Alchemist and Snake Charmer: Difference between pages

Revision as of 16:51, 23 March 2023

Information

Type	Townsfolk
Artist	Aiden Roberts

"Effendi... I am but a humble man, but my pipe is golden and a single tune will tame the wildest djinn, Inshallah. They say that greed hangs more men than rope. But not I, Effendi... not I."

Appears in

Cult of the Clocktower Episode by Andrew Nathenson

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Summary

"Each night, choose an alive player: a chosen Demon swaps characters & alignments with you & is then poisoned."

The Snke Charmer learns player after player that is not the Demon... but becomes the Demon if they get either too greedy or too bold.

Each night, they choose a player. If that player is not the Demon, nothing happens. If they are the Demon, the Snake Charmer becomes that Demon and turns evil, and the Demon becomes good and poisoned permanently.
If the Philosopher has the Snake Charmer ability and becomes the Demon, the Demon becomes a poisoned Philosopher.

How to Run

Each night, wake the Snake Charmer. They point at any player.

If that player is not the Demon, nothing happens. Put the Snake Charmer to sleep.

If that player is the Demon, the old Snake Charmer changes into the new (evil) Demon, and the old Demon changes into the new (good) Snake Charmer—swap the Snake Charmer token and the Demon’s token. The new Snake Charmer is poisoned - mark them with the POISONED reminder. Wake the new Demon and show them the YOU ARE info token, a thumbs-down, the YOU ARE token, then the Demon’s token. (This shows they are now evil and the Demon.) Put the new Demon to sleep. Wake the new Snake Charmer and show them the YOU ARE info token, a thumbs-up, the YOU ARE info token, then the Snake Charmer token. (This shows they are now good and the Snake Charmer.) Put the new Snake Charmer to sleep.

In the strange situation that the Snake Charmer is evil, or the Demon good, swap their alignments as appropriate.

Examples

The Snake Charmer chooses a player who is the Pit-Hag, so nothing happens. The Snake Charmer simply goes to sleep. The next night, the Snake Charmer chooses themself, so nothing happens.

The Snake Charmer chooses a player who is the Vigormortis. The Snake Charmer immediately becomes the evil Vigormortis, and the Vigormortis becomes the good Snake Charmer and gets poisoned.

The Pit-Hag turns themself into the Snake Charmer. Then, the Snake Charmer chooses a player who is the Fang Gu. The Snake Charmer becomes the Fang Gu, while the Fang Gu becomes the Snake Charmer and gets poisoned. Both remain evil.

Tips & Tricks

The Snake Charmer exists in a state of duality. At any given moment, you may turn evil and begin betraying your team. Until that happens though, you are good and playing for the good team, and your information is incredibly useful (knowing who isn't a demon is just as important as knowing who the demon is!). Unlike the other players, you are not playing so much for a team but for yourself, and for the team that you want to end up on.

Play cautiously; select only a few players to confirm as not the demon. Aim for players you expect to survive for a while - if you have players alive on the final day who are not the demon, then that can bring your odds down from 1 in 3 to 1 in 2! Once you reach a point where you're satisfied with the information gathered (or you just don't want to risk it anymore), keep in mind that you can always choose yourself at night to safely avoid becoming the demon!

Play recklessly! Select as many players as you can - the more you have confirmed as not the demon, the more powerful you are! This method increases your odds of being the demon, but if you remain good for the entire game, you'll have a TON of powerful information to utilize against the evil team. And if you turn evil... well, it probably doesn't bother you that much if you're taking such big risks.

Don't tell anyone you're the Snake Charmer unless you are sure that you are not going to be the demon. Even when playing carefully, there's always the chance you will flip to evil with one unlucky pick. The demon you just stole from is now good and has a large incentive to reveal what happened to them - if anyone knows you are the Snake Charmer when the demon claims to have turned good, you are going to be in trouble. Try to avoid revealing until you're dead, OR when you're no longer choosing new players each night.

Remember that every player you pick who doesn't swap you is not the demon! You are more accurate than a Fortune Teller when it comes to detecting demons... providing you can get the good team to trust you.

