[INITIATOR / SUMMONER HERO CONCEPT] The Undertaker

[InferusIcornix]

The Undertaker - Deadlock Hero Concept​

Control / Initiator / Bruiser / Summoner

Hero Overview: Proper burials don't happen by themselves - that's where the Undertaker comes in. With shovel in hand and his lantern gun blazing, Cassius makes sure the restless dead stay put. One swing can drag enemies down six feet under, while his lantern gun unleashes vengeful spirits and calls forth loyal ghouls to keep them company. If the fight's getting crowded, Cassius plants a tombstone that turns the battlefield into burial grounds - trespassers beware. He may have dreamed of a stage and spotlight, but these days, the only music he plays is the dirge at his enemies’ funeral.

Core Fantasy: "Command the cemetery grounds and drag your enemies down to your level. Use your supernatural connection to the dead to initiate team fights, control battlefield positioning, and overwhelm opponents with relentless undead minions and shovel strikes."

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Abilities​

! The stats of the skills are either vague or just exemplary numeric values - it's all just an idea. I don't have nearly enough hours in Deadlock to throw around proper numbers.

1. Back to ya Grave!​

Undertaker commands a strike of cemetery ground in a curved path, slowing and damaging enemies. Each enemy hit creates a small patch of cemetery land, prolonging the path. After casting, Undertaker has a few seconds to reactivate the ability, pulling all affected enemies toward him while they cannot move during the pull.

Stats:

• Cooldown: Medium for a nuke
• Damage: Decent spirit damage for farming and early game nuking
• Path length: Same as the cast range, but can be extended by hitting many units in a line
• Cast Range: Medium
• Pull length: Pulls enemies a set range of X meters closer to the Undertaker
• Pull Duration: 0.8-1.2 seconds
• Slow: Strong.

Upgrades:

• Level 1: Increased range for both the initial strike and pull effect maximum length
• Level 2: Each hero hit spawns a zombie minion at their location
• Level 3: Cooldown reduction

Animation: Undertaker strikes the ground with his shovel, creating a trail of disturbed earth. Ghostly hands emerge from the ground along the path. On reactivation, spectral hands pull the enemies towards the Undertaker.

Design Note: This serves as Undertaker's primary control tool and early farm ability. Early on, he's supposed to start fights with it and pull enemies closer to himself and the team to beat down. Is Grimstroke’s first spell from Dota 2.

2. Ma Trusty Shovel!​

Undertaker tosses his ghostly shovel at a target enemy, dealing spirit damage on hit and slowing the target for a short time. While the shovel is embedded in the enemy or mid-spin, he can reactivate the ability to lunge toward the shovel, reuniting with his tool. The lunge distance varies based on the distance to the point where the shovel was at button press, but is always at most half of the distance of the path if the shovel is past the ideal range. If the return is pressed within the ideal range, the Undertaker lunges right to the shovel's place.

Stats:

• Cooldown: Medium
• Damage: High spirit damage with decent scaling
• Lunge distance: Half of the distance to the shovel on button press
• Maximum Toss Distance (Cast Range): Long range
• Ideal Return Distance: Short range for full lunge, around 30% of the maximum toss range
• Forced Return Distance: Longest of the 3 ranges; if the target moves after this point, the shovel returns by itself, and the Undertaker cannot capitalize on the lunge
• Ideal distance < Lunge Distance < Maximum Toss Distance (Cast Range) < Forced Return Distance.

Upgrades:

• Level 1: Increased cast range and lunge distances (makes it 75% or so instead of 50%)
• Level 2: Shovel can bounce to two additional nearby enemies;
• Level 3: The return creates a whirling attack around Undertaker using his melee damage

Animation: Undertaker hurls his spectral shovel in a curved line towards the target (it flies spinning like a boomerang). The shovel glows with ethereal energy and embeds itself in the target. On reactivation, Undertaker launches himself through the air toward his weapon. The level 3 upgrade attack is a spin within his melee range. As it is a spectral-ish shovel, when it's tossed it actually becomes fully spectral, and the animation of it flying to the target is not fast - the projectile cycles relatively slowly.

Design Note: This ability can be used as an initiation tool into combat or as a chase-down tool. Both use cases pair well with the first skill because it pulls the enemies closer and it lets the hero close the gap first, so the pull places the enemies right into melee range. The slow lets the player hit the enemy with the first skill better. Also, Terrain can make proper use of this ability tricky; if a wall is between the shovel and the Undertaker, he will lunge toward the wall to retrieve his shovel. A proper use of this ability requires a relatively clear path to the target. The character can also lunge vertically into the air.

3. Burial Rites (Passive)​

Each melee hit, shot, or damage from Undertaker's abilities or his zombies applies a "Burial Rites" stack. After accumulating 5 stacks, a zombie emerges from underground, ensnaring the enemy and preventing movement and movement ability usage for a duration. Each stack applies a minor slow for a short time. Already ensnared enemies cannot build new stacks.

