Adriana Imai — The Skull Merchant
| The Skull Merchant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Adriana Imai |
| Gender | Woman |
| Origin | Brazilian of Japanese descent |
| Realm | The MacMillan Estate |
| Power | Eyes in the Sky |
| Power Attack Type | Basic Attack |
| Weapon | Razor-Sharp Dual Blades |
Movement Speed   |
115 % | 4.6 m/s |
Terror Radius  |
24 metres |
Height   |
Average |
| DLC | CHAPTER 27: Tools of Torment |
| Voice Actor | Viky Boyer (The Monster Factory) |
| Cost | 4,500 Iridescent Shards  
250 Auric Cells |
| Menu Music | |
| Terror Radius Music | |
| CharID | K31 |
Adriana Imai or "The Skull Merchant" is one of 39 Killers
currently featured in Dead by Daylight
.
She was introduced as the Killer of CHAPTER 27: Tools of Torment, a Chapter DLC released on 7 March 2023 and retired on 14 May 2024.
She is still available in the In-Game Store
and as part of the Endless Hunt Pack Chapter Pack DLC.
Overview
The Skull Merchant is a tactical Killer, able to place Drones that detect and debilitate her targets.
Her personal Perks, THWACK!
, Leverage
, and Game Afoot
, allow her to gain Haste from pursuing her Obsession, force screams from Survivors when breaking Breakable Walls or Pallets, and reduce Survivors' Healing speed the more times you place them on Hooks.
Difficulty Rating: Hard
(These Killers use mechanics that are specific to them and require more practice to be effective)
Lore
- Additional Lore can be found in Tome 15 - Ascension: Memory Fragments (Adriana Imai)
The self-made millionaire Adriana Imai came from a humble home in Fortaleza, Brazil. Her father, Seita, moved to Brazil as a young man, hoping to see a side of the world completely different than his hometown in Hokkaido. A talented illustrator, he spent his spare time designing colourful characters and worlds.
While sketching patrons of a local jazz club, he was approached by Belinda, the owner, to work on a logo. What began as a business partnership soon became a romantic one, and within a couple of years, Adriana was born.
Adriana excelled in all facets of education. A house full of art and music honed a brilliant mind, and her intelligence was only exceeded by her obsessive drive to be the best. While scoring at the top of every class, she was often on the receiving end of disciplinary action due to her overly competitive, and sometimes violent, nature during schoolyard games.
Adriana’s mother did her best to keep her on the right track, but her father was increasingly absent as his own obsessive drive ramped up: Adi Valente, a manga about a young girl who saves and protects the weak with her quirky robot companion. Despite working long hours at a canning facility and writing his manga in his spare time, he somehow managed a little time every night to share his wild and highly imaginative illustrations with his daughter.
By middle school, Adriana was courted by a fancy private school due to her high performance, and, needing money, Seita spoke to publishers about his unpublished manuscripts. He managed to find a small local publisher to carry Adi Valente, but it meant more work than he could handle. He eventually lost his job at the cannery, giving him more time to develop and illustrate his series.
Adriana loved the manga, but the family was forced into hard times.
In her final semester, Seita requested higher royalties, but the publishing company went into administration and decided to cut the series. No longer able to afford the school fees, Adriana was pulled out of the elite academy where she was at the top of her class. Belinda was able to negotiate her graduation, but another student was able to take her place at the head of the class. Adriana was furious. On summer break, she learned everything about her rival: where he lived, where he hung out, what he liked to do in his spare time, what he listened to, what he watched, everything. She even stalked him on his way home one late summer evening and considered the myriad ways she could ruin his life. But, in the end, she did nothing, though something awakened within her and she felt like the anti-hero in a new story her father had been exploring.
Seita retreated further into himself and began producing this newer, darker manga, inspired by his visions and nightmares. A manga about a woman who hunts and guts the weak in a nightmarish realm with drones made of salvaged skulls and bones. But unable to sell this manga, Sonhadores Sombrios, the family became solely reliant on Belinda’s income.
Adriana, looking for ways to make her own money, started a website dedicated to the world of Brazilian manga. It became a runaway success and significant advertising dollars started to roll in. She realized she had no real interest in writing for it, though, so she convinced other kids to write for it for free while the money flooded in. The second she got an offer she sold the site and never looked back.
Proud of her accomplishment, she came home to show her parents the cheque. She never got a chance to show her father, though. He walked out the door that morning, never to return, leaving only a stack of unpublished manuscripts about The Skull Merchant mercilessly hunting those she deemed worthy of her efforts.
To help her mother, Adriana began to study at the library, teaching herself investment and economics, and soon tripled her money. By the age of 18, barely with a high school degree, she had already become a self-made millionaire. As stories of this investment wunderkind spread across Brazil, more and more doors opened for her.
Before long, she had the kind of money that allowed her to buy small companies—companies that she would gut, replace with non-union workers, and sell at a profit. The only breaks she took from her corporate obsession was to pore over her father’s manuscripts, trying to understand this chilling world he had created.
