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Imp

Each night*, choose a player: they die. If you kill yourself this way, a Minion becomes the Imp.

We must keep our wits sharp and our sword sharper. Evil walks among us, and will stop at nothing to destroy us good, simple folk, bringing our fine town to ruin. Trust no-one. But, if you must trust someone, trust me.

Storyteller cues

Other nightsThe Imp chooses a player. ◦ If the Imp chose themselves: Replace 1 alive Minion token with a spare Imp token. Put the old Imp to sleep. Wake the new Imp. Show the YOU ARE token, then show the Imp token.

How to run it (Storyteller)

Each night from night two onward, wake the Imp and have them point at a target; that player dies and you announce the death at dawn. If the Imp points at themselves, immediately check for Scarlet Woman (5+ players alive means she must become the new Imp), otherwise pick a Minion to become the new Imp. The nastiest edge case is a self-kill attempt while the Imp is protected by Monk or Innkeeper — the kill simply fails silently, the Imp does not die, no star-pass occurs. Watch for the Imp trying to star-pass on a night when protection is secretly active, since they will not realise it failed until no death is announced.

How to play

  • Claim a safe information role like Soldier, Ravenkeeper, or Slayer early — a role that explains why you might survive nominations and has just enough mechanical weight to be believed but rarely verified.
  • Coordinate with your Minions before the game ends: if you're about to be executed, a star-pass to a trusted Minion on the previous night lets evil continue under a new Imp who good players haven't identified yet.
  • Kill strategically each night — prioritise roles that threaten your identity (Empath narrowing you down, Fortune Teller who has already pinged you, or a Slayer sitting on a shot) before killing decoys.
  • Avoid killing the same alignment night after night in an obvious pattern; vary targets including Minions when useful to sell a narrative that a different evil player is the Demon.
  • The most common mistake is star-passing too late — if you wait until the final day and there are only three players left, a star-pass cannot save evil because good wins the moment the Imp dies regardless of who they become.

How to fight the Imp

  • Track the death pattern: the Imp must kill every night from night two, so any night without a death signals protection (Monk, Innkeeper) or a failed self-kill attempt — both are informative about who was targeted.
  • Empath readings that creep upward as players die help bracket which surviving players are evil neighbours; cross-reference this with who has been visibly deflecting suspicion to narrow the Imp.
  • Nominating aggressively in the mid-game forces the Imp into a dilemma — kill the most dangerous accuser that night or risk being executed, and either choice reveals information about evil priorities.
  • If you suspect a star-pass has occurred (a previously quiet player becomes the new focus of evil deflection after a key death), treat the game state as reset and re-evaluate who is defending whom in nominations.
  • Save hard-claim roles like Slayer shots and Virgin nominations for moments when you have a high-confidence Imp read, since a missed shot does nothing and a missed Virgin proc costs a life — but a correct Slayer shot or a nominated Imp on Virgin ends the game instantly.

Key interactions

Scarlet Woman

When five or more players are alive, a Scarlet Woman in play takes over as Imp the moment the Imp kills themselves, making the star-pass mandatory and predictable. Evil should treat this as a guaranteed backup rather than a choice — the Imp can sacrifice themselves knowing the game continues, but good should watch for an Imp willing to die suspiciously early as a tell that a Scarlet Woman is in play.

Monk

If the Monk protects the Imp on the night the Imp targets themselves, the self-kill fails and no star-pass occurs — the Imp survives unknowingly protected. Good can exploit this by having the Monk guess the Imp and potentially waste the Imp's star-pass window without either side being certain of the outcome.

Innkeeper

Like the Monk, the Innkeeper's protection on the Imp blocks a self-kill attempt entirely, leaving the Imp alive and confused by the lack of death. The Imp should factor in that any protection ability in play could silently negate a planned star-pass on a critical night.

Recluse

A Recluse can be chosen by the Storyteller to become the new Imp after a self-kill, though this is discouraged — if it happens, a good player suddenly holds the Imp token, which is chaotic for both teams. Evil cannot reliably plan around this, and good players should know the Recluse's self-registering nature theoretically puts them at risk of an unintended star-pass.

Spy

The Spy may be passed over when the Imp star-passes despite being a Minion, so evil cannot guarantee the Spy becomes the new Imp. This means the Imp should coordinate directly with a preferred Minion for the star-pass rather than assuming the Spy — who is highly valuable as an information asset — will inherit the Demon role.