Every so often, a rather unusual product enters my review pile. This is the case with The Undertaker, a character background designed by Jerry LeNeave, known better to me as DreadGazeebo on Twitter. The product is just a solitary page, which describes the background.

It’s also an object lesson on how to design personality traits for a background. I read them, and I’m inspired by them. I want to play a character using some of the traits described. Even if I don’t use the Undertaker entire, they’re adaptable to a range of character types; admittedly, one that tends to have a tinge of the macabre.

The Undertaker shows the importance of good writing and good development of ideas. The mechanics for the background, slight though they are, don’t hold my interest as well. They also bring up an interesting point about backgrounds: is the background something you have been in the past, or something you continue to be in the present? In some cases, such as the Criminal and the Folk Hero, I can well understand that your background is something you don’t abandon. However, in many other cases, it’s something now behind you. The Hermit comes to mind.

The Undertaker background has a class feature that allows you to gain a living as an undertaker. This isn’t that interesting, especially as you’d expect that most of the time you’ll be far better served by just looting another dungeon. The optional background feature that grants you a bonus with something related to undead is more interesting, although – as a DM – I’d refine it and make it a little more specific before using it in a campaign.

The most disappointing feature about this product is that it isn’t a collection of ten or more backgrounds. It stands alone, giving a glimpse of further areas that can be explored in the game.