Chapter: Witch Trials

OrionQc24

Dead by Daylight Original Chapter Concept: Witch Trials

"The truth was buried beneath fear. The innocent burned while the guilty passed judgement. In the Entity's Realm, history repeats itself."

New Survivor — Ann Hibbins

"They called me a witch until I wished I truly was."

Ann Hibbins was a respected widow whose life was shattered by greed, suspicion, and false accusations. When influential men coveted the wealth she and her late husband had earned together, whispers of witchcraft spread through Salem.

Dragged before the courts and condemned without evidence, Ann was tied to the stake as the townspeople watched.

As the flames climbed her body, hatred replaced fear.

She cursed every face before her.

She wished she truly possessed the power they claimed she had.

As the smoke rose into the sky, another fog answered.

It offered survival.

Not freedom.

Only an eternity of being hunted.

She accepted.

Survivor Perks

Obscura

The Fog itself conceals those who embrace forbidden rituals.

• After cleansing or blessing a Totem, Obscura activates.
• Press the Active Ability button to become Invisible for 5 seconds.
• After use, Obscura is deactivated until another Totem is cleansed or blessed.

"If they wished for a witch... then let them fear one."

Third Eye

You see through darkness where others see naught.

• After cleansing or blessing a Totem, reveal the aura of a Hex Totem.
• If no Hex Totems remain, reveal the aura of one Dull Totem instead.
• Auras remain visible to all Survivors for 10 seconds.

"Evil always leaves a trail."

Widowed

Your grief has become your weapon.

• Press the Active Ability button for 2s to loudly cry out for 10 seconds.
• After the effect ends, gain Elusive for 30 seconds.

"I have already buried the only soul I loved."

New Killer — The Judge

Real Name: William Stoughton

Movement Speed: 4.6 m/s

Terror Radius: 32 metres

Height: Tall

"A liar needs only one thing: people willing to believe him."

William Stoughton devoted his life to law and order.

During the Salem Witch Trials, his court accepted spectral evidence, hearsay and fear as absolute truth. Hundreds were imprisoned. Many were executed.

He never questioned the verdicts.

As the trials ended and public opinion turned against him, William refused to admit guilt.

The Entity admired such conviction.

After all...

Truth has never mattered.

Only belief.

Killer Power — Lie

William begins the Trial with 4 Tokens.

By interacting with a Locker, William may consume a Token to create a False Survivor.

A maximum of 2 False Survivors may exist simultaneously.

False Survivors perfectly imitate one of the Survivors currently in the Trial, matching their cosmetics.

False Survivors wander the Trial independently and imitate Survivor behavior by:

• Repairing Generators
• Cleansing Totems
• Opening Chests
• Healing injured Survivors

These actions provide no actual progress.

Instead:

• Survivors who work alongside a False Survivor on a Generator have their aura revealed to William.
• Survivors touched by a False Survivor while being "healed" instead suffer Broken for 60 seconds.

After successfully deceiving a Survivor, the False Survivor lets out a chilling laugh before dissolving into black Fog.

Visual Tell

False Survivors are almost impossible to distinguish from real Survivors.

Occasionally, while not being directly observed, a False Survivor briefly displays an unnaturally wide smile.

If a Survivor looks directly at the illusion while it is smiling, it immediately returns to a normal appearance within 2s.

Experienced Survivors may catch the deception.

Or question whether they imagined it at all.

Killer Perks

False Testimony

Lies reveal what truth cannot.

• After missing a Basic Attack, reveal the aura of the Survivor who caused the miss for 5 seconds.

"I heard her confess."

Judgement

Punishment follows those who resist authority.

• After being stunned by an injured Survivor, they suffer:
  • Broken for 45 seconds
  • Hemorrhage
  • Blindness until healed.

"The court has reached its verdict."

Escaping Justice

Justice is delayed.

Never escaped.

• After being stunned by a Pallet, that Pallet becomes highlighted.
• If the highlighted Pallet is vaulted, the Survivor who vaulted it immediately becomes Injured.
• If already Injured, they instead suffer Broken.

"You cannot hide behind the same lie forever."

New Map — Salem Village

A forgotten colonial settlement swallowed by the Fog.

Fields of corn surround scattered wooden homes whose doors still hang open from the day their owners never returned.

At the heart of the village stands the old Courthouse, where innocent people were condemned by fear rather than evidence.

Directly before it lies the Execution Pyre, forever burning despite producing no heat.

Ash drifts endlessly across the village while distant church bells echo through the Fog.

Survivors may occasionally glimpse figures moving between the cornfields...

Whether they are real is another matter.

Chapter Theme

The Salem Trials explores one central idea:

Fear makes liars more dangerous than monsters.

Ann survived because she embraced the darkness others falsely accused her of wielding.

William thrives because people continue believing his lies.

One hides within the Fog.

The other teaches you not to trust what you see.