Serial Killer

During the day, he shakes hands and makes friends, claiming to be the town's best Doctor. But in the night, he slowly wanders home through the streets of Salem to his humble abode. When he arrives, he pulls out a large knife and cleans it with the greatest of care, a piece of equipment for his patients, or for his victims? Little does this innocent (not really) town know that this person has been striking fear into their hearts for several nights, for, in the day, he acts as if he wishes to help, but in the night, he preys upon the weak using his worn weapon; slowly makes one unlucky soul of the town suffer each night. He is their nightmare: a Serial Killer.

"Who is next?" this fiend thinks to himself, for only he truly knows who is next; each night, every citizen is left wondering what will happen. He finally decides to attack an elderly man known for his wise words throughout Salem. As he exits his home, he quickly, yet quietly, walks to the poor soul's house, hoping not to be seen. Finally, he arrives, and knocks on the elderly man's door. The man opens the door with a great warmness, inviting this killer inside. The instant he walks in and the door becomes shut, he pulls the overused weapon from inside his coat and pounces upon the man, taking him to the ground as a twisted smile forms across his face. He then slowly raises the large knife and drives it into the man's chest, laughing as he does so. After what little of a struggle the wise man put up is over, the fiend washes himself off, and returns to his home in the night for what little rest he can get before going back to his charade the next morning.

Stats
Role Name: Serial Killer (SK)

Alignment: Neutral Killing

Abilities: Kill someone each night.

Attributes:
 * If you are roleblocked you will attack the roleblocker instead of your target.
 * You can not be killed at night.

Goal: Kill everyone who would oppose you.

Special Attributes: Night Immunity

Win Conditions:
 * Must kill the Town
 * Must kill the Mafia
 * Must kill Arsonists
 * Must kill Werewolves
 * Win with Serial Killers
 * Win with Witches
 * Win with Survivors

Notes:
 * If an Escort, Consort or the Jailor visits you, you will be forced to stay at home (visiting nobody) and attack them.
 * If multiple roleblockers visit you in the same night, you will be forced to attack all of them.
 * If you are jailed and executed, you will not attack the Jailor, but any other roleblockers, such as the Consort.
 * While the Serial Killer is immune to most assailants, he can still be killed by:
 * An Arsonist's Ignite
 * A Jester's Haunt
 * A retaliating or visiting Werewolf
 * A retaliating Bodyguard
 * A retaliating Veteran
 * A Jailor's execution.

Strategy
The Serial Killer is the most independent Neutral role in the Town of Salem. You kill faster than any other role; but you are also the first and biggest target of all other players, with the possible exception of the Arsonist and Werewolf. Using deception, quick thinking and ruthless cunning, the Serial Killer can destroy anyone that stands in their way. There are several strategies below for the aspiring killer:

Dealing with accusations

 * Always try to deflect the blame off yourself onto another person so the fact that someone accused you of being Serial Killer is forgotten.


 * Also be smart when trying to claim a role if you are Serial Killer. Look at the role list and the graveyard frequently in case someone with your role dies.


 * If somebody is accused of being the Serial Killer and it is not you, use it as an advantage and keep them alive and kill whoever is accusing them of being the Serial Killer. By doing this the Town will think they are the Serial Killer, and go for them instead of you. But be aware of the Bodyguard, as they could potentially predict the Serial Killer's victim.


 * A way to get off from being lynched is to claim the Executioner role and plead that you will vote with Town, and say a known Town role is your target. Keep this promise up, for the moment you break it they will lynch you. Try not kill anyone who voted innocent on you, kill the ones who abstained and voted guilty because they will try and vote you up again and again. The talkative ones are probably investigative-type people, and will try and find you out.


 * If you are suspected, write on your death note that you are the Serial Killer, but in third person view, e.g. "Jack is the Serial Killer" if your name is Jack. Point out in the chat that you are being framed; it just might work.
 * It might seem like a good idea to claim Doctor at first, since the investigator's results say doctor or serial killer but however, it can make you look even more suspicious.
 * A good way to deflect suspicion is to pretend to be a Jester. Keep in mind this won't work in classic if both the Jester and Executioner have been killed.

Who to kill
Being a Serial Killer, you have to be careful who you decide to kill each night, since you don't know when a Lookout is watching you. The strategy on picking the first night is usually by names or order.


 * Names that seem rather normal or have a very low chance on getting picked on are the best targets.

The next couple of nights you could use the same strategy to kill, and also be patient if you choose to. Being patient and unsuspecting can be extremely hard to do, as you can be suspected at any given moment when someone realises you aren't talking, and so on. Being patient rewards you with some information about different roles, as listed below in the "How to find a role" guide. Sometimes, people would flat out say their roles or give hints which reveal who they are.
 * With order, picking victims from the middle is a good choice, as Lookouts, Sheriffs, and Investigators can go from bottom to top or top to bottom, or just pick people with a silly name. However, it might depend on whether the player is advanced or not.
 * However, the most important strategy is to try to balance Town and Mafia ratios. You should be making decisions under the assumption that the Mafia too wants to take care of core Town roles. If one faction becomes too powerful, the other will fall quickly, and so will you.