By her mid 20s, she was regularly flipping companies. While finalising on a real estate firm, two members of the board moved to block the sale, pointing to the trail of hollowed-out husks she left in her wake. Adriana was frustrated. It took her weeks to find out who the holdouts were, but once she did, she thought about how it would feel to hurt them.
She learned everything about the directors. Stalked their every move. Manipulated them into attending a conference in Switzerland. And, while on retreat in the Alps, she made her move. Inspired by The Skull Merchant, and feeling something within demanding expression, she tracked them with a prototype drone, and brutally dismembered them with a cruel two-bladed weapon. The rush of emotion and adrenaline was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. And the company was hers!
Thus began an unsettling cycle. Swoop in on a business, destroy anyone standing in her way, and gut the company for maximum profit. She targeted companies with larger-than-life CEOs and hoped one would present a challenge. None ever did. They just ‘disappeared’ unremarkably.
An aggressive manager of a fireworks company, known for his “survival tours,” was her last target, right at home in Brazil.
Survival tours… a perfect cover.
Adriana lured him to a decommissioned airship hangar.
The hunt started at dawn and went the distance, with her still tracking him well into the evening. Locating him, she used one of her drones to direct him to a dead end, when a pair of kites suddenly appeared on camera, and the feed died. Her face hardened. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she slammed her laptop shut and charged to where the drone had crashed. There she found her prey reaching out to someone in the growing dark for help.
Witnesses.
Not part of the plan!
Without a second to lose, she plunged her blade through his stomach, exposing meat, bone, and a dying heart. The vitiated body staggered left and right, sending a shower of red over the green foliage. As her victim collapsed with a thud she turned to the young witnesses. Wrong place, wrong time. They broke into a sprint. She gave chase, her blades thirsting for more blood. The lush green of the trees melted into a thick black fog. Real life warped into something like Sonhadores Sombrios. A sick grin crept across her face as she rushed forward to begin a new chapter in her life.
Load-out
Unique Perks
The Skull Merchant comes with 3 Perks
that are unique to her:
 |
Game Afoot | "First you pick your prey, then you pick it apart."
Whenever you hit the Survivor with currently the highest cumulative Chase time with a Basic Attack, Game Afoot triggers its primary effect:
   , performing the Break or Damage action causes Game Afoot to trigger its secondary effect:
"This one might actually be a challenge..." — Sonhadores Sombrios, Issue #3 |
|---|---|---|
 |
Leverage | "Kick your competitors when they're down. Never let them regain lost ground."
Whenever a Survivor performs an Unhook action, they suffer from the following effect for 30 seconds:
|
 |
THWACK! | Your prey is terrified by your relentless pursuit.
Start the Trial with 3 Tokens.
"All those who stood in her path feared her mighty THWACK!" — Sonhadores Sombrios, Issue #3 |
Prestige
Prestiging The Skull Merchant will automatically add Tier I of her Unique Perks to the inventories of all other Killers and unlock the ability for their higher-tiered versions to spawn in their Bloodweb
.
Prestige The Skull Merchant twice more to automatically add Tier II and Tier III respectively into the other Killers' inventories.
Weapon: Razor-Sharp Dual Blades
Razor-Sharp Dual Blades are the Primary Weapon of The Skull Merchant.
A cruel pair of blades, designed for ripping through human flesh.
Power: Eyes in the Sky
"Inspired by the dark manga created by her father, The Skull Merchant relentlessly hunts her prey using the latest in surveillance technology."
SPECIAL ABILITY: EYES IN THE SKY
The Skull Merchant starts the Trial with 6 Drones in her inventory.
When a Survivor is tracked by a Drone within 5 seconds of it being deployed or having its rotation direction changed, The Skull Merchant is granted a +5 % Haste
Status Effect for 8 seconds.
This effect is entirely passive and does not require her to inspect her Radar.
SPECIAL INTERACTION: INSPECTING RADAR
Press the Secondary Power button to bring up her Radar.
The Radar displays the location of all Trackable Survivors and reveals the Auras
of Drone Scan Lines within 32 metres:
- The Survivor was detected by a Drone in the last 12 seconds.
- The Survivor is wearing a Claw Trap.
The Radar represents Trackable Survivors with symbols that indicate their relative elevation compared to The Skull Merchant:
- ■ = same elevation
- ▲ = above her
- ▼ = below her
SPECIAL INTERACTION: RECALLING DRONES
While inspecting the Radar and aiming at a specific Drone, press the Power button to recall it into your inventory.
SPECIAL INTERACTION: CHANGING ROTATIONAL DIRECTION
While inspecting the Radar and aiming at a specific Drone, press the Attack button to change the Rotational direction of its Scan Lines.
SPECIAL ABILITY: DEPLOYING DRONES
Press the Power button to deploy a Drone:
- Conducts an sweeping scan inside its Area of Effect at a Rotational speed of 95 °/s.
