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Skinchanger

The Skinchanger is a neutral, but malevolent and self-interested, player. They can choose to shift into or kill a player every night, and must shift a player at least once every three nights. Their goal is to eliminate the entire village, both villagers and evil factions.

Role Type​

  • The Skinchanger is seen as a Malevolent Spirit by the Seer.
  • The Skinchanger is not seen as a user of witchcraft.
  • The Skinchanger is seen visiting by the Harlot/Stalker/Familiar.
  • The Skinchanger is seen as a killer by the Adjudicator.

Notes​

  • The Skinchanger is night immune, which means that they cannot be killed at night, role-blocked, purged by the Alchemist, or redirected by the Succubus.
  • Protection works as normal against the Skinchanger. If a Huntsman blocks a Skinchanger's kill, the Huntsman will be killed instead and no shift will occur, even if one was attempted.
  • The Skinchanger can choose not to shift when they kill a player, or do nothing at all, but they must shift a player at least once every three nights or else they will die on the fourth night. Shifting into a player has the Skinchanger assume the player's identity, while the player dies in the Skinchanger's old identity.
  • The Skinchanger does not have teammates and cannot recruit other players onto their side, and so will usually be targeted by everyone else in the game. They are typically given an Iron Collar item for this reason, to save them from a single lynch.
  • There is no upper limit to the number of times a Skinchanger may shift.
  • While the Skinchanger is alive, no other faction can win the game, just like a Vampire still being alive. The exception to this is the Strongman, which will win against any evil in a one-versus-one situation.

Tips​

  • The Skinchanger is a threat to every other player in the game. This is why they are usually given an Iron Collar to survive a single lynch, as well as having night immunity. It is recommended to shift identities as often as possible to avoid being caught out in one place.
  • Along with an Iron Collar, the Skinchanger may be given a large number of other items to mask their shifts in the event that they are stalked. Being identified as a possible Skinchanger usually means using those items in order to visit a large number of people simultaneously.
  • The village may seek to lynch, pressure, or kill low-activity identities to limit the pool of shift options for the Skinchanger. Shifting players that are generally trusted, or have higher activity levels that the Skinchanger feels they can handle, may help combat this.
  • The neutrality of the Skinchanger means that they have no obligation to help or hinder anyone else, though there is a small possibility that they may be able to convince the village to let them help to kill other evils. Deals like this are very rarely trusted, especially given how the Skinchanger can shift away, so it is not recommended to try them.
  • The Skinchanger will need to be ready to adapt to many different writing styles and memorise a significant chunk of information about each shift target to avoid suspicion. This is part of the reason why it is a rare role, and is more often manually given to more experienced players.
  • To win, the Skinchanger must be the last player alive. Be prepared to be in a final-three situation where you have to convince another player to side with you.
  • Evil factions and village subfactions can be fatal for the Skinchanger when they use codes to verify each other during the day. Aim to avoid shifting players in subfactions especially (as they are likely to always use codes), but also evil factions if they are aware that there is a Skinchanger in the game.
  • Because protection works normally against the Skinchanger's kills, it is vital to shift often to avoid dying as a result of having a kill prevented after two nights of inaction.
  • Though they are unaffected by it, the Skinchanger cannot see if they or their shift target have been targeted by a roleblock. It is recommended to eliminate players capable of roleblocking, as they may find the fact that the roleblock was not claimed suspicious, and indicative of night immunity or a shift.

History​

  • 2019-09-08

    Introduced in ext-342

  • 2020-05-10

    The Skinchanger may now elect to kill without shifting the target. The Skinchanger must shift at least once every three nights.