Witch: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:33, 4 March 2023

"Three drops of goat's blood. A lock of hair, torn in anger. The name is spoken, the shadow cast. Walk left foot first down that brambled path, and don't look back."

Appears in Information

Type	Minion
Artist	Aiden Roberts

The Witch curses players, so that they die if they nominate.

Character Text

"Each night, choose a player: if they nominate tomorrow, they die. If just 3 players live, you lose this ability."

Examples

At night, the Witch curses the Sage. During the next day, the Sage nominates the Dreamer. The Storyteller immediately declares that the player of the Sage dies. The players still vote to execute the Dreamer, who dies too.

The Witch curses themself. During the next day, the Witch nominates the Demon, and dies. The players do not vote to execute the Demon, and nominations continue.

The Witch curses the Klutz. The Fang Gu attacks the Klutz, so the Klutz becomes the Fang Gu. The new Fang Gu is now cursed by the Witch, and they nominate. The new Fang Gu dies, and good wins.

The Witch curses the Savant. Later that night, after the Demon kills a player, only three players are alive, so the curse is removed. The Savant may nominate safely.

The Witch curses the Juggler. During the next day, the Juggler calls for the exile of a Traveller. The Juggler lives, and may nominate again, because abilities do not affect exiles.

Tips & Tricks

Selecting who to curse is the most important part of being the Witch, and depending on your group and the characters in play, there will be many different factors that will help you decide what that will be. Your fellow minions and demon are all equally powerful and disruptive, so make sure to coordinate with them for maximum devastation of the good team - it can be a real bummer to accidentally curse the person the demon kills that night!

Loud, boisterous players who have a lot to say are great Witch targets! It doesn't take much to antagonize them into nominating if they weren't planning to, and their death will catch them off guard, and often ruin their plans.

Aim for character claims who you want dead. This can include powerful claims like the Savant or Flowergirl, but also characters like the Klutz, who put the good team at incredible risk. Another great option is the Sage - their ability only activates upon death via demon, meaning that your curse will render them unable to receive their information.

Another good option for cursing is simply players who are regularly nominating. For example, if someone is trying to get another player killed and have nominated them twice already, you can bet they'll probably nominate the third day as well!

Some towns will be savvy to your tricks, and try to rotate the people who nominate to unlikely targets for you as a Witch. They may also want to maximize the amount of information that a potential Town Crier is gaining from those nominations. If you see this sort of trend, go after quieter players or ones who haven't nominated yet, then let the good team do the talking.

Deliberately curse another evil player or yourself to look good. Players who die by Witch are usually going to be seen as good, so sacrificing yourself at the right moment can let you sneak in behind enemy lines and spread discord. (Beware the Oracle if you choose to try this out - they'll detect that evil has died recently and could cast suspicion on you!)

Hide your identity to support bluffs that other evil minions are in play. When a Witch activates, it is obvious to the town - someone nominates and then they immediately die. If your demon and another minion are bluffing as being the Good and Evil Twin, then the reveal that you are in play will undermine that bluff and make it obvious they are lying. Remember that you can curse a dead player - this will hide your ability from the group when necessary.

Fighting the Evil Twin

You only need to be wary of nominating if a Witch is actually in play, but you might not know know this on the first day. Be wary of nominating at all on the first day. If a Witch has proven to be in play due to a player dying when nominating, continue to be wary of nominating.

Encourage the quieter players in the group to nominate. Quieter players, or players who do not usually nominate, are less likely to be targeted by the Witch.

Do you have a reputation for nominating? Are you loud, boisterous, and a leader within your town? Are you frequently targeted in game for your dashing good looks and incredible skills? You just might be Witch bait! Witches tend to curse players that lead the group, so if this is you, don't nominate unless somebody else has died due to the Witch already.

