Herman Carter, aka "The Doctor," is one of the 22 Killers in the indie horror hit Dead by Daylight (DBD). Behaviour Interactive introduced The Doctor in the DLC "Chapter IV: Spark of Madness" back in 2017. Even after a long in-game run, The Doctor remains one of the most aesthetically terrifying Killers.
Although The Doctor isn't one of Dead by Daylight's worst Killers, he can be challenging to master. Nonetheless, his special abilities are well suited to new DBD players or those who have no patience to search for Survivors. Let's discuss The Doctor's horrific lore and basic gameplay mechanics that are sure to entice madness and terror among Survivors.
Who is The Doctor?
Before he was The Doctor, Herman Carter was a bright kid intrigued by studying the brain. His passion led him to Yale's advanced neuroscience program, which was actually a front. The CIA used the program to attract the smartest people for their interrogation and intelligence work.
The CIA recruited Carter, sending the promising trainee to the Léry's Memorial Institute in Illinois. There, his mentor, Mr. Stamper, encouraged him to discover innovative interrogation techniques. With no prying eyes or rules to govern him, Carter's passion quickly turned into an obsession. It wasn't long before unwilling prisoners replaced his docile test subjects. Electroconvulsive Treatment became Carter's "experimental interrogation" method of choice. Although effective, it was cruel. Screams filled the hallways of Léry's Memorial Institute, and prisoners begged not to be taken to Carter's lab.
It was because of Carter's medical obsession that he became known as The Doctor. Whether or not he actually had a medical certificate or degree was never even questioned. It wasn't until much later that the real terror occurring in Carter's lab was exposed. Carter's experimental interrogation methods had turned from unusual to horrific acts of torture. Patients and prisoners were found dead along with Mr. Stamper, whose brain had been exposed and attached to various electrodes and sensors in some bizarre attempt to create a zombie.
In the ultimate coverup, the government condemned Léry's Memorial Institute and Carter's research data. Although the atrocities stopped, Herman Carter's quest for total mind control never did.
Perks & Gameplay Mechanics
The Doctor's perks are all about inducing madness to hinder the Survivors' chances of survival, much like he did while at the Léry's Memorial Institute. His three personal perks include Overwhelming Presence, Monitor & Abuse and Overcharge.
Overwhelming Presence instills fear in Survivors within The Doctor's Terror Radius, and Monitor & Abuse increases the Terror Radius by eight meters while in chase. Lastly, The Doctor can Overcharge a generator, causing it to have an extremely difficult skill check for Survivors.
The Doctor is all about inducing madness in Survivors. The goal is to use The Doctor's special abilities, Shock Therapy and Static Blast, to increase Madness and afflict the Madness Status Effect. As Survivors progress through the stages of Madness, they begin to hallucinate and scream in terror, which ultimately reveals their location.
The Doctor's abilities are ideal for finding Survivors in the early game. They also come in handy for slowing gameplay down by forcing Survivors to snap out of Madness before progressing. If all other "treatments" fail, The Doctor can use his weapon, The Stick, to wreak havoc.
Overall, The Doctor's special abilities are a force to be reckoned with, especially for any Survivors looking to use a stealth approach. As demonstrated in his lore, The Doctor won't let anyone escape his experiments.