Jason Voorhees

Jason Voorhees is the series' trademark character; he is the main antagonist in Friday the 13th: The Game, as well as for the film series the game is based on.

History
Jason Voorhees, the only son of Pamela Voorhees, was born on June 13th, 1946; he was born with severe facial deformities on top of a learning disability. Because of this, he was often bullied by other children. This took a tragic turn in 1957; a vicious group of children tormented little Jason Voorhees during his stay with his mother at Camp Crystal Lake, a summer camp for kids. While there, the 11-year old boy was pushed into the lake despite being unable to swim, unbeknownst to the neglectful camp counselors who weren't paying attention to the kids (instead, choosing to have sex).

Through unknown means, perhaps being a better swimmer than Pamela thought (given scenes in the later films that imply Jason WAS adept at swimming), Jason survived, and went on to live as a hermit in the woods of Crystal Lake. Meanwhile, the camp had been closed down due to a spree of murders being perpetrated against the camp counselors. In secrecy, Jason's mother was murdering camp counselors as well as vandalizing the property to get revenge for her son, unaware that Jason was in fact still alive, and thus making sure Camp Crystal Lake would never reopen. Eventually, she was decapitated in self-defense by the last surviving camp counselor named Alice Hardy when the camp was about to be re-opened once more. Jason happened to be nearby when he witnessed his mother being killed. After murdering his mother's killer, he began obeying his mother's wishes (which he started hearing in his head) to murder everyone who dared trespass the Crystal Lake area; she oftentimes reminds him of the delinquent counselors whose negligence almost led to his demise and how they were responsible for their misfortunes in life.

Starting in 1984, he began murdering all camp counselors near Crystal Lake as well as anyone who entered the area and anyone who interfered with his attempts to murder his prey, much to the misfortune of anyone who lived near there. The only people Jason would refuse to murder are children; this is due to his memories of how he was bullied as a young child, and therefore he refuses to murder children in reverence of his own tragic childhood. However, Camp Crystal Lake, as well as the whole lakeside area, gained a bloody reputation from which it would never fully recover, despite attempts to revive it under a new name years later.

A few survivors managed to defeat Jason, but it wasn't until a young boy named Tommy Jarvis came around when Jason would meet his demise as a living human. Tommy killed the mass murderer in the same year of 1984 by hacking a machete into the side of Jason's head. For many years, his dead body remained buried in the town graveyard until Tommy Jarvis returned to his grave attempting to cremate Jason's remains, hoping to find solace once again by getting rid of Jason for good. This backfired when several lightning bolts struck a cemetery fence post Tommy pierced into Jason's body in rage, therefore reviving the mass murderer into a supernatural, undead revenant with titanic strength.

Despite Tommy chaining Jason down into the lake in an attempt to drown him, he was freed twice, dragged into Hell, and was even sent into space. No matter what happens, either in the films or other related media, he continues to be an extremely dangerous mass murderer, seeking only to appease his mother's wishes from beyond the grave. He can be momentarily stopped or even contained, but he can never die (permanently).

Gameplay
Jason Voorhees' only goal is to prevent the counselors from escaping while murdering them. He must accomplish these murders in twenty minutes or less. Jason can use tools, which includes placing traps as well as using throwing knives to aid him in his quest. He can grab counselor/players and murder them with various grab kills which can utilize the environment if the Jason/player chooses. On top of this, the game allows Jason to murder counselors by attacking them with a pre-determined weapon based on which Jason is chosen by the player. Finally, he has several supernatural abilities to aid him in hunting down the counselors.

While playing as Jason, his mother (Pamela Voorhees) communicates to him as a voice from the realm of the dead; oftentimes she urges him to "punish" the camp counselors for their misdeeds. She will also warn Jason if a counselor has intruded his shack unless the counselor is equipped with Jason's mask (which is gained by dealing enough damage to knock it off his face).

It's possible for the counselors to kill Jason, although it's very difficult to accomplish without a coordinated team. Even then, escaping his carnage might be the easier goal for a team to pursue.

He is currently the only playable character in the Offline Bots mode.

Variations
There are several different playable variations of Jason Voorhees in the game, each with different weapons, strengths, and weaknesses:

The game also includes Roy Burns (imposter Jason Voorhees from Part 5).

Grab Kills
See also: Grab Kills

Abilities
Jason can use his Abilities in-game to help him find, hunt down, and murder the counselors. Below is a list of his abilities which are chronologically ordered by when he attains them (excluding the tools, which he starts off with). Players controlling Jason must use them to accomplish his goal of murdering everyone, or at least keeping an eye on the objectives counselors will try to fix in order to facilitate an escape. The amount of traps as well as knives he starts off with varies depending on the Jason chosen, and he can find additional throwing knives littered throughout the map. He can also destroy certain wooden walls, and later, fences.

