With the power and force of lightning, make this D&D build GROOOOOOW!!!
Today, we'll be building Lord Zedd from the Power Rangers franchise. First appearing in 1994 to replace his failed minion Rita Repulsa, Zedd almost instantly proved himself a force to be reckoned with, bringing a bunch of new and terrifying monsters that he could summon up at any time.
...he then proceeded to do the same thing Rita had done, only worse, and eventually ended up married to her and running around in the camper of evil after the Rangers handed him his shiny metal ass too many times to count.
However, Zedd was very menacing and terrifying due to unique appearance and the gravelly voice provided to him by the late, great Robert Axelrod. Like most 90's kids, I thought his introduction was awesome and him coming in and essentially handing the Rangers who had been outfoxing Rita Repulsa for several weeks beforehand their asses was horrifying to see. Plus, he was recently brought back in Dino Fury and Cosmic Fury, partially due to nostalgia-tripping and partially due to his rather terrifying and memorable presence, so why not begin Horror Month 2024 with him?
As always, we'll be using the Standard Point Array from the Player's Handbook. Also, as always, I encourage you to roll for stats and just use this as a guide where to place things.
Intelligence: 15
Zedd is very skilled in the arcane arts as well as being a tactician who can go toe to toe against Zordon in a game of wits. Nothing to sneeze at.
Charisma: 14
Zedd is most definitely Charismatic, as terrifying as he is memorable. Out of universe, he's beloved by the fan base as a high water mark for villains. In universe, he's a wicked tyrant enough to give even Zordon pause.
Constitution: 13
Zedd was alive for the 10,000 years that Rita Repulsa was locked away in the dumpster on the moon and it doesn't appear to have slowed him down even a little.
Strength: 12
Zedd did show in the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series that he could have easily taken down the Rangers in a one-on-one confrontation if he really wanted to.
Dexterity: 10
He's certainly agile enough to take on Tommy Oliver himself in a fight, we just need other things more for this build and we'll get something to mitigate that terrible score very early on.
Wisdom: 8
"I'm going to show up, wreck the Rangers' shit, and then go back to doing exactly what I complained Rita was doing that wasn't getting results! Also, what even are my anger issues?"
Race & Background -
For race, Zedd definitely isn't a human of any variety (sure he looks human after the Z-Wave hits him, but that's just Power Rangers for you). He's an alien, specifically an invading force from another world. As a Githyanki, Zedd gains a +2 to one Ability Score and a +1 to another or +1 to three different attributes. We'll take the +2/+1 and boost our Intelligence (17) and Constitution (14).
As a Githyanki, along with being a Medium Human with a 30 foot walking speed, Zedd receives a few goodies. Astral Knowledge allows Zedd to draw upon the Astral Plane and gain proficiency in a skill and one weapon or tool of his choice, keeping them until his next long rest. Then, he can choose another one or keep the same ones.
Githyanki Psionics gives Zedd the power of mage hand right off the bat, the spell jump at 3rd level, and then misty step at 5th level. Once he's cast jump or misty step this way, he can't do so again until he finishes a long rest. As Monsters of the Multiverse gives us the option to choose our spellcasting ability between Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, Zedd will of course choose Intelligence.
He also gains Psychic Resilience, meaning he has resistance to psychic damage. Pretty neat!
And we're not even first level, yet!
For background, we'll be taking the Noble. Zedd is, after all, a Lord. I did debate a few others, but this is ultimately the only one that fits given Zedd's setup. Pick up proficiencies in History and Persuasion, one type of gaming set, and one language of your choice. Zedd also gets the Position of Privilege feature, which basically means he'll be welcomed in high society no matter what. Granted, it'll be evil high society, but ritzy is as ritzy does.
1st Level: Fighter (1)
We're going to kick things off as a Fighter to start. With his Strength and Dexterity so low, you may ask why. Don't worry, everything will be made clear very soon.
As a first level fighter, Zedd gets proficiency with all armor and shields, all weapons, and saving throws in Strength and Constitution.
He also gains two skills from the fighter list. We'll be going with Athletics and Intimidation. He can move quickly when the need arises and he's a terrifying presence as we've discussed previously.
Zedd gains a Second Wind, allowing him to recover 1d10 + his fighter level in hit points as a bonus action. Not exactly super thrilling and it's going to get outstripped pretty soon, but it's still a nice little buffer to have in the back pocket.