If you stay good, come out with your information eventually - sitting on your information all game will only hurt the good team! If you have become evil... don't admit to being the Snake Charmer, and instead come up with a different bluff on the fly.

Becoming the demon unexpectedly can be a shock, so try and be ready for the possibility at any time. Have a bluff ready, or if worst comes to worst, just claim that you were the demon and were just snake charmed. Get in fast and aggressive enough, and the poor demon you just suckered out of their ability will be scrambling to catch up and prove you as the evil one.

So you were the demon, and you've just become the Snake Charmer? Never fret - you're playing for the good team now, and a path to victory is still clear. You have a few options - reveal your new alignment, snitch on your minions, and start a demon hunt with all of your evil knowledge... or say nothing for a few days. This way, your minions will still trust you and you can use their powers to hunt out and undermine the new demon. Secretly telling one or two good players in the meantime can also grant you allies in your stealthy demon hunt.

Bluffing as the Snake Charmer

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

Wait a few days before revealing that you are the Snake Charmer. Either stay silent, or bluff as a different good character. This is the kind of thing a real Snake Charmer would do.

Prepare your information ahead of time. Once you tell the group that you are the Snake Charmer, they will want to know who you have been picking each night. Remember that the Snake Charmer acts on the first night. If you have this information ready to tell the group, they are more likely to believe you.

When you reveal which players you have been choosing of a night time, leave at least a few chosen players "unchosen". If you tell the group that you have chosen all players except 1, then that player must definitely be the Demon - and when they are executed and the game continues, the group will know that you lied. However, if good believes that 3 players are possibly the Demon, any one of them can be executed and have the game continue without you looking suspicious.

Build trust with good players you've pretended to have checked. Players usually trust players that trust them. Claiming that a particular player is definitely not the Demon, makes that player much more likely to feel like you are on their side.

Claim to have chosen evil players of a night time. If the good team believes you are the Snake Charmer, they will believe that any players you have chosen are not the Demon, and keep them alive too.

If you are the Demon, you can claim to have been turned good by the Snake Charmer! This is risky, as any former Demon is likely to be executed "just in case", but can work if you do it later in the game. You can plan all along to bluff this way, or keep it as a backup bluff to use use just in case things look dicey. If you were actually turned good by the Snake Charmer, then the original Snake Charmer would now be the evil Demon, so would be bluffing as a different character - this means that you can claim to be the Demon-turned-good safely. If you do, however, be prepared to tell the group who your Minions were. The good team will want to know who the Minions are, and you can feed them correct or false information, as you prefer.

If you are a Minion, you can claim to have been the Demon that has been turned good by the Snake Charmer! Crazy! If you do this, the good team will want to know who your Minions are, and you will have a difficult decision to make. Will you tell them that player(s) other than your Demon are Minions? Do this if you expect that the good team will want to execute Minions. Will you tell them that your Demon is actually a Minion? Do this if you expect the good team will keep Minions alive, and instead put their efforts into executing the Demon.