Morph


Morph is Jason's ability to teleport anywhere on the playable map; the player will bring up his special map (which shows the location of several objectives as well as other points of interest), then choose where to travel next. Counselors, on the other hand, will see Jason vanish, and appear in the exact same manner should they be unfortunate enough to be near his new destination. At the same time, should they be near Jason when he first activates Morph, or be near his new destination, their HUDs will receive a "scrambled VHS screen" effect acting as another warning Jason has used a teleportation ability.

This is Jason's first ability which he starts off with when the game begins. It gives him the power to enact global presence and it's crucial to lock down counselor objectives as well as areas of interest. Keep in mind that you won't travel exactly where the cursor was, but rather to a pre-determined "pin" of sorts on the map where the cursor was closest. With experience, it will become easier to determine where these pins are.

You have several decisions to make using this ability starting off. Since you won't unlock your second teleportation ability (Shift) until a few minutes into the game, you will need to be careful about where you go first. Knowing the map you're playing on as well as what counselors will try to repair first will be helpful while your other abilities build up. The first location you choose should be a spot you consider important, such as the phone to call the police for instance. Outside of this, use it to deny players trying to fix objectives for a means of escape (e.g. repaired car) as well as to travel somewhere urgent.

While you can utilize this ability to cut off escape routes some players will use when on the run from you, such as camping an area outside of the police's reach should the counselors manage to call them, it might be better to use his Shift ability instead if you need more precision. This ability can be combined with Sense to detect counselors upon reaching your new destination and/or Stalk in order to surprise unwary counselors. It's very useful when combined with Stalk in order to prevent counselors from discovering where you teleported.

Once Jason activates his Rage ability, the cooldown on this ability is further reduced, granting Jason even more global presence while he uses his remaining time to hunt down counselors.

Sense


Sense is one of Jason's abilities, and its usage is crucial for finding counselors. When activated, Jason's HUD gains a grey tint, and objects of interest will glow red when successfully detected. This ability is the first one Jason unlocks since you begin matches with the Morph ability. Also, regardless of which Jason you choose, he will always gain this ability at the 0:45 mark of the game.

While active, it detects Counselors based on how close they are to Jason at the time. At the beginning of each round, Jason has an invisible sense detection radius which continues to expand as the game goes on. Depending on the version of Jason you choose, his Sense ability will either last longer or shorter, but its starting range of detection is the same unless the Jason chosen has a strength regarding it (at which point the starting effective range is much wider). The total distance his Sense ability covers will continue to increase throughout the course of the game at the same rate, regardless of whether he has a strength/weakness regarding it.

When a Counselor is inside a building, if they aren't occupying a hiding spot, the house will glow red as Jason detects someone inside, regardless of composure; stealth; or fear level. However, if all Counselors inside a house occupy a hiding spot, the house won't glow red.

Contrary to popular belief, the Composure stat has no direct bearing on this ability's effectiveness. Instead, a Counselor's Composure determines how long it takes to give into their fear. Stealth as well as all light sources will also have no effect. The Counselor's distance from Jason's current Sense detection radius is therefore the only factor on whether or not Jason can detect them. However, if a Counselor's fear reaches its maximum, Jason will be able to keep tabs on a Counselor even if they leave his current Sense detection radius; this makes it very imposing for a panicking Counselor trying to escape him since he'll know where the Counselor ran off to.

Certain Counselor perks do give them a chance to avoid detection from this ability, whether in buildings as well as outside, but it's not a guarantee. You won't know if you evaded his Sense ability other than Jason not discovering you, but it's best to not stick around in order to find out. Since Jason players will quickly toggle this ability on/off to try detecting players with these perks, it won't take long for him to discover a Counselor who happens to be nearby, especially if the Counselor is hiding near an objective.

Once Jason's Rage ability has been activated, his Sense ability improves with more than a simple cooldown reduction. Besides a major bump to his detection radius, he will also notice a structure with Counselors inside turn red, even if everyone in the building occupies a hiding spot, and Counselors who occupy a hiding spot will also be highlighted as well. Counselors therefore cannot rely on hiding spots near the later portion of the game since they will be discovered, and Jason will be able to detect Counselors across the majority of the map near late game as well. At this point in the game, Counselors shouldn't attempt to hide because it will be futile--so any Counselor who lacks athleticism should try to escape before Jason gains this ability.

