Babysitter

Babysitter Alias: none Alignment: Town Role type: Protective Killing Choice: Night

A Babysitter is a role who can target a player at Night to protect them. However, if Babysitter is killed that night, both the Babysitter and its target will die.

Normal version

A Babysitter may target a player each night to protect them. That player will be protected from one kill aimed at that player directly. However, if a kill succeeds on the Babysitter (rather than the Babysitter's target), the Babysitter's target will die along with the Babysitter.

Variations

A Babysitter could plausibly protect a player from any number of kills.

Babysitter is something of a mix of Vigilante and Doctor, each of which are roles in their own right.

A Bomb is comparable to a Babysitter who automatically targets the player killing them, rather than choosing a target explicitly.

A Hider is the exact reverse of a Babysitter (a Hider protects themself from a kill, but dies if their target is killed).

Use & Balance

The Babysitter occupies unsteady ground in its role in a Mafia Game. It has no defined playstyle, so it's best to account for scenarios that involve the Babysitter opting to play as a Doctor, or as a gambiting Vigilante seeking to remove scum that claim a scummy role.

The Babysitter is in some respects a weaker form of the Doctor. While it doesn't solve any breaking strategies the Doctor usually offers, it limits the damage a Follow the Cop strategy could do to the Mafia. If attempted and the Mafia accurately opt to find the doctor instead, the Cop will take a result to their grave, opposed to a Doctor game, where an extra result will come into play.

It's noteworthy that despite being implied to be a weak role, the Babysitter is no slouch and can target scum and attempt to kill them upon their own death.

In a Large game it may be tempting to have both a Babysitter and a Doctor, but keep in mind that the two roles combined are the same as if they were two Doctors. While the Mafia may have means to eliminate them despite the mutual protection, consider making one of the protective roles a simple Backup instead. To add further insult to the "too weak to save my target, strong enough to kill scum" trope, Macho Babysitter can also solve this problem.

It needs to be decided before a setup is finalized whether a Babysitter protects against a single kill attempt or all kill attempts.

A non-town Babysitter could theoretically exist, and is allowed in a Normal Game, but is only useful if kills exist in a rival faction (e.g. the Werewolves or a Vigilante). Such a use tends to reduce swing by giving compensation for a kill; as anti-town factions tend to be small, few such players are likely to dare to use the ability on their allies, as they would be risking being wiped out.

Play Advice

To avoid problems related to outguessing scum, the most reliable way to play the Babysitter would be to target players who are likely to be eliminated soon, similar to correct play for a Vigilante; if a player is scummy-looking, the scum are unlikely to try to kill them anyway, so this strategy has little chance of backfiring. Definitely play this way if you've claimed.

A riskier option is to attempt to protect town power roles, as a Doctor would. This can be powerful when it works, but you have very little scope to prevent it backfiring.

Sample Role PMs

The standardized Role PM for "Babysitter" describes the action as follows:

• As a targeted action: that player will be protected from one direct kill, but will die if you are killed. (edit)

Example (simplest form)

Welcome to game! You are a Town Babysitter.

You have the following active ability:

• Each Night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, that player will be protected from one direct kill, but will die if you are killed.

You win if all threats to the town are eliminated and at least one town-aligned player is alive.

Confirm by replying to this PM with a summary of your role.

Example (with modifiers)

Welcome to game! You are a Town 1-shot Loud Babysitter.

You have the following active ability:

• Once in the game at Night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, that player will be protected from one direct kill, but will die if you are killed. Your target will learn that you targeted them (but not what action you targeted them with).

You win if all threats to the town are eliminated and at least one town-aligned player is alive.

Confirm by replying to this PM with a summary of your role.