You don't need to be concerned about the Witch, if it isn't even in play! Because the minions in Sects & Violets act in obvious ways, you will typically know when a Witch is in play due to a process of elimination. For example, if there is only 1 Minion in play, and two players are claiming that the other is the Evil Twin, then you can be pretty certain that the Minion is the Evil Twin, and not the Witch. If there are 2 Minions in this game, and someone is claiming to have been changed into a different character last night, and someone is claiming to have been made mad yesterday, you can assume that the Minions are a Pit-Hag and a Cerenovus. No Witch, no worries.

People who die by due to the Witch are most likely good. The Witch, particularly if the player is a beginner, will typically curse good players. And powerful good players at that. If the Savant, Flowergirl, or Clockmaker dies when they nominate, you can safely assume that those players are good, and telling the truth about the information they receive.

Don't let fear paralyze you - seize the day! Nominating haphazardly and losing 1 or 2 players to the realm of the dead isn't the end of the world. Those deaths certainly helped the evil team get closer to victory, but you still have a chance to execute the Demon. Focus on what you can do to win, not what you should have done earlier on.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 <div id='character-details'>
-[[File:icon_cerenovus.png|250px]]
+[[File:icon_witch.png|250px]]
-<p class='flavour'>"Reality is merely an opinion. Specifically, my opinion."<p>
+<p class='flavour'>"Three drops of goat's blood. A lock of hair, torn in anger. The name is spoken, the shadow cast. Walk left foot first down that brambled path, and don't look back."<p>
 <span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;">Appears in</span>
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 <tr>
 <td>Artist</td>
-<td>John Grist</td>
+<td>Aiden Roberts</td>
 </tr>
 </table>
@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 <div class="small-12 large-9 large-pull-3 columns">
-The Cerenovus encourages players to pretend to be different characters than they actually are.
+The Witch curses players, so that they die if they nominate.
 __TOC__
@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 == Character Text ==
-"Each night, choose a player & a good character: they are "mad" they are this character tomorrow, or might be executed."
+"Each night, choose a player: if they nominate tomorrow, they die. If just 3 players live, you lose this ability."
 <br><br>
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 <div class='example'>
-The Cerenovus makes the {{Good|Barber}} mad about being the {{Good|Savant}}. Tomorrow, the {{Good|Barber}} claims to be the {{Good|Savant}}, talks to the Storyteller, and tells the group two facts that they made up. When asked whether they are mad, the {{Good|Barber}} says "no" emphatically, so avoids being executed.
+At night, the Witch curses the {{Good|Sage}}. During the next day, the {{Good|Sage}} nominates the {{Good|Dreamer}}. The Storyteller immediately declares that the player of the {{Good|Sage}} dies. The players still vote to execute the {{Good|Dreamer}}, who dies too.
 </div>
 <div class='example'>
-The dead {{Good|Artist}} is made mad about being the {{Good|Sage}}. The next day, they say nothing about being the {{Good|Sage}}. The {{Good|Artist}} is executed.
+The Witch curses themself. During the next day, the Witch nominates the Demon, and dies. The players do not vote to execute the Demon, and nominations continue.
 </div>
 <div class='example'>
-The Cerenovus makes the {{Good|Flowergirl}} mad about being the {{Good|Clockmaker}}. The {{Good|Flowergirl}} says to the group that they are the {{Good|Clockmaker}} and learned a "2,” but hints privately to other players that they are mad. The Storyteller overhears this and executes the {{Good|Flowergirl}}.
+The Witch curses the {{Good|Klutz}}. The {{Evil|Fang Gu}} attacks the {{Good|Klutz}}, so the {{Good|Klutz}} becomes the {{Evil|Fang Gu}}. The new {{Evil|Fang Gu}} is now cursed by the Witch, and they nominate. The new {{Evil|Fang Gu}} dies, and good wins.
 </div>
+<div class='example'>
+The Witch curses the {{Good|Savant}}. Later that night, after the Demon kills a player, only three players are alive, so the curse is removed. The {{Good|Savant}} may nominate safely.
 </div>
-== Tips & Tricks ==
+<div class='example'>
+The Witch curses the {{Good|Juggler}}. During the next day, the {{Good|Juggler}} calls for the exile of a Traveller. The {{Good|Juggler}} lives, and may nominate again, because abilities do not affect exiles.
+</div>
-* Madness is an infliction that can severely hinder the good team, and also a fine art - you can block a player from revealing information, force a player to change their story or double up with another good player, and even get your victim executed if they don't play along. When choosing who to make mad (and about what), think carefully about your preferred outcome!