Our big draw here, however, is our Fighting Style. Defense gives Zedd a +1 to his AC any time he is wearing armor. So, when you drop that 1500 to get that suit of Full Plate, it'll do even better at making up for the bad Dexterity.
2nd Level: Wizard (1)
Going into second level, we'll be taking a dip into Wizard, where Zedd does not receive the saving throws or skills from the Wizard list, but he will gain Spellcasting and Arcane Recovery.
Spellcasting grants Zedd a spell book that lets him have three cantrips from the Wizard spell list and six 1-level spells from that same list.
Cantrips (3):
- blade ward
- create bonfire
- ray of frost
1st Level Spells (6):
- absorb elements
- cause fear
- find familiar
- identify
- silvery barbs
- Tenser's floating disk
Arcane Recovery lets Zedd, when finishing a short rest, recover expended spell slots equal to or less than half of his wizard level (rounded up).
3rd Level: Wizard (2)
Second level Wizards choose an Arcane Tradition. Being that a great deal of Zedd's magic (both with and without Rita) is in conjuring monsters for his enemies to fight, Zedd will join the School of Conjuration. Starting out, Zedd is a Conjuration Savant, which means the gold and time spent to copy a Conjuration spell into his spell book is halved.
He also gains the power of Minor Conjuration, allowing him to conjure an inanimate object into his hand or in a spot within 10 feet of him. This object can be no larger than three feet to a side and weigh no more than 10 pounds. It must be a non-magical object that he has seen. It generates a magical radiating light out to 5 feet. It disappears after 1 hour, when he uses this feature again, or if the item he conjures takes any damage whatsoever. Maybe be nice to your DM and he'll wave the 3 feet rule and let this be how Zedd conjures his iconic Z staff.
Zedd can also add two new spells to his spell book from a level that he can cast.
1st Level Spells (2):
- alarm
- fog cloud
Also, welcome to third level Githyanki! Enjoy your jump!
4th Level: Wizard (3)
Third level Wizards get access to second level spells. And look at that! You just gained a level and thus get two new spells!
2nd Level Spells (2):
- dust devil
- enlarge/reduce
Yes, you can now make the monster GROOOOOOOOW! You're welcome! Also, we'll get a much better version of this down the road, so don't sweat it!
5th Level: Wizard (4)
Fourth level Wizards get their first Ability Score Improvement or Feat. Pick up Arcana, Deception, and Religion to fill in the skills we didn't get from starting as a Fighter.
Zedd also picks up two new spells to add to his spell book as well as his fourth cantrip.
Cantrip (1):
- Fire bolt
1st Level Spell (1):
- detect magic
2nd Level Spell (1):
- web
6th Level: Wizard (5)
Fifth level Wizards get access to third level spells.
3rd Level Spells (2):
- counterspell
- summon lesser demons
7th Level: Wizard (6)
At sixth level, a Wizard in the School of Conjuration receives the power of Benign Teleportation. Zedd can teleport using an action to a spot within 30 feet. If the space is occupied by a Small or Medium creature that is willing, it and Zedd can switch places. He can't use this ability until he either finishes a long rest or casts a Conjuration spell of 1st level or higher.
Speaking of spells, Zedd picks up two new ones.
3rd Level Spells (2):
- summon fey
- summon undead
8th Level: Wizard (7)
Seventh level Wizards get access to Fourth Level spells.
4th Level Spells (2):
- charm monster
- summon aberration
9th Level: Wizard (8)
At eighth level, Wizards pick up an Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. Bump up Intelligence (18) and Constitution (15).
Zedd also gets two new spells.
4th Level Spells (2):
- summon construct
- summon elemental
10th Level: Wizard (9)
Ninth level Wizards bust open the door on 5th level spells.
3rd Level Spells (1):
- magic circle
5th Level Spells (1):
- summon draconic spirit
11th Level: Wizard (10)
Tenth level Wizards following the School of Conjuration get Focused Conjuration, meaning that Zedd's Concentration on a Conjuration spell can no longer be broken as a result of taking damage.
Also, two new spells!
5th Level Spells (2):
- infernal calling
- planar binding
- thunderclap
12th Level: Wizard (11)
At eleventh level, Wizards get access to 6th level spells.
6th Level Spells (2):
- Drawmij's Instant Summons
- summon fiend
13th Level: Wizard (12)
At twelfth level, Wizards pick up another Ability Score Improvement or Feat. Keep rolling up the Intelligence (19) and Constitution (16) scores for better bonuses!
