Inventor

Inventor Alias: none Alignment: any Role type: Manipulative Communicative Choice: Night Status: Experimental Normal

The Inventor is a role that can give out various gadgets to other players. Each gadget typically provides one shot of a Power Role, such as a one-shot kill, a one-shot investigation, a one-shot bulletproof, etc. These gadgets are chosen from a list included in the Inventor's Role PM.

Inventors cannot simply use their own gadgets themselves, and usually cannot give Inventions to themselves; they generally must give them to another player to use. An Inventor who is able to use their own gadgets is almost always better off simply using them themselves.

Inventors, including the false variety seen below, have been seen as Town and Mafia.

Normal version

This role is on the Experimental Role List, and is currently allowed in Complex Normal games.

An Inventor gives a 1-shot ability, known as an invention, to another player. This invention may be used by that player as if it were a personal ability. Inventors may not use their own inventions. These abilities should be usable for a player of any alignment.

Inventions given out by an inventor can be seen by roles that would care about the invention's power (such as a Gunsmith, Detective, or Psychologist), even if they were already given out or used.

Inventors and their inventions do not count as their base role, thus, Inventors and their inventions do not interact with Backup and Finder.

Variations

In the original incarnation of the role, an Inventor does not know the ability associated with the gadgets they give away (though it may be hinted at by the flavor associated with the gadget). It is now very common to tell the Inventor exactly what abilities they can give.

A more complex variation is for an Inventor to start with an incomplete list, and have possible gadgets added on as the game goes on.

Some moderators choose what the Inventor gives out for them, as well as their effect. This is not commonly seen, though, as this is akin to a random role.

Some Inventors may have gadgets that do nothing, or that have negative results upon using. However, an Inventor who knows in advance that their Inventions do nothing or have harmful effects not stated to the person who receives the invention is called a False Inventor.

Some Inventors only give out one type of gadget, such as an Inventor that can only give out kills.

Use & Balance

Setup-wise, an Inventor fills the same niche that a Jack of All Trades does: they are less powerful, but more versatile, than other equivalent power roles because the gadgets that they give out are one-shot. However, an Inventor is usually weaker than an equivalent Jack of All Trades. This is a combination of both the possibility that an Inventor gives a gadget to the Mafia instead of Town, and the fact that an Inventor may not know the effect of the gadget they are giving.

Inventors that are not False are confirmable upon their claim, especially if they have given Inventions to multiple living players.

Sample Role PMs

The standardized Role PM for "Inventor" describes its effect on roles as follows:

• On each targeted action that forms the role: Once in the game at night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, you will give a 1-shot version of this ability: You may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, (edit)

• On each nontargeted action that forms the role: Once in the game at night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, you will give a 1-shot version of this ability: (edit)

Example

Welcome to game! You are a Town Inventor Cop Doctor Activated Bulletproof.

You have the following active abilities, but may use only one per Night:

• Once in the game at night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, you will give a 1-shot version of this ability: You may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, you will learn whether that player wins with Town. (You will get "no result" if this action is blocked.)
• Once in the game at night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, you will give a 1-shot version of this ability: You may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, that player will be protected from one kill that night.
• Once in the game at night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, you will give a 1-shot version of this ability: you may choose to gain the following ability for that night: "You are protected from kills that target you."

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.