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 		<div id='character-details'>
-			[[File:icon_alchemist.png|250px]]
+			[[File:icon_snakecharmer.png|250px]]
 			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;">Information</span>
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 					<td>Type</td>
 					<td>[[Character Types#Townsfolk|Townsfolk]]</td>
+				</tr>
+				<tr>
+					<td>Artist</td>
+					<td>Aiden Roberts</td>
 				</tr>
 			</table>
-			<p class='flavour'>"Visit the interior of the Earth. By rectification thou shalt find the hidden stone. Above the gold, lieth the red. Kether in Malkuth."</p>
+			<p class='flavour'>"Effendi... I am but a humble man, but my pipe is golden and a single tune will tame the wildest djinn, Inshallah. They say that greed hangs more men than rope. But not I, Effendi... not I."</p>
+			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center;">Appears in</span>
+			[[File:logo_sects_and_violets.png|100px]]
-			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px;">Character Showcase</span>
+			<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px;">Cult of the Clocktower Episode</span>
-			<youtube>-m9QoOv6lms</youtube>
+			<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/20615737/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2020-9-4%2F115042552-44100-2-9b04831953f58.m4a">You need to enable JavaScript to play this audio</div>
 		</div>
@@ Line 31: / Line 39: @@
 		<div class="small-12 large-6 columns">
 == Summary ==
-"You have a not-in-play Minion ability."
+"Each night, choose an alive player: a chosen Demon swaps characters & alignments with you & is then poisoned."
-The Alchemist has a Minion ability.
+The Snke Charmer learns player after player that is not the Demon... but becomes the Demon if they get either too greedy or too bold.
-*
+* Each night, they choose a player. If that player is not the Demon, nothing happens. If they are the Demon, the Snake Charmer becomes that Demon and turns evil, and the Demon becomes good and poisoned permanently.
-*
+* If the Philosopher has the Snake Charmer ability and becomes the Demon, the Demon becomes a poisoned Philosopher.
 		</div>
 		<div class="small-12 large-6 columns" style="padding-right: 0;">
 == How to Run ==
+Each night, wake the Snake Charmer. They point at any player.
+If that player is not the Demon, nothing happens. Put the Snake Charmer to sleep.
+If that player is the Demon, the old Snake Charmer changes into the new (''evil'') Demon, and the old Demon changes into the new (''good'') Snake Charmer—swap the Snake Charmer token and the Demon’s token. The new Snake Charmer is '''poisoned''' - mark them with the '''POISONED''' reminder. Wake the new Demon and show them the '''YOU ARE''' info token, a thumbs-down, the '''YOU ARE''' token, then the Demon’s token. (''This shows they are now evil and the Demon.'') Put the new Demon to sleep. Wake the new Snake Charmer and show them the '''YOU AR'''E info token, a thumbs-up, the '''YOU ARE''' info token, then the Snake Charmer token. (''This shows they are now good and the Snake Charmer.'') Put the new Snake Charmer to sleep.
+<div class="example" style="color: #5d2123; font-style: italic; font-family: GoudyOldStyle;">
+In the strange situation that the Snake Charmer is evil, or the Demon good, swap their alignments as appropriate.
+</div>
 		</div>
@@ Line 51: / Line 69: @@
 			<div class='example'>
-				The Alchemist has the {{Evil|Poisoner}}’s ability. Each night, the Alchemist wakes and chooses a player to poison.
+				The Snake Charmer chooses a player who is the {{Evil|Pit-Hag}}, so nothing happens. The Snake Charmer simply goes to sleep. The next night, the Snake Charmer chooses themself, so nothing happens.
 			</div>
 			<div class='example'>
-				The Alchemist has the {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}}’s ability. The {{Evil|Imp}} kills themselves at night, and the Alchemist becomes the good {{Evil|Imp}}.
+				The Snake Charmer chooses a player who is the {{Evil|Vigormortis}}. The Snake Charmer immediately becomes the evil {{Evil|Vigormortis}}, and the {{Evil|Vigormortis}} becomes the good Snake Charmer and gets poisoned.
 			</div>
 			<div class='example'>
-				The Alchemist has the {{Evil|Assassin}}’s ability. The {{Good|Dreamer}} chooses the Alchemist. The {{Good|Dreamer}} learns that they are either the Alchemist or the {{Evil|Assassin}}.
+				The {{Evil|Pit-Hag}} turns themself into the Snake Charmer. Then, the Snake Charmer chooses a player who is the {{Evil|Fang Gu}}. The Snake Charmer becomes the {{Evil|Fang Gu}}, while the {{Evil|Fang Gu}} becomes the Snake Charmer and gets poisoned. Both remain evil.
 			</div>
@@ Line 71: / Line 89: @@
 == Tips & Tricks ==
-* You know one Minion that is not in play. Let the good team know this as soon as you can. It might not seem like much, but knowing for certain that their is no {{Evil|Poisoner}} in play could mean that there are no good players getting false information.