Stats:

• Passive ability
• Stacks per hit: 1, per zombie hit 0.5
• Ensnare Duration: 0.8 - 1.2 seconds
• Stack Slow: Minor movement speed reduction
• Stack Duration: Short

Upgrades:

• Level 1: Successfully ensnared enemies heal Undertaker and his minions over time during the ensnaring period. The healing has a small radius around the ensnared target
• Level 2: Abilities and heavy melee hits apply double the stacks
• Level 3: Increased ensnare duration and enhanced healing

Animation: Debuff stacks appear as small zombie hand markers above enemies. The hands start with an open palm and close one finger with each stack applied. At 5 stacks, the zombie hands burst from the ground, grabbing the enemy’s legs and partially burying them.

Design Note: This passive encourages sustained combat, harassing and provides him with more reliable control that needs a bit more commitment. This also synergizes with all the abilities after the level 2 upgrade and lets the undertaker be more tanky and heal his ghouls and his tombstone in combat.

4. Da Tombstone! (Ultimate)​

Undertaker erects a large tombstone that creates an area of cemetery earth around it, slowing enemies within the radius. The tombstone continuously spawns zombies that attack nearby enemies. Zombies and the tombstone itself have health pools and can be destroyed. Enemies caught directly on the tombstone during placement are knocked back and take huge spirit damage.

Stats:

• Duration: Quite long
• Cooldown: Long enough to make its use deliberate
• Tombstone HP: High health with spirit resistance
• Radius: Large area (bigger than Kelvin's ultimate, for example)
• Zombie Spawn Rate: 2-3 zombies per enemy when they enter, then one new zombie each second of the duration
• Zombies: Attack relatively fast but have little damage, quite tanky though
• Direct Tomb Damage: High, bad scaling

Upgrades:

• Level 1: Increased tombstone range and health
• Level 2: Undertaker can target the tombstone with his other abilities; direct hits repeat the ability effect within the tombstone's territory 2 times
• Level 3: Reduced cooldown of the ultimate

Animation: Undertaker erects a massive, ornate tombstone from the ground with both hands (yeah, like Undying from Dota 2). The area around it transforms into disturbed, spooky cemetery soil as zombies claw their way to the surface and attack all enemies in it.

Design Note: This ultimate defines Undertaker's team fight presence, creating a zone of control that forces enemies to either fight in disadvantageous terrain or use advanced movement tech or abilities to flee entirely. The tombstone interaction with other abilities gives the hero even more control in teamfights. Interactions are as follows: shooting the first skill into the tomb creates 2 additional trails from the tomb in a 120-degree angle. Shooting the second skill shoots it out to two targets closest to the tomb. The undertaker can press the button again to lunge directly to the tomb. Ensnaring enemies near the tomb in the radius of the heal will repeat the heal to the whole area, healing the tomb, zombies, and the Undertaker himself.

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Weapons​

Weapon: The Lantern Gun​

A double-barreled shotgun that doubles as a spectral lantern, firing glowing spirit-infused projectiles that dissipate after a certain range. The reload animation shows Undertaker opening the lantern portion to let new spirits enter the weapon.

Firing Mechanics:

• Primary Fire: Single double-shot from the barrels with good range and damage, the spirits close up to one point in the middle
• Alt Fire: More powerful and less accurate close range shot with twice the damage but doesn't have the pinpoint accuracy of the primary fire

Stats:

• Damage: High per-shot damage
• Fire Rate: Slow
• Range: Medium, reduced on alt-fire
• Projectile Speed: Good
• Reload: Medium speed with unique spirit-loading animation
• Ammo: around 8 – 12

! Somehow, the SlopAI image generator made a decent enough design for the gun. Though I initially imagined the barrels being horizontal and the lantern’s flat side placed parallel to the barrels’ flat surfaces, this looks good enough.

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Melee: The Spectral Shovel​

A weathered cemetery shovel with ghostly energy swirling around it. Deals high melee damage fitting a bruiser character.

Design Note: The dual-fire shotgun gives the undertaker options for different engagement ranges while maintaining his close-combat bruiser identity. Though he can have a primary fire that shoots two separate but close bullets to each other, and the right-click then being an ADS mode. The spectral theming shovel not only suits the theme but also looks cool.

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Gameplay Identity​

Strengths:​

• Excellent team fight initiation and control
• Strong area denial through ultimate and minions
• Good sustain through mostly passive healing
• Scales well with both purple, green, and any melee items
• High skill ceiling with "Back to da Grave!" skill shots on the tombstone placement, "My Trusty Shovel!" target decision and timing

Weaknesses:​

• Limited mobility without ability usage
• Vulnerable to long-range harassment
• Long ability cooldowns, so timing is crucial
• Minions can be cleared by area damage
• The tombstone can be destroyed
• Needs good tombstone positioning to both hide it and be able to shoot it himself with skills
• Requires items to become properly tanky

Playstyle:​

Undertaker excels in team fights, using his initiation tools to create favorable engagements for his team. He farms well enough with his first ability and uses his tombstone to control key areas during objectives and teamfights. His gameplay revolves around positioning, waiting for the right moment to initiate and pull enemies in and overwhelm them with sustained pressure from minions and slows.