+</div>
-* Target players who have a lot to say. Most games will have those players who are running the show - maybe they've built up trust with other players and have some sway, or maybe they're just ''very'' sure they're right. Either way, forcing this sort of player to become mad will hinder them and their ability to coordinate with their allies... or sow seeds of doubt.
+== Tips & Tricks ==
-* If a player is revealing a lot of important information, you can use your madness to neutralize them. The {{Good|Flowergirl}}, {{Good|Seamstress}} or {{Good|Oracle}} will have a hard time revealing their game-changing info if you're forcing them to act as the {{Good|Sweetheart}}. Track who people are listening to (publicly or privately) so you can focus on them.
+* Selecting who to curse is the most important part of being the Witch, and depending on your group and the characters in play, there will be many different factors that will help you decide what that will be. Your fellow minions and demon are all equally powerful and disruptive, so make sure to coordinate with them for maximum devastation of the good team - it can be a real bummer to accidentally curse the person the demon kills that night!
-* One dastardly move that can really put the good team on the spot is to make them mad that they are a complicated character like the {{Good|Savant}}, who receives a ''lot'' of information... close to the end of the game. Watching this player scramble to invent 3+ days of information is not only hilarious, but a great distraction for the good team.
+* Loud, boisterous players who have a lot to say are great Witch targets! It doesn't take much to antagonize them into nominating if they weren't planning to, and their death will catch them off guard, and often ruin their plans.
-* When choosing who you make mad, try to be subtle or consistent. Players who are no longer mad will immediately reveal to the group that they were affected by you, and at that point on the good team will be on the lookout for loud, bold madness. A way to avoid this are to consistently choose the same player, making them mad every single day so they have no chance to reveal what you're doing to them, at the cost of restricting your movements to this one player. Another way is to pick subtle, plausible characters for your madness - for example, having someone reveal as an Outsider in a suspected {{Evil|Fang Gu}} game, or someone who has given inconsistent information reveal as a character like the {{Good|Snake Charmer}}.
+* Aim for character claims who you want dead. This can include powerful claims like the {{Good|Savant}} or {{Good|Flowergirl}}, but also characters like the {{Good|Klutz}}, who put the good team at incredible risk. Another great option is the {{Good|Sage}} - their ability only activates upon death via ''demon'', meaning that your curse will render them unable to receive their information.
-* An advanced way to use madness is to build a consistent narrative. For example, you can force a player to reveal as the {{Good|Sage}}.... but it'll lend a little credence to their forced bluff if you had them bluffing as a {{Good|Dreamer}} the day before, just like a real {{Good|Sage}} would. This allows you to undermine the real {{Good|Sage}} without it necessarily coming off as just one of them being mad - the simple logical thread you have created will be something the other players find pleasing and want to hold onto. Another option for a consistent narrative is to feed into the story the evil team is trying to make - for example, if you're trying to convince them a {{Evil|Fang Gu}} is in play, make people mad they are Outsiders.
+* Another good option for cursing is simply players who are regularly nominating. For example, if someone is trying to get another player killed and have nominated them twice already, you can bet they'll probably nominate the third day as well!
-* If the good team suspects that the {{Evil|Vortox}} is in play, they will be very reluctant to end the day without an execution. If they don't have any strong leads on potential evil, they may fall back to 'safe' executions - players who have used their abilities (such as the {{Good|Clockmaker}} or {{Good|Artist}}). Causing a more powerful character to become mad they are one of these characters can see the good team executing them without you having to lift a finger - and if they protest, they might break madness and be executed anyway!
+* Some towns will be savvy to your tricks, and try to rotate the people who nominate to unlikely targets for you as a Witch. They may also want to maximize the amount of information that a potential {{Good|Town Crier}} is gaining from those nominations. If you see this sort of trend, go after quieter players or ones who haven't nominated yet, then let the good team do the talking.
