LOOOOOOOOOOONG AGO IN A DISTANT LAND... I made this build (I wrote this one in June, to be fair).
Let's build us the shapeshifting master of Darkness!
That's right, we're building Aku from Samurai Jack! Let's do it!
As always, we'll be using the standard point array from the Player's Handbook! Roll for stats and just use my work as a guide!
Charisma: 15
Aku was originally voiced by the late, great Mako (Rest in Peace)! The fact that the character doesn't have a 20 automatically in Charisma is just plain offensive, but we only have so many points to work with.
...and yes, Greg Baldwin later voiced him before somebody gets in touch. He does well as a successor.
Intelligence: 14
Aku is a careful planner and was able to mastermind a complete takeover of the world just because he sent one samurai with a magic sword far into the future.
Dexterity: 13
The hard stats aren't going to be as important for this build, but a high Dexterity bonus is never a bad thing to have.
Constitution: 12
Same goes here. Constitution isn't as good as I'd like, but we'll be able to balance it out later on with some of our spells and abilities.
Wisdom: 10
Aku was observant enough to avoid Jack's blade... the first time.
Strength: 8
Despite his stature and power, Aku is not a strongman. Don't worry, though like I said, the hard stats don't really matter for this one.
For race, we're going to be going with Changeling. It gives us some shapeshifting abilities to play with right off the gate (not anything outrageous yet, but just wait!). We'll be using the Changeling stats from Eberron: Rising from the Last War, ergo Changelings get a +2 to Charisma (17) and a +1 to one other ability score. In this case, we'll go with Dexterity (14).
Sure, you could go with Tiefling for the full demon flavor, but isn't it better to just have the shapeshifting full-on? I think so.
Along with shapeshifting, Changelings also receive proficiency in two skills from a list of Deception, Insight, Intimidation, and Persuasion. We'll go with Deception and Intimidation.
For background, we'll take the Noble for proficiency in History and Persuasion. "Megalomanical Demon" is sadly not a background, so it'll have to do.
Starting off, we'll be taking the Sorcerer class!
1st Level: Sorcerer (1)
As a first level Sorcerer starting out, Aku gets proficiency in two from the sorcerer list of Arcana, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion, and Religion. Since we already have half of the list already, let's go with Arcana and Insight to round out our skills.
Sorcerers get Spellcasting, and Aku will be focused primarily upon two particular skills: transmutation and illusion. That doesn't mean we won't be picking up others, but that's where our primary focus is going to be for very obvious reasons.
Cantrips (4):
- control flames
- green-flame blade
- minor illusion
- thunderclap
- disguise self
- expeditious retreat
So we have a few tricks to play with starting out: some illusions, movement, and even a bit of environment control. Not great, but we're just starting out.
As for our Sorcereous Origin, we'll be taking Shadow Magic. This will give Aku Eyes of the Dark, giving him Darkvision out to 120 feet. It also grants him Strength from the Grave, allowing Aku to make a Charisma saving throw upon reaching 0 hit points and instead drop to just 1. After a success, he can't use it again until he completes a long rest. He also can't use this if the attack is a critical hit or deals radiant damage.
2nd Level: Sorcerer (2)
Second level sorcerers receive a Font of Magic, which grants Aku the joy of Sorcery Points. This allows him to trade in spell slots for sorcery points and vice-versa as per the table in the Player's Handbook. It also allows him to use sorcery points for Metamagic, which we definitely will be using.
Speaking of spell slots, Aku gets a new spell and spell slot for 1st level.
1st Level (1):
- silent image
3rd Level: Sorcerer (3)
What's that I mentioned before? Metamagic? You bet! At third level, Sorcerers can pick two Metamagic types. For Aku, we'll take Heightened Spell and Still Spell. With Heightened Spell, Aku can drop three sorcery points to impose disadvantage on the first saving throw rolled by the target of one of his spells. Still Spell allows him to drop a Sorcery point and cast a spell without verbal or somatic components.
Also, at third level, Aku gets a new spell slot and access to 2nd level spells!
2nd Level (1):
- alter self
4th Level: Sorcerer (4)
At fourth level, Sorcerers receive an Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. We'll be taking the ASI and bumping up Charisma (18) and Constitution (13) for bigger and better bonuses.
Aku gets fifth cantrip from the Sorcerer list and a new spell.
Cantrip (1):
- message
- misty step
Aku can now send orders out to his minions as well as get himself out of tricky situations with no effort at all... or at least directly out of harm's way.
5th Level: Sorcerer (5)
Reaching 5th level, Aku now has access to third level spells. However, we won't be tapping into those just yet.
2nd Level (1):
- spider climb
We're really piling on the mobility options here, which I'm definitely a big fan of.
6th Level: Sorcerer (6)
At sixth level, Sorcerers receive a boon from their Sorcereous Origin. In this case, Aku receives the ability to summon a Hound of Ill Omen. A being of darkness that in RAW resembles a dire wolf, this could easily be reflavored as one of Aku's demonic minions. The Hound has some neat abilities that are detailed in the Shadow Sorcerer section of Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Check it out. The basic draw here is that any enemy within five feet of the Hound has disadvantage against any saving throws against your spells.
