Chef

Townsfolk•Trouble Brewing

A Townsfolk who learns the number of evil pairs sitting immediately next to each other on the first night. While this information seems subtle initially, it becomes mathematically powerful as other players' alignments are confirmed.

Wakes

First Night Only

Causes Death

Selects

Alignment

Static

Ability

You start knowing how many pairs of evil players there are.

Night Ritual (Storyteller Instructions)

First Night

"Show the number of pairs of neighboring evil players."

Strategy Guide

Playing As

You receive your information on Night 1; consider withholding it until later in the game when you can cross-reference it with other claims.
A '0' suggests your immediate neighbors are likely good, or at least not an evil pair, whereas a '1' or higher implies evil is clustering.
Use 'anchor points' from other characters (like a confirmed Washerwoman target or Virgin) to deduce the alignment of players sitting between you and them.
If you fear the Demon will hunt information roles early, you can bluff as a Soldier or Ravenkeeper to survive longer, or even bluff false Chef numbers to test reactions.
Be aware that your information helps solve the 'geometry' of the game; in the final three, knowing where the evil pair isn't can win the game.

Playing Against

Bluff as the Chef to feed the town false information about the distribution of evil players (e.g., claiming a 0 when you are sitting next to your Demon).
If the Chef reveals a high number (2 or 3), the evil team must aggressively discredit them as Drunk or Poisoned, or kill them quickly.
As a Minion, be wary of nominating a Virgin if the Chef is trusted, as confirming the Chef's good alignment solidifies their seating puzzle information.
If the Chef claims a '0', evil players sitting together must work harder to distance themselves socially to avoid detection.

Interactions

Recluse

Can register as evil, potentially creating a 'false' pair in your count that you must deduce.

Spy

Can register as good, potentially hiding an evil pair from your count.

Empath

Combining an Empath's reading of their neighbors with your count of total pairs can rapidly pinpoint exactly where evil is sitting.

Virgin

As a 'Top 4' information role with no ongoing ability, the Chef is an excellent candidate to nominate the Virgin to confirm their own good alignment.

Undertaker

Once the Undertaker confirms an executed player was evil, you can retroactively analyze that player's neighbors based on your pair count.