Hero

Hero Alias: Vengeful Alignment: Town Role type: Killing Linked Passive Choice: none

The Hero is a role typically designed for Kingmaker setups, as a variant of the Supersaint specialised for taking out the King. (It can theoretically be used in other sorts of setups, but would be so weak that a moderator would be unlikely to include it.)

Standard version

The Hero will passively kill any player who overrides the normal elimination mechanics to eliminate the Hero; in other words, if a player's role bypasses the normal voting mechanism to get the Hero eliminated, that player will die along with the Hero. Roles that bypass the normal elimination mechanics include the King in Kingmaker setups, and the Gladiator. A Doublevoter is treated as acting within the normal game mechanics, despite the extra vote.

Variations

A variant of the Hero role can survive manipulated eliminations; if the role triggers, the player who interfered with the elimination is eliminated in the Hero's place, with the Hero surviving. This event would typically confirm the Hero's role (but not alignment).

A Hero variant that triggers on any vote manipulation, whether it bypasses the normal voting system or works within it, is also plausible. This form of the Hero, when eliminated, would kill players with two votes on their wagon, players who made them Hated, players who froze someone else's vote onto them, etc..

Use & Balance

This role would normally only be included in Mafia Mutations in which bypasses of the normal voting mechanism are expected; the effect is otherwise very niche and unlikely to come up. Even in setups where Kings can be expected to control the elimination every Day, it's hard to make use of the role as a townie (trying to get eliminated on days when you think the King is scum is just too difficult.)

The Hero can cause some unusual endgame scenarios; for example, if the game comes down to a 1:1 ending with a Hero and an anti-town player in a Kingmaker game (e.g. because the anti-town player was King in a 3:1 melo), the Hero will be forced to make the anti-town player King, but that player will then end up suiciding if they quickhammer the Hero. In general, an anti-town player in a 1:1 ending will have to guess whether they're facing a Hero (and thus need to no-eliminate) or Vigilante (and thus need to hammer). It is probably best to decide in advance that this sort of scenario should be an automatic town loss.

This hints at the main value of the Hero to town: it gives partial protection from late-game quickhammers. In general, the existence of a Hero will help out town's chances if the Kingmaker chooses incorrectly in a melo or elo situation, and thus serves to give town a random chance of being forgiven when they make a mistake. This could arguably be seen as undesirable from a swing point of view.

Anti-town Heroes (Antiheroes?) are very rare, and considerably stronger than the pro-town version (as in a Kingmaker setup, town cannot win without triggering the role and thus losing a member); it should be balanced as slightly weaker than Vengeful.

Play Advice

It's likely best not to change your play simply because you're a Hero (although you can mention it at massclaim, if necessary). The inability to target your vengekill means that any benefit you get from this role is mostly down to luck. (You might want to play slightly more selfishly than normal in the hope that scum will identify you as a power role, making them more likely to force eliminations onto you when they get the opportunity.)

Sample Role PMs

The standardized Role PM for "Hero" describes the passive ability as follows:

• As an unmodified passive ability: You will retaliate against players who unilaterally force your elimination, killing them. (edit)

• As a passive ability with a modifier: You will retaliate against the nth player who unilaterally forces your elimination OR players who unilaterally force your elimination on day n, killing them. (edit)

Example (unmodified)

Welcome to game! You are a Town Hero.

You will retaliate against players who unilaterally force your elimination, killing them.

You have no active abilities.

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 (modified)

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

You will retaliate against the first player who unilaterally forces your elimination, killing them.

You have no active abilities.

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.