu If the Fang Gu chooses an Outsider and dies, the Scarlet Woman does not become the Fang Gu.
	Lil' Monsta If there are 5 or more players alive and the player holding the Lil' Monsta token dies, the Scarlet Woman is given the Lil' Monsta token tonight.
	Plague Doctor If the Plague Doctor dies, a living Minion gains the Scarlet Woman ability in addition to their own ability, and learns this.

Summary

"If there are 5 or more players alive & the Demon dies, you become the Demon. (Travellers don't count)"

The Scarlet Woman becomes the Demon when the Demon dies.

• If there are five or more players just before the Demon dies—that is, four or more players left alive after the Demon dies—then the Scarlet Woman immediately becomes the Demon, and the game continues as if nothing happened.
• Travellers do not count as players when seeing if the Scarlet Woman's ability triggers.
• If less than five players are alive when the Demon is executed, then the game ends and good wins.
• If five or more players are alive when the Imp kills themself at night, the Scarlet Woman must become the new Imp.
• If the Scarlet Woman becomes the Demon, they are that Demon in every way. Good wins if they are executed. They attack each night. They register as the Demon.

How to Run

If the Demon dies and there were five or more alive players immediately before the Demon died, replace the Scarlet Woman token with a spare Imp token, changing that player's character from the Scarlet Woman into the Imp. (They are now the Demon and have the Imp's ability. If they die, good wins.)

That night, wake the new Imp, show them the YOU ARE info token, then show them the Imp token.

In Trouble Brewing, there is only one Demon—the Imp. In other editions, there are multiple possible Demons. If the Scarlet Woman becomes the Demon, they become the same type of Demon that died, and they gain this Demon's ability. When this happens, mark the Scarlet Woman with the IS THE DEMON reminder and refer to that Demon's "How to Run" instructions.

Examples

There are seven players alive: the Imp, the Scarlet Woman, two Townsfolk, and three Travellers. The Imp is executed, so the game ends and good wins because Travellers do not add to the player count for the Scarlet Woman's ability.

There are five players alive: the Imp, the Scarlet Woman, the Baron, and two Townsfolk. The Imp is executed. The Scarlet Woman becomes the Imp, and the game continues.

Brianna is the Scarlet Woman. The Fortune Teller chooses Brianna and Alex, and learns a "no.” Later, the Imp dies, so Brianna becomes the Imp. The Fortune Teller chooses Brianna and Alex again, and learns a "yes."

Tips & Tricks

• The Scarlet Woman is at her strongest when you co-ordinate with the Demon and figure out a strategy that you both like, since the Demon can safely die. Maybe you accuse the Demon of being evil, and the Demon does everything possible to make the good team think they are indeed evil? This makes you look very good, and trustworthy. Maybe the Demon kills themselves of a night time and claims to be the Ravenkeeper, saying that you are the character you say you are. Maybe the Demon accuses you of being evil, but does so unconvincingly, so that you look good by comparison. Maybe you and the Demon both claim to be the same character, such as the Mayor? After all, "one of you must be the Mayor", right? It doesn't matter which one of you dies, since the game continues with a living Demon either way.

• In the early game, staying alive is more important for you compared to other Minions. Whist it doesn't really matter if the Baron, or Poisoner dies early (since they can often cause a lot of disruption early in the game), you will need to survive until the end of the game if you intend to become the Demon at some point. Waiting, listening, then claiming to be a character that you know is not in play often achieves this best.

• Timing is important. Remember that if fewer than five players are alive when the Demon dies, the game is over and good wins. If your Demon has a lot of heat on them, and you think that they won't survive to the final day, take action and get your Demon killed while five or more players are still alive... before it's too late.

• Whilst you are the Scarlet Woman, you will not register as the Demon. So, if you can get yourself confirmed as such by good characters, such as the Slayer or the Fortune Teller, then become the Demon at a later stage, then the good team will be very confused about the identity of the real Demon, as their information won't add up.

• If the Demon is playing well, and seems to be trusted by the good team, there is no need to use your ability. You can play the normal Minion role of spreading false information, breeding distrust among the good players and generally being troublesome whilst ignoring your character ability.

Fighting the Scarlet Woman

• When the Scarlet Woman is in play, the Demon can get away with doing certain things they would not be able to otherwise. For example, they can be successfully executed, or die by a Slayer's ability and the game will continue. If you are certain that you definitely took out the Imp but the game is still going, you should be suspicious that a Scarlet Woman is in play. It is possible for an Undertaker to correctly see the Imp token without being the Drunk!

• If the Imp kills themselves at night, the Demonhood must always pass to the Scarlet Woman first before any other Minions. This can allow you to narrow down where the new Demon has ended up if the Imp gets away from you.

• The Demon and the Scarlet Woman may co-ordinate on their bluffs to confirm each other. For example, the Scarlet Woman may claim to be the Washerwoman and "confirm" the Demon's claim. This has the benefit of making them both look good, and potentially set up passing on the Demonhood later in the game.

• The Scarlet Woman does not register as a Demon, which means characters who detect Demons specifically will appear to get a clean read on them. For example, the Fortune Teller will not detect them, and the Slayer ability will not work on them. Be wary of players who are overeager to be checked or confirmed, especially early in the game.

• If you know a Scarlet Woman is in play (e.g. Getting a read from an Investigator or a Ravenkeeper), then a good strategy can be to leave them alive. On the final days when three players are left alive, you no longer have to answer the question "who is the Demon", but "did the Demon pass to the Scarlet Woman". If you think they did, you execute the Scarlet Woman. If you don't think they did, you eliminate the Scarlet Woman from contention and now have a one in two shot at the Demon overall.

• Unlike other Minions, the Scarlet Woman can be bolder about targeting their own Demon, and may even deliberately try to get them killed to make themselves look better. If you suspect someone is a Scarlet Woman, pay close attention to who they are targeting, and if their allegiances abruptly change; if they have been targeting a particular player and then change their tune once it gets below five players, then that may very well be their Demon.

• The Scarlet Woman is usually a backup plan, not a phase two; if the Demon is well integrated into the town or not under much suspicion, the Scarlet Woman may end up behaving more like a regular Minion, and sacrifice themselves more freely. If you discover a Scarlet Woman throwing themselves on their sword, it can be worthwhile to be suspicious of players who have been considered trustworthy up until that point.