Serial Killer

Mechanics

 * If an Escort, Consort or the Jailor visits you, you will be forced to stay at home (visiting nobody and attacking them).
 * If multiple roleblockers visit you in the same night, you will be forced to attack all of them.
 * You will attack the Escort and Consort even if you are executed.
 * You can be killed at night by attacks which ignore night immunity.
 * If the Serial Killer wins, any and all dead Serial Killers will win as well.

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 strategically eliminate anyone that stands in their way. There are several strategies below for the aspiring killing expert:

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. Keep in mind that this does not always work and may even add fuel to the fire, getting you lynched.


 * 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.

You can claim Survivor and say you used your vest; however, Survivors are non-Town, so you may simply get lynched anyway. Also note that claiming survivor is so commonly used that the town may not believe you. Beware of Investigators, Consiglieres, and Sheriffs , as they will immediately know and there is a high probability of them telling the town. This also helps the mafia in the case of the Consigliere, as the mafia now has one person that the town trusts.
 * 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 Disguiser, Doctor, or Serial Killer; however, since this is so common and well-known, and since Doctor is a hard role to prove, this will generally make you more suspicious when dealing with experienced players, unless you don't attack people and there are no Serial Killer kills, which will make people believe you are doctor, since Serial Killers usually attack every single night and kill their roleblockers.
 * 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, or if in Custom or Rapid mode there are certain role settings.
 * Another way to deflect suspicion is to act like an Executioner and aggressively accuse one person (ideally, someone you think is actually Town.) This does have drawbacks; the Town could decide to hang you or the Jailor could execute you. Accidentally accusing an actual Mafia has some benefits (the Town might believe you and protect you), but carries the risk that the Mafia will try to kill you and discover your night immunity. Also note that while implying you're an Executioner can help, you should avoid actively claiming Executioner in response to an accusation; at that point it's unlikely to help, since the Town has no reason not to hang an Executioner.
 * Being called out as Night Immune is one of the most frequent ways for Serial Killers to lose, so it helps to have a strategy for it. One advantage you have is that if you were hit by the Mafia, you'll have at least one turn to prepare before they can out you in a death note. Some important notes:
 * You can pretend to be an Executioner; but, as noted above, this works best if you imply it before you're accused, and carries a risk of being lynched. Be careful who you pretend to be your target, though, as you carry the risk of accusing the Jailor (who will immediately jail and kill you) or the Sheriff (who will interrogate you and find out you are the Serial Killer). Succesfully lynching a Mafia member or Neutral will also immediately solidify the fact that you are not an Executioner.
 * You can claim Bodyguard and say you used your one vest.
 * You can claim you were transported by a Transporter; however, since active transporters are very obvious, this works only if other people have been transported, too. If you're going to do it, announce you were transported as soon as the day begins.
 * Some people will claim to have been healed by a doctor. This can work against less experienced players, but note that if it were true, your attacker would not have gotten a message saying you were immune. It can still work (the Mafia can't immediately speak up to say that, yes, they saw the immune message; and in some cases the mafia who actually attacked you may have died the same night, so nobody would have actually seen what happened), but it's generally unlikely to help against experienced players.
 * You can claim to have been jailed; however, if the jailor is still alive, they'll probably jail and execute you the next night, since they'll know you were lying (and if they died, they probably had a will that shows you weren't jailed.)
 * Remember, you may not get accused. If you don't, you can just play normally, but don't give yourself up; doing something like claiming Doctor and saying you healed yourself before anyone accuses you is a dead giveaway to most experienced players and can get you lynched unnecessarily. Players might ask you to heal them the following night, so make sure to have some excuse.
 * You can claim you are an Executioner after at least one person has died, but it works better when multiple people have died. It explains your night immunity. Simply say your target was already lynched, and so you win either way. Get the Townies to allow you to stay alive by saying you're just an extra vote to help them. The mafia won't want to waste a kill on you, either. This might not work on experience players, though.
 * A strategy used often in many games is to write 2 wills on the 'Last Will' area. Write one for your fake role, and one below for your real one. Then claim the fake role and show the will for proof. Make sure you know all roles well, in case the accuser asks what the roles attributes or abilities are.