-* Your ability can also affect dead players! Even if they are dead, they can still be executed should they break madness (meaning the good team does not get to execute someone of their choice instead, and the evil team gets a free night to act). If you know who your demon is going to kill, hit them with a madness about being the {{Good|Barber}}, {{Good|Sweetheart}} or {{Good|Klutz}} for an extra fun distraction for the good team!
+* Deliberately curse another evil player or yourself to look good. Players who die by Witch are usually going to be seen as good, so sacrificing yourself at the right moment can let you sneak in behind enemy lines and spread discord. (Beware the {{Good|Oracle}} if you choose to try this out - they'll detect that evil has died recently and could cast suspicion on you!)
-* On paper, making someone mad that they are the {{Good|Mutant}} seems like a fun trick. In reality, this madness doesn't help you - your target will be forced to reveal they are the {{Good|Mutant}}, which obviously does nothing since they (probably) do not have the {{Good|Mutant}} ability. The good team will know they are probably afflicted by madness, thus revealing you are in play!
+* Hide your identity to support bluffs that other evil minions are in play. When a Witch activates, it is obvious to the town - someone nominates and then they immediately die. If your demon and another minion are bluffing as being the Good and {{Evil|Evil Twin}}, then the reveal that you are in play will undermine that bluff and make it obvious they are lying. Remember that you can curse a dead player - this will hide your ability from the group when necessary.
-* Target evil players deliberately to make them look good. This has some risk associated with it since they can be executed if they don't play the madness effectively, but if the good team believes a player has been targeted by evil abilities, they'll be more likely to trust them. Just... probably warn your demon before you do it.
-* Your ability is obvious for the good team - madness is a very public affliction, so the good team will know you are in play pretty confidently after a few days. Keep this in mind if your evil team is bluffing that other minions are in existence; for example, in a one minion game, your demon could not have been shape-shifted by a [[Pit-Hag|<span style="color:#bb0a1e;">Pit-Hag</span>]] if someone died because of your madness, which will expose them as a liar!
-* This is an advanced tip, but a fun one: The Storyteller is the one who decides how sincere a player is when playing out a madness. This allows for some leniency for newer players, and conversely a difficulty spike for the experienced players who know the game well and understand how madness works. Targeting the latter will give you a better chance of seeing complicated and sincere madness getting played out, since more is expected of them - and it's as entertaining as it is effective!
 <br>
 == Fighting the Evil Twin ==
-* Make sure you understand what "madness" means. If you are mad, or if you are dealing with a mad player, knowing how madness actually works is crucial. If the Cerenovus makes you mad that you are a particular character, you must do your best to convince the group that you are this particular character, or the Storyteller will execute you. Tell the group which character you are, if that character receives information, make up some information to tell the group. If another player claims to be the same character, tell the group that they are lying, because YOU are that character. Do whatever you need to do to convince the group that you are the character that the Cerenovus has made you mad about being. Am important thing to note, is that simply saying "I am the {{Good|Dreamer}}", at the beginning of the day for example, then staying quiet, will probably result in your execution. It doesn't really matter "what" you say to the group, but your tone, enthusiasm, and the strength of your arguments. If the Storyteller thinks that you are putting in a genuine effort to convince the group that you are the character that you are mad about being, then the Storyteller will almost certainly not execute you.
+* You only need to be wary of nominating if a Witch is actually in play, but you might not know know this on the first day. Be wary of nominating at all on the first day. If a Witch has proven to be in play due to a player dying when nominating, continue to be wary of nominating.
-* If you are targeted by the Cerenovus, and you don't put in the effort to convince the group that you are this new character, the Storyteller may execute you. This is sometimes acceptable, or even beneficial to your team. For example, if you are the {{Good|Oracle}}, and have a huge amount of information to tell the group about the dead players, but haven't been able to due to being mad, it might be best to ignore the Cerenovus curse, tell the group that you are the {{Good|Oracle}} and then tell them your information, and simply be executed as a result. Sometimes, your information is worth more than your life. Similarly, if you are not very competent at being mad about a specific character, the Storyteller may execute you - this is not the end of the world. Play on, you'll have more days to find and execute the Demon.