Also, say it with me, two new spells!
6th Level Spells (2):
- mental prison
- programmed illusion
14th Level: Wizard (13)
At 13th level, Wizards open up the doors on 7th level spells. Before that, though...
6th Level Spells (1):
- chain lightning
7th Level Spells (1):
- Finger of Death
15th Level: Wizard (14)
14th Level Wizards on the path of the School of Conjuration get Durable Summons, giving any creature they summon an extra 30 hit points! Not bad!
Also, two new spells:
7th Level Spells (2):
- Dream of the Blue Veil
- teleport
No, I couldn't figure out how to include Serpentera in the build as it's a giant dragon robot, not an actual dragon. So, this is how Zedd travels between worlds. Go with it.
16th Level: Wizard (15)
Fifteenth level wizards get access to 8th level spells from the Wizard Spell List.
8th Level Spells (2):
- antimagic field
- Mighty Fortress
17th Level: Wizard (16)
Sixteenth level wizards pick up another Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. Continue to roll up Zedd's Intelligence (20) and Constitution (17).
They also get access to 9th level spells!
9th Level Spells (2):
- blade of disaster
- true polymorph
18th Level: Wizard (17)
Seventeenth level Wizards get two new spells!
9th Level Spells (2):
- astral projection
- true polymorph
19th Level: Wizard (18)
Eighteenth level Wizards achieve Spell Mastery. Zedd can choose 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell that are in his spell book and can cast them without expending a spell slot (at their lowest levels) as if he were casting a cantrip so long as they're prepared. With 8 hours of study, he can change which spells from the 1st and 2nd level that this applies to.
Also, two new spells:
9th Level Spells (2):
- imprisonment
- meteor swarm
And we finish off the build at the 19th level of Wizard, where Zedd gets one last Ability Score Improvement or Feat. With Intelligence capped off, roll up your Constitution (18) to get rid of that odd number and uh... Charisma (15) to be ... uh... more terrifying to your minions?
That one doesn't really help, but you really don't have any need for another modifier and you do get one more point, so why not?
- gate
- power word: kill
- You have summons out the wazoo and the means by which to put them under your thumb. You have a nice variety to call upon, and you can give them all an extra thirty hit points the moment they're created or summoned! Nice! Plus, you can not only summon things but you can use true polymorph to turn things into other things!
- You've got a fair amount of damage variety when you need it, in particular your scaling cantrips such as fire bolt and ray of frost. This also applies to later spells such as chain lightning and particularly meteor swarm. A capped off Intelligence modifier also means your spells are gonna rock in general.
- With access to all armor, you have a pretty great defense if you go with a full plate (as you should given Zedd's aesthetic) suit. While your combat style is largely built around getting your minions to work for you, you do at least have your trusty staff to fall back on.
- You also can't have your concentration disrupted on Conjuration spells from taking damage, which is damn good as it's basically your ace in the hole for this build.
- You have summons out the wazoo, but you can't control them without a hefty save or an additional spell and they almost all require Concentration (even if they can't be broken), so you'll have to plan for that. Even if Zedd only summoning one monster at a time fits the show he comes from. At the very least, you can actually make giant monsters by the time you unlock 9th level spells, which is pretty great!
- Almost all of your magical ability is centered on being a caster, particularly of Conjuration spells. You don't really have much in the way of high level offensive magics with very few exceptions. If your summons get taken out, you're boned.
- Your hit points are sad. Starting out with Fighter was good for a start, but a d6 for the 19th levels of Wizard afterward isn't going to give you too much to work with by the end. It might be hard to get to you but once they do, you're toast.
- Low Wisdom is a pain, largely because it's the most called upon saving throw in the game. Your hot-headed nature as the would be king of all evil is going to be in jeopardy quite a bit when you're Banished to another plane of reality or, say, kicked off the Moon by a robot empire.
But hey, you're the infamous Lord Zedd, Emperor of All You See! Move into Rita's castle on the moon, kick her out, and use your might to finally crush those Power Rangers and take over the Earth! Just make sure you're careful and don't get in over your head. Failure is a Dark Specter hanging over your head, and it's definitely very Vile. Seriously, you'll be in Mondo trouble if you aren't always aware of your surroundings... and your enemies may come down on you with a real cosmic fury...
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