Switch

Switch Alias: none Alignment: any Role type: Linked Manipulative Choice: none

Switches are a set of roles which can decide whether other roles can be used each night or not. A switch is usually not told who has the role he/she is controlling, or who the role would target each night if allowed to stay "on."

The best-known type of switch is the Tooth Fairy, a townsperson who chooses whether the vigilante may act each night. A vigilante's power is double-edged; although it shares the same win condition as a tooth fairy, they might strongly disagree on whether the vigilante's target should die that night. An entire town full of votes cannot keep a maverick vigilante in check without taking drastic measures, but a tooth fairy can.

Theoretically, a pro-town switch could be attached to any role which could backfire on the town. However, the tooth fairy is the only such role with a universal name.

Switches who win with the mafia are not unheard of, either. Although mafia switches can still control vigilantes, they might also be linked to cops and other roles which can never really act outside of the interests of the town. This forces the town to kill the switch before its power role can be used.

Switches are even linked sometimes to the mafia's power roles. In the open set-up Switch Mafia, there is a serial killer who can choose each night whether the mafia's switch abilities should be allowed to go through.