-* Beware the Storyteller! When players are affected by the Cerenovus, the Storyteller will often be paying much closer attention to who is saying what. For example, if a player is publicly being mad about being the {{Good|Klutz}} (i.e. trying to the convince the group that they are the {{Good|Klutz}}), but winks when they think the Storyteller isn't looking, or has a whispered conversation where they tell a neighbour that they are actually the {{Good|Snake Charmer}}, if the Storyteller catches them in the act, they may be executed immediately.
+* Encourage the quieter players in the group to nominate. Quieter players, or players who do not usually nominate, are less likely to be targeted by the Witch.
-* Beware evil players! If you are mad that you are a different character, but you decide to secretly tell a player or two in private what your real character is (when you think that the Storyteller isn't looking), you might accidentally be talking to an evil player that snitches on you. This player, if they signal to the group, or if they tell the Storyteller directly what you have told them, can deliberately get you executed.
+* Do you have a reputation for nominating? Are you loud, boisterous, and a leader within your town? Are you frequently targeted in game for your dashing good looks and incredible skills? You just might be Witch bait! Witches tend to curse players that lead the group, so if this is you, don't nominate unless somebody else has died due to the Witch already.
-* If you think someone is targeted by the Cerenovus, don't pressure them too much about their information. They may be mad, they may be lying for a different reason. But if you, and a significant number of the group, believes that the mad player is just saying what they are because they are targeted by the Cerenovus, then the Storyteller may execute the player in question.
+* You don't need to be concerned about the Witch, if it isn't even in play! Because the minions in [[Sects & Violets]] act in obvious ways, you will typically know when a Witch is in play due to a process of elimination. For example, if there is only 1 Minion in play, and two players are claiming that the other is the {{Evil|Evil Twin}}, then you can be pretty certain that the Minion is the {{Evil|Evil Twin}}, and not the Witch. If there are 2 Minions in this game, and someone is claiming to have been changed into a different character last night, and someone is claiming to have been made mad yesterday, you can assume that the Minions are a [[Pit-Hag|<span style="color:#bb0a1e;">Pit-Hag</span>]] and a {{Evil|Cerenovus}}. No Witch, no worries.
-* The Cerenovus can target dead people!. The citizens of Ravenswood Bluff can, and sometimes do, execute corpses. It's a weird place. If a dead player has been targeted by the Cerenovus, that player may still be executed for not being mad enough. Since only one execution can occur per day, no nominations may take place, no other player may be executed today, and the night phase will begin.
+* People who die by due to the Witch are most likely good. The Witch, particularly if the player is a beginner, will typically curse good players. And powerful good players at that. If the {{Good|Savant}}, {{Good|Flowergirl}}, or {{Good|Clockmaker}} dies when they nominate, you can safely assume that those players are good, and telling the truth about the information they receive.
-* As a group, you will probably know when a Cerenovus in is play. Players may be executed at odd times. Players may tell the group that they were Cerenovused *yesterday*, or on previous days, which they can safely do if they are not targeted any more. Pay attention to who claims to have been chosen by the Cerenovus, and backtrack with that information to get clues as to who is good and who is evil. If two people claim to have been chosen by the Cerenovus on the same previous night, then at least one of them is lying, and therefore probably evil. The Cerenovus will almost always choose good players, and will never choose the Demon (it's far too risky!) unless they have a death wish, so you can safely assume that players that have been chosen in the past are not the Demon. Keep these players alive, even if you think they might be a Minion, and focus on killing the Demon.
+* Don't let fear paralyze you - seize the day! Nominating haphazardly and losing 1 or 2 players to the realm of the dead isn't the end of the world. Those deaths certainly helped the evil team get closer to victory, but you still have a chance to execute the Demon. Focus on what you can do to win, not what you should have done earlier on.
 </div>