Zombuul and Slayer: Difference between pages

Latest revision as of 14:58, 7 October 2024

Information

Type	Townsfolk
Artist	Aidan Roberts

"Die."

Appears in

Cult of the Clocktower Episode by Andrew Nathenson

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Related Jinxes (Open)

Lleech

If the Slayer slays the Lleech's host, the host dies.

Summary

"Once per game, during the day, publicly choose a player: if they are the Demon, they die."

The Slayer can kill the Demon by guessing who they are.

The Slayer can choose to use their ability at any time during the day, and must declare to everyone when they're using it. If the Slayer chooses the Demon, the Demon dies immediately. Otherwise, nothing happens.
The players do not learn the identity of the dead player. After all, it may have been the Recluse!
A Slayer that uses their ability while poisoned or drunk may not use it again.
The Slayer will want to choose an alive player. Even if the Slayer chooses a dead Imp, nothing happens, because a dead player can't die again.
Players may say whatever they want at any time, so a player who's pretending to be the Slayer may pretend to use the Slayer ability.

How to Run

During the day, the Slayer can declare that they wish to use their ability. If so, the Slayer points at any player. If the chosen player is an alive Demon, declare that the chosen player dies—put a shroud on their character token in the Grimoire. If the chosen player is not an alive Demon, say "Nothing happens." Either way, the Slayer loses their ability—put the Slayer's NO ABILITY reminder token by the Slayer token.

If a player is bluffing as the Slayer and declares they wish to use their ability, act as if they were indeed the Slayer—allow time for discussion, let them make the decision, and act like you're fiddling with tokens in your Grimoire, then say "Nothing happens."

When the Slayer declares that they wish to use their ability, give the group a minute or two to discuss who the Slayer should choose. This allows the group to feel responsible for the win (or the loss!), but the Slayer always makes the final choice.

Examples

The Slayer chooses the Imp. The Imp dies, and good wins!

The Slayer chooses the Recluse. The Storyteller decides that the Recluse registers as the Imp, so the Recluse dies, but the game continues.

The Imp is bluffing as the Slayer. They declare that they use their Slayer ability on the Scarlet Woman. Nothing happens.

Tips & Tricks

Using your ability late in the game is far more effective than using it early in the game. When fewer people are alive, there is a greater chance that you will select the Demon and win the game. Also, if fewer than five players are alive, then the Scarlet Woman cannot become the Demon after you kill it.

However, using your ability early in the game is better than not using your ability at all because you're dead. Most players will die before the final day arrives, so the odds that you'll also be dead by then are high. Make sure you use your ability before you die. The Demon will want to kill you as soon as possible, so it is usually best to wait, then claim to be the Slayer only on the day that you intend to use your ability.

Coordinate with the other good players to help you select which player to choose. When you tell the group that you are the Slayer, you may find that many players reveal who they are and what information they have, so that you can make the best decision about who to slay. You can make particular use of a Fortune Teller's info to find people who might be the Demon.

Most of the time, the player that you choose to slay will not be the Demon. This is still useful to do, since you now know a player that is definitely NOT the Demon. Knowing who the Demon isn't is almost as useful as knowing who the Demon is.

Sometimes, it can be useful to choose to slay a player, not because you think that they are the Demon, but because you just want to make sure that they are not. For example, if a player is claiming to be the Saint, and is about to be executed, you can prove that they are not the Demon by using your ability on them - if they don't die, you will probably want to execute somebody else instead!

An advanced strategy can be to try to influence the Demon's kills with your shot. If someone claims to be the Ravenkeeper, try to slay them. If they aren't the Imp, the real Demon will be forced to make a difficult choice: to kill them, and give them information, or to leave them alive late into the game with everyone knowing they aren't the Demon?

When you choose to use your ability, the Storyteller should allow a minute or so for the group to discuss who they think you should choose. They may give you advice, but it is always your decision. This period can be a good time to pretend to be "about to choose" a particular player... just so you can watch to see how much they sweat under pressure. If, for example, you really want to slay the player claiming to be the Mayor, you can tell the group that you are really keen to choose the player claiming Soldier, but secretly you want to see how the Soldier player reacts before making your final choice.

If you find a Monk in play, convince them to protect you every night. This way, you can publicly claim to be the Slayer, safe in the knowledge that the Demon can not kill you tonight. Whilst the Monk is alive, you know you will always be alive tomorrow, so are under no pressure to use your ability today. If the Monk dies at night, you are no longer safe, but if you die at night whilst the Monk is still alive, then you know the player is not actually the Monk.