Priority targets
Keep your priorities in mind. You have to think about the possibilities at which any of the threatening roles may find you. If the town has been narrowed to just a handful of people, it's good to keep track of which one has a bigger chance at discovering your motive. After killing the one with the bigger chance, you could continue on killing until you are met with another role that could discover you.


 * Jailor: They can execute you when jailed, bypassing your night immunity. Even if they don't, you will automatically attack them, which will make you very suspicious if they put your name in their will as the last person to be jailed. Additionally, anyone who was previously jailed is definitely not a Serial Killer, allowing you fewer players to blame. However, you may be able to convince the town that the Serial Killer targeted the Jailor. You can boost your chances by putting something like "I think YOU're the Jailor!" in your death note.


 * Town Investigatives and Consiglieres: a Sheriff can directly identify you as a Serial Killer and an Investigator will put your name into their will as Doctor/Serial Killer. A Lookout may witness you killing another important Town member. Consiglieres will gladly reveal you to the town as it will allow them to be protected by the Town, believing them to be Investigator.


 * Arsonists and Werewolf: they are immune against your attacks (the Werewolf during Full Moon), investigatives are revealed, Doctors and Bodyguards will often protect them, making you either waste an attack or possibly get killed. As long as a Town Protective is alive, the Investigatives can safely call you out during the day without fear of being immediately killed the next night.


 * Escorts and Consorts: similar to the Jailor, if they put your name into their wills when visiting you, the town will often lynch you immediately on suspicion of being the Serial Killer. Even if they don't, the Investigatives will most likely investigate you the following night.


 * Mafia: Near the end of the game, if too many Mafia members are left alive and know your identity, they will lynch you with higher priority than the remaining town. However, since the Town members almost always outnumber you and the Mafia, it is better not to take them down quickly, in order to double the deaths of Town members and raise your chances of killing the Jailor, the Sheriff and the investigator.


 * Vigilantes: If they attack you, they will often tell the town immediately to lynch you, knowing you are immune.


 * Other Town members: Other town members are only dangerous if they receive information (e.g. the Medium or Mayor) from more important targets. However, their numbers contribute to lynching you once you are accused.

Finding Townies

 * Investigators: usually have four tell tale signs.
 * They will lead day time conversation by saying "Anyone doused?" or "No deaths?".
 * They usually respond to questions like "Any clues yet?" with answers such as "None yet".
 * They will also ask "Has anyone been transported?" to see if their results will be compromised or not.
 * The most obvious sign is when they flat out accuse someone of being a combination of any 2 or 3 roles.


 * Doctors: can make your hard work all for nothing if you don't kill them quickly. Doctors normally do their best not to reveal their role to anyone except proven or provable Town Members, such as the Jailor, Mayor and Spies.
 * If you know a proven Town member, watch for them whispering to the Doctor requesting for a heal that night. Attempt to kill them the following night, as you will waste a night going to kill someone when there's a Doctor planning to visit.
 * If a person is healed at night they usually say at the beginning of the day "Thank you Doctor". Doctors sometimes cannot deny the urge to say "No problem" revealing their role to accept gratitude.
 * Lookout - At most times, as they would outright say that you went to a victim's house. Townspeople would usually believe them, and you have no complete route of escape through this. But you can kill them first once they reveal hints.
 * After the first night or so, Lookouts would give away information to the townspeople or to Investigators/Sheriffs. The usual are, "Person D visited Person A." or, "Person B was visited by Person G." Lookouts can be eliminated first, as they have a bigger chance at discovering who you killed through watching. If they have not revealed themselves, then continue to figure the rest of the Investigative roles or stick with the strategy.


 * Sheriff - It's a privileged role, and they use it lazily at times, using the most obvious of hints in the chatlog. When someone is wrongly accused, needing proof of innocence, or being accused of a crime, Sheriffs are a shining examples of complete morons. (At times.) They are the easier ones to pick out as they generally ask many questions after a night and give information.
 * Also a big example of Captain Obvious, as they do many things the same as the Sheriff, but they like to keep to themselves. Investigators tend to only give out information when they find something. But they are easy to verify, nevertheless, if you examine their actions.

Finding Mafia

 * The Godfather is immune, making them easily identifiable at night, but the rest of the Mafia may not be so obvious.
 * Watch the conversations during Discussion Time, and see who is talking to who the most.
 * If a person is accused, and suddenly 2 or 3 people that hadn't been talking suddenly step up to his defense, that could indicate to you who the Mafia are, as they are usually silent during discussion time.
 * Votes of Guilt or Innocence can tell a lot. Mafia tend to vote guilty on everyone except their own. If a known Mafia is about to be hung, watch to see who votes innocent; they could be Mafia. However, it does depend on whether the player is advanced or not.