- Grants the Undetectable
Status Effect for 8 seconds. - Its Aura is revealed to The Skull Merchant in yellow at all times.
Once a Survivor is detected inside the Area of Effect:
- Fills the Lock On Meter by +1 Stack.
This effects repeats each time a Survivor is detected, unless the detection occurs within 2.5 seconds of the previous one.
All Drones have an Area of Effect with a radius of 10 metres.
Drone Scan Lines are only visible within 16 metres.
Survivors who are crouching, standing still or performing a Fast Vault inside the Area of Effect cannot be detected by the Scan Lines.
SPECIAL AFFLICTION: LOCK ON
Once the Lock-On Meter is full at 3 Stacks, the Survivor becomes Locked On and suffers from the following effects:
- Healthy Survivors receive damage and become injured.
- Injured Survivors suffer from the Deep Wound
Status Effect. - Suffer from the Broken
Status Effect regardless of their Health State. - Receive a Claw Trap.
If a Survivor stands below an elevated Drone for longer than 1 second, they are instantly scanned and become Locked On.
SPECIAL INTERACTION: HACKING DRONES
Survivors can approach a Drone in either of its two states and hack it through a unique mini-game:
- Succeeding disables the Drone for 45 seconds.
- Failing fills the Lock On Meter by +1 Stack.
SPECIAL AFFLICTION: CLAW TRAP
The Claw Trap attached to a Survivor's arm has a Battery life of 45 seconds and continuously broadcasts their location to the Radar of The Skull Merchant until it runs out, automatically destroying it.
Claw-Trapped Survivors who are scanned by a Drone suffer from the following effects:
- Applies a -8 % Hindered
Status Effect for 6 seconds. - Triggers Killer Instinct for 3 seconds.
Power Trivia
Movement Speeds:
- Placing a Drone: 4.4 m/s
- Inspecting her Radar: 4.6 m/s
- Walking: 4.6 m/s
Drones:
- Power Cool-down: 10 seconds
- Triggers whenever a new Drone is placed.
- Initialisation time: 0.3 seconds
- This is a buffer between placing a Drone and it starting to scan its surroundings.
- Disabled duration: 45 seconds
- Triggers when a Drone is hacked.
- Recall duration: 1 second
- Maximum Hacking timer: 30 seconds
- If a Survivor takes longer than this to hack a Drone, the mini-game will automatically fail.
Drone Detection:
- Consecutive-Scans Immunity: 2.5 seconds
- This is a buffer that applies whenever a Survivor is scanned.
- Instant-Locked-On Immunity: 1 second
- This is a buffer when a Survivor stands below an elevated Drone, to prevent Survivors just standing there unscathed and taking them hostage, as elevated Drones are disabled.
Drone Placement:
- Minimum distance to other Drones or hooked Survivors: 12 metres
- Minimum height offset to other Drones or hooked Survivors: 2.5 metres
- Minimum clearance: 35 centimetres
- Minimum height above ground (after being placed): 1.5 metres
- Maximum height above ground (after being placed): 2.5 metres
Drone Beam Colours:
The colour of the Beams emitted by Drones show a Survivor whether the Drone could currently detect them upon contact or not:
- Orange indicates that the Drone will detect the Survivor when it passes over them and increase Lock On.
Applies when the Survivor is moving. - White indicates that the Drone will not detect the Survivor when it passes over them.
Applies when the Survivor is stationary or crouching.
Radar:
- Scanned Survivor Visibility duration: 12 seconds
- Update interval: 1 second
- Radius: 32 metres
- Height threshold 2 metres
- This determines how far above or below Survivors must be in elevation relative to The Skull Merchant for it to be indicated on the Radar.
Radar VFX Indicators:
The physical model of the Radar features two lights which provide The Skull Merchant with additional information:
- The left light changes depending on the availability of Drones:
- Green indicates she is in an area in which she can place a Drone.
- Red indicates she is in an area in which she cannot place a Drone.
- The light is off if she has no more Drones to place.
- The right light changes depending on whether she is tracking a Survivor or not.
- Yellow indicates that at least one Survivor is being tracked.
- The light is off if the Radar is not tracking any Survivors.