Beware the Poisoner! If you publicly claim to be the Slayer, even if the Monk is protecting you, you are a prime target for poisoning.

Your ability may work on the Recluse, since the Recluse might register as the Demon. If your target dies, and claims to be the Recluse, then they might actually be the Recluse... or they could have been the Demon, but had a Scarlet Woman who is now the Demon.

You can use your ability at any time during the day. There's no need to rush. You can even use it with the day about to end. On the block? Take your shot. Even if you don't have a clue who the Demon is, it's better to have shot someone than to die unspent.

Remember that your ability only works on the Demon. A person surviving your shot does not prove that they are good, merely that they are not the Demon.

Be aware that the Imp may change players throughout the game. If you choose to slay a Minion early in the game, nothing will happen, but that same player may be the Imp by the end of the game.

Bluffing as the Slayer

When bluffing as the Slayer, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

You would never wake in the night as the Slayer. Instead, you should publicly announce that you want to claim to be the Slayer, and the Storyteller will take care of the rest of your bluff for you. There is nothing tricky about this character as a bluff.

Nobody will ever die as a result of you "using your Slayer ability". With this in mind, there are a few ways you can choose to handle it:
- Deliberately slaying a Demon or another evil player to make them look like they are not the Demon, which can be useful for setting up bluffs. This is an especially good tactic when combined with the Scarlet Woman, since the real Demon can die and pass their ability to a player who has already been exonerated.
- Slaying a good player to confirm them as not the Demon; this will enable you to 'trust' them, and will enable them to want to team up with you because of it.
- Alternatively, you can deliberately slay a good player, and then start to appear evil (e.g. Empath, setting yourself up to be read by an Undertaker, etc.) Since you 'protected' a player from suspicion with your ability, they will appear evil as well.

Solicit the opinion of the group on who you should pick. Good players will be keen to help you make the right choice, and working with them will make you look good, also potentially coaxing information characters out from hiding who want to guide you to the right choice.

The Slayer is a good "backup bluff". If you claim to be a character that is already in play, or you are otherwise under suspicion by the group, claiming that you were lying about who you were so that you could survive an extra day or two as the Slayer is believable - after all... that is what a real Slayer might very well do.

Bluffing as a Slayer also works for good players! A Slayer with no ability is not a high priority target for the Demon, enabling you to survive and continue secretly gathering information.