Who to kill
Being a Serial Killer, you have to be careful who you decide to kill each night, since you don't know who a Bodyguard or Doctor might be protecting; you also want to avoid targeting the same person as the Jailor or other killers, which would waste your kill. Don't use any sort of order or predictable system to pick your targets, and avoid picking 'obvious' targets unless it's absolutely necessary.

You could also not kill until near the end of the game to catch the town off-guard. Using that strategy is risky, since the town could figure you out.

However, in Ranked Practice and Ranked where there is only one NK role, if there is another SK in your team, you could opt to not to kill at all until the end of the game and play as Executioner. Pretend to lynch someone and then write in the chat "Yessss, I win" or something of the sort. Players will not think twice about killing you since you "already won". The Executioner claim also explains your night immunity. People most likely will not suspect a 2nd SK after one SK is shown dead and will think the any is not a SK role. And at the end, if there is a Mafia and Town left, as the "Executioner" you can pretend to be the "deciding vote" in who will win. The last person will be shocked to see that the SK has won. If all mafia is killed and an SK is killed while you are the last SK, in this tactic, remind the town that there may still be a witch even if not true to keep the attention away from the possibility of a 2nd SK.


 * 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 realizes 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.
 * 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.
 * Investigators and Sheriffs tend to open the day by saying things like "any leads?" Killing them first is a good advanced strategy.
 * Going off of the above, assuming you don't know any more roles, killing the first person to talk everyday is surprisingly effective, but advanced investigators might stay quiet until they have found a Mafia member or a Neutral Killing.
 * 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 the Consigliere: a Sheriff can directly identify you as a Serial Killer and an Investigator will put your name into their will as Doctor/Serial Killer/Disguiser. A Lookout may witness you killing another important Town member.A Consigliere will gladly reveal you to the town, directly or through Mafia's death note as it will allow them to be protected by the Town, believing them to be an Investigator.


 * Other Neutral Killings: They are immune against your attacks (the Werewolf no longer needing a Full Moon), so just try to be subtle when accusing them of being that role. That means not just flat out saying "This person is a Werewolf!". Instead, try asking for their role. If you're not doused and you know who the Arsonist is, wait a day after attacking to ask their role. They might be able to kill some people for you, unless they want to go solo, then they might flat out reveal you.
 * Doctors and Bodyguards: If any investigative roles are revealed, they will often protect them, making you either waste an attack or possibly get killed. As long as a Town Protective is alive, any Investigative 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 Investigative faction 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. But, 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. Try to force game into 1x1x1 position where the last Town member will likely team up with you to screw the Mafia. Remember: you win in a stalemate against a Godfather.


 * Vigilantes: If they attack you, they will often tell the town immediately to lynch you, knowing you are immune. If this happens, see above on how to deal with accusations of immunity; however, the fact that they can accuse you to your face complicates things. Claiming to have been healed by a doctor is even less likely to work against a Vigilante, since they can accuse you to your face and immediately point out that they got an immunity message. If the Vigilante isn't confirmed, you can also couple your defense with a counter-accusation that they're Mafia (which may even be true); for instance, claim you're a Survivor or Bodyguard who vested, then ask why they attacked you and suggest that they may actually be a Mafia member.
 * Vampires: Though they are weak at the start of a game, their ability to multiply and spread undetected can make them a dangerous foe later on. If you know there are multiple vampires, make sure to kill them off as soon as possible, as they will surely lynch you as soon as they discover your immunity.


 * 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:
 * They will often ask "Has anyone been transported?" to see if their results will be compromised or not.
 * They tend to send a lot of whispers (either to people who came up in an all-Town result, or demanding that people with suspicious results claim a role.)
 * The most obvious sign is when they flat out accuse someone of being a combination of any 2 or 3 roles; however, note that when someone is obviously an Investigator, they're very likely to be protected.


 * Doctors: Your main way of dealing with Doctors is to try and avoid choosing people they're likely to heal. If you need to kill one, though, look for quiet people. 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. Do not 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.


 * Lookout:
 * Lookouts will often ask questions about the less obvious visiting roles, such as whether anyone was doused, witched, or roleblocked, since that helps them interpret the visits they saw.
 * 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.

