Every Mafia role belongs to one of three groups. The evil team (Mafia, Godfather, Werewolf) kills at night and wins by outnumbering everyone else. The town (Doctor, Detective, Bodyguard, plain Civilians and others) wins by voting out every evil player. Neutral roles such as the Jester or Serial Killer play for themselves.
This guide explains 17 common roles: what each one does, when it acts, how it wins, and what it does to the balance of your game.
The core roles every game needs #
If you only learn four roles, learn these. They make a complete game on their own, and every larger setup builds on them.
| Role | Team | Night action | Wins when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mafia | Evil | Pick one player to eliminate, as a group | Evil equals or outnumbers town |
| Doctor | Town | Protect one player from being killed | Every evil player is gone |
| Detective | Town | Learn whether one player is evil | Every evil player is gone |
| Civilian | Town | None | Every evil player is gone |
Mafia #
The Mafia wake up together, see each other, and agree on one target each night. By day they pretend to be ordinary townspeople. Their weapon is information: they know who their teammates are, and everyone else is guessing. Use about one Mafia member for every three or four players. How many Mafia for 10 players has the full table.
Doctor #
The Doctor protects one player each night. If the Mafia target that same player, nobody dies. Groups argue about whether the Doctor may protect themselves and whether they can protect the same person twice in a row. We cover the options in can the Doctor save themselves.
Detective #
Each night the Detective points at one player and the moderator signals innocent or evil. It’s the most powerful town role and the Mafia’s favourite target. A Detective who reveals too early usually dies that night.
Civilian (Villager) #
No power at all. Civilians win by paying attention, asking hard questions and voting well. In most games they’re the majority, which makes them the town’s real strength.
Evil roles #
Godfather #
The head of the Mafia. They wake and kill with the rest of the family, but a Detective who investigates them is told they’re innocent. The Godfather turns the Detective’s certainty into a trap. Our Godfather role guide covers how to play it and how to catch one.
Werewolf #
The Werewolf is the Mafia under another name. Wolves wake together, pick a villager to “hunt,” and win when they outnumber the village. Use Werewolf when your group prefers a village-and-monster theme to a crime story.
Town roles with night powers #
| Role | Night action | Limit | Best group size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seer | Learn one player’s alignment | Every night | Any (Werewolf theme) |
| Bodyguard | Guard one player; dies in their place if attacked | Every night | 8+ |
| Vigilante | Shoot one player | Two shots per game (common rule) | 10+ |
| Witch | Heal the night’s victim, or poison a player | Each potion once per game | 8+ |
| Mason | Wake together on night one and see each other | First night only | 12+ |
Seer #
The Werewolf-theme equivalent of the Detective. Same power: one alignment check per night.
Bodyguard #
The Bodyguard picks someone to guard. If that player is attacked, they survive and the Bodyguard dies instead. It’s a Doctor who pays for a good guess, so the town loses a power role whenever it works. That makes it a good second protector in medium games.
Vigilante #
A town member with a gun. The Vigilante can shoot someone at night, usually with a limited number of bullets (two is common). A Vigilante who shoots a townsperson does the Mafia’s work for them, so the role rewards patience.
Witch #
The Witch holds two single-use potions. The healing potion saves the night’s victim, and the poison kills anyone the Witch chooses. The moderator shows the Witch who was attacked before asking about the heal. One strong night can swing the game either way.
Mason #
Masons wake together on the first night only, just to see each other. After that they know two or more players are definitely town. That gives the town a trusted core, which helps most in large games where talk gets chaotic.
Town roles with no night action #
Hunter #
When the Hunter dies, by night kill or by vote, they immediately take one other player down with them. The Mafia think twice before killing a suspected Hunter, and the town hesitates to vote one out.
Miller #
An innocent townsperson who shows up as evil to a Detective or Seer. The Miller is the mirror image of the Godfather. Add one when your Detective has been winning too easily.
Neutral roles #
Neutral roles belong to neither team, so they complicate the usual “count the evil” math.
| Role | Win condition | Night action |
|---|---|---|
| Jester | Gets voted out during the day | None |
| Serial Killer | Is the last one standing (at most one other player alive) | Kills one player every night |
| Survivor | Is still alive when the game ends, whoever wins | None |
Jester #
The Jester wants to be voted out. They act suspicious on purpose, and if the town takes the bait, the Jester wins alone. One Jester in a game makes everyone think twice about a rushed vote.
Serial Killer #
A lone killer who kills every night, separately from the Mafia. The Serial Killer wins only by outlasting everyone. Two killers a night speed the game up, so add one only in larger groups.
Survivor #
The Survivor has no side and only needs to be alive at the end. They share the win with whichever team wins. It’s a good role for a quieter player, since it rewards staying out of trouble.
Which roles to add as your group improves #
- First game: Mafia, Doctor, Detective, Civilians.
- Second or third game: add a Bodyguard (8+ players) or a Jester.
- Once people know the rules: add the Godfather and Miller as a pair, so the Detective’s answers stop being gospel.
- Large groups: add a Vigilante, Masons or a Serial Killer to keep deaths coming at a pace that suits 15 or more players.
- Your own ideas: see custom Mafia role ideas for tested designs and how to balance them.
Keeping track of a table full of roles #
More roles mean more for the moderator to remember: whose bullets are used up, which potion the Witch already drank, and what the Godfather should read as.
Mafia Helper has all 17 roles on this page built in, plus a Role Guide with moderator tips for each. It counts the Vigilante’s two shots and the Witch’s potions for you, makes the Godfather read GOOD and the Miller read EVIL when your Detective investigates, and asks you who the Hunter takes down when they die. Its presets pick a balanced mix for 5 to 20 players, and a balance checker warns you before you start a setup where one side wins instantly. You can also create your own roles with a name, icon, team and night action. One detail for moderators: the app treats the Serial Killer, Jester and Survivor as neutral, and its investigations only flag the evil team and the Miller, so neutral roles read as innocent.
Frequently asked questions #
What are the main roles in Mafia? #
The Mafia, the Doctor, the Detective and the Civilians. The Mafia kill at night, the Doctor protects, the Detective investigates, and the Civilians vote. Every other role is an optional addition to that core.
What is the difference between the Detective and the Seer? #
Nothing mechanical. Both check one player’s alignment each night. “Detective” fits the Mafia theme and “Seer” fits Werewolf.
Is the Serial Killer on the Mafia’s side? #
No. In most rule sets the Serial Killer is a neutral solo player who kills Mafia and town alike, and wins only by being one of the last two alive. The Mafia and the Serial Killer are rivals.
How many special roles should a Mafia game have? #
For a first game, two: a Doctor and a Detective. After that, a common rule is to keep at least half of the town as plain Civilians. When too many players have powers, the day turns into a contest of role claims instead of reading people.