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 		<div id='character-details'>
-			[[File:icon_zombuul.png|250px]]
+			[[File:icon_slayer.png|250px]]
 			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;">Information</span>
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 				<tr>
 					<td>Type</td>
-					<td>[[Character Types#Demon|Demon]]</td>
+					<td>[[Character Types#Townsfolk|Townsfolk]]</td>
 				</tr>
 				<tr>
 					<td>Artist</td>
 					<td>Aidan Roberts</td>
 				</tr>
 			</table>
-			<p class='flavour'>"I do not. Understand. Your ways. Fellow human. Show me. The dirt. Where the holy. Lay. Sleeping. I too. Must sleep. Soon."</p>
+			<p class='flavour'>"Die."</p>
 			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;">Appears in</span>
-			[[File:logo_bad_moon_rising.png|100px|link=Bad Moon Rising]]
+			[[File:logo_trouble_brewing.png|100px|link=Trouble Brewing]]
 			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px;">Cult of the Clocktower Episode</span>
 			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">by Andrew Nathenson</span>
-			<div style='padding-bottom: 10px' class="html5audio" data-file="https://anchor.fm/s/daf1f9c/podcast/play/64282901/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2023-0-31%2F310268038-44100-2-36210e33bc46f.m4a">You need to enable JavaScript to play this audio</div>
+			<div style='padding-bottom: 10px' class="html5audio" data-file="https://anchor.fm/s/daf1f9c/podcast/play/4340831/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F2019-7-24%2F21609314-44100-2-94d8d2e8d0bf8.mp3">You need to enable JavaScript to play this audio</div>
 		</div>
@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 		<div id='jinxes'>
-			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 18px; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: Dumbledor;">Related Jinxes</span>
+			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 18px; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: Dumbledor;">
+				Related Jinxes <span style="cursor: pointer; color: #5C1F22;" id="jinx-toggle">(Open)</span>
+			</span>
 			<table style="width: 90%; margin: 0 auto;">
-{{Jinx|Summoner|summoner|Evil|If the Summoner turns a dead player into the Zombuul, the Storyteller treats that player as a Zombuul that has died once.}}
+{{Jinx|Lleech|lleech|Evil|If the Slayer slays the Lleech's host, the host dies.}}
 			</table>
@@ Line 49: / Line 50: @@
 		<div class="small-12 large-6 columns">
 == Summary ==
-"Each night*, if no-one died today, choose a player: they die. The 1st time you die, you live but register as dead."
+"Once per game, during the day, publicly choose a player: if they are the Demon, they die."
-The Zombuul secretly remains alive while in the grave.
+The Slayer can kill the Demon by guessing who they are.
-* When the Zombuul would die for any reason, they actually don’t die, but the Storyteller acts as if they died. The second time the Zombuul dies, they die for real and good wins.
+* The Slayer can choose to use their ability at any time during the day, and must declare to everyone when they're using it. If the Slayer chooses the Demon, the Demon dies immediately. Otherwise, nothing happens.
-* The seemingly dead Zombuul counts as a dead player in almost every way. The player’s life token on the Town Square flips to indicate their death. The next time they vote, they lose their vote token. They cannot nominate, they may vote with the Voudon, they’re not an alive neighbor for the Tea Lady, and so on. The only differences are that the game continues, the Zombuul still attacks, and the game continues if just two other players are alive.
+* The players do not learn the identity of the dead player. After all, it may have been the Recluse!
-* The Zombuul only wakes at night to attack if nobody died that day. If a dead player is executed, the player can’t die again, so the Zombuul would still wake.
+* A Slayer that uses their ability while poisoned or drunk may not use it again.
-* If a drunk or poisoned Zombuul dies, good wins. If a “dead” Zombuul becomes drunk or poisoned, do not announce that the player is alive.
+* The Slayer will want to choose an alive player. Even if the Slayer chooses a dead Imp, nothing happens, because a dead player can't die again.
+* Players may say whatever they want at any time, so a player who's pretending to be the Slayer may pretend to use the Slayer ability.
 		</div>
 		<div class="small-12 large-6 columns" style="padding-right: 0;">
 == How to Run ==
+During the day, the Slayer can declare that they wish to use their ability. If so, the Slayer points at any player. If the chosen player is an alive Demon, declare that the chosen player dies—put a shroud on their character token in the Grimoire. If the chosen player is not an alive Demon, say "Nothing happens." Either way, the Slayer loses their ability—put the Slayer's '''NO ABILITY''' reminder token by the Slayer token.
-The first time the Zombuul would die, they remain alive. Declare that they died, but do not add a shroud to the Zombuul. (''Flip the life token on the Town Square, as normal.'') From now on, the
+If a player is bluffing as the Slayer and declares they wish to use their ability, act as if they were indeed the Slayer—allow time for discussion, let them make the decision, and act like you're fiddling with tokens in your Grimoire, then say "Nothing happens."
-Zombuul registers as dead.
-Each day, if a player dies, mark them with the '''DIED TODAY''' reminder. (''If the Zombuul “dies” by execution, they register as dead, so mark the Zombuul with the DIED TODAY reminder.'')
-Each night except the first, if any player is marked '''DIED TODAY''', do not wake the Zombuul.
-Each night except the first, if no player is marked '''DIED TODAY''', wake the Zombuul. They point at any player. Put the Zombuul to sleep. The chosen player '''dies'''—mark them with the '''DEAD''' reminder.
+When the Slayer declares that they wish to use their ability, give the group a minute or two to discuss who the Slayer should choose. This allows the group to feel responsible for the win (or the loss!), but the Slayer always makes the final choice.
 		</div>