+* The Snake Charmer exists in a state of duality. At any given moment, you may turn evil and begin betraying your team. Until that happens though, you are good and playing for the good team, and your information is incredibly useful (knowing who isn't a demon is just as important as knowing who the demon is!). Unlike the other players, you are not playing so much for a team but for yourself, and for the team that you want to end up on.
-* Minion abilities tend to be much more powerful than Townsfolk abilities, so never sacrifice yourself for the greater good if you can help it.
-* Your strategy almost entirely depends on which Minion ability you have. If you are uncertain what to do, stay silent and wait for a day or so until you figure it out. Sometimes, you may want to reveal that you are the Alchemist early on, sometimes after a day or two, and sometimes not until you have died.
-* If you have an ability that can directly hurt a single evil player, such as the {{Evil|Poisoner}}, {{Evil|Assassin}}, {{Evil|Pit-Hag}}, {{Evil|Psychopath}}, or {{Evil|Witch}}, then pay attention to who is bluffing as what and cast a suspicious eye over anyone who's story doesn't add up. These abilities are dangerous in the hands of an evil player, but in the hands of a good player - you - they can win the game if you choose wisely. Make sure you use your ability before you die. It's worth risking killing / poisoning / making mad / changing the character of a good player or two, just in case you get an evil player in the mix.
+* Play cautiously; select only a few players to confirm as not the demon. Aim for players you expect to survive for a while - if you have players alive on the final day who are not the demon, then that can bring your odds down from 1 in 3 to 1 in 2! Once you reach a point where you're satisfied with the information gathered (or you just don't want to risk it anymore), keep in mind that you can always choose yourself at night to safely avoid becoming the demon!
-* If you have an ability that can directly help a single good player, such as the {{Evil|Devil's Advocate}} or {{Evil|Pit-Hag}}, then talk to the good players and see who is the most trustworthy. Help them with your ability as much as you can, preferably only revealing who you are afterwards.
+* Play recklessly! Select as many players as you can - the more you have confirmed as not the demon, the more powerful you are! This method increases your odds of being the demon, but if you remain good for the entire game, you'll have a TON of powerful information to utilize against the evil team. And if you turn evil... well, it probably doesn't bother you ''that'' much if you're taking such big risks.
-* If you have an ability that can win the game for the good team directly, such as the {{Evil|Fearmonger}} or the {{Evil|Goblin}}, then it is probably best to let the whole group know that you are the Alchemist and what your Minion ability is. That way, the good team can orchestrate a good win fairly easily. However, you will need to convince them that you are a good player and not just a Minion bluffing as the Alchemist, as the good team would lose if this were the case. Work with other players that can confirm good players, such as the {{Good|Town Crier}} or the {{Good|Seamstress}} to confirm your identity. If you need to, work in secret until you think that the good team will take a chance and use your ability deliberately. You may only get one shot at this, since once the evil team learns that you are the Alchemist with a game-winning ability, you are likely to die the next night.
+* Don't tell anyone you're the Snake Charmer unless you are sure that you are not going to be the demon. Even when playing carefully, there's always the chance you will flip to evil with one unlucky pick. The demon you just stole from is now good and has a large incentive to reveal what happened to them - if anyone knows you are the Snake Charmer when the demon claims to have turned good, you are going to be in trouble. Try to avoid revealing until you're dead, OR when you're no longer choosing new players each night.
-* If you have an ability that changes the number of Outsiders in play, such as the {{Evil|Godfather}} or {{Evil|Baron}}, then you should still have a net-positive effect on the game. Adding an Outsider is definitely a negative for the good team, but this will usually come with the knowledge as to how many Outsiders are actually in play. If you know for certain that there are two Outsiders in play, for example, then approaching those Outsiders and telling them who you are, while also keeping those Outsiders alive (they are good, after all!), will be a huge boon to the good team.
+* Remember that every player you pick who doesn't swap you is ''not'' the demon! You are more accurate than a {{Good|Fortune Teller}} when it comes to detecting demons... providing you can get the good team to trust you.
