[Class Suggestion] Cryptographer

Class/Lore/Fanfic
#1

These classes presuppose that an encrypted scum day chat exists and that scum actually use it. I got the idea from @orangeandblack5’s suggestion for FoL.

The chat will not technically be encrypted. It will just be gibberish, each letter being replaced by a random one. And besides the scum faction, only the Cryptographer will have a scum day chat window.

The Mastermind/Cult Leader chooses a new password each night. He’s given a list of the 3 least-spoken words from the previous day, sorted alphabetically. This password exists only for the purposes of the Cryptographer’s Decipher ability. Unseen cannot use the day chat until a password is chosen.

Cryptographer would be a very easy fake-claim in games without an actual Cryptographer.

The Cryptographer

Blue Dragon Social

Expert (Passive) - You may speak in scum day chat.

Decipher (Day) - Attempt to crack the Unseen code by guessing today’s password. The password is one of the 3 least-spoken words from the previous day, sorted alphabetically (You are given a list of the 3 possible passwords). You have 3 tries per day, but must wait some time between failed attempts. You cannot decipher numbers; any string of digits will appear as zero. Speakers are anonymous to you but distinguishable; e.g. Unseen 1, Unseen 2, etc. (Infinite uses)

Forge Handwriting (Day) - Choose which player you will be appear as when you speak in scum chat. (Infinite uses - once per day)

The Adept

Unseen Social

Expert (Passive) - You are immediately informed if a statement is a Trollbox.

Trollbox (Day) - (Infinite uses - once per day)

Forge Handwriting (Day) - Trollbox a whisper. (Infinite uses - once per day)

In Cult games, Cryptographer is the same, just renamed for lore purposes. Also the password is called the shibboleth. And I guess instead of being encrypted, Cult day chat is spoken in tongues.

The Dragoman

Blue Dragon Social

Fluent (Passive) - You may speak in Cult day chat.

Translate (Day) - Attempt to learn the Cult’s language by guessing today’s shibboleth. The shibboleth is one of the 3 least-spoken words from the previous day, sorted alphabetically (You are given a list of the 3 possible shibboleths). You have 3 tries per day, but must wait some time between failed attempts. You cannot translate numbers; any string of digits will appear as zero. Speakers are anonymous to you but distinguishable; e.g. Cultist 1, Cultist 2, etc. (Infinite uses)

Forge Handwriting (Day) - Choose which player you will be appear as when you speak in Cult day chat. (Infinite uses - once per day)

I know the classes should have night abilities. But I can’t think of any.

2 Likes
#2

Maybe I missed it, but what happens when you get the scum code/shibboleth correct?

1 Like
#3

The scum day chat becomes intelligible to you.

#4

I really like the idea of this but are they unique?

#5

I don’t think they should be unique.

1 Like
#6

I don’t think they need should be unique too

I was just wondering

#7

Ah ok, i didnt notice that it was unintelligable beforehand

#8

I had another idea that might be better.

Cult Leader chooses a password D1, e.g. “liar.”

If a Cultist wants to communicate secretly to other Cult during the day, he must:

  • Say something with the password in it (“liar,” e.g. “He is a liar!”)

  • And append “/x” followed by the secret message, which will only be visible to Cult.

    • e.g. “He is a liar! /x Sacrifice me to Mithras!”

The codebreaker can attempt to guess the password once a day, and once a night (or more often, idk what makes more sense).

When he successfully guesses the password, he will immediately learn of all secret messages posted prior. Additionally, at the end of each day he will learn of all secret messages posted that day.

Why not let the codebreaker see secret messages in realtime, once he’s guessed the password?

This is because that would make guessing the password equivalent to outing any Cultist who uses or has used secret messages.

In case that was confusing, here’s an illustration of this system in action.

  • Paladin [3]: I tested 7 and he’s Cult!
  • Ritualist [7]: 3 is a liar, I’m CW. /x Sacrifice me to Mithras please!
  • Paladin [3]: I’m not lying, and you’re not CW.
  • Cult Leader [16]: Well at least one of you is a liar. /x Consider it done.

Only Cult can see red text in realtime. The password is “liar.”

At the end of the day, if the codebreaker has correctly guessed the password, his codebreaker tab window will be populated with all secret messages posted the previous day. However, Cultists will be anonymous. Like this:

  • Cultist 1: Sacrifice me to Mithras please!
  • Cultist 2: Consider it done.

How is this better than the original stuff I posted in the OP?

In the OP, choosing and guessing a password was too random. In fact, the best strategy for choosing a password as Cult Leader is to use a random number generator to pick one of the three possible passwords at random. This takes all the fun and any possible strategy - even any WIFOM - out of codebreaking.

With this method, there is actual strategy in choosing a password, because of two opposing constraints:

  • The password must be innocuous enough to be repeatedly incorporated into day chat without arousing suspicion;

  • The password cannot be something non-Cultists are likely to use. This rule will be artificially enforced by exposing all secret messages to the codebreaker every day that a non-Cultist uses the password.

The codebreaker’s main job will be looking for statements that seem to have been contrived in order to identify the password. Once he knows the password, he will scumread the secret messages (even from the time before he guessed the password).

Numbers will be intelligible to him (unlike in the original version). For example, if he sees a message, “Force 11 to vote up 3,” he will know that 11 and 3 are not Cult, and that there is an Apostle. He will also know that the number of living Cult is at least equal to the number of players who used secret messages. He might also be able to find out who is Cult by looking at who used the password in sentences (he will be able to filter chat by keyword).

So it will be very important to choose a secure password! And Codebreaker will be a very important asset to BD.

Not sure how all this stuff would play out in practice but it was fun coming up with it. :stuck_out_tongue:

It’s worth noting that this Codebreaker class would be an almost completely unconfirmable BD social class.

#9

This won’t be added because Cult/Unseen just won’t use daychat.

#10

Are you saying they won’t use it because of Cryptographer or wouldn’t use it regardless?

#11

Because of Cryptographer.

Also, ToL players don’t want to use effort so they won’t try and work out the code, they’ll just guess it.

#12

Okay, I won’t pretend this will ever get added. But I would have expected the main way people crack the code would be by being aware of unnatural sounding sentences.