Also at sixth level, Sorcerers gains a new spell known and we can finally ip into 3rd level spells.
3rd Level (1):
- major image
Aku's illusions are getting a little better now. We'll be taking a quantum leap on magical abilities soon enough, though.
7th Level: Sorcerer (7)
At seventh level, we pop open fourth level Sorcerer spells. Like with our move to 5th level, however, we won't be getting into that just yet.
3rd Level (1):
- haste
At eighth level, Sorcerers pick up another Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. Once more, we'll be running up the clock on Charisma (19) and Constitution (14) to get our bonuses up. The higher the better, just like a mouse when it spins!
- gaseous form
At ninth level, Sorcerers get access to fifth level spells. However, we have some catch-up to play. Specifically...
- polymorph
At tenth level, Sorcerers get a new spell and a new cantrip. Also, two new Metamagic options!
- gust
- creation
- Quickened Spell
- Twinned Spell
Eleventh level Sorcerers open up 6th level spells.
- Tasha's Otherworldy Guise
Sorcerers don't actually get any spells for this level, as we have gotten into the "spell at every other level" part of being a Sorcerer that I personally don't care for. However, we do get another Ability Score Improvement or Feat.
At thirteenth level, Sorcerers gain a new spell and access to 7th level spells.
- teleport
14th Level: Sorcerer (14)
Alas, no new spells for fourteenth level. However, as a Shadow Magic sorcerer, Aku can now Shadow Walk. As a bonus action, he can move between spots of dim light or total darkness that are within 120 feet of each other.
Fifteenth level sees us getting a new spell; look at that, we have eighth level spells opened up to us!
- demiplane
At sixteenth, we get no new spells. However, we get another Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. Being that we've capped Charisma as far as we're allowed to, we'll take the War Caster feat. This feat gives Aku advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain a spell if hit by an attack (since we already have proficiency in it, this is nothing but good!), allows Aku to cast a spell with somatic components even if wielding a weapon or a shield in one or both hands (kind of irrelevant because of Still Spell), and the actual reason we took the build: casting a spell as an opportunity attack, provided said spell has a casting time of one action and cast only target the one creature.
At seventeenth level, Sorcerers unlock their ninth level spells and get one final spell to choose from. While I was very sorely tempted to choose gate for flavor, that only transfers things between planes, not through time. It's also not something that can be instantly set up, so that only leaves...
- mass polymorph
He also gets his last two Metamagic options.
Distant Spell
Extended Spell
That is about where this build probably should end, but I'm nothing if not someone who is willing to drag this out for funsies. Let's look at the last three levels!
Shadow Sorcerers pick up their final boon in the Umbral Form. Spending six sorcery points, Aku gains resistance to all damage except for force and radiant and can move through solid objects as though they were difficult terrain. He will take damage if he ends a turn within a solid object, though.
Nineteenth level Sorcerers get another Ability Score Improvement or Feat. The Tough feat gives you 2 extra hit points for every level you have and every level you get (it's retroactive!). Given that this build is largely made of squishiness and avoiding trouble, more hit points are never a bad thing.
EXTRA THICC!!!!
Our capstone is the twentifth level of Sorcerer, where we gain Sorcerous Restoration. Upon finishing a short rest, Aku regains four sorcery points.
- I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love me some mobility options. Misty step, spider climb, and teleport are absolutely great. You can get to anywhere you need to be on the battlefield or anywhere else with little problem.
- You have every shapeshifting ability short of True Polymorph (and the druid's abilities, but those really didn't work for this build for obvious reasons). Some of them are even abilities rather than just spells! You can become anyone, anything, and with your skills as they are you could convince eskimos to buy water to freeze their own ice!
- You can get resistance to (or even straight up immunity from) many of the damage types found in the game. You have a good bit of defensive versatility.
- Your capstone ability is worse than pretty much everything else you've gotten. At 20th level, you have twenty sorcery points to play around with and can easily shift spell slots into them and vice-versa. So, you shouldn't be lacking for sorcery points at any rate, so getting four extra ones is going to be absolutely nothing to you.
- You don't have a lot of damage dealing spells. In fact, you only have one. It's admittedly a cantrip, but it isn't one that scales with your level and it only has an effect on things within five feet of you, so you ideally shouldn't be using it all that often. Your strength is in your shapeshifting and your illusions, which can be either countered or seen through by the more deceptive of your enemies.
- This build doesn't really start coming together until around 9th level, and by then you're already halfway through the character. This isn't going to be a build for combat-heavy encounters until you get around that point, and even then you're hardly going to be front-lining.
But hey, you're Aku, the shapeshifting master of darkness! Unleash an unspeakable evil upon the world, intimidate and deceive the masses into obeying your every whim, and live like the king that you are! Don't worry about that foolish samurai warrior who steps forth to oppose you. After all, he doesn't know Jack!
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