-* If you have an ability that at first seems that it only benefits the evil team, look closer. It may be able to be twisted to benefit the good team with some unusual play. Characters like the {{Evil|Boomdandy}},  {{Evil|Evil Twin}}, {{Evil|Mezepheles}}, or the {{Evil|Marionette}}, may look useless at first glance, but having these abilities still gives you something. If you have the {{Evil|Boomdandy}} ability, then deliberately getting yourself executed guarantees to avoid the situation where the final three alive players are all evil and good can't win. If you have the {{Evil|Evil Twin}} ability, you know a player of the opposing alignment. If you have the {{Evil|Mezepheles}} ability, then a player who tells you that that they turned evil definitely isn't the Demon and they will almost certainly vote how you tell them to. If you have the {{Evil|Marionette}} ability, then you "have the ability of a Minion that thinks that they are a good player", which means that you drew a good character token out of the bag and have no idea that you are the Alchemist - but you are sitting next to the Demon. If you think you are a good character and your ability isn't working properly, you might secretly be the Alchemist-Marionette and sitting next to the Demon, which is crucial information if you can figure it out.
+* If you stay good, come out with your information eventually - sitting on your information all game will only hurt the good team! If you have become evil... don't admit to being the Snake Charmer, and instead come up with a different bluff on the fly.
-* You may have a Minion ability that is a flat-out detriment to the good team, such as the {{Evil|Mastermind}}, or the {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}}. In this case, the Storyteller has decided to tilt the scales in the favour of the evil team. However, in this case, ask the question "What other strange things have happened in the game setup?". It is likely that the Storyteller has added a lot of excellent information Townsfolk characters with no poisoning or drunkenness, or has a particularly powerful character interaction in play, such as the {{Good|Washerwoman}} knowing who the {{Good|Mayor}} is, or the {{Good|Chef}} receiving an unusually high number. If the Storyteller set the game up to be balanced, a little bit of outside-the-box thinking goes a long way. Also, look for particular character combinations that you can use to your advantage. If you have the {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}} ability and the Demon is the {{Evil|Imp}}, then tricking the Imp into killing themselves at night will make you into the good Imp - much to the surprise of the evil team, assuredly. If you have the {{Evil|Mastermind}} ability, then check that there isn't a {{Evil|Heretic}} in play, just in case your ability is there to save the day. However, the Storyteller may have just decided to throw a curve-ball to the good team, and given you a Minion ability that helps the evil team overall, just for the sake of an unpleasant surprise. Storytellers are tricky like that. Be wary.
+* Becoming the demon unexpectedly can be a shock, so try and be ready for the possibility at any time. Have a bluff ready, or if worst comes to worst, just claim that ''you'' were the demon and were just snake charmed. Get in fast and aggressive enough, and the poor demon you just suckered out of their ability will be scrambling to catch up and prove you as the evil one.
-* The Alchemist is jinxed with the {{Evil|Spy}} and the {{Evil|Widow}}. The Alchemist can not currently have these abilities. However, the {{Fabled|Djinn}} jinx may be updated at a later time to allow these characters to interact.
+* So you were the demon, and you've just become the Snake Charmer? Never fret - you're playing for the good team now, and a path to victory is still clear. You have a few options - reveal your new alignment, snitch on your minions, and start a demon hunt with all of your evil knowledge...  or say nothing for a few days. This way, your minions will still trust you and you can use their powers to hunt out and undermine the new demon. Secretly telling one or two good players in the meantime can also grant you allies in your stealthy demon hunt.
 		</div>
@@ Line 97: / Line 111: @@
 		<div class="small-12 large-12 columns" style="padding-right: 0;">
-== Bluffing as the Alchemist ==
+== Bluffing as the Snake Charmer ==
+When bluffing as the Snake Charmer, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
+* Wait a few days before revealing that you are the Snake Charmer. Either stay silent, or bluff as a different good character. This is the kind of thing a real Snake Charmer would do.
+* Prepare your information ahead of time. Once you tell the group that you are the Snake Charmer, they will want to know who you have been picking each night. Remember that the Snake Charmer acts on the first night. If you have this information ready to tell the group, they are more likely to believe you.
