Totems

Totem cards are used in conjunction with the Shaman and Crazed Shaman cards. They are sort of like enchanted garden gnomes, only a lot cooler and can kill you. There are 7 Totems in total, each with different properties:

♦ Totem of Impatience - The person who has this totem is always counted as voting for the current day, even if they did not raise their hand.
♦ Totem of Death - This totem kills the recipient.
♦ Totem of Cowardice - If the person who has this totem is lynched, they do not die. Instead, they have their role revealed to the village. The day ends without a lynching.
♦ Totem of Influence - If the person who has this totem votes on the day's lynching, their vote will be counted twice. They are not required to vote.
♦ Totem of Meekness - If the person who has this totem votes on the day's lynching, their vote will not be counted.
♦ Totem of Confusion - The person who has this totem is prevented from using their special night time ability during the next night. The same rules for Hexing apply.
♦ Totem of Protection - This totem protects the recipient from all forms of death that night.

Totems are handed out at night and are not be revealed to anyone. Some Totems take effect right away (i.e., the Totem of Death killing you the night you receive it), some Totems take effect during the daytime (i.e., the Totem of Meekness making you too shy to vote during the day), or they work their magic the next night (i.e., the Totem of Confusion Hexing you the next night). The magic of Totems is short-lived, however, and expires after they are activated one time. The Totem then mysteriously disappears from the afflicted person's lawn, only to reappear somewhere else.

How to GM

During the Night Phase, the GM, at the Shaman's direction, distributes these cards among the sleeping Villagers. The Shaman uses one Totem per night, chosen by the GM. The Crazed Shaman can use up to three Totems per night, also chosen by the GM. The GM selects these Totems at random from the the complete stack of 7 Totems and is responsible for remembering which players have which Totems.

Totems are set out on the player's 'lawn', the area on the playing surface in front of them, next to their role card. They are placed face-down and are not to be touched by the player. The player is not allowed to look at the Totem they received. The fact that a player has a magical lawn ornament isn't a secret so placing the totem does not have to be done discreetly. In fact, it is better to make it obvious so that the remaining night time roles do not have to spend extra time looking around to see how the Totems were distributed. Remember, the player does not get to look at the totem they have received at any point.

It is very important for the GM to remember which players received which Totems. It is not recommended to play with both the Shaman and Crazed Shaman in the same game for this reason. You most certainly can, but it might get a little crazy. Keeping a small scratchpad to jot notes on will be helpful no matter what combination of Shamans you choose to play with.

If a vote-altering totem is present during a day's lynching, be especially careful when tallying votes. Do not announce the final count; simply say how many hands were raised and if the vote passes or fails. When determining if a vote to lynch is successful, divide the total number of living players (including person being voted on!) in half, rounded up to the nearest whole number. This number is how many votes are needed for the lynching to go through. If there are 9 or 10 remaining villagers, 5 votes are required to lynch someone.

The Shaman and Crazed Shaman can keep giving the same person Totems on successive nights. However, a player may only receive one Totem at a time from the Crazed Shaman. The maximum number of Totems a player could have at any given time would be two, one from the Shaman and one from the Crazed Shaman (if they are both being used in the same game). A list of totem combinations that may be confusing at first glance can be found below.

At the beginning of each Night Phase, Totem cards are collected and shuffled back into the Totem stack. This ensures that all Totems have an equal change of appearing each night.

Totem Combinations

For those choosing to play with both the Shaman and the Crazed Shaman, you may find a player with two seemingly conflicting totems. Fear not, because each has a logical outcome. As with other rules, these are merely suggested guidelines. If your group disagrees, feel free to decide differently.

Protection + Death - Protected. The Totem of Protection protects against all forms of death, including the Totem of Death.
Meekness + Impatience - No effect. These totems cancel each other out. The player votes normally.
Meekness + Influence - Totem of Influence becomes useless as the player cannot vote.
Impatience + Influence - Always x2 Vote. Totem of Impatience forces them to vote for each lynching, and all of their votes are counted twice until someone is lynched.

The Totem of Confusion and Totem of Cowardice should not present any unusual conflicts.

Alternate Rules

The Totem of Cowardice is the only Totem with alternate rules.

Stronger Totem of Cowardice
After someone with the Totem of Cowardice is unsuccessfully lynched and has their role revealed, allow the village to carry out another lynching instead of ending the Day Phase. This increases the chance of lynching an evil character and also gives the player that would have been lynched a chance to sweet-talk the village out of getting killed somehow. If you happened to be lucky enough to reveal a Werewolf, you get the added bonus of being able to lynch them right then. How embarassing.

Even stronger Totem of Cowardice
If you find the Totem of Cowardice not accomplishing anything, you can apply its effect to the Night Phase as well. If the owner of the Totem of Cowardice was supposed to die that night, reveal both the Totem and their role instead of killing them. When this happens, they are not shown to the Mortician or Scryer as being set to die that night.

Frequently Asked Questions

Totem of Impatience

Am I forced to vote against myself if I have the Totem of Impatience?
No, that would be the Totem of Suicidal Desire. Players are not allowed to vote against themselves, even with the Totem of Impatience.

Totem of Death

Can the Witch or Bodyguard prevent the death from the Totem of Death?
Yes, the Witch is given a chance to save someone who was given the Totem of Death. The Bodyguard cannot protect someone from an evil lawn ornament.

The person that died from the Totem of Death keeps looking at their totem!
No! Bad! Spray them with a hose and tell them to be patient. It's usually obvious when someone was killed by the Totem of Death. When it's not obvious, it needs to be kept a secret from the village. Try picking up their Totem with their role card and telling them their cause of death away from the gaming circle.

Totem of Cowardice

I'm the Fool, and I was just lynched while I had the Totem of Cowardice. Does the game end?
Ouch. No, the lynching was prevented by the Totem of Cowardice, and you've now had your role revealed. The game continues on like normal. At this point, the village knows you're the Fool and will probably not try to lynch you again. The Werewolves may not bother killing you as you're not a danger to them, either.

I'm the Mystic, and someone was just lynched while I had the Totem of Cowardice. Did I copy their role?
No. As with above, the lynching did not actually happen. You're still a Mystic, and you are still able to say yes to using your power.

I'm a Werewolf, and I was just lynched while I had the the Totem of Cowardice. Why am I still alive??
Maybe, maybe not. You've proven yourself to be such a coward that they think they can get more use out of you by keeping you alive. You first prove to them that you're a Werewolf and then... you either 'give them information', or you get lynched. Anything can happen, even when you're a revealed Werewolf!

Totem of Influence

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Totem of Meekness

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Totem of Confusion

Can the Warlock get Hexed from the Totem of Confusion?
Yes. This is the only way that the Warlock can be Hexed. All other rules of Hexing apply as normal.

Totem of Protection

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Strategies and Tips

Please see the Shaman and Crazed Shaman pages for more information about these cards.

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