Roles

Werewolf Game Roles: Every Role Explained

A role-by-role guide for Villagers, Werewolves, Alpha Wolf, Seer, Doctor, Lover, Maniac, and more.

Villagers (Town Team)Werewolf Team Special Roles Roles You'll See in Other Variants Recommended Role Combinations See Also Ready to Play?

The classic Werewolf game has two teams and a handful of special roles. As the game evolved, dozens of new roles appeared — but most games use a core set of 6-8. Here is every common role, what it does, which team it belongs to, and when to include it.

Many roles go by different names. The Seer is also called Commissioner, Cop, or Detective. The Werewolf is sometimes called Gangster. The Alpha Wolf is the Godfather or Boss. The Doctor is the Medic. The Courtesan is the Blocker or Escort. The Maniac is the Serial Killer. Below, each role is listed under its primary name.

Villagers (Town Team)

Villagers are the uninformed majority. They don't know anyone else's role and must find the Werewolves through discussion, observation, and deduction.

👤 Villager

Team: Villagers
Ability: None
When they act: Day phase only (discussion and voting)

The basic role. No powers, no protection. Villagers make up the majority of the table and win by identifying and voting out all Werewolf members. Don't underestimate them — a sharp-eyed Villager who reads body language well is more valuable than a special role that stays silent.

→ Full Villager strategy guide

🔍 Seer

Team: Villagers
Ability: Each night, checks one player — the GM indicates whether that player is a Werewolf or not
When they act: Night phase

The main investigative Villager role. The Seer gathers hard information in a game full of lies. The challenge: revealing yourself confirms your intel but makes you the Werewolves' top target. Most Seers share information indirectly, through accusations and voting patterns, before going public.

House rule: The Alpha Wolf may appear as "not a Werewolf" to the Seer's check (Godfather immunity).

→ Full Seer strategy guide

💊 Doctor

Team: Villagers
Ability: Each night, chooses one player to protect from the Werewolves' elimination
When they act: Night phase

If the Doctor protects the same player the Werewolves target, that player survives. The Doctor usually cannot protect the same player two nights in a row, and in most variants cannot self-heal.

House rule variants:

Self-heal allowed / forbidden / once per game
No consecutive protection of the same player (most common)

→ Full Doctor strategy guide

💕 Lover

Team: Villagers
Ability: Each night, chooses one player to grant vote immunity the following day
When they act: Night phase

The protected player cannot be voted out. This is a powerful defensive tool — but it also protects Werewolf members if the Lover guesses wrong.

→ Full Lover strategy guide

Werewolf Team

The Werewolves are the informed minority. They know each other and coordinate secretly during the night phase.

🔫 Werewolf

Team: Werewolves
Ability: Participates in the nightly Werewolf elimination
When they act: Night phase (with the rest of the Werewolves)

The basic Werewolf role. Wakes up with the team, votes on who to eliminate. During the day, acts like a Villager and tries to avoid suspicion.

→ Full Werewolf strategy guide

🎩 Alpha Wolf

Team: Werewolves
Ability: Leads the Werewolves AND checks one player per night — the GM indicates whether that player is the Seer
When they act: Night phase (first with the Werewolves, then alone)

The Alpha Wolf is the Werewolves' leader and investigator. While the Seer hunts the Werewolves, the Alpha Wolf hunts the Seer. If the Alpha Wolf finds the Seer and has them eliminated, the Werewolves gain a huge advantage.

In competitive play (Sports Werewolf): The Alpha Wolf's investigation is the core of Werewolf strategy. Finding the Seer quickly is often the difference between winning and losing.

→ Full Alpha Wolf strategy guide

Special Roles

💋 Courtesan

Team: Villagers
Ability: Each night, chooses one player to block — that player's night action is cancelled
When they act: Night phase

If the Courtesan blocks the Doctor, nobody is healed. If they block a Werewolf, that player's vote doesn't count (though the rest of the Werewolves can still eliminate). If they block the Seer, no investigation happens.

The Courtesan creates uncertainty. Even if you know who the Doctor is, the Doctor's protection might not work because the Courtesan blocked them.

→ Full Courtesan strategy guide

🔪 Maniac

Team: Solo (independent)
Ability: Each night, chooses one player to eliminate — independently from the Werewolves
Win condition: Be the last player alive

The Maniac adds a third faction. The town now has to figure out who is a Werewolf AND who is the Maniac. The Werewolves hate the Maniac too — the Maniac's night actions reduce the Villager count, but the Maniac can also target Werewolf members.

→ Full Maniac strategy guide

Roles You'll See in Other Variants

These roles aren't in the classic Russian game but appear in Werewolf, Ultimate Werewolf, and other variants:

🎯 Hunter

Team: Villagers
Ability: When taken out (by any cause), immediately takes one other player down with them
When they act: On death (any cause)

A revenge shot. Even if the Hunter goes down, they get the last word. Very popular in Werewolf variants.

→ Full Hunter strategy guide

🃏 Jester

Team: Solo
Ability: None
Win condition: Get yourself voted out by the town

The Jester wins by being voted out. This creates paranoia — is that suspicious player really a Werewolf, or are they a Jester trying to bait a vote? Adding a Jester makes the town think twice before every vote.

→ Full Jester strategy guide

🔮 Witch

Team: Villagers
Ability: Has one healing potion (saves tonight's victim) and one killing potion (takes out a player). Each usable once per game.
When they act: Night phase, after the Werewolves act

Two powerful one-shot abilities. The Witch usually learns who the Werewolves targeted and can choose to save them or save the potions for later.

✝️ Priest (Vigilante)

Team: Villagers
Ability: Can take out one player per night
When they act: Night phase

A Villager with lethal power. High risk, high reward — if they shoot a Werewolf, the town gains a huge advantage. If they shoot a Villager, it's devastating.

🤝 Mason (Freemason)

Team: Villagers
Ability: On the first night, Masons wake up and see each other — they are confirmed Villagers to each other
When they act: First night only

Masons know for certain that their partner is not a Werewolf. This gives them a trusted ally in a game full of liars.

🖼️ Framer

Team: Werewolves
Ability: Each night, makes one player appear as a Werewolf to the Seer's check
When they act: Night phase

The Framer poisons the Seer's information. If the Seer checks a framed Villager, the result comes back "Werewolf." This creates doubt about every investigation.

Recommended Role Combinations

Beginner (7 players)

Villagers (×4), Werewolves (×2), Seer. Simple, clean, teaches the core game without extra mechanics.

Classic (9 players)

Villagers (×5), Werewolves (×2), Seer, Doctor. A comfortable home setup with one protective role.

Full (10 players)

Villagers (×4), Werewolves (×2), Alpha Wolf, Seer, Doctor, Lover. A richer table with the Alpha Wolf vs Seer dynamic and vote protection.

Extended (12+ players)

Villagers, Werewolves (×3), Alpha Wolf, Seer, Doctor, Lover, Courtesan, Maniac. All classic roles active — use auto-balance or customize freely.

Competitive (exactly 10)

Villagers (×6), Werewolves (×2), Alpha Wolf, Seer. No extra roles — pure deduction and bluffing.

Ready to Play?

Pick roles from the list above, and the app will balance the count for your table size — and make sure the Doctor can't heal the same person twice in a row or the Courtesan block herself.