-When bluffing as the Alchemist, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
+* When you reveal which players you have been choosing of a night time, leave at least a few chosen players "unchosen". If you tell the group that you have chosen all players except 1, then that player must definitely be the Demon - and when they are executed and the game continues, the group will know that you lied. However, if good believes that 3 players are possibly the Demon, any one of them can be executed and have the game continue without you looking suspicious.
-* If you are a Minion, bluffing as the Alchemist is easy. All you need to do is to tell the group that you have your Minion ability, which is true, but that you are the Alchemist, which is false. You are *practically* telling the truth! This works especially well if you can confirm your identity by some public effect, such as there being an extra two Outsiders in play due to your {{Evil|Baron}} ability, or getting yourself executed as the {{Evil|Boomdandy}}, or changing another's character as the {{Evil|Pit-Hag}}. The benefit of coming out as the Alchemist and revealing your real Minion ability in this way, is that the good team will think that you are good, keep you alive for as long as possible, and confuse any dependant information, such as that from the {{Good|Empath}} or the {{Good|Tea Lady}}.
+* Build trust with good players you've pretended to have checked. Players usually trust players that trust them. Claiming that a particular player is definitely not the Demon, makes that player much more likely to feel like you are on their side.
-* If you are bluffing as the Minion that you really are, be patient. The good team is unlikely to execute a player claiming to be the {{Evil|Goblin}} just on a whim, even if that player claims to be good. The good team is unlikely to execute the player that you choose with your {{Evil|Fearmonger}} ability for the same reason. They might, but they will usually want to confirm that you are good and willing to be a team player first. So, be patient, let the good players give you some advice, be seen to be a team player, and let the good team make up their own mind to "win" with your ability. Nudges tend to work better than frothing enthusiasm, but every group is different.
+* Claim to have chosen evil players of a night time. If the good team believes you are the Snake Charmer, they will believe that any players you have chosen are not the Demon, and keep them alive too.
-* When bluffing as a Minion that is not in play, make sure that neither of those Minions have too great of a public tell. For example, if you are the {{Evil|Baron}}, but are claiming to be the Alchemist-{{Evil|Fearmonger}}, then that won't slide, since the good team will know whether the Baron or the Fearmonger is really in play. (The Baron adds two Outsiders, which is fairly obvious, and the Fearmonger is declared by the Storyteller).
+* If you are the Demon, you can claim to have been turned good by the Snake Charmer! This is risky, as any former Demon is likely to be executed "just in case", but can work if you do it later in the game. You can plan all along to bluff this way, or keep it as a backup bluff to use use just in case things look dicey. If you were actually turned good by the Snake Charmer, then the original Snake Charmer would now be the evil Demon, so would be bluffing as a different character - this means that you can claim to be the Demon-turned-good safely. If you do, however, be prepared to tell the group who your Minions were. The good team will want to know who the Minions are, and you can feed them correct or false information, as you prefer.
-* Bluffing as the Alchemist and claiming that a different Minion ability is in play that what really is, can be a great way to throw the good team off the scent. Particularly in one-Minion games, the good team gains a significant advantage when they know which Minion is in play, because they also learn which Minions are not in play. If you can convince them that there is not an {{Evil|Poisoner}}, {{Evil|Mastermind}}, or {{Evil|Goblin}} in play when there actually is, that could win the game.
+* If you are a Minion, you can claim to have been the Demon that has been turned good by the Snake Charmer! Crazy! If you do this, the good team will want to know who your Minions are, and you will have a difficult decision to make. Will you tell them that player(s) other than your Demon are Minions? Do this if you expect that the good team will want to execute Minions. Will you tell them that your Demon is actually a Minion? Do this if you expect the good team will keep Minions alive, and instead put their efforts into executing the Demon.
 		</div>
@@ Line 114: / Line 134: @@
 </div>
-[[Category:Experimental Characters]]
+[[Category:Sects & Violets]]
 [[Category:Townsfolk]]