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.
 * If someone initiates a random lynch, keep an eye on supporters. Usually Mafia shows up after 3 or 4 votes to make sure the person will be put on trial. However, if voting flows slowly, it's a good sign the voted person is a Mafia member.
 * Guilty and Innocent votes can tell a lot. Mafia sometimes tend to vote guilty on everyone except their own. If a known Mafia is about to be hung, watch to see who votes innocent or abstains; 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 and not executed, they will kill the Jailor at the end of the night; this will often get you lynched if the Jailor kept accurate records of who they jailed in their Last Will. Your only hope in that case is to convince the Town that the Jailor was coincidentally killed by the real SK.  Above all else, therefore, you should never claim Doctor to a Jailor unless you have absolutely no other choice (ie. if you know for a fact you've been investigated by a confirmed investigator, or if you've claimed Doctor previously); if the Jailor writes down the Doctor claim, you are almost certain to get lynched when they're found dead to a Serial Killer the next morning, since Doctors and Serial Killers share the same Investigative result.  It might occasionally help to delay answering the Jailor's questions in hopes that they don't have enough time to write your name in their will; but smart Jailors will have written your name in before the night even began.


 * Investigator: Once you've been investigated, you have little choice but to claim Doctor (you could also claim to have been transported, but this is unlikely to hold up for long.) 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.  Producing a fake will of people you've healed can sometimes help convince people, but ultimately, anyone who claims Doctor has to face constant suspicion of being a Serial Killer, so it's best to avoid publicly claiming the role for as long as possible.


 * 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. Do not claim Doctor when facing a Sheriff; it serves no purpose (a Sheriff, unlike an Investigator, can't confuse the two) and only makes you look like a panicking Serial Killer.


 * Escort and Consort: If these roles roleblock you, you will attack them automatically instead of your intended target.  This can be a problem if they name you in their will; Escorts usually will, however Consorts might not (but you may still get revealed in the Mafia's Death Note the next night.)  The basic strategies beyond that are similar to the Jailor; you need to convince the Town that they were attacked coincidentally.  Note that they, like the Jailor, will receive a special message saying that they were killed by the person they visited; if they're revived, or if word can get back from the dead via a Medium, you have no real recourse.
 * Consigliere: If a Consigliere dies and they put your name down as the Serial Killer, you could be in trouble. You could claim the Consigliere would be lying to get townies lynched, but if a Neutral Killing is lynched due to the Consigliere's will, you might be highly suspected. Do not claim Doctor after claiming the Consigliere lied, as you will be put under pressure by others as they attempt to coax you to reveal.

The easiest way to deal with Sheriffs, Investigators, Escorts and Jailors, however, is to avoid coming to their attention in the first place. Try to act like Town; vote in reasonable ways, talk a bit but not too much, and so on. Most Sheriffs, Investigators, Escorts and Jailors will be focusing more on finding the Mafia than on you, and will be guiding their actions based on who seems the most suspicious in that regard. You want to aggressively hunt the Mafia in a way that averts their suspicion, without being so aggressive that you get attacked by the Mafia yourself (and outed as immune.)


 * 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.


 * 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 will think 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 immunity 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 the Jailor, Arsonists, Jesters, and the Werewolf 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 it can be risky, if you can ally yourself with a Survivor or a Witch (as above), they can give you the support of a regular team of Mafia. The Witch can throw the town off, and the Survivor can do as they please, then near the end of the game vote for you only, giving you the win. However, some Survivors want to win with the town or the Mafia, and when you whisper them to help you, they might flat out reveal you to gain trust and not be killed.

Death Note
The Serial Killer is a difficult and lonely role that has an enormous power in shaping how the game is played. Your 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. You can make people guess your next victim by writing something like "Whoever talks first will die!" or "1, 2, 3... see where am I going?"
 * 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.
 * Also, if you suspect one of your targets to be healed, you could write in your death note that they were immune. Then, claiming that they were healed by a doctor could get them lynched by more experienced players, realizing that heals do not create immunity messages.

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. In general, you may talk a lot and distract people's attention to finding Mafia or other Neutral Killing roles. Above all else, avoid claiming Doctor unnecessarily. Real doctors are reluctant to reveal, both because they're such high-priority targets and because they know they have no way to confirm even if they wanted to; if you seem unduly eager to tell the town that you're a Doctor, it will likely get you lynched.