How to Play: Assassin Role


How it works

Getting the assassin role

The assassin role is randomly assigned based on the following criteria:

  • Only enabled in 16+ player games. (This requirement is checked when roles are assigned)
  • At most one assassin in a single match.
  • The role cannot be purchased, and if you queue for any other role you will be excluded from the draw.

The target system

At the start of the game, the assassin is assigned up to two targets to kill. They will keep receiving targets when their current one dies until they kill enough. The assassin also knows the role of their target.

The targets the assassin is required to kill depend on player count (checked at the start). The assassin will get a third of the other players as targets. Thus:

Player Count (inclusive) Number of Targets
16-18 5
19-21 6
22-24 7

Although rare, it is possible that the game can get to a point where there aren’t enough players left for the assassin to kill its targets. In that case, the assassin will have to be the last player standing to win.

Karma

The assassin will get:

  • +20 Karma for killing one of their current targets (no matter their role)
  • +5 Karma for killing a Traitor that wasn’t their target. (Important: see note on this in the “Rules” section)
  • -10 Karma for killing anyone else that wasn’t their target.

For killing the assassin, players (no matter their role) will get:

  • +30 Karma if they were one of the assassin’s current targets.
  • +20 Karma if they weren’t one of the assassin’s current targets.

In this case, traitors will get 3 and 2 role points respectively, while the detective will still only get one potion.

Rules

There are certain exceptions and special cases regarding RDM when the assassin role is in play.

If you are the Assassin:

  • You are not allowed to engage in a fight with anyone other than your current target (no matter their role!), unless you’re acting in self-defense.
    • Keep in mind that you will only gain (instead of losing) karma for killing traitors. Even then, you should only attack traitors that hit you to avoid dying. You’re not allowed to chase down traitors that aren’t your target!
  • As the Assassin, you know the role of your target. You’re not allowed to reveal this to innocents.

If you are an Innocent or a Detective:

  • You are not allowed to RDM the Assassin (obviously).
  • Here are some things that 100% give you a valid reason to kill (note that most of them are also traitor actions):
    • The player kills someone as if they were a traitor (this means an innocent or detective, and with clear intentions to kill).
    • The player tested as a traitor.
    • The player holds a map.
    • The player throws a blindness potion.

How to Play: Innocent/Detective

If you are an innocent (or a detective), you won’t really notice the assassin’s presence.
You will think they are a traitor most of the times, and there are no real changes you should make to your play style.

You have to be mindful of these few things, however:

  • The game will only end once the assassin has died, even if all the traitors have been eliminated.
  • The assassin can kill players of any role, so if only a few players are left, be very careful on whom you trust.

There are a few ways you can spot the assassin as innocent, for example:

  • They seem to RDM a traitor (Important: killing them straight up in this case would be RDM, so you need to wait for them to do something that’s exclusive to the assassin - e.g. holding a map, killing someone else, testing as traitor or throwing a blindness potion - before you can kill)
  • They clearly seem to attempt individual kills, as opposed to committing mass murder like a traitor would do. (As soon as you see them kill someone that’s not a traitor, you have a valid reason to kill back, as if they were a traitor)

How to Play: Traitor

If you are a traitor, you need to be wary that the assassin can end the game prematurely by killing all their targets.

There’s a catch: you don’t know who the assassin is, they will look like a normal innocent for you.
If you do manage to kill them though, you will get the same rewards you’d get for killing a detective (+20 karma, +2 points).

How to Play: Assassin

When the game starts, you will be given your initial targets (up to 2). You can see the role of your target in that message, and you can always check how many targets you have left in the sidebar. Your current targets will also have a different color (dark aqua) on their nametag and in tablist.

Stealth is key: you need to make it hard for the traitors to find you, because they want to eliminate you as quickly as possible before you can steal their victory. At the same time, you need to kill judiciously, as innocents will most likely try to hunt you down thinking you’re a traitor.

Once you get a kill, you can run /shop to open the shop. Additionally, once the timer reaches 1 minute, you will be given a free map to locate your target. Be sure not to get caught holding it, as that will reveal you are the assassin.

Assassin Items


Tester Spoofer
Price: 2 points (1 kill - /b 1)

Works the same as the traitor variant.


Blindness Potion
Price: 4 points (2 kills - /b 2)

This is a splashable potion of Blindness (0:03) that is useful to escape after a kill or to easily ambush a player amidst a crowd.
You cannot drop this potion (and it is removed on death), so if you see someone hold it or use it, they’re definitely the assassin.
This potion has a neat perk: everyone affected by the splash will receive the effect at full duration (3 seconds), no matter their distance from the impact point.


Assassin Map
Price: N/A

This is a simple map that reveals your target’s location. It has the same drawbacks as the traitor map: it only updates every 7 seconds and you cannot drop it, so if people catch you holding it they have a reason to kill you.

You will automatically receive one (for free) after the first minute of gameplay.

(After this update, all maps will now be configured in the layout under the “Traitor Map”. This allows you to have all three - traitor, detective, assassin - maps in the same slot.)

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