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Ventriloquist

If a player is mad as a fresh character during their nomination, they might not die if executed today.

Well, folks, gather ‘round! This here’s my pal Charlie, and he’s got a mouth on him that’d make a mule blush. But don’t worry folks, I do all the talkin’... or do I?

How to run it (Storyteller)

Add the Ventriloquist to a script when you want to reward players who commit hard to a character claim during the nomination phase — it creates a high-stakes performance moment on the stand. The mechanic is storyteller discretion, so you can use it to protect a genuinely valuable good player or let evil slip through, adding tension to every execution. Run it cleanly by deciding before the vote whether the nominating player is sufficiently 'mad' as that character, then simply announcing the execution fails if you choose to trigger it.

Playing with the Ventriloquist — as good

  • If you suspect the Ventriloquist is on the script, commit fully to your character claim the moment you make a nomination — half-hearted claims are unlikely to satisfy the madness requirement.
  • Coordinate with your team before nominating so you know which character you are publicly committed to; switching claims mid-game will undermine any Ventriloquist protection you might receive.
  • If you are a high-value good role nominating a suspected demon, lean into your character performance aggressively — the Ventriloquist's protection could save you from a retaliatory execution attempt later.
  • Track which players are making consistent, committed character claims over time; if the Ventriloquist is in play, those players are the most likely candidates to survive executions and should be considered reliable allies.

Playing with the Ventriloquist — as evil

  • If you suspect the Ventriloquist is in play, nominate players who have been vague or inconsistent about their character claims — they are far less likely to benefit from the protection.
  • Avoid nominating players who have loudly committed to a specific character all game, as a successful Ventriloquist trigger on a key good player wastes the town's execution for the day.
  • As the demon or a minion, consider strategically claiming a character loudly and consistently so that if you are nominated, you might benefit from the Ventriloquist yourself.
  • If a nomination fails due to the Ventriloquist, immediately cast doubt on whether the Ventriloquist itself is actually in play or suggest the Storyteller made a different ruling — sowing confusion about the mechanic buys evil time.

Key interactions

Poisoner

If the Ventriloquist is poisoned, the Storyteller cannot trigger the save even if a nominating player is fully mad as their character, because the ability is non-functional while poisoned. Evil should identify and poison the Ventriloquist on critical execution days to guarantee a kill goes through.