Add-ons for Eyes in the Sky
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
Adi Valente Issue 1 | An original copy of the first issue of Adi Valente, the comic her father made while Adriana was a child.
|
 |
High-Current Upgrade | A wider cable with low resistance that allows faster recharging of batteries.
|
 |
High-Power Floodlight | A sudden and overwhelming light that discombobulates anyone foolish enough to approach.
|
 |
Ultrasonic Speaker | A high-frequency noise blaster that fills the sonic spectrum with disorienting sounds, making it impossible for observers to pick out more important noises.
|
 |
Adaptive Lighting | The Drone takes account of the surrounding area and casts lights in a bewildering manner that obscures movement.
|
 |
Low-Power Mode | By intermittently powering on and off non-vital components, the Drone can stay on for longer.
|
 |
Shotgun Speakers | Capable of directing high-frequency noises in a single direction over great distances, the Drones can focus in on one individual and distract them from danger for some time.
|
 |
Stereo Remote Mic | An upgrade that allows increased three-dimensional audio tracking.
|
 |
Supercharge | The batteries may run a little hot, but removing the safety protocols from the cells makes them last a little longer.
|
 |
Brown Noise Generator | An ominous hum disseminates from the Drone, blanketing the soundscape and making it difficult to hear anything else.
|
 |
Infrared Upgrade | Heat-detecting cameras focus in on high-stress individuals with pinpoint accuracy.
|
 |
Loose Screw | A bone-chilling rattling emanates from the Drone, and it seems like it may fall at any moment, distracting Survivors from complicated tasks.
|
 |
Powdered Glass | Once used on the strings used for battle kites, this powdered glass took on a much more nefarious purpose on her blade.
|
 |
Vital Targeting Processor | An additional process in the Drone's programming more accurately predicts the weaknesses of potential prey.
|
 |
Advanced Movement Prediction | Even after they leave the zone of influenced, a refined AI programme predicts with high accuracy where a person will go next.
|
 |
Geographical Readout | The Drones generate and communicate a detailed three-dimensional map of the terrain, making traversal easier.
|
 |
Prototype Rotor | The cutting-edge design allows the Drone to move with razor-sharp precision.
|
 |
Randomised Strobes | Lights flash randomly on the ground, making it harder to find purchase on the uneven terrain.
|
 |
Expired Batteries | The batteries on these Claw Traps have been swapped out with old alkaline batteries. Recharging is not recommended.
|
 |
Iridescent Unpublished Manuscript | Before he disappeared, Adriana's father had started a newer, darker manga: Sonhadores Sombrios.
Whenever a Drone enters the Disabled State, the following effects apply for 15 seconds:
|
Achievements
There are 2 Achievements related to The Skull Merchant:
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Adept Skull Merchant | Playing as The Skull Merchant, achieve a Merciless Victory using only her 3 Unique Perks: THWACK!, Leverage, and Game Afoot |
|
Thrill of the Chase | Playing as The Skull Merchant   , down Claw-Trapped Survivors a total of 10 times.
|
Cosmetic Options
Players can choose from a variety of Cosmetic options to customise The Skull Merchant:
Default
| Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Skull Merchant | 
|
Common | A relentless executive who hunts people for sport in her spare time. |
|
Utilitarian Hunting Gear | 
|
Common | She made sure she was prepared for any eventuality during a hunt. |
|
|
Razor-Sharp Dual Blades | 
|
Common | A cruel pair of blades, designed for ripping through human flesh. |
Prestige
| Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bloody Skull Merchant |
|
Rare | A murderous executive who bathes in the blood of those she deems inferior. | Prestige Level 6 Reward |
|
Machiavellian Hunting Gear |
|
Rare | She made sure she was prepared for the grisly violence of any hunt. | Prestige Level 5 Reward |
|
Foul Dual Blades |
|
Rare | A cruel pair of blades, dull from ripping through human flesh. | Prestige Level 4 Reward |
Perk Charms
| Prestige Level 7 Reward | Prestige Level 8 Reward | Prestige Level 9 Reward |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| A keepsake gained upon mastery of a particular skill. | ||
Alternatives
DLC
| Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description | DLC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Slipshod Prototype |
|
Common | The earliest prototype of her brutal weapon; while a little rough around the edges, it still tears flesh with maximum efficiency. | CHAPTER 27: Tools of Torment |
Event
| Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description | Event | Exclusive to Event Participation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Frosty Eyes |
|
Event | Heart chilling eyes of the cold blooded.
"Have an amazing Winter season 2022!" - The Dead by Daylight Team |
Bone Chill 2023 | Yes |
|
Candy Breaker Blade |
|
Event | Her blade was as sharp as a hard candy that could cut through the roof of your mouth. | Haunted by Daylight 2023 | Yes |
|
Skull Merchant's Mask |
|
Event | A mask she found herself wearing at the masquerade ball. | Twisted Masquerade 2024 | Yes |
Rift
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Name
Collection Name
Tome
Release Date
Price
 Description
When a modern art museum was opened in Fortaleza, she made a rare public appearance.
1200
 ⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
She couldn't stand the crowd. All she could see were potential targets.
400
 Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
Acting on her fantasies would leave a bloody mess. It would have to wait for another night.
400
 Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
She styled the weapon to match her outfit, but kept it hidden in her limo.
400
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Tome
Release Date
Price
 Description
One of her favorite outfits from her father's early concepts.
1200
21600
 ⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
If it emerged from its den, it was already too late.
400
7200
 Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
Like the dark hero of her father's manga, she built her world with blood and violence.
400
7200
 Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
She took pleasure in ruthlessly piercing human skin and watching the blood splashing.
