You are a member of the Funeral Director's guild. You are skilled in the dissection and preservation of bodies, religion and funeral practices, and event hosting. As a funeral director, your job is not only to assist in the burial, but often in the retrieval of bodies. As such, you have a moderately contentious working relationship with creatures such as ghosts, liches, and the undead, who exists somewhere between this world and the next. You see them less like eldritch abominations and more like Mark from Accounting who won't refund your gas receipt because you stopped for coffee on the way to the conference. You need the body they are possessing/haunting, so if they could be polite and leave it alone, that would be great.
Some may find you unsettling -- your time amongst the dead rendering you unused to living companions. Or, you may be a comforting presence, who has adapted to help people through the worst parts of their lives.
You are a well-established part of the mercantile world, freed by talent and wealth from the constraints of a feudal social order. You learned your skills as an apprentice to a master artisan, under the sponsorship of your guild, until you became a master in your own right.
- Skill Proficiencies: Intimidation OR Persuasion, Medicine OR Religion
- Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism Kit OR Poisoner's Kit
Cook's Utensils OR Instrument of your choice
Disguise Kit
- Languages: One of your choice
- Equipment: Funeral Preparation -- Fun Funeral Kit (Cook's Tools, Musical Instrument) OR Religious Funeral Kit (Holy Symbol, Candle)
Medicinal Kit -- Heal the Sick (Herbalism Kit, Healer's Kit) OR Finish the Job (Poisoner's Kit, Dagger)
Embalming Kit -- Disguise Kit, Perfume (vial), Clothes (fine)
Funeral guilds are, by nature, spread out. Smaller towns and cities don't have need for more than one establishment. However, because of the alienating nature of the job, they do enjoy a good conference to bring like-minded artisans together.
Different morticians have different specialties, and different ways of approaching their clients. While all morticians have some knowledge of medicine, embalming, funeral rites and event hosting, different regions put greater emphasis on different aspects of their funeral process.
| d7 | Funeral Business |
|---|---|
| 1 | Funeral Planners (Specializes in celebrations of life, including food and entertainment) |
| 2 | Embalmers (Specializes in making bodies appear lifelike) |
| 3 | Acolytes (Specialize in religious ceremonies for the dead) |
| 4 | Adventurers (Specializes in body retrieval) |
| 5 | Coroners (Specializes in dissection & determination of cause of death) |
| 6 | Therapists (Specializes in helping loved ones move on) |
| 7 | Necromancers (Specializes in dealing with undead) |
Everyone eventually has need of your services.
Criminal organizations trust you because of your discreet nature. You tend to know a little more about how people died/ what criminal activity is going on in your region simply because you've dealt with the bodies of those who have died.
You are well-versed in religious matters, since you need to know the burial customs of different cultures. As such, religious institutions will offer food and lodging at a discounted price, and will be freer with information.
You also have some medical knowledge. Since you investigate causes of death, you know something about healing wounds and curing diseases. You gain advantage on rolls when investigating something's cause of death.
You also gain advantage on rolls against being frightened by liches, ghouls and the undead.
Spell List
Funeral Directors all learn Speak with the Dead as a ritual so they can determine the cause of death, and confirm the deceased's last wishes.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | speak with dead |
Can perform Speak with Dead as a ritual without using a spell slot.
Suggested Characteristics
Funeral directors do a job that no one else wants. They understand the value of hard work and the importance of community, but they’re vulnerable to sins of greed and covetousness.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am attuned to people's suffering, and can spot it from a mile away |
| 2 | I spend too much time with the dead, and tend to view the alive as potential future corpses (and therefore good for business) |
| 3 | I am seen as spiritual and withdrawn -- often making vague comments about the fleeting nature of existence |
| 4 | I often forget that I too can die, and often put myself in dangerous situations because of it |
| 5 | I am extremely anxious about death, being around it at all times, and I am constantly thinking about how every -one and -thing could kill me. |
| 6 | People are put off by me, and as a result I am defensive when it comes to meeting new people |
| 7 | I’m well known for my work, and I want to make sure everyone appreciates it. I’m always taken aback when people haven’t heard of me. |
| 8 | I love talking about my work, and take every opportunity to expound upon it |
| d8 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Community. How we treat our dead is indicative of how we treat the living, and it is an important ritual that strengthens our bonds with each other. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Generosity. Everyone deserves a proper burial, no matter their status in life, and I will give it to them. (Good) |
| 3 | Relativity. There is no one right way of being, and there is no singularly true divine law. Death is as arbitrary as life. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Greed. I’m only in it for the money. Death is inevitable, so the living might as well earn a profit. (Evil) |
| 5 | People. Every person I bury has a story, and something to teach. Learn from them. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Aspiration. I work hard to be the best there is at my craft. (Any) |
| 7 | Religion. It is important to care for the soul in the afterlife. It is my duty to help souls along. To resist death, or to impede a soul's journey to the beyond, is a gross violation of nature. (Lawful) |
| 8 | There is good money in this business, and it is one that others shy away from. I'm not squeamish, and so I plan to exploit the industry to the best of my abilities. |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | The workshop where I learned my trade is the most important place in the world to me. |
| 2 | Someone dear to me died without resolution, and I was never able to say goodbye. I do not want this to happen to anyone else. |
| 3 | The person I loved most in the world died, and so I no longer care to interact with the living. |
| 4 | I was rejected by my community, and that is how I ended up in this business. I resent them for what they did to me. |
| 5 | I had a near-death experience and it shaped me into who I am today. |
| 6 | My community was there for me when a loved one passed away, and so now I am dedicated to helping them |
| d8 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I spend too much time tinkering in necromancy, and no longer respect the natural order of life and death |
| 2 | I can be callous & insensitive when dealing with death, and consider it a transactional affair |
| 3 | I steal from the dead |
| 4 | I’m too afraid of dying to actually live my life |
| 5 | I would kill to increase business if that's what it took |
| 6 | I'm not used to communicating with the living, and therefore can be overly blunt, graphic, and insensitive |
| 7 | I can seem detached from the real world |
| 8 | I will go out of my way to help someone get a proper burial, often to my own detriment |
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