Shift


Shift is the second teleportation ability in Jason's arsenal to hunt down counselors. His perspective changes to first person while his view gets stretched along the edges of the screen, giving the perception of moving at hyper-fast speeds. To Counselors, he simply vanishes, then reappears at an unknown spot. Also, Counselors will receive a "VHscreen" effect warning them Jason is using this ability. All Jasons will receive this ability at the 2:15 mark during gameplay.

This ability can be considered Jason's most potent offensive choice. Lasting five seconds, he travels at blazing speeds to a location of his directing, and while he cannot Shift through obstacles as well as counselors themselves he can use it to close the gap on his prey. It can be tricky to control at first, but remember that grabbing as well as attacking will automatically end the ability. You can also reactivate Shift in order to stop moving.

One particular combo which can be devastating with enough practice involves grabbing a victim when you Shift close to them; Counselors have to predict where Jason will stop in order to escape his clutches. And even if they do avoid being grabbed, he will oftentimes be very close, which will continue to drench the counselor(s) with fear. Shift can also be used to avoid getting shot by gunfire as well as invade a cabin in order to confuse Counselors of your exact location (although remember, you can only enter the cabin if a door is open/broken). Counselors will sometimes place bear traps they find near the entrance, hoping you don't check the ground before entering, but Shift is capable of bypassing these traps if you discover any.

This ability is the kind where having a weakness regarding it will change how it works. Regular Shift as well Shift+ will render Jason able to zoom around at lightning-fast speeds while gaining considerable distance, although it does require careful control from the player to use effectively. Any Jason with a weakness in Shift, on the other hand, will be slow enough to the point they are unable to catch a moving car, and they don't travel as far as normal Shift, demanding careful input. It will be somewhat easier to catch Counselors, but it also makes objective control more difficult.

Jason can use Sense and/or Stalk before activating Shift to gain their effects. Sense can help Jason find Counselors while using this ability, and Stalk will make it difficult for Counselors to know where exactly he teleported if they have no visual confirmation of his new whereabouts. The only warning a Counselor receives if Jason combines Stalk with Shift is a zoom-in effect on their HUD, making it another potent combo for Jason when getting the jump on an unsuspecting Counselor.

Once Jason gains his Rage ability, it reduces the cooldown period of this ability, giving him more opportunities to snatch prey who attempted to escape.

Stalk
Stalk is one of Jason's abilities; he uses it to silently hunt down unsuspecting counselors. While active, the Jason player's HUD gains a blue tint.

The penultimate ability, when it unlocks, is one of the craftier ones which will require some smart input from the player to use successfully. When activated, Counselors will no longer hear the special musical cue which plays when Jason is nearby. As a result, it can fool Counselors into believing they are safe until they see Jason in person, creating a jump scare for both the Counselor as well as the player in control. No matter which Jason is chosen, he will always unlock this ability at the 4:15 mark into the game.

Jason players can combine this ability with Morph as well as Shift in order to silence the warning music when teleporting near a Counselor. The only warning counselors will receive is the "VHS scrambled screen" effect which indicates Jason is using a teleportation ability, but they still won't know exactly where Jason's new location is until they have visual confirmation. However, if the Jason player is using a mic, players can possibly detect your presence there should you accidently talk/make a sound on the mic. Stay as quiet as possible if you're trying to scare the counselors, or even just mute your voice until you've been discovered.

Stalk will last a little over three minutes if Jason doesn't move while active, but it will last about only twenty seconds when he does. Keeping this in mind, Jason can activate this ability after leaving an area where he thinks Counselors might still be hiding. This way, he can bluff them into revealing themselves from their hiding spots, and hunt them down once more. Stalk also quiets the footsteps of Jason and the sound of breaking down doors when not using Rage or Combat Stance, which can be used to stealthily enter a cabin that a Counselor believes to be barricaded and safe.

While Rage is active, the cooldown on this ability is reduced heavily, creating more jump scares while combined with his other cooldown-reduced abilities. At later stages in the game, some counselors might occupy themselves in houses whose doors were already broken down by Jason, believing he might not check the same house twice. After tracking them down with his Sense ability, use Stalk to fool them into thinking you've overlooked the previously trashed house.

Stalk heightens Jason's hearing abilities while active and can allow you to detect noise pings from jogging, Level-10-Stealth counselors that would normally be hidden.