400
7200
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Tome
Release Date
Price
 Description
One of her favorite outfits she created under the influence of her father's manga.
1200
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
If it emerged from its den, death was coming shortly.
400
 Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
Like the dark hero from her father's manga, she executed her prey with technology.
400
 Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
She felt pleasure in disemboweling humans and watching them die slowly.
400
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In-Game Store
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
Her access to vast wealth meant she could have anything. What she wanted was to kill.
100
1800
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
The bright colors of her father’s manga stood in stark contrast to its dark subject matter.
50
900
 Piece
Name
Collection
She would mix and match components of her hunting gear to match the climate, weather, or just her mood.
50
900
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
Her access to vast wealth meant she could have anything. What she wanted was to kill.
100
1800
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
The bright colors of her father’s manga stood in stark contrast to its dark subject matter.
50
900
 Piece
Name
Collection
She would mix and match components of her hunting gear to match the climate, weather, or just her mood.
50
900
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
Her access to vast wealth meant she could have anything. What she wanted was to kill.
100
1800
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
The bright colors of her father’s manga stood in stark contrast to its dark subject matter.
50
900
 Piece
Name
Collection
She would mix and match components of her hunting gear to match the climate, weather, or just her mood.
50
900
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
Her access to vast wealth meant she could have anything. What she wanted was to kill.
100
1800
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
The bright colors of her father’s manga stood in stark contrast to its dark subject matter.
50
900
 Piece
Name
Collection
She would mix and match components of her hunting gear to match the climate, weather, or just her mood.
50
900
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
She saw the manga written by her father not as a warning but as a blueprint for what she wanted to become.
300
5400
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
Her father imagined a world where chemicals and radiation were ever-present. She was prepared.
100
1800
 Piece
Name
Collection
She chose her victims based on their athletic prowess, intelligence, and instincts. She hoped one would be a challenge. None were.
100
1800
 Piece
Name
Collection
With little effort, these sharpened blades allowed her to drain the blood of her prey in seconds.
100
1800
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
She saw the manga written by her father not as a warning but as a blueprint for what she wanted to become.
300
5400
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
Her father imagined a world where chemicals and radiation were ever-present. She was prepared.
100
1800
 Piece
Name
Collection
She chose her victims based on their athletic prowess, intelligence and instincts. She hoped one would be a challenge. None were.
100
1800
 Piece
Name
Collection
With little effort, these sharpened blades allowed her to drain the blood of her prey in seconds.
100
1800
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
She saw the manga written by her father not as a warning but as a blueprint for what she wanted to become.
300
5400
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
Her father imagined a world where chemicals and radiation were ever-present. She was prepared.
100
1800
 Piece
Name
Collection
She chose her victims based on their athletic prowess, intelligence and instincts. She hoped one would be a challenge. None were.
100
1800
 Piece
Name
Collection
With little effort, these sharpened blades allowed her to drain the blood of her prey in seconds.
100
1800
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Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
Blood ran through the streets of Neo De Janeiro, most of it spilled by her.
1200
⇓ Expand ⇓
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Name
Collection
The time of law had long since passed. All that remained was a vile form of justice.
400
 Piece
Name
Collection
Innocence was no longer assumed. Proximity was tantamount to guilt.
400
 Piece
Name
Collection
Her thirst for righteous crusade was slaked only by the corpses strewn in her wake.
400
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A new outfit to terrorize her victims.
1200
21600
⇓ Expand ⇓
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Name
Collection
Her smile was the last thing her prey saw before meeting their end.
400
7200
 Piece
Name
Collection
The dress was crafted using high-quality scraps of fabric.
400
7200
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Name
Collection
A double blade with advanced mechanical features.
400
7200
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She tailed the right-hand man of a prominent CEO in the vibrant chaos of the Lunar New Year celebration.
1200
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She expertly weaved through the crowd like a snake navigating its territory, lanterns swaying overhead.
400
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Name
Collection
She gave away her position. It was all part of the plan. She knew he would run down the nearby alleyway.
400
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Name
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The alley came to a dead end - they were totally alone. Her target tried offering money, power, anything, with his last words.
400
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An outfit inspired by an issue of Sonhadores Sombrios set during the Fire Moon festival.
1200
21600
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A frightening figure emerged from the dimly lit alley like a walking nightmare.
400
7200
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The distant sounds of celebration blended with the victims' cries.
400
7200
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The blade gracefully swayed through the air under the moon's glow.
400
7200
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When her father rebooted his manga, she emerged as a darker, crueler hero in a living nightmare.
1200
21600
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A shock of white hair, changed by radiation in a nightmare future.
400
7200
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A technologically advanced fiber, light and structurally sound.
400
7200
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Name
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A mix of advanced technology and good old-fashioned violence.
400
7200
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Name
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Release Date
Price
Description
One of her favorite outfits from her father's early concepts.
1200
21600
⇓ Expand ⇓
Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
If it emerged from its den, it was already too late.