@@ Line 80: / Line 78: @@
 			<div class='example'>
-				The Zombuul is executed and appears to die. They cannot attack tonight. A few days later, only two players appear alive on the Town Square. The good team is fairly certain that one of the dead players is the Zombuul, and the game continues until one more player dies.
+				The Slayer chooses the {{Evil|Imp}}. The {{Evil|Imp}} dies, and good wins!
+			</div>
+			<div class='example'>
+				The Slayer chooses the {{Good|Recluse}}. The Storyteller decides that the {{Good|Recluse}} registers as the {{Evil|Imp}}, so the {{Good|Recluse}} dies, but the game continues.
 			</div>
 			<div class='example'>
-				Nobody died today. That night, the Zombuul attacks. The next day, the {{Good|Tinker}} dies. That night, the Zombuul does not wake.
+				The {{Evil|Imp}} is bluffing as the Slayer. They declare that they use their Slayer ability on the {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}}. Nothing happens.
 			</div>
@@ Line 96: / Line 98: @@
 == Tips & Tricks ==
-* The sinister Zombuul is the deadliest Demon in [[Bad Moon Rising]] for its stealth and survivability. The {{Evil|Shabaloth}} and {{Evil|Po}} may kill many and the {{Evil|Pukka}} may strike with their poison, but they are all disappointingly fragile when the town eventually uncovers them. Not so for you - you're hard to find and harder to kill, and your patience is legendary; you're content to lie among the dead and listen peacefully as the town tears themselves apart looking for a Demon among the living, not ever suspecting that one of the rotting corpses in the graveyard still draws breath. The good team should pray you're not the Demon they're facing, because then no player is safe; the dead and the living alike are all equally and terrifyingly suspect.
+* Using your ability late in the game is far more effective than using it early in the game. When fewer people are alive, there is a greater chance that you will select the Demon and win the game. Also, if fewer than five players are alive, then the {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}} cannot become the Demon after you kill it.
+* However, using your ability early in the game is better than not using your ability at all because you're dead. Most players will die before the final day arrives, so the odds that you'll also be dead by then are high. Make sure you use your ability before you die. The Demon will want to kill you as soon as possible, so it is usually best to wait, then claim to be the Slayer only on the day that you intend to use your ability.
+* Coordinate with the other good players to help you select which player to choose. When you tell the group that you are the Slayer, you may find that many players reveal who they are and what information they have, so that you can make the best decision about who to slay. You can make particular use of a {{Good|Fortune Teller}}'s info to find people who might be the Demon.
+* Most of the time, the player that you choose to slay will not be the Demon. This is still useful to do, since you now know a player that is definitely NOT the Demon. Knowing who the Demon isn't is almost as useful as knowing who the Demon is.
+* Sometimes, it can be useful to choose to slay a player, not because you think that they are the Demon, but because you just want to make sure that they are not. For example, if a player is claiming to be the {{Good|Saint}}, and is about to be executed, you can prove that they are not the Demon by using your ability on them - if they don't die, you will probably want to execute somebody else instead!
+* An advanced strategy can be to try to influence the Demon's kills with your shot. If someone claims to be the {{Good|Ravenkeeper}}, try to slay them. If they aren't the {{Evil|Imp}}, the real Demon will be forced to make a difficult choice: to kill them, and give them information, or to leave them alive late into the game with everyone knowing they aren't the Demon?
+* When you choose to use your ability, the Storyteller should allow a minute or so for the group to discuss who they think you should choose. They may give you advice, but it is always your decision. This period can be a good time to pretend to be "about to choose" a particular player... just so you can watch to see how much they sweat under pressure. If, for example, you really want to slay the player claiming to be the {{Good|Mayor}}, you can tell the group that you are really keen to choose the player claiming {{Good|Soldier}}, but secretly you want to see how the {{Good|Soldier}} player reacts before making your final choice.
+* If you find a {{Good|Monk}} in play, convince them to protect you every night. This way, you can publicly claim to be the Slayer, safe in the knowledge that the Demon can not kill you tonight. Whilst the {{Good|Monk}} is alive, you know you will always be alive tomorrow, so are under no pressure to use your ability today. If the {{Good|Monk}} dies at night, you are no longer safe, but if you die at night whilst the {{Good|Monk}} is still alive, then you know the player is not actually the {{Good|Monk}}.
+* Beware the {{Evil|Poisoner}}! If you publicly claim to be the Slayer, even if the {{Good|Monk}} is protecting you, you are a prime target for poisoning.
+* Your ability may work on the {{Good|Recluse}}, since the {{Good|Recluse}} might register as the Demon. If your target dies, and claims to be the {{Good|Recluse}}, then they might actually be the {{Good|Recluse}}... or they could have been the Demon, but had a {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}} who is now the Demon.
-* You only have the ability to kill at night if nobody has died during the day. This can be difficult, since even though players are dying, it is primarily the good team that is killing them, meaning that a troublesome {{Good|Exorcist}} or {{Good|Courtier}} hovering around may continue to survive when you badly need them gone. One way to work around this limitation is to speak up for no executions, but the good team may find that suspicious and start questioning your allegiance if you push for that too often. A more reasonable strategy is to encourage executions that you don't think will cause death - for example, a {{Good|Sailor}} claim, or the neighbours of a {{Good|Tea Lady}}. This gives the good team information, but will also grant you your precious kill... providing the {{Good|Tinker}} doesn't drop dead in the middle of the day, anyway. You could also (probably only once) argue for a {{Evil|Mastermind}}, leveraging the good team's paranoia about whether or not they killed the Demon to have them hold off for a night rather than risking losing the game.