Rage


Rage is Jason's ultimate ability, serving as a major buff to all his regular abilities plus increasing his destructive potential. This ability charges throughout the game and once activated, it doesn't wear off. After this ability is completely charged, the player's HUD gains a slight red tint for a few seconds, then returns to normal. Counselors will not hear Jason's signature-noise cue when he unlocks an ability, which can prove deadly if Counselors are still hiding while unaware of Jason's heightened ability to detect them.

At the very latest, Rage will be activated at the 15:00 mark into the game, but since it charges faster when he takes damage, Jason will oftentimes have this ability up by mid-game unless Counselors spent most of their time hiding from him. Along with the various buffs Rage grants to Jason's other abilities (listed in the ability list above), Rage allows Jason to effortlessly tear down doors, walls and fences.

One weakness of this ability is that Jason has a harder time detecting noise pings (characters with mediocre Stealth can essentially jog when Jason's Rage is active), but with Jason's heightened abilities, he still holds far more dangerous tools at his disposal to track down Counselors (most noticeably when using his Sense ability), and with much shorter cooldowns.

While this ability is active, Counselors are unable to hide from Jason at all, making survival difficult. It's best for the Counselors to try and escape by means of a repaired objective before Jason's Rage ability is activated because you stand little chance of hiding from him for the last minutes of the game, and he will be able to teleport more often than normal.

The patch of January 30th, 2019 improved Jason's buff, making it so that he can only be stunned by a Bear Trap, Shotgun, Sweater, or a Pocketknife after being grabbed, making this ability even more powerful as any other weapon will have no effect on him whatsoever.

Traps
See also: Bear Trap

Throwing Knives
Throwing Knives are tools available only to Jason; they are used to hurt the counselors, which can eventually slow them down or even finish them off from a distance. If counselors attempt to kite you by using obstacles, hit them with throwing knives to whittle down their health while their fear continues to ramp up. This will make it easier for you to hunt them down if they manage to escape your grasp.

On the flip side, you cannot move while aiming. As a result, should you miss the target, it will become more difficult to catch them if Shift isn't available to you at the time. Try to throw the knife where they'll be, rather than where they are at the moment unless they're running in a straight line away from you. Keep in mind that Jason's throwing speed is very fast: it typically takes no more than a second or two to hit someone even at long range.

You can find several knives throughout the map embedded into walls as well as poles; don't forget to collect them when you're not chasing down a counselor. Jason's shack will always have two knives located in the room he starts off in, and as of the update on 1/30/2018, each Jason starts off with an additional two knives automatically added to their arsenal.

Both Part 5 as well as Part 6 will begin the match with six throwing knives as one of their strengths. Furthermore, when they pick off the two knives on the walls inside the shack, they will have a grand total of eight throwing knives to start off with.

In-game

 * Previously, Jason wasn't able to destroy fences when in rage mode; this was fixed to help prevent counselors from endlessly kiting Jason around fences.
 * During the beta, Rage was the last ability for Jason to unlock after Shift; this was changed in the final product where Rage will have to build up on its own (by means of time as well as taking damage from counselors). The Stalk abilty replaced Rage as the third ability unlocked through the course of the game.

The films

 * Throughout the films, various actors - generally stuntmen - played the role of Jason Voorhees. However, Kane Hodder (who played Jason in Parts 7, 8, 9, and 10) played this role the most; he was hailed by fans of the series as the "Definitive Jason". Hodder also presently did the motion caption work of Jason for the game.
 * However, C.J. Graham, who played Jason in Part 6, was reported to have been a part of the team as well.
 * Originally in the first film, Jason was supposed to be officially dead, and wasn't supposed to appear at the end of the film. However, when Tom Savini had seen Carrie (1976), he suggested the idea of Jason coming up from the lake to drag down the final girl Alice in a jump-scare dream sequence. When the first film was a box office success upon its release, the sequels were initially planned to be unrelated to the first film and each with a different story under the Friday the 13th moniker, but it was Phil Scuderi (producer of the first film) who suggested to bring Jason into the first sequel and later on. Because of this, the original film's writer Victor Miller disliked (and never saw) the sequels for having Jason as the killer, stating that "Jason was dead from the very beginning; he was a victim, not a villain."
 * Initally when Miller created the character of Jason, he was portrayed to be only as a mentally-disabled young boy. It was Savini's idea, however, to make Jason deformed.
 * When Victor Miller was creating Jason, the name Jason was a combination of "Josh" and "Ian", Miller's sons, and the Voorhees last name came from a girl that Miller knew in high school whose last name was Van Voorhees. Overall, he felt it was a "creepy-sounding name", which was perfect for his character.