400
7200
Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
Like the dark hero of her father's manga, she built her world with blood and violence.
400
7200
Piece
Name
Collection
Rift Tier
She took pleasure in ruthlessly piercing human skin and watching the blood splashing.
400
7200
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Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
She searched for the perfect adversary to hunt.
1200
21600
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Name
Collection
A provocative mask custom-made by an eccentric designer.
400
7200
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A dress that she wore for galas.
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A mechanical arm equipped with a circular saw.
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Her blade was as sharp as a hard candy that could cut through the roof of your mouth.
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DLC
The Skull Merchant is part of 2 DLCs:
- Chapter DLC:
- CHAPTER 27: Tools of Torment (retired)
- Pack DLCs:
- Endless Hunt Pack (Chapter Pack)
History
Original Power
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Inspired by the dark manga created by her father, The Skull Merchant relentlessly hunts her prey using the latest in surveillance technology. | 
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EYES IN THE SKY
The Skull Merchant starts the Trial with 4 Drones.
For each Survivor trackable by her Radar, The Skull Merchant is granted a growing Haste Status Effect:
- 1 trackable Survivor equals +3 %
- 2 trackable Survivors equal +5 %
- 3 trackable Survivors equal +6 %
- 4 trackable Survivors equal +7 %
This effect is entirely passive and does not require The Skull Merchant to inspect her Radar.
SPECIAL ABILITY: DEPLOY DRONE
Press the Power button to deploy a Drone.
Active Mode:
The deployed Drone automatically enters Active Mode after a short boot-up sequence.
In Active Mode, the Drone creates a circular Detection Zone around it and Players inside the Detection Zone experience the following effects:
- Survivors: gain Lock On progress.
- The Skull Merchant: receives the Undetectable Status Effect after 2 seconds, which lingers for 2 seconds after leaving the Detection Zone.
If no Survivor is detected within the Detection Zone for a while, the Drone switches into Scouting Mode.
Scouting Mode:
In Scouting Mode, the Drone carries out a sweeping scan of its surroundings by emitting two Laser beams.
A Survivor crossing the Laser beam or just entering its Area of Effect while having a Claw Trap attached to them immediately causes the Drone to switch back into Active Mode.
Survivors can walk up to a Drone while avoiding the Laser beams to attempt Hacking it without being detected.
SPECIAL EFFECT: LOCK ON
While a Survivor is within the Detection Zone of a Drone in Active Mode, the Lock On effect builds over the next 10 seconds, after which a Survivor is fully Locked On and experiences the following effects:
- Triggers Killer Instinct while inside the Detection Zone.
- Suffers from a permanent Exposed
Status Effect, which lingers for 60 seconds after leaving the Detection Zone.
A Survivor's Lock On progress is visible to The Skull Merchant.
SPECIAL INTERACTION: INSPECTING RADAR
Press and hold the Active Ability button to bring up a Radar.
While inspecting the Radar, Survivors who are within the Detection Zone of a Drone or those who carry a Claw Trap will have their position revealed to you on the Radar and are represented as one of three symbols depending on their elevation:
- ■ = same elevation
- ▲ = above you
- ▼ = below you
SPECIAL INTERACTION: RECALLING DRONES
While inspecting the Radar, aim at any Drone and press the Interaction button to recall it into your inventory.
SPECIAL INTERACTION: MANUALLY ACTIVATING DRONES
While inspecting the Radar, aim at any Drone in Scouting Mode and press the Attack button to manually activate it, causing it to switch back into Active Mode.
SPECIAL INTERACTION: HACKING DRONES
When approaching a Drone, a Survivor can attempt to hack the Drone and disable it.
Hacking a Drone prompts a unique Quick Time Event for the Survivor:
- A successful Hack disables the Drone and attaches a Claw Trap to the Survivor.
- The disabled Drone will return to The Skull Merchant once its associated Claw Trap has been destroyed.
- A failed Hack causes the Drone to enter Active Mode and causes the Survivor to be immediately Locked On.
SPECIAL TRAP: CLAW TRAP
The Claw Trap continuously broadcasts its Survivor's position to the Radar.
The Claw Trap has a Battery Life of 45 seconds, after which it is automatically destroyed.
Walking into the Area of Effect of any Drone while wearing a Claw Trap will cause the Drone to enter an unhackable state.
If a Drone happens to be in Scouting Mode, it will also immediately switch into Active Mode.
Vaulting a Pallet
while wearing a Claw Trap will cause that Pallet to break, destroying the Claw Trap in the process.