Dealing with other roles

 * Jailor: When the Serial Killer is jailed, they will kill the Jailor and possibly be lynched if the Jailor kept accurate records of who they jailed in their Last Will. More deception is necessary here both in terms of the Jailor and the Town. Tell the Jailor a suitable role such as (Doctor, Survivor, etc.) and then hope that they believe you.


 * Witch: Normally this isn't a problem. Witches and Serial Killers can win together and can be an excellent team if they work together. Normally a Witch will discover you are Serial Killer before you know who they are so don't be alarmed if a stranger suddenly whispers to you asking you about your role. If there is a Veteran however, a Witch sending you blindly after a target isn't the best way to stay alive. Do your best to convince the Witch to be on your side, before the Mafia convinces them.


 * Investigator: When an Investigator "finds" you, it would be smart to claim Doctor. It might also help to instead of telling Town directly that you are a Doctor instead whisper it to the Investigator so it seems that you are trying to conceal your identity and of course, that you are really a Doctor. To help the Town believe this, you can tell the town people who you "healed" and on which nights you healed them. Another thing that may sometimes work is complaining at "how stupid the town is because you are the "doctor" " or saying things like "wow, I saved your lives, you know". However, if you lay the deception on too quick or too thick, the town will lynch you, likewise if you offend people in town they will also lynch you.


 * Sheriff: Many Executioners will claim their target to be a Serial Killer. You can therefore accuse the Sheriff of being an Executioner; an Investigator will not be able to differentiate between the two roles. If a Sheriff finds you then your best bet would be to drag out the conversation so that the day ends. Then at night your strategy may be to either take a big risk and attack them, if the Doctor and/or the Bodyguard are dead, or you can attack someone else that was supporting the Sheriff's argument against you, to try and weaken their defence, and hope that the Mafia attempts to kill the sheriff. If the Sheriff is still alive the next day then you can also claim that they are Executioner and claim that you are a Doctor, if you are able to put doubt upon the Sheriff's word you can then attempt to bring the attention to the Mafia (assuming one is still alive) and hopefully make sure that the day is wasted and you do not get lynched.


 * Spy: Another way you can be found out is by the spy. The spy while seemingly not a threat to the serial killer, can be if you are attacked by the mafia! The spy will see that you were visited, and when he notices there were no mafia kills and that you are not dead, he will suspect you of immunity. A good way to get around this is to pretend to be blackmailed, if you say nothing and the spy thinks that you're blackmailed, this may buy you some time before the spy reveals you to the town and you are lynched. Pretending to be blackmailed when attacked by the mafia may also help find who the spy is, as often they will often whisper you something like "what happened to you?".


 * Veteran: A major threat to Serial Killers is the Veteran who ignores night immunities if they choose to go on alert. They should be left alone if possible.
 * If you and a Veteran are the only two players left alive, or you suspect the other is a Veteran, then it is often wise to wait until the last possible night to kill them. They will likely waste any alerts they have left immediately after it is just you two. By waiting, you increase your chances of the Veteran having no alerts left.  Some Veterans may be aware of this tactic and wait but it is unlikely.


 * Mafia: The Mafia will be your major contenders in the battle for supremacy over the Town. The best strategy for Serial Killers is to remove them as quickly as possible after identifying them using the strategies above.
 * Taking out the non-immune Mafia is easy enough but the Godfather is the most difficult.
 * Lynching is the most efficient means, but also killers that ignore Night Immunity such as Jailor, Arsonists and Jesters can effectively kill them.
 * If only a Godfather and a Serial Killer remain alive, the Serial Killer will win; so keeping to the shadows and deception is your best bet when dealing with the Mafia.


 * Arsonist: The Arsonist role is specifically designed to kill Night Immunity targets. This makes Serial Killers and Arsonists natural enemies despite their similar neutral views on the Town and Mafia. Arsonists should be taken out using ruthless cunning by calling them out and having them killed by Night Immunity ignoring killers.


 * Neutral: Although risky, it is possible to find witches and survivors and ally yourself with them. The Serial Killer can win with the witch and the survivor. Witches can confuse the town and help target tricky roles away from the Sk, while the survivor can divert attention from the Sk and confuse the town by filling the chat with false data.

Death Note
The Serial Killer is a difficult and lonely role that has an enormous power in shaping how the game is played. Death note can be an important way to communicate with other players anonymously, because the Serial Killer's death note is never taken lightly. Above all else, have fun, and make sure that every one else is having fun too before you leave them dead on the street.


 * A simple usage of your death note is to tell the townies that you're going to kill X (so the doctor and the bodyguard will focus on them) while you're killing Y. Advanced players will also try to accuse X for being "immune".
 * Write the names of the people who you found to be immune, so the town suspects them. More advanced players can write random town members and claim that they're immune, but this needs to be done carefully.

A Word of Caution
As the game becomes more advanced along with the players, it is harder to get away with claiming Doctor as a Serial Killer. If you do plan on claiming Doctor and you are attacked at night (especially night one) claiming to have been transported might work well for you. Also, try to let the mafia live for a little while, especially if there is too many town for you to kill alone.