add-character

Add Character Ability

Implementation Priority

Implement in this order — later characters have interactions with earlier ones:

1. Tituba
2. Cotton Mather
3. Thomas Danforth
4. George Burroughs
5. John Proctor
6. Martha Corey
7. Mary Warren
8. Remaining characters

Step 1 — Read Before Writing Anything

Read all three before writing code:

1. The most similar existing character implementation
2. Rulebook pages 12–14 for this character's edge cases (@docs/Salem_Rulebook.pdf)
3. Development guide Phase 5.2 (@docs/Salem_1692_Development_Guide.md)

Step 2 — State the Ability and All Edge Cases

Write in plain English before coding:

• What the ability does
• When it triggers
• Every edge case from rulebook pages 12–14
• Any interactions with already-implemented characters

Step 3 — Identify Hook Points

Hook	When it fires
onTurnStart	Beginning of this player's turn
onCardPlayed(card, target)	When any player plays a card
onAccusationPlaced(count)	When an accusation is placed on this player
onTryalRevealed(tryal)	When one of this player's tryals is revealed
onPlayerEliminated(player)	When any player is eliminated
onAbilityInherited(fromCharacter)	When ability is inherited via John/Martha

Step 4 — Implement

• Ability logic in server/src/characters/[character_name].js
• If ability needs player input, use promptPlayerChoice helper
• Store accusation modifiers on the player object, not at calculation time
• Implement both onAbilityInherited and onAbilityLost if transferable

Step 5 — Write Tests

One test per edge case in server/tests/characters/[character_name].test.js:

• Normal ability activation
• Each edge case from Step 2
• Interaction with other characters if documented
• Ability inheritance received and lost (if applicable)

Step 6 — Run the Full Suite

cd server && npm test

All existing tests must still pass. Do not suppress or skip existing tests.

Common Mistakes

• Checking character by name string in core logic — use the hook registry
• Applying ability effects before checking if the player is eliminated
• Forgetting onAbilityLost — if an ability can be gained, it can be lost
• Accusation math at calculation time — store modifier on the player object