Original Power Trivia
:This section only lists the differences to the current Power Trivia. HUD:
- This referred to the HUD overlay elements shown on the Survivor portraits during a Trial.
| Power Aspect | Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Claw Trap Battery Life | 3 yellow dots framing the Survivor's portrait, located roughly at 2, 6, and 10 o'clock | Each dot represented a third of the Claw Trap's total Battery Life, meaning 15 seconds. When 15 seconds elapsed, a dot would flash red, then turn dark. Once all dots were dark, the Battery Life was depleted and the Claw Trap was destroyed. |
| Lock On progress | Yellow radar-beam on yellow background | This represented a Survivor's Lock On progress. The bar moved clockwise if it was charging up or counter-clockwise when it was discharging. |
| Locked On state | Orange background | Once a Survivor's Lock On progress had fully charged, they would be Locked On, represented by the orange background. The background would discharge counter-clockwise until the Exposed Status Effect had elapsed. |
Movement Speeds:
- Inspecting Radar: 4.4 m/s
Drones:
- Initialisation duration: 3 seconds
- This referred to the start-up sequence after placing a Drone before it would enter Active Mode.
Placement Restrictions:
- Minimum distance from other Drones: 22 metres
- Minimum distance from hooked Survivors: 16 metres
- Clearance radius around Drone: 35 centimetres
- Minimum height above ground: 1.5 metres
- Maximum height above ground: 2.5 metres
Mode Transition Timers:
- Unhackable duration when entering Active Mode automatically: 10 seconds
- Active Mode to Scouting Mode Maximum Transition time when Hackable: 20 seconds
- Active Mode to Scouting Mode Minimum Transition time when Hackable: 2 seconds
- Transition Timer delay: 1 second
- This referred to how long the Drones waited after all Survivors had left its Area of Effect before it started transitioning its Mode.
Active Mode:
- Lock On Charge rate: 1 c/s
- Lock On Charge rate with attached Claw Trap: 100 %
- Lock On Discharge rate: -0.333 c/s
- Lock On Discharge delay: 10 seconds after leaving the zone.
- Locked On Charge time: 10 seconds
- Exposed Status Effect duration: 60 seconds
- It should be noted that a Survivor would remain Locked On for as long as they remained inside the Drone's Area of Effect.
- Undetectable Status Effect delay: 2 seconds
- Undetectable Status Effect Linger duration: 2 seconds
- Survivor-Detected SFX Cool-down duration: 5 seconds
- This was a cool-down to prevent spamming the notification SFX.
Scouting Mode:
- Laser Cone reach: 10 metres
- This referred to the reach of one laser beam from the centre of the Drone, allowing it to cover the same radius as the Detection Zone.
- A single hit of a laser beam would immediately transition the Drone into Active Mode.
- Laser Cone Rotation rate: 50 °/s
Detection Radius:
- Zone radius: 10 metres
- Zone half-height 400 metres
- This referred to how far up or down the Z-axis the Drone is able to detect Survivors at if they are within the Zone radius.
Change Log
Patch 6.6.2
- Rework: made a series of changes in order to reduce The Skull Merchant's ability to hold Generator setups while making her more threatening in a Chase.
- Buff: The Skull Merchant now receives the Haste Status Effect at increasing strength for each Survivor trackable by her Radar.
- Buff: vaulting a Pallet with a Claw Trap attached now causes it to break, destroying the Claw Trap in the process.
- This was previously the effect of the Ultrasonic Speaker
Add-on.
- This was previously the effect of the Ultrasonic Speaker
- Buff: Drones now enter an Unhackable State whenever a Survivor with a Claw Trap is near.
- Quality of Life: Claw Traps are now automatically destroyed once their Battery Life expires.
- Quality of Life: Claw Traps no longer have their Battery refilled when a Survivor enters a Drone's Area of Effect.
- Nerf: Drones now only return to The Skull Merchant once their respective Claw Traps are destroyed, rather than automatically 10 seconds after hacking it.
Patch 7.3.0
- Rework: extensive rework to The Skull Merchant's Power.
- Change: overhauled the Drone mechanics to prevent them from being primarily used to defend Generators.
- Drones no longer have an Active Zone, they now use their Laser Beams to detect moving Survivors and inflict them with Lock On.
- Active Drones now have two modes: Stealth and Scouting, with the former hiding the Laser Beam.
- Survivors detected by a Drone will now gain +1 Stack of Lock On when crossing a Laser Beam, up to 3 Stacks, after which the Survivor receives a Claw Trap.
- Failing to hack a Drone applies +1 Stack of Lock On.
- Healthy Survivors who receive a Claw Trap will enter the Injured State.
Injured Survivors who receive a Claw Trap will suffer from the Deep Wound Status Effect instead.- Claw Traps apply the Broken Status Effect while they are attached.
- Survivors that are detected by a Drone will suffer from a 10 % Hindered Status Effect for 6 seconds, and will be revealed by Killer Instinct for 3 seconds.
- Buff: using the Scanner no longer reduces Movement speed.
- Buff: increased the maximum number of Drones from 4 to 6.
- Buff: grants the Undetectable Status Effect for 8 seconds when placing a Drone.
- Buff: reduced the minimum distance between Drones from 22 metres to 16 metres.