+* You can use your ability at any time during the day. There's no need to rush. You can even use it with the day about to end. On the block? Take your shot. Even if you don't have a clue who the Demon is, it's better to have shot someone than to die unspent.
-* Kill yourself, and hide in plain sight as a dead player! This can be especially effective if the good team thinks a different Demon is in play, since they will ignore the dead as suspects and focus on the living. Even if they ''do'' suspect you, choosing to die at the right moment can throw them off your trail - for example, get yourself executed early to "test" your {{Good|Sailor}} immunity, and blame a {{Evil|Pukka}} for your death. Alternatively and more simply, you can just choose yourself and die at night - players who die at night tend to be good and considered trustworthy. Finally, you can coordinate with your {{Evil|Godfather}} to take you out at an opportune time, making it look like there isn't a Zombuul in play ''and'' that you are an innocent victim of circumstance. Then, you can use your death as a platform to spread misinformation and confuse the good team... or simply sit back and watch the game unfold.
+* Remember that your ability only works on the Demon. A person surviving your shot does not prove that they are good, merely that they are not the Demon.
-* Rather than dying early, you can instead decide to be a sophisticated undead who lives among the people and lives as long as possible! Surviving this way has several advantages - for one, you can keep bluffing and giving out new information, helping mislead the good team. You're guaranteed to survive death at least once, so you have a backup in the event that suspicion turns on you. Finally, if the good team starts to suspect that you are the Demon in play, you can direct their suspicions to the dead - if they spend an execution or two on your victims, that's an execution or two they can't use on you!
+* Be aware that the {{Evil|Imp}} may change players throughout the game. If you choose to slay a Minion early in the game, nothing will happen, but that same player may be the {{Evil|Imp}} by the end of the game.
 		</div>
@@ Line 110: / Line 130: @@
 		<div class="small-12 large-12 columns" style="padding-right: 0;">
-== Fighting the Zombuul ==
+== Bluffing as the Slayer ==
+When bluffing as the Slayer, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
-* Pay attention to when and why death happens. If there are deaths at night, but not after a player died by execution, you almost certainly have a Zombuul in your midst. Once you know this, you can do the following...
+* You would never wake in the night as the Slayer. Instead, you should publicly announce that you want to claim to be the Slayer, and the Storyteller will take care of the rest of your bluff for you. There is nothing tricky about this character as a bluff.
-* Suspect the dead. Execute the dead you suspect the most. Talk to the dead to find out whose story is not making sense, and focus on those players. You don't know for certain that the Zombuul is among the dead players, but that is a good place to start. If you can confirm early on that certain dead players are not the Zombuul, you'll have the advantage later in the game.
+* Nobody will ever die as a result of you "using your Slayer ability". With this in mind, there are a few ways you can choose to handle it:
+** Deliberately slaying a Demon or another evil player to make them look like they are not the Demon, which can be useful for setting up bluffs. This is an especially good tactic when combined with the {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}}, since the real Demon can die and pass their ability to a player who has already been exonerated.
+** Slaying a good player to confirm them as not the Demon; this will enable you to 'trust' them, and will enable them to want to team up with you because of it.
+** Alternatively, you can deliberately slay a good player, and then start to appear evil (e.g. {{Good|Empath}}, setting yourself up to be read by an {{Good|Undertaker}}, etc.) Since you 'protected' a player from suspicion with your ability, they will appear evil as well.
-* Execute every single day. Even if you kill good players, at least that is better than executing nobody and having the Demon choose who dies instead.
+* Solicit the opinion of the group on who you should pick. Good players will be keen to help you make the right choice, and working with them will make you look good, also potentially coaxing information characters out from hiding who want to guide you to the right choice.
-* On the final day, it is unlikely that the Zombuul is among the living. By this point, most Zombuuls will have killed themself at night, or simply been unlucky enough to be executed. Since the Zombuul kills much less frequently than other Demons, the chance that it is already dead when the final day dawns is high. If you have no other information, make sure that the final execution of the game is the execution of a dead player.
+* The Slayer is a good "backup bluff". If you claim to be a character that is already in play, or you are otherwise under suspicion by the group, claiming that you were lying about who you were so that you could survive an extra day or two as the Slayer is believable - after all... that is what a real Slayer might very well do.
+* Bluffing as a Slayer also works for good players! A Slayer with no ability is not a high priority target for the Demon, enabling you to survive and continue secretly gathering information.
 		</div>
@@ Line 126: / Line 152: @@
 </div>
-[[Category:Bad Moon Rising]]
+[[Category:Trouble Brewing]]
-[[Category:Demons]]
+[[Category:Townsfolk]]