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Visual Design​

Appearance:

Working Man Aesthetic: Dirty work clothes including coveralls or work jacket with rolled sleeves. Tool belt with various cemetery implements attached, including occult ones. A shoulder strap for additional equipment or a flask. Weathered work boots and gloves. A usual fat hat or a open crown hat (like the Undertaker from WWE had). A worn Bible or similar religious book tucked into his belt.

Supernatural Elements: Glowing eyes with a hint of spectral energy. His shovel emanates ghostly wisps. Small skull or bone trinkets hanging from his belt.

Character Design: A weathered African American man in his 50s with gray, unkempt but short beard. Mean grimace on his face. Relatively bulky build from years of physical labor.

! Below a Slop AI generated image of him, that has the wrong type of hat, not exactly how I imagined the weapons, but looks close enough. I am really bad at drawing, so enjoy the ai.

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Lore​

Personality: Cassius embodies the archetype of a grumpy worker who despises his job but refuses to let anyone else do it poorly. He dreams of a musical career he never pursued and fantasizes about the successful life he could have had. Despite his complaints, he takes pride in being the only person capable of handling the increasingly supernatural demands of his work. He's bitter about his situation but maintains a professional dedication to proper burial rites.

Reason for Participation in the Ritual: Cassius seeks to finally retire from his decades of service, but supernatural forces and his own sense of duty make escape more difficult than expected. The ritual represents a potential path to freedom from his obligations.

Story​

Cassius Graves grew up poor in Brooklyn, where a steady job at the municipal cemetery seemed like a stepping stone to something better. He planned to work a few years, save money, and pursue his dream of becoming a musician. That was before the gates opened and the mystical world crashed into reality.

When supernatural entities began dying and requiring proper burial, his colleagues abandoned their posts one by one. Someone had to handle the bodies, and Cassius found himself uniquely suited for the work. The dead weren't peaceful anymore - some needed to be shoveled back into their graves while trying to eat him, others required him to chase runaway ghosts celebrating their "afterlife honeymoons" around the city.

The city recognized his dedication and gifted him tools befitting his expanded role: a spectral shovel capable of enforcing proper behavior from the restless dead, and a lantern gun for more aggressive enforcement. What began as temporary necessity became permanent expertise.

Now, decades later, Cassius manages nearly every aspect of the city's supernatural burial needs. He is the gravedigger, the watchman, the keeper, sometimes the priest, and always the undertaker. With the exception of a single position held by a mysterious new colleague he refuses to discuss, Cassius occupies every role the cemetery requires. His expertise has become a trap - no one else can handle the supernatural dead, and so he cannot leave. The job has consumed his life, stealing away his dreams of music and any hope of retirement. Each burial brings new dangers: vampires, ghosts, werewolves, demons, and stranger beings all demanding careful treatment to prevent unrest among the dead, their families, or the city itself.

The ritual offers him something he's never had: a way to retirement.

Lore Connections​

The Mysterious Colleague: The one other cemetery employee that Cassius refuses to discuss and visibly hates this person.

Grey Talon: Cassius is old, so maybe he knows Wesley from the good old days.

The Doorman: Just a funny bit - they're both essentially giving service to people stay in a place and rest. Could be a fun interaction for Undertaker to complain to Doorman how much better he has it, or that Cassius can easily do the Doorman's job, etc.

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P.S.:​

This concept was a long idea of mine for Dota, while I was still actively playing the game. For Deadlock it fits nicely. We don't have a Tombstone guy yet or minion guy whose minions are not entirely stationary. His lore design being a regular guy with an irregular job emphasizes that occult city vibe of the game. He is a Black guy who dreamed to be a jazz musician and became an occult undertaker – perfectly nice for the New York of Deadlock.

Also, the idea with a mysterious colleague comes from Dota too. There, Razor and Visage were both employees of a labyrinth of the underworld if I remember correctly, and here the theme is similar, so I figured he needs a colleague but the guy is a grumpy mean old grandpa so he will hate the new guy.

Also yeah, personality-wise I got inspiration from Uncle Ruckus from the Boondocks, but instead of hating his kind, he hates his job and everything that associates with it, and instead of fantasizing about another shade of people, he fantasizes about another career. Could be a fun quirk.

Gameplay-wise, just a bunch of slows and control mostly using reshuffled abilities from Dota. Honestly, I don't know if having only a heal is good enough to be tanky, but as Undying he could also steal HP from others or have some damage reduction built into the passive or the tombstone, maybe from the zombies themselves? The more there are, the more tanky he gets, etc. All his abilities let him close the gap between the enemy and himself, so a melee kick to his gameplay would be a nice touch.

GL HF.