- Buff: Drones can now be placed above and below other Drones when on different floors.
- Buff: reduced the activation time of Drones from 1.5 seconds to 0.3 seconds.
- Nerf: Drones no longer detect Survivors through walls or floors of multi-level maps.
- Nerf: Drones can no longer be manually reactivated.
- Nerf: vaulting a Pallet with a Claw Trap attached no longer causes the Pallet to break.
- Nerf: hacking a Drone will now disable it for 45 seconds instead of applying a Claw Trap.
- Buff: reduced footstep audio to make The Skull Merchant harder to track.
- Buff: added the ability for The Skull Merchant to change the rotation of a Drone's Laser Beam using the Radar.
- Change: when a Drone is deployed, its Laser Beams will spawn perpendicular to The Skull Merchant view, allowing her to possible get an immediate scan on a Survivor in front of her.
- Change: overhauled the Drone mechanics to prevent them from being primarily used to defend Generators.
- Quality of Life: removed the Cool-down for recalling a Drone and made the option available at any time, regardless of whether Eyes in the Sky is on cool-down otherwise or not.
- Change: updated The Skull Merchant's Chase Music.
- Change: received an Add-on pass, tweaking and reworking several Add-ons.
Patch 7.3.1
- Quality of Life: added unique prompts to differentiate which direction a Drone will rotate in.
Patch 7.5.0
- Quality of Life: the Laser Cones emitted by Drones now lighter in appearance and colour when it cannot detect you as a Survivor.
Patch 8.3.0
- Buff: The Skull Merchant now gains a +5 % Haste Status Effect if a Survivor is scanned by a Drone within 5 seconds of placing it or changing its rotation.
- Buff: increased the Rotation speed from 85°/s to 95°/s.
- Buff: reduced the duration a Survivor is immune to being scanned in succession from 3 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
- Nerf: reduced the strength of the Hindered Status Effect when scanning a Claw-Trapped Survivor from -10 % to -8 %.
- Nerf: now suffers from a penalty to her Movement speed when deploying a Drone or while inspecting the Radar, reducing it to 4.4 m/s.
- Nerf: reduced the number of Scan Lines from 2 to 1.
- Nerf: removed the Stealth Mode, Drones are now always in Scouting Mode and active.
- Nerf: Survivors who are fast-vaulting can no longer be detected by Drones.
- Nerf: The Skull Merchant no longer gains Haste from Survivors having a Claw Trap.
- Change: Scan Lines are now only visible within 16 metres.
- This change is mixed, since it affects both Survivors and The Skull Merchant, acting as a buff and a nerf towards her ability simultaneously.
Patch 8.3.2
- Partial Reversal: removed the Movement Speed penalty for inspecting the Radar.
- Partial Reversal: Scan Lines are again visible to The Skull Merchant at all times, regardless of her distance.
- Buff: while inspecting the Radar, the Auras of Scan Lines are now revealed to The Skull Merchant within 32 metres of the Drone(s).
Patch 8.6.0
- Buff: reduced the Terror Radius from 32 metres to 24 metres.
Trivia
- The Skull Merchant came without her own Realm, instead setting up her hunting camp on Shelter Woods in The MacMillan Estate.
- The Skull Merchant is one of the most normal-looking Killers in Dead by Daylight, with no initially visible physical alterations to her.
- The Skull Merchant is one of the richest Characters in Dead by Daylight.
- The Skull Merchant met her Survivor-counterparts before joining the Realm, having injured Renato before being taken by The Entity.
- During the 6.6.0 PTB, Survivors could see an eye icon above them when The Skull Merchant tracked them with her Radar.
- This feature was ultimately not implemented for balancing concerns.
Lore Trivia
- The Character's name references a Character from one of her father Seita's Dark Mangas.
- The Skull Merchant based both her appearance and her Drones on the Character, hence why she also used that name for herself in-game.
- Sonhadores Sombrios translates to Grim Dreamers, referencing the inspiration drawn from Seita's nightmares.
- The Skull Merchant's parents were named Seita Imai and Belinda Imai.
Weapon Trivia
- The Skull Merchant is the second Killer who can change their attacking animations with different Weapons.
- The following Weapons provide her with unique animations for attacking and the ensuing cool-down, as well as unique sounds.
- Meat Cleaver
- Hydraulic Blade
- Jury's Verdict
Model Trivia
- The Skull Merchant always has a slight smile on her face, although her face is generally covered with a Mask, hiding her smile.
- However, some Cosmetics reveal the lower part of her face.
Gallery
In-game assets
The Skull Merchant
The Skull Merchant (Portrait render)
The Skull Merchant (Background image)
Old assets
The Skull Merchant (Old Portrait render)
Model
The Skull Merchant without a Mask
Concept arts
Default Concept Art
Default Concept Art #2
Weapon Concept Art
'Encroaching Darkness' Concept Art
'Cyber Assassin' Concept Art
'Fire Moon CEO' Concept Art
