Gutless

Gutless Alias: none Alignment: Town Mafia Role type: Negative Utility Choice: none Status: No

The Gutless role modifier prevents a player's actions from affecting or perceiving killing abilities, such as the factional kill.

Standard version

An action affected by the Gutless modifier has no interactions with killing abilities. Killing abilities include (most commonly) the Mafia's factional kill, but also include Vigilantes and others.

The "lack of interaction" means that manipulative night actions with this modifier cannot block or redirect killing actions; protective night actions with this modifier cannot protect someone who is using them; investigative night actions with this modifier will return results as though they did not occur. For example, a Gutless Doctor would prevent nightkills that target a Cop but not those that target a Vigilante, and a Gutless Watcher wouldn't reveal Mafia members who killed their target, but would be able to see other actions.

Use & Balance

Many roles are by far at their strongest when affecting the Mafia nightkill, as opposed to something else. For example, in a small game, a Town Roleblocker who stops the nightkill is much more helpful to town than they would be if they merely, e.g., stopped a Mafia Rolecop from investigating. So the Gutless modifier allows roles to be used for their minor uses, while cutting out the use that has the most impact on the game. This considerably weakens the role, while at the same time making it less swingy.

Play Advice

With an investigative role, try to investigate players who you think have lied about or will lie about their night actions. Manipulative roles should generally attempt to neutralise claimed power roles which have potential for being used in an anti-town way (e.g. a Doctor can rarely hurt town, but a claimed Vote Thief may be worth neutralising in ELo).

Sample Role PMs

The standardized Role PM for "Gutless" describes the modifier as follows:

• As a modifier on a single ability: This action will not interact with killing abilities. (edit)

• As a modifier that affects all abilities: Your actions will not interact with killing abilities. (edit)

Example (modifying a single ability)

Welcome to game! You are a Town Gutless Jailkeeper.

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 kills that night, but all their actions will be blocked that night. This action will not interact with killing 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 (affecting all abilities)

Welcome to game! You are a Town Gutless Jack of All Trades Tracker Doctor.

Your actions will not interact with killing abilities.

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 learn who that player targeted that night. (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, that player will be protected from one kill that night.

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.

See also

Personal