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Bone Collector

Once per game, at night*, choose a dead player: they regain their ability until dusk.

I collect many things. Hair. Teeth. Clothes. Fragments of poems. The dreams of lost lovers. My secret arts are not for you to know but my fee is a mere pittance. Bring me the blood of a noblewoman who died of heartbreak under a full moon, and you shall have your answers.

Storyteller cues

Other nightsThe Bone Collector might choose a dead player. ◦ If necessary, wake the chosen player to use their ability.

How to run it (Storyteller)

When the Bone Collector uses their ability at night, privately wake them and let them point to any dead player's shroud; that player immediately regains their ability until the following dusk (end of the next day phase). Even a once-per-game ability is restored in full. Time the Bone Collector's use carefully — reviving a powerful dead Townsfolk mid-game when their information is still actionable rewards thoughtful play, while doing it too early or on a low-value target wastes the only charge.

How to play as a good Bone Collector

  • Save the ability for a dead player whose information or action is directly decisive — a dead Investigator or Empath whose second read could confirm a nomination, not a role that already gave everything it had.
  • Announce your alignment and intent early so good players know to preserve key information roles; a dead Slayer or Exorcist mid-endgame can swing the game if you've telegraphed you're holding this for them.
  • Coordinate with confirmed good players before you act: ask who among the dead is most valuable to revive so the town chooses the target together rather than leaving it to your guess.
  • Be transparent about when you've used the ability — telling the town 'I fired last night on X' removes uncertainty and lets dead players with powerful once-per-games plan around the timing.
  • Resist pressure to use the ability on day one or two when the dead pool is shallow; the ability compounds in value as more information roles die and the game nears its critical final day.

How to play as an evil Bone Collector

  • Use the ability on a dead Minion or evil player if the Storyteller's setup allows, restoring a Poisoner or Assassin's once-per-game action for another swing — the town rarely tracks whether a dead evil Traveller regained ability.
  • Burn the ability on a low-value dead Townsfolk early in the game to appear invested in good's cause, then spend the rest of the game as a safe information conduit for evil without ever having a real second charge to threaten anyone.
  • If good players are lobbying loudly for you to revive a specific dead role, consider refusing or delaying — denying town that tempo swing while blaming indecision buys evil extra days.
  • Coordinate with the Demon to time the revival of a dead Minion on the final night so their ability fires after good has already committed to a vote, maximising disruption when defense is impossible.
  • As a Traveller, use your exilic vulnerability as cover: loudly threaten to leave if accused, making the town hesitant to exile you and preserving your ability for the endgame moment evil needs most.

Key interactions

Philosopher

A dead Philosopher revived by the Bone Collector can pick an entirely new Townsfolk ability rather than being locked into the one they originally chose, effectively giving the town a second fresh information role mid-game. Good players should plan for this by keeping the Philosopher's first pick low-value